Gas grills are simple to use, making them perfect for newbies. Most have plenty of room to fix a feast for the entire family too. If you’re worried about limited backyard space, it isn’t hard to track down a compact model to fuel your outdoor cooking adventures. Some of today’s best gas grills also come jam-packed with nifty extras, from side burners to special sear stations to built-in lighting for evening cooking.
As you might know, starting a charcoal grill usually begins with simply getting the coals warmed up in a chimney starter. It comes with an auto-start gas ignition that consistently lit the coals for us. You can place the lid in different positions for the best top damper placement, with the bottom damper easy to adjust when your flame gets too hot. During our smoking test, we were able to keep the grill within a range of 10 degrees for several hours, making this a great option for cooking with indirect heat. Food cooked on our Char-Broil test unit was good, though slightly less crispy and seared than the Weber.
Stainless-steel grates are inexpensive and lightweight, but you’ll need to clean them with a great grill brush after every session. Porcelain-coated grates can last a long time if taken care of properly. Don’t use metal tools or brushes on them to avoid the coating chipping off. Uncoated cast-iron grates will need to be maintain like cast-iron cookware.
If you want your grill to last, don’t cheap out on a budget model. But also don’t overpay for extras you won’t use, such as a rotisserie or a side burner. Although this grill can still accommodate a cut-up whole chicken or six to eight burger patties at a time, cooking for a large crowd means standing at the grill for a few hours. We didn’t officially test the Spirit II E-210, but we did test its predecessor, the Weber Spirit E-210 (our former top pick).
An average 15- or 20-degree difference across the quickest and slowest patties in a batch was the norm in our testing. Red flags are raised when we begin to see differences in the 30- to 40-degree range. We measure out 5.3 ounces of 80/20 ground beef and press them into uniform patties. Those patties go into a grill basket and we insert a temperature probe into the center of each patty at a 45-degree angle. Weber’s feels like a cash grab at $90, but I own one, and it has suffered several years of the crazy heat and sun of my porch in the summer and Seattle’s wet winters.
Two aspects we didn’t like are the smaller hood can translate to too-high heat when kept closed, and the built-in thermometer was consistently inaccurate. You’ll want to make sure you have a second thermometer on-hand and be prepared for a small learning curve. BBQGuys does more than test and sell grills — we show you how to use them, too. Our experts provide the recipes and skills you need to be a grill master. Our outdoor kitchen design experts have helped thousands of customers transform their backyards at no extra cost. Weber Connect is a step-by-step grilling assistant that turns any grill into a smart grill, and any griller into a master.
Since wood pellet grills work by indirect heat, you’ll be able to smoke food as well, without any accessories. You will need to make sure there’s an electric outlet nearby since most need to be plugged-in for the ignition weber charcoal grill and the auger. It’s an anecdotal round, so there isn’t a connected thermometer set or software capturing specific data. We preheat each grill on high for 10 minutes before turning it down to low, indirect heat.
For an electric grill that performs great wherever there is a power outlet, choose the Q 1400 from Weber. This compact but mighty electric grill delivers great flavor and doesn’t require propane or charcoal. Instead, plug the unit into an electrical outlet, adjust the temperature setting, and then get ready to grill. Take a look at our chart and see how best selling Weber gas grills from different collections compare to each other. The full-sized griddle seamlessly fits into your existing gas grill so that you can go from grilling to griddling within seconds.