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You don’t have to spend a fortune to get an excellent grilling experience. In fact, you can own one of the very best gas grills for under $500. To make your search for the best grill a lot easier, we’ve compiled a list of 10 entries that we feel will serve you well.
Whether you’re looking for a top-of-the-line model, or you need something on a budget, we’ve got just the grill for your needs. And to help make things even easier on you, we’ve included a handy buyer’s guide immediately following the reviews.
But before we move on, we’d like to share a couple of our top picks. These entries stood out for being great buys with prime grilling abilities.
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When it came down to the best grill overall, Weber’s Spirit II came out on top. There’s plenty of room for grilling and shelving for storage. Its stainless steel construction is built for longevity and foods taste exceptional.
Dyna-Glo got our attention with their DGE Series grill. It sports lots of grilling space and a great amount of heat. If you need to grill for a large group of people, this is the best bang for your buck.
If those didn’t whet your appetite, we have eight more entries that are sure to get you in the mood for grilling.
For a complete grilling experience at a reasonable price, look no further than to Weber. Their Spirit II E-310 is a stainless steel beauty that provides 30,000 BTUs an hour. With three burners at the ready, you’re getting an impressive 529 square inches of grilling area to work with.
We like the easy portability of this grill. With two wheels at its base, it’s a cinch to move around. And yet its 108-pound frame keeps it in place wherever you park it.
There’s plenty of space underneath the grilling area, with a durable shelf to store your goods. A built-in grease system makes it easy to manage run-off, while Weber’s “Glamorizer” bars work to give your food delicious smoky flavor.
The Spirit II’s reversible cast-iron grates allow you to grill up food with greater versatility. And six handy tool hooks let you keep all your utensils at the ready for an easier grilling experience.
Its reversible grilling grates and handy warming rack make your experience all the more user-friendly. Moving the grill around is a piece of cake, and built-on shelving make the Spirit II a joy to own.
Dyna-Glo provides a worthy contender with the DGE Series grill. Its attractive stainless steel body makes it a great fit for any environment. As one of the highest BTU grills we reviewed, you’ll be able to host gatherings with ease.
You get a total of 52,000 BTUs of heat. This is spread across four different burners. Three have 10,000, while the side burner has 12,000. You’re also getting a huge amount of grilling space, clocking in at 646 square inches.
Food tastes great and is cooked up quickly. Every part of this unit is a beauty thanks to its sleek design. Four wheels are mounted on the bottom to make moving its 96-pound body easier.
If you’ve been looking for a solid stainless steel grill, you’ll be mighty pleased with what Dyna-Glo brings to the table.
With four burners, plenty of heat, and lots of grilling area, you’ll love everything about the DGE Series grill. It’s built tough and looks great. Assembling the unit is fairly straightforward, which is another big plus.
This 4-burner behemoth has everything you’d want in a grill. It’s a breeze to control and boasts some of the most user-friendly knobs we’ve seen on a grill. This unit is tough and sturdy, featuring sleek stainless steel and plenty of area to cook up your favorites.
Not only do you get 513 square inches of grilling space, but there’s a warming rack that provides an additional 210 square inches. Talk about convenience!
With 72,000 BTUs at your disposal, there isn’t much the Monument grill can’t handle. A built-in side burner works to make your grilling experience easier than ever.
We absolutely love the knobs on this grill. Each one backlit by LED lighting, making it a breeze to grill at night while adding character to your grill.
It is nice touches like this that make this grill stand out from the rest. It is easily one of the most innovative models we’ve come across considering the price point. Monument delivers a winner, making grilling even more enjoyable than it already is.
Monument delivers the goods with durable side shelves and even an included rotisserie kit. Throw in a built-in thermometer and sure-fire ignition switch, and you’ve got yourself one solid grill. This unit is pretty heavy, so you might want an extra set of hands to help you with assembly.
Need great grilling at an affordable price? Then Char-Broil has the solution. This compact grill is constructed with stainless steel. It’s built tough and gives you prime grilling on the cheap.
You get two burners at the ready for quick and easy use. At 24,000 BTUs, burgers and small meats are cinch to serve up. And with 300 square inches of grilling space, you’ll have plenty of room to accommodate your needs. But to make things even easier on you, a swing-out rack provides you with an additional 100 square inches!
An electronic ignition switch fires up the grill with reliability you can count on. No more struggling with messy charcoal. This propane-powered unit is easy to move and gives you more than enough room to work with.
We wouldn’t recommend this grill if you’re planning on grilling up really thick cuts of meat often. You’ll spend more time than you care getting them properly seared. But medium and smaller cuts are heated up quite well.
Thanks to quick and easy assembly, you’ll be up and grilling in no time. You won’t want this for grilling thick streaks and the like. But for smaller foods it is a champ. For smaller families or gatherings, you should have plenty of surface area at your disposal.
Looking for something even more affordable? Char-Broil once again delivers the goods with the inexpensive Classic 280. This is another 2-burner wonder that might not look like a big deal, but it’s more than capable of holding its own.
This patio-friendly option will serve you well with 280 square inches of grilling area and two fold-down shelves. You get a total of 20,000 BTUs. This will grill up fish, chicken, and hamburgers in no time at all.
The Classic 280 comes equipped with two wheels for easy portability. And a reliable Piezo ignition switch allows you to fire up the grill any time you want to serve up your favorite dishes quickly and effortlessly.
We had trouble trying to grill up thick steaks and the like, but for smaller foods, the 280 worked like a charm. Food has great flavor and serves up quickly.
For quick grilling on the fly, Char-Broil’s Classic 280 is the perfect fit. This handy little guy offers convenience and portability in a compact body that’s easy to maintain.
We had some difficulty when it came to the assembly. Plan on carving out plenty of time to complete the task.
This sleek and stylish little beauty is an attractive little 2-burner grill that gets the job done. It provides 21,700 BTUs for grilling up small meats and sides.
It is constructed using aluminum, porcelain, and cast-iron. And at around 84 pounds, it’s just the right weight. This is a solid unit that makes grilling easy thanks to 393 square inches of total cooking space.
Like most other units, the Q3200 features two folding shelves on each side. You also get a built-in thermometer and a removable grease pan for a well-rounded grilling machine.
For the best results, the Q3200 should be used with smaller entries, like fish, chicken, hot dogs, and burgers. It also handles vegetables quite well.
The compact body and sleek shape make portability easy. And with close to 400 square inches of grilling area, there’s lots of room to grill up several items at once. You might not want to attempt thick cuts of meat. But smaller foods should grill up nicely.
The Broil King Baron is an excellent choice for those with little room. This grill is quite narrow when its shelving is folded down, allowing it to fit into tight places with ease.
That being said, you get an impressive amount of grilling area for such a compact unit. At 440 square inches, you’ll have no trouble serving up dishes for family and friends. A porcelain cooking rack gives you even more room, while a handy side burner speeds up cooking.
The Baron’s three burners heat up quickly and provide 30,000 BTUs. The stainless steel body is equipped with four wheels to make it easy to move around your deck or patio.
We had no problem serving up thick steaks and lots of other meats. The heat is even and the food tastes great.
We were blown away by how much grilling room the Baron provides. The Sensi-Touch knobs are a nice touch and work flawlessly. Assembly can be frustrating due to a lack of good instructions. But once you’re up and running, grilling is a delight.
If you are looking for something new and unique, Fuego might have just what you need. The F24C looks more like a mini water tower than it does a grill. But don’t let the weird design fool you, this unit is solid through and through.
It comes packed with 525 square inches of grilling space, making this a worthy grill for family gatherings and parties. One large, dual-zone burner takes care of all the cooking. Heat comes on quickly and is even across the entire grilling area.
You get 26,500 BTUs, making this a great choice for serving up nearly two dozen burgers at once. You won’t find much in the way of storage, so be sure to park it next to a prep table. The good thing is that it has four wheels for easy portability, making its 80-pound weight easy to move around.
If you need to entertain a large number of people, this is a great option for doing so. You can easily grill up tons of dogs and burgers thanks to all the cooking space. Easy assembly will have you ready to serve in no time flat.
Now this is a one solid grill. Heavy-duty steel construction ensures you’re getting a unit that lasts. The E3001 is easily one of most durable models we tested. If you want sturdy, this is the grill of your dreams.
Char-Griller equipped the E3001 with two wheels to make transportation easier. And with a shelf on each side of the unit, you’ll have plenty of prep space to work with. One shelf even has a built-in burner to speed up cooking.
You get 438 square inches of grilling area combined with 40,800 BTUs. The three burners heat up fast to deliver even heat distribution. A warming rack is also provided to make grilling more manageable. We love the added dual smoke stacks, too.
We love how solid this grill is. Our only complaint is that it is rather difficult to clean. Aside from that, the E3001 grills thick steaks and all kinds of foods with ease.
If you live in tight conditions and don’t have the room for a full-sized grill, Cuisinart has you covered. This tabletop unit is the perfect solution for cramped living conditions. If you live in an apartment, the CGG-200 is a great fit for your patio or balcony (if your apartment complex allows it).
Its stainless steel body gives it a classy look and plenty of longevity. It’s also a breeze to carry. Weighing in at just 36 pounds, you’ll have no trouble hauling it to a campsite or to your backyard.
You get a total of 240 square inches to grill on, and 12,000 BTUs of heat. For a small family or single person, this is more than enough to let you grill up your favorites.
We like how quickly the CGG-200 heats up. This thing doesn’t mess around, distributing heat evenly across the grill.
For on-site grilling or in cramped quarters, this is the perfect solution. It’s so easy to handle and transport. It won’t be able to handle thick steaks, but for smaller foods it’s just fine.
Now that you’ve seen the best, it’s time to talk about what goes into finding the right grill for your needs. In this section, we’ll help you know what to look for so you’re getting only what you need. When you’re finished reading, you’ll be better prepared to track down the perfect grill.
Not all grills are made the same. So it’s important to know what you want in a grill before you go shopping. Here, we’ll cover some of the things you want to consider before investing in any particular model.
How many people do you plan on regularly serving? Are you going to be hosting large gatherings pretty often? Is your new grill going to be on your back patio, or do you need one for things like camping?
Once you have answered questions like these, you’ll have a better idea as to what size will best fit your needs. You wouldn’t want to spend money on a large grill when you live in an apartment. And you wouldn’t want a tiny, portable unit for family get-togethers.
If you have a large family or plan on grilling often, get a grill with at least three burners. Anything greater will benefit you all the more. You also want to ensure that it has a cooking area of at least 400 square inches. But again, the more the better depending on how many people you’re going to be serving.
If you’re by yourself or have a small family, a single or dual-burner setup is just fine. This is true for camping, as well.
This is the grill’s heat output. Generally, the higher the BTU, the thicker meat the grill can handle. Although some lesser-BTU grills do a fine job with thick foods. Conversely, if you need to grill up a large quantity of burgers, for example, a higher-BTU grill will cook them a lot faster.
If you only plan on grilling for yourself and time isn’t an issue, a 12,000 BTU model will serve you nicely. For large gatherings where demand is higher, anything above 30,000 will likely benefit you the most.
For a better grilling experience, go with a model that has an automatic ignition switch. A built-in thermometer is a handy addition to have, as well. Removable grates give you more space to set food items to be grilled.
This really comes down to personal preference. If you aren’t keen on messing with charcoal and manual lighting, a propane grill is going to be right up your alley. However, if taste is what’s most important to you, most people agree that charcoal is the best.
Gas grills are typically easier to clean than charcoal grills. If you’d rather avoid a lot of maintenance, gas is likely going to be your best bet.
If you’re trying to save money, a gas grill is usually the more affordable of the two. Charcoal can get pretty pricey, especially if you like to grill often. You might spend a little bit more on the actual grill, but the money you’ll save in the long run will make it worthwhile.
When it comes to the gas itself, yes. Propane is a denser gas. This means that propane will sink, while natural gas rises. That being said, when it comes to the distribution and use of the two gases, both grill types work the same. You’re going to get nearly identical flavoring in your foods, too.
The major difference comes down to cost and convenience. Since natural gas is a utility you pay for, it is connected directly to your home. You won’t have to make any trips out to the store like with propane. It’s nice having it right there at the ready anytime you need it.
Natural gas is also cheaper on your wallet. Propane costs more per unit than what natural gas costs. If you’re on a budget or trying to save as much as you can, you might want to go with natural gas if your home can accommodate it.
Now, with that being said, propane can’t be beat when it comes to portability. It is nice being able to slap on a tank and go wherever you want, untethered. Determine where you will be grilling the most often and plan accordingly.
This is a big no-no. If you were to try and use propane on a natural gas grill, you risk injuring yourself or others.
Doing this would cause huge flames that could quickly and easily get out of control. Never, under any circumstances attempt to do this. Interestingly, if you were to use natural gas on a propane grill, you’d barely get a flame at all. Go figure.
If everything is properly connected, your flames should be mostly blue with small, yellow tips. If your flames are mostly yellow, that means there isn’t enough oxygen mixed in. To remedy this, simply open the shutters a bit more.
Conversely, you’ll know there is too much oxygen when the flames are too high off of the burner. Fix this by closing the shutters.
This is highly unlikely. Even if water were to have somehow gotten into the lines, the water would freeze, but not the lines. This isn’t a scenario you should ever experience.
The best thing you can do for your grill is to cover it up. If you’re concerned about the cold winter elements, use some high smoke-point oil on the grates and tamers before covering it up. This will let your grill fire right up when the seasons allow for it.
Even stainless steel can rust after so long. But if you take the proper steps and regularly clean your grill, you can prevent this from happening. There are loads of different grill cleaners available that will help you with this.