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Grilling is the simplest cooking technique: heat, food, and some distance between the two. But it’s in the details — flames or infrared or both; charcoal, wood, propane or natural gas; built-in or freestanding — where grills can range from an impulsive big box store purchase on the first beautiful weekend of spring to a Flammkraft German-engineered “outdoor cooking experience” that costs more than a car.
Some frequent grillers believe it’s charcoal, wood, or don’t bother when it comes to home grilling. But even those who are diehard charcoal grill fans can admit preparing a wood or charcoal grill for cooking is an event — whereas preparing a gas grill takes just a few minutes. Vy To, owner of Ogawa Sushi and Kappo told me she relies on her gas grill for quick dinners all summer: “I grill three times per week when it’s hot out: pork chops, ribs, wings, char siu, fish, veggies,” she says.
To find the best gas grills on the market, I talked to food-industry pros and passionate grillers, and then went to friends’ houses, dealer showrooms, and manufacturers’ parking lots to test some grills. Others I had shipped to my home for backyard experiments. I tested them with steaks, sausages, and burgers from Vermont Wagyu along with vegetables of all sorts. I made pizza. The grills were a delight. Assembling them wasn’t always, but I get into all of that here. And if you’re looking for more outdoor cooking tools, check out our guides to grilling tools, grilling equipment if you don’t have a backyard, and charcoal grills.
What we’re looking for
Heat
Grilling, as opposed to the slow smoke roast of barbecue, is great for quick cooking at high temperatures. High heat is essential for the Maillard browning and sugar caramelization that we associate with a grilled ribeye, seared scallops, charred cabbage, grilled pineapple, or leopard-spotted pizza crust, so you’ll want to make sure you choose a grill with good heat output. A basic grill may have two or three burners, each around 12,000 BTUs. Some have more than double that output, resulting in the intense heat needed for a steakhouse-style sear.
Features
Grills have become increasingly sophisticated with accessories and add-ons. Some come with a rotisserie attachment, pizza stone, lighting, or smart technology. Others include bottle openers, mini beer fridges, auxiliary burners, or elaborate cabinetry. I’ve indicated when a grill has special features.
Price
An entry-level high-quality grill can range from the high three figures to $2,000. A higher-end grill with more advanced features such as an infrared burner, rotisserie attachment, and cabinetry may be as little as $1,500 and as much as $10,000 or more.
Best overall gas grill
Heat: 4 burners, 48,000BTUs across 994 square inches / Features: LED lights, side burner, smart capabilities / Design: modern and minimalist in black porcelain-enamel or stainless steel
When I asked chefs and other food professionals about the gas grill they cook on at home, the most popular answer was “an old Weber.” That’s my answer, too — a Weber Genesis that I bought in 2013, to be exact, and that’s held up remarkably well over the years. It’s hot, reliable, and easy to clean, and simply too good to discard (despite its caved-in lid from a fallen branch). With more features and cooking surface area than Weber’s Spirit entry level series, the Genesis is the mid-range option with a price that, over a decade or more of its use, is worth every penny.
Chef Pete Geoghegan, culinary director for Cargill Protein North American business, told me that his home grill is a Weber Genesis because it “lasts for a long time” and “heats evenly and gets plenty hot when needed.” Dr. Sheila Patinkin, owner of Vermont Wagyu, likes the Genesis for how it nurtures great flavor and easy operation, especially for folks who “don’t find grilling easy.” She uses cast iron griddles on top of the grill to keep the wagyu fat from causing flare-ups, a hack I’m planning on adding to my repertoire.
While my Genesis workhorse was an early-2000s model, the features have been substantially updated to include an extra-large sear zone, expandable top cooking grate, motion-sensor LED lights (important for off-season grilling when it gets dark before dinnertime), and a side burner that is good for a side or warm sauce (I like to drag my grilled seafood through warm garlic and herb butter right after it comes off the grill). This model also boasts smart technology through the Weber Connect app, which can alert cooks when the food is coming to temperature or the grill is running low on fuel. Both propane and natural gas versions are available — plumbing the grill directly into my natural gas line was great for taking the chore and cost of swapping propane tanks out of my grilling routine.
Best less-expensive gas grill
Heat: 60,000BTUs across 4 burners and 864 square inches / Features: no-tool assembly, Piezo ignition systems, side burner, ice bin / Design: large outdoor cooking center with cabinetry
I have to admit that I was skeptical of the TYTUS when researching this piece. It seemed to offer the Platonic ideal of a high-end outdoor kitchen at a fraction of the price of its competitors. Everything I dislike about a freestanding grill — the hours of assembly, the little additional counter space, and the lack of features of affordable grills seemed to have been addressed in their marketing. But, it turns out, my skepticism wasn’t warranted — this grill is a breeze to use and the price is relatively reasonable compared to my best overall pick.
Even for me, the least handy person you could imagine, I had the grill assembled in their promised five-minutes without tools. I was pleased how well TYTUS delivered on their promises, especially where it counts most: reliable, even, intense heat. It handled burgers well with a quick preheat to come to temperature and an even sear and grill-marked veggies impressively. Designed for partying, this is a grill for impressing the neighbors or achieving a high-end look at a vacation home without needing to call the designer or contractor.
Best high-power gas grill
Heat: 4 burners, 56,000BTUs across 715 square inches / Features: lifetime warranty, LED lighting, flame-thrower ignition, additional infrared burner / Design: stainless steel, often used as a built-in for outdoor kitchens.
When Cornwall Social owner and experienced griller Lizabeth Dunn installed a Blaze grill as the keystone of her outdoor kitchen, she never thought her chief complaint would be that “it can get too hot.” And indeed, this one gets very hot — making it ideal for achieving a steakhouse-quality sear at home. After giving Dunn’s grill a whirl, I was impressed by its quick ignition and ease of use. But I was most blown away by the heat — the burners whoosh to life and both the quality and quantity of heat are intense. It deeply glazed ribs and charred corn with minimal preheating but was also gentle enough to keep barbecue sides like cornbread and macaroni and cheese from scorching when set to low and used as an outdoor buffet.
Best centerpiece gas grill
Heat: Two 25,000BTU burners, 25,000BTU sear station, and 14,000BTU infrared burner for rotisserie; radiant heat from ceramic briquettes / Features: Halogen lighting, rotisserie, electric ignition / Design: stainless steel heavy duty appliance at 249 pounds with familiar Wolf aesthetic.
Wolf is a brand known for outfitting high-end home kitchens as well as restaurants. They apply the same quality and durability to home outdoor kitchens. With additional options like warming drawers, burners, and elaborate cabinetry, the Wolf can be the centerpiece of a complete outdoor kitchen. Despite smoking meats all week, Daniel Grobman, owner of Mike’s BBQ, has the 42” Wolf grill at home and loves it, especially for higher-end meats like steaks where he doesn’t want to impart a smoky flavor. “It’s a good grill. It holds temperature. The thermometer doesn’t break. Most of these cheap grills, the thermometer breaks and you have no idea what you’re cooking on. It’s a guessing game. Pay for the quality — you’re gonna get a better result than cheap ones that add up to more.” Wolf is available in natural gas or propane. Grobman especially values the rotisserie attachment: “We’ll get four chickens and do them four different ways,” he says.
Best portable gas grill
Heat: 3 burners of 27,581BTUs / Features: Minimal. Cast iron grill, optional steel teppanyaki accessory / Design: Minimalist, lightweight. Available in distinctive colors.
Though not marketed as a portable grill, the small size and lightweight, die-cast aluminum body make the Furnace, and its smaller two-burner sister, the Force, great options for a grill that needs to be moved around. The Furnace is ideal for moving to and from a shed when not in use or loading into a pickup truck for an event. It’s also a great option for someone new to grilling who still wants a stylish and efficient unit without being overwhelmed by a variety of features that they may never need. While the BTUs are more modest than others we considered, the close proximity of food to burner and minimal preheating required make up for the output.
Best professional-level gas grill
Heat: 5 burners producing 65,000BTUs over 1,053 square inches. 16,000BTU top-down infrared broiler / Features: smoker box, griddle accessory, rotisserie, side burner, LED lights / Design: Stainless steel or black porcelain with a familiar Weber look.
While more expensive than the Genesis (our best overall pick), Weber’s Summit opens up a whole world of standout features, including the infrared broiler, heavy-duty stainless steel grates and included rotisserie. The Summit brings the durability and user-friendliness folks love about the Genesis but has additional functionalities. The Summit infrared broiler cooks from above the food item, sandwiching the food between grill and broiler for an all-around sear. Chef Rich Cusack, owner of June BYOB and Café le Jardin told me that he has a Weber grill, and that he “loves the thing.” He notes that the quality control on the grill is great and that it heats up pretty quickly. “I notice the back of my grill tends to hold more heat than the front but that’s good for circulating my products while cooking them,” he says. “It’s very easy to use and it also is rust proof even after using it for a ridiculous amount of time. I also use the side burner for boiling corn or making baked beans for the family. I’ve never had a problem with it except for leaving pork belly on there and walking away from it and almost blowing up my grill [due to the dripping fat].”
Our experts
• Lizabeth Dunn, Owner, Cornwall Social
• Rich Cusack, Chef-Owner, June BYOB and Café le Jardin
• Pete Geoghegan, Culinary Director, Cargill North America
• Daniel Grobman, Owner, Mike’s BBQ
• Dr. Sheila Patinkin, Owner, Vermont Wagyu
• Vy To, Owner, Ogawa Sushi and Kappo
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