The best gas grills

The gas grill is the centerpiece of your backyard during summertime barbecues, so you should invest in a great one if you can.
The Weber Spirit II E-310 LP Gas Grill is our top choice because it’s compact and will fit on most patios and balconies alike, but it also comes with an ample 529 square inches of cooking space and three burners.
We also like models from Broil King and Dyna-Glo.

I’m not a believer in the whole “grilling season” thing. For me, the grilling season starts on January 1 and ends on December 31. So while many people won’t take the cover off their grill until the weather warms up in the springtime, know that all of the grills in our guide can be used year-round.

I’ve cooked plenty of Thanksgiving and Christmas eats on our Broil King. With proper cleaning and care, a good gas grill should last you at least five years – and likely more than 10 – with regular year-round use.

While all the grills in our guide are certainly good choices, selecting the best gas grill for your home is a personal decision. Do you have limited outdoor space but want plenty of cooking surface? Are you going to hardline your grill into your home’s natural gas line, or do you want something portable? And what kind of cooking is your gas grill intended for – flipping burgers and dogs, roasting whole birds, or for smoking brisket? How much heat and power do you need? BTUs (British Thermal Units) are something of an indicator, but they don’t really matter all that much (more on that below); almost all gas grills reach the same maximum temperature of 500-550 degrees.

In the end, there is an endless array of propane grill options out there, but that’s why we’re here.

Here are the best gas grills you can buy

The best gas grill overall

The Weber Spirit II E-310 LP Gas Grill performs as well as grills that cost hundreds of dollars more thanks to the proprietary GS4 Grilling System.

What makes the Weber Spirit II E-310 LP Gas Grill, an ostensibly simple grill, so special? It’s not the 529 square inches of ample cooking space for a relatively small grill. Nor is it the multiple tool hooks on which you can hang tongs, a spatula, a fork, and more. And it’s not even the durable porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grates.

What stands out about this Weber gas grill is the GS4 Grilling System, which is superbly designed and crafted. The system starts with the highly reliable Infinity Ignition System, a starter that fires up one, two, or all three of the 10,000 BTU burners. Thirty thousand BTUs total might not seem like a lot, but this is a smaller grill box and it's really all you need. These burners lie beneath "Flavorizer Bars" that spread the heat evenly, and above a grease management system that catches and collects drips and spatters, so cleaning the interior of the grill is blissfully easy.

Wirecutter called this grill an "exceptional value" that offers "exceptional performance" and creates "perfectly cooked" foods time after time.

A 10-year warranty on all parts should also give you plenty of confidence in the Weber Spirit II E-310 LP Gas Grill.

Pros: Great price for the quality, excellent ignition system, heats quickly and evenly, 10-year warranty on all parts

Cons: Awkward to move because there are no handles

The best compact gas grill

Foto: Source: Dyna-Glo

The Dyna-Glo Smart Space Living 3 Burner LP Gas Grill has 390 square inches of primary cooking space, but the entire grill is actually quite compact.

If you love to grill but you live in an apartment with a balcony, a townhouse with a small patio-style yard, or any other residence with limited outdoor space, then the Dyna-Glo Smart Space Living 3 Burner LP Gas Grill is a perfect choice.

This grill offers 390 square inches of primary cooking space and more than 500 square inches of total cook surface if you count the upper shelf, with three 12,000 BTU burners pumping plenty of heat for any job the grill can fit. That's comparable to our top pick, the Weber Spirit II E-310, which has 529 square inches of cooking space and three 10,000 BTU burners.

Thanks to its two folding side tables, there is also ample room to store foods that are ready to be cooked or fresh off the heat. And you can stash a few grill tools and a brush inside the cabinet alongside your propane tank.

Of course, what we're focused on here isn't the ample grilling surface or the handy storage features, but the rather small overall footprint of this gas grill. Weighing just 77 pounds (that's light for a grill), it measures 23 inches deep and 45 inches across. As we mentioned, the handy side tables fold, so it can fit on even the smallest patio, deck, or balcony, and you can easily tuck it away in a shed or garage when it's not in use. Thanks to its four caster wheels, two of which lock during use, moving the Dyna-Glo Smart Space Living 3 Burner LP Gas Grill is easy.

While the grill does boast great heat retention, we have to note that we found some uneven heating across certain parts of the grill surface. Still, that's pretty normal, especially in this more economical price range, and it's also worth noting that CNET likes it for low-and-slow cooking. You'll learn quickly where the heat is and isn't, but consider this a factor in your grill-purchasing decision. If you're after perfect even heat, have a look at our top pick, or the best gas and charcoal hybrid below.

The warranty is where this grill comes up short: one year on all parts and only five years on the burners.

Pros: Compact and easy to move around, great low price, easy to assemble

Cons: Uneven heating across some parts of the grill surface, relatively short warranty

The best multiuse grill

Foto:

Cuisinart's robust, stainless-steel 3-in-1 Five-Burner Gas Grill grills with the best of them, but it also hot-smokes, and comes with a 12,000-BTU side burner so you can do a bit of everything in one station.

Cuisinart has done an excellent job of getting into the grilling game, and an affordable one at that.

We assembled the 3-in-1 Five Burner Gas Grill in about two hours, and while it was a painstaking affair, it revealed just how well-built this thing is. The true testament, though? After a year outside in the New England elements without a cover, it still looks shiny and brand spanking new.

The BTUs are at 48,000 and in a 435-square-inch grill box, we got it up to 500+ degrees to grill steaks, then brought it down in the 220 range while using the smoking tube (included) to smoke whole fish and whole chicken. We also used the 12,000-BTU side burner to boil shellfish. Everything works extraordinarily well, temperature control is a breeze, and while the glass front window might come across as just a fancy final touch, we assure you it is everything: not having to open up your grill and let the heat out to see how things are doing inside is a game-changer.

The grill's casters are exceptionally sturdy: I've taken them off-roading on my broken and obstacle-strewn patio, across rocks, yard waste, and more, and they've yet to give. This might seem superfluous but it's not. Look at any number of other grills with cheap wheels (Weber's charcoal grills, while still our favorite, are notorious for this and we hope they'll take a tip from Cuisinart).

The coated cast iron grates are built for the long-haul, and moderately non-stick on their own (though you'll still want to coat them in oil). We should also mention that the burners come with a 15-year warranty. All in all, you really can't do much better for a versatile grill in this price range.

Note: Far as we're aware, this grill is only available through Walmart, and while we have confirmed with the brand that the grill is here to stay, it does come in and out of stock sporadically.

Pros: Sturdy and stainless steel, good heat control, handy glass window, 15-year burner warranty, durable casters

Cons: Doesn't come with a cover

The best natural gas grill

Foto: Source: Broil King

The Broil King Regal S590 Pro 5 Burner Natural Gas Grill offers an abundance of cooking space and superlative temperature control across its many burners.

Going with a natural gas grill allows you to tap into the natural gas line in your house, so you won't have to worry about dealing with propane tanks. There's no real advantage to using natural gas where cooking is concerned: propane actually burns hotter and more efficiently. Natural gas, however, is more affordable, more environmentally friendly, and more convenient.

I have been grilling with a Broil King for more than two years now, and I'm thrilled each and every time I fire the thing up. Since it connects directly to my home's natural gas supply, running out of fuel is never an issue. That being said, a hardline connection may not suit every home, and Broil King does offer a propane-compatible version of the same model.

When working in concert, the five primary burners can put out 55,000 BTUs, which is more than enough to heat the 625-square-inch grill box, but I'm equally impressed with how low the heat can go. The Broil King Regal S590 will easily maintain a steady internal temperature of 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which is ideal for slow-cooked foods like racks of ribs or roasts, or for grilled pizza. It works almost like an oven in that way. If you're after even lower temperatures, look to a smoker.

Below the burners, a large two-door cabinet with built-in shelves offers great storage space for tools, brushes, wood chips, grilling planks, and whatever else you want close at hand when you're cooking al fresco. The side burner on the left of the grill is ideal for cooking with a pot or pan, while the tray on the right is large enough for food prep or serving.

The only potential drawback of the side burner is that its 15,000-BTU output could stand to be higher if you're looking to do something like a seafood boil. It would still work out, but you'd do a lot better with a 30,000-BTU burner if you were throwing a party with more than, say, six guests.

The control knobs are illuminated with LED lights for nighttime grilling, too. The grill looks great when closed and at rest, so you'll be glad to leave it on your patio, porch, or deck. And good thing, too, because you're going to have it for a while.

This grill might be expensive, but it's also backed by a lifetime warranty (plus a standard 10-year limited warranty on the stainless steel burner and grids, and a two-year warranty on parts and paint).

Pros: Huge cooking surface, side burner, LED illuminated knobs, controlled and even heating, good (if standard) warranty

Cons: Occasional difficulty with the electric starter, expensive

The best luxury built-in grill

Foto: Source: Lynx Grills

The Lynx Grills Professional 54" Built-In 5-Burner Natural Gas Grill with Rotisserie can facilitate cooking for big gatherings, and comes with five brass burners and one infrared.

When you're looking to purchase a built-in grill, consider the permanence of the piece, and what you're setting it in. Is it something you're going to be able to pull out and replace without, say, breaking up a bunch of expensive mason work?

Chances are good that if you're in the market for a built-in grill, you're probably already spending some good money on having a patio built or rebuilt. If that's the case, you may want to consider the grill you're going to fix into it a lifetime investment, or at the very least something that's going to outlast the average 3-5 years of a three-figure grill's lifespan. It's going to live outside and through all that the elements have to offer, and because you'll likely have installed by professionals (provided you're not one yourself), it's not something you're going to want to have to replace.

With hypotheticals out of the way, let's consider what sets an $8,000 grill apart from the rest. We spoke with Chef David Rose of Food Network and ABC's Good Morning America to learn what makes a four-figure grill like the Lynx Professional 54" Built-In 5-Burner Natural Gas Grill with Rotisserie that he recommends worth the investment.

First of all, you're getting an entirely different set of nuts and bolts. For starters, the burners are cast ceramic, which maintains and radiates heat better than aluminum, stainless steel, and even brass. And unlike metal, they won't corrode, either. "Longevity and durability is the name of the game with Lynx grills," says Chef Rose. "With the Lynx ceramic burners, made from cordierite ceramic that can stand the test of heat, sauce, ice, and time." And that extra bit of heat goes a long way: "With temperature control ranging from 300-1000 degrees," Chef Rose adds, "the grill can handle delicate seafood and a sizable stake on both sides of the heat spectrum effortlessly."

Another feature, which you can take or leave, is the MyChef app, which allows you to turn your mobile device(s) into what Chef Rose calls "a precision dashboard for your grill/smoker." The safety shut-off feature kicks in after 30 minutes of being idle, and, again, take it or leave it, but there's also an open-sourced recipe forum for the Lynx grill community.

There's also a ProSear 2 infrared burner built into these grills (you'll find the same brass-and-infrared layout in Viking grills). This infrared burner makes it possible to achieve temperatures upwards of 1,000 degrees, which makes restaurant-grade thin-crust pizza and crispy seared steaks possible.

And, an extra feature (which you'll also find on the comparable Viking VQGI5541) is a motorized rotisserie. If you tend to grill a lot of poultry, or anything you might fit onto a small rotisserie or spit, this is a game-changer, and it's included with the grill.

Yes, there are also tons of bells and whistles like LED control illumination and dual halogen surface lights that make the grill pretty, but in the end, what wins out ahead of comparable grills from other brands is the limited lifetime warranty and a five-year warranty on all parts.

The limited lifetime warranty includes the stainless steel grill body, the burners, the cooking grates, the sear (infrared) burner, and the rotisserie burner. There's also a five-year limited warranty on the warming racks, briquette trays, the spit rod, the manifold, and the gas valves. The rest of the components, which are much more reasonable to replace, have a two-year warranty.

In the end, this grill is a good bit cheaper than the Viking VQGI5541, but it performs all the same tasks and is constructed almost the same. Still, we'd urge you to look into both Lynx and Viking if you're decking out your patio, backyard, or pool deck, as they both offer a wide array of other appliances and fittings such as cocktail stations, sinks, refrigerators, ventilators, and ready-to-finish islands, which you may want to consider.

The VQGI5541, we should point out, also comes in a propane option, where the Lynx does not.

Pros: A one-stop-shop outdoor grill, virtually indestructible, superior warranty

Cons: Not available in propane configuration, extremely expensive

What are BTUs (British Thermal Units)?

Foto: Source: @honeypoppet/Unsplash

A BTU, or British Thermal Unit, is the exact amount of heat required to bring one pound (about a pint) of water up to one degree Fahrenheit at sea level. This is a useful measurement, but perhaps not as useful as you might think when it comes to deciding upon a propane grill.

Here's the lowdown on gas grills: almost all of them reach a maximum temperature of 500 to 550 degrees, no matter how many BTUs they have, or what they cost.

Brands will either refer to the BTU power of a grill's burners individually (usually around 10,000) or collectively (anywhere from 30,000 to over 100,000). Some grill manufacturers will call out the BTUs per square inch within the primary cooking area, or "grill box" (generally between 70 and 100).

A BTU measurement will give you some idea of how hot a grill will get, but it shouldn't necessarily be a deciding factor in your purchasing decision. Since you're cooking with something highly combustible, and with limited airflow (grills are designed to retain heat, after all), there's serious potential for danger, and there are regulations keeping those maximum temperatures down.

The BTU measurement is much more indicative of how an unencumbered open burner will perform. A heavy-duty burner is going to push 30,000. While that may seem excessive - and in most cases, it is - it can actually be helpful to have that amount of power in a standalone burner if you plan to use it to heat water in a large stockpot (think broths, stocks, seafood boils, and clambakes). That's what the BTU measurement is really intended for.

What else we're considering

Foto: Source: Shutterstock

Blaze: Blaze Outdoor Products offers very fancy, all-stainless-steel-clad grills that would look great anywhere, but BBQ Guys and Consumer Reports both make mention of poor heat distribution, so we've skipped it for now.

Member's Mark: Member's Mark's GAS0440AS (offered exclusively by Sam's Club) is another midsized grill with a side burner, and markedly more affordable. It also gets good points with Consumer Reports, and we'll look to build and test one of these soon, too.

Monument: Monument offers fairly large-sized propane grills at a very fair price, but we haven't tried one yet. Consumer Reports gave the brand's 77352 (a six-burner grill) some of their highest ratings, but unfortunately, that grill is out of production and unavailable. Still, our interest is piqued enough to give Monument a try.

Napoleon: Like all of our picks, we keep our high-end recommendations in check, too. Right now we're still happy with the Broil King Regal S590, but it's a natural gas grill that you'll most likely have to tap into your home's natural gas line to set up. Napoleon boasts excellent ratings around the web, and we'll get to test-driving one as soon as we can. And while it's not a natural gas grill, there's a conversion available should you want to tap into your home's natural gas line.

Nexgrill: The Nexgrill Deluxe 720-0896B enjoys a good reputation with Consumer Reports as a midsized grill with a side burner, and seeing as how our Cuisinart pick, the 3-in-1 Five-Burner Gas Grill, looks to be out of production, we're looking into testing this one, which is slightly pricier, as a potential replacement.

Otto Wilde OFB grill: While we love the Otto Wilde OFB grill, which is basically a miniature salamander, hotel, overhead, or restaurant grill, we think the price makes it a little overkill for most. That said, if you're big on searing steaks and making pizzas (without having to purchase a separate pizza oven and/or build a fire), the Otto Wilde is aces all around in those categories. It also does a stellar job of making crispy-skinned fish. Read our full review here.

Check out our other great grilling guides

Foto: Source: Shutterstock

The best gas grills