Good Grills To Buy ##HOT##
In our best grills guide, we have analyzed and tested products from brands such as Weber, Traeger, Char-Broil, Z Grills, Everdure and Kamado Joe, covering an array of different designs, sizes and functions to suit any gathering.
good grills to buy
Traeger revolutionized the grilling game when they introduced the world to wood pellet grills over 30 years ago. Though other wood pellet grill companies have surfaced, Traeger is still a hard one to beat, especially when you consider their Traeger Ironwood 650 Pellet Grill.
Other charcoal grills such as the Kamado Joe Classic II feature side shelves, which can make serving up and storing plates and accessories easier. While the more compact Weber Kettle lacks this, it is also a mere fraction of the price.
The standout feature, however is the smoker. The Woodfire uses a box of wood pellets to infuse your dishes with delicious, smoky flavour. While it's not the same as the smokers on bigger grills, it's still delicious. We used it to make an incredible smoked pork tenderloin in just 45 minutes, and a neighbour we shared it with though it was the best tenderloin they'd ever had.
The three stainless steel burners offer an output of 39,000 BTUs, which isn't as high as other gas grills, but it'll still get the job done. With a Tuck-Away warming rack, barbecue enthusiasts have a total of 660-square inches of cooking area (the main grate is 513 square inches). Flavorizer bars catch grease and food drippings, which protects the burner tubes and prevents flare-ups. More importantly, when the grease hits the bars, it vaporizes and is then absorbed into the food making it juicier and tastier.
Our top pick of the best grills is the Weber Genesis II E-335 (opens in new tab). It has everything we love from Weber, including a smart sear station to ensure your steaks and burgers get those classic char-marks. We think the three burners are a good size for most families and would serve well at small-to-medium-sized gatherings.
We like to get hands-on experience with the products featured in our guides, and the grills are no exception. From Traegar to Z Grills, it's our mission to test as many of these grills in our backyards as possible. Our expert panel combines close-and-personal experience with customer reviews to get the lowdown on these grills' strengths and weaknesses. We assess factors such as the ease of set-up and use, cleaning, maintenance and storage and ultimately, how well each grill cooks.
The most conventional type of grill is a charcoal grill, which will slow-cook all manner of dishes for smoked meat or chargrilled vegetables. Gas grills are loved for their convenience. They are easy to ignite and you can work the burners independently, whether that is at different temperatures or for smaller servings without wasting gas.
If you enjoy flame grilled foods, the best grills will produce succulent, seared meals with crisp and delicious results each time. This is especially the case if you're hosting backyard gatherings and want to impress your guests with professional results.
But with so many different types of best grills, it can often be tricky to know which one is best for your outdoor feasts. First of all, do you want a gas, electric or pellet grill? What convenient features do you need? Nowadays, you can find grills that come with an induction cooktop, storage, color touch-screen display, or even wi-fi connectivity. But this all depends on your budget. The best grills can cost from as little as $100 to over $1,000, so you need to weight up what you really need for it to be a worthwhile investment.
Propane Gas: A popular option because it's easy to light, quick to heat and simple to clean. Whether you're cooking on a high temperature or need a slow burner, propane gas will produce good results. If we're being picky, some say it doesn't produce as much of a barbequed flavor as charcoal grills, but it's the best for convenience. Generally, it's good to use for grilling all year around.
Most gas grills will be hooked up to a tank of liquid propane gas. If you already use a tank to fuel your kitchen range, then that can also be connected to your grill, meaning you would never run out of gas! Some models can also be connected to the natural gas line in your home.
Charcoal: These grills require effort to light, control, and clean up. But hands down, they give the smokiest flavor. Charcoal grills may use standard briquettes or the more expensive hardwood lump charcoal, but both types have their advantages.
Kettle grills take up the least space and lets you build a deep bed of briquets to hold in heat. That makes it good for longer cooking items like chicken or ribs as well as for searing steaks and burgers.
Kamado grills look a bit like traditional kettle models, but are made of heavy ceramic instead of lightweight sheet metal. The kamado design was popularized by the Big Green Egg brand, but similar ceramic designs are now offered by several companies.
Weber grills consistently rise to the top in our outdoor grill tests. They have solid builds with porcelain-enameled cast iron grates that heat evenly and create nice grill marks. This Genesis EX-335 Smart Grill toasted bread the most evenly in our gas grill test and made a delicious steak with beautiful grill marks, a juicy pink center and no flare-ups. It has top-of-the-line features, including two temperature probes so you can monitor the internal temperature of food directly on the control panel or via the Weber Connect app.
We appreciate the many features that make it pleasant to use like sturdy side shelves, tool holders and a shelf to stash extra items. We also appreciate the propane tank holder that lets you know how much gas is left in the tank (a feature on many Weber grills). It comes with porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates.
Not only is this grill cute and compact, but it performed great in our tests. It heated bread evenly with only a few light spots on the very edge of the grill. Plus, it seared a juicy steak and made tasty chicken with limited flare-ups. While it didn't get as hot or heat as quickly as other grills we tested, we appreciated that we didn't have to worry about burning during cooking or too much smoking.
In our tests, steak and chicken got beautiful sear marks, and we didn't experience any flare-ups. It lights with the press of an igniter button and uses a one-pound propane tank (or you can purchase an adaptor hose that allows it to be used with a full-size propane tank). It uses a disposable drip tray, which isn't common among the portable grills we tested and makes cleanup easy.
Pellet grills are excellent for slow-cooking meats, fish and veggies at low temperatures using smoke. This one from Traeger is one of the brand's most popular models. It's made from heavy-duty stainless steel and feels as sturdy as it looks. It has a temperature range from 165ºF to 500ºF, and you can program it right from the control panel or from the connected app that monitors the entire cooking process.
In our tests, it made some of the best brisket we've ever tasted; it cooked overnight and turned out juicy with a good bend that didn't fall apart (the sign of a good brisket that's tender but not overcooked). It also made fall-off-the-bone ribs and tender chicken. Compared to other pellet grills we tested, it seemed to cook gently and consistently. None of the foods we cooked ended up too soft or dry.
How long your outdoor grill will last depends on a number of factors, including its quality, the climate, and how often you use and clean it. Most have a warranty that covers the first few years of use, but properly maintained grills should last well beyond their warranty period. "Traeger grills have a limited seven-year warranty, but the grills are designed to last longer than that," says Binns.
Second, grates come in a range of materials: plain cast iron, porcelain-coated cast iron (more rust-resistant), and stainless steel rods (sometimes as thick as a stick of chalk or even a thumb). Salvaggio says porcelainized cast iron holds and delivers heat better than the even-heavier stainless rods on his top-end wares. We found that while porcelainized cast iron was predominant on grills ranging from $300 to over $1,000 in the past, stainless steel is gaining popularity. For instance, on its new Genesis models, Weber swapped the cast-iron grates for stainless steel ones.
In our original tests, we also paid attention to how the setup process works for each of the brands, noting details like how well the grills were packed, whether the instructions were clear, and if assembly was reasonably straightforward.
In spring 2017, we kicked off this grill guide by putting six gas grills through a battery of tests. We cooked a full grate of burgers on high heat and chicken pieces at a low temperature. We also roasted whole chickens indirectly on both low and high heat to see whether the grills could create browned skin and perfectly cooked meat without charring. In 2018 we repeated these tests, with the then-new Weber Spirit II E-310 and our upgrade pick at the time, the Weber Genesis II E-310 (predecessor to our current upgrade pick).
We assembled the six grills alone and in teams of two. We did this to see if the former scenario was even possible (the answer: yes, when the instructions were clear and the assembly was well-thought-out) and whether the latter made much of a difference (the answer: yes, in every case). We noted poor instructions, needlessly complicated screw or bolt sizes, or safety hazards like sharp edges.
When choosing a gas grill, first decide what size you need. We think a three-burner grill is large enough for most needs, with plenty of space to cook for a family dinner or a backyard BBQ. Grills with more burners are usually overkill, and two-burner grills can feel cramped.
To help you find the grill that works best for you and your budget, we've rounded up some of the best models available right now. You can also check out our guide to pellet, charcoal and gas grill variants. After all, there are tons of different grill types to compare and consider, including gas grills, traditional charcoal grills, heat-loving kamado grills, infrared grills, portable grills and more. 041b061a72