Best Gas Grills – Affordable & Value Picks

BTUs

This abbreviation of British Thermal Units reflects the heat potential contained in the flame source of the gas grill. It is a simple metric offering us an idea of how fast and how hot the grill can get. Obviously, higher is better for the most part. Of course, too high and you are constantly re-filling your propane tank for all the fuel you’ve burned through. So, a degree of balance is warranted in this category. Since the goal is high heat, we will mostly tend to favor a higher throughput of fuel to heat.

Cooking area

This is a common measurement of all grills. We focus on the actual cooking surface directly over the flame. Many grills have warming racks that sit above the direct grilling surface. While these are nice to have and will let you cook or warm other foods (think garlic bread!) we are mainly concerned with how many square inches of high heat grilling surface is available to use.

Build quality

Did we mention that the grill is nothing more than controlled fire? As a result, the thermal wear and tear can be extreme on a grill. Metallurgy and overall build quality are quickly seen when the heat comes on and stays on. Knowing the quality of these components will give you and idea of how long the grill can stand the heat.

Ease of cleaning

Grilling surfaces pretty much take care of themselves. A couple minutes of full flame and a light brushing, maybe an oil coat with a piece of towel and some tongs, you’re good to go. But the cooking process throws a lot of grease splatters, soot, and general particulate around. How you get all that out of your way, both for safety and hygiene, is a consideration.

PRODUCT	NAME & SPEC	RATING
	Weber Spirit Price: $$$ Burners: 2	🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥	CHECK PRICEJUMP TO REVIEW
	Char Broil Performance Series 2 Price: $$$ Burners: 2	🔥🔥🔥🔥	CHECK PRICEJUMP TO REVIEW
	Kenmore 3 Price: $$$ Burners: 3	🔥🔥🔥	CHECK PRICEJUMP TO REVIEW
	Monument Grills Larger 4 Price: $$ Burners: 5	🔥🔥🔥🔥	CHECK PRICEJUMP TO REVIEW
	MASTER COOK Gas Grill Price: $ Burners: 5	🔥🔥🔥	CHECK PRICEJUMP TO REVIEW

Weber Spirit II E-210 2-Burner Liquid Propane Grill

The American Barbecue Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Like Kleenex and Xerox, the name Weber is almost generic for a quality kettle style grill. However, these folks take their decades of experience in outdoor cooking devices for the home and bring it all to play with their gas grills. In this case, they do offer a larger version of this grill, and it is just as good, and naturally more expensive. This model is not cheap, but we believe it delivers a good price to value product for your home.

Features & Specifications

You can enjoy 360 inches of cooking surface with this grill, and another 90 square inches on the warming rack. The primary cooking area boasts porcelain clad cast iron grates that are heavy enough to hold the heat for nice wide grill marks. Or, you can flip the racks for narrower grill marks,  offering less contact area for delicate food like seafood and such. Their BTU rating is 26,500/hour input. They also offer a unique tank system where you hang the tank from a special bracket on the side which has a fill indicator as the tank is drained and becomes lighter.

Things we liked

Weber knows what it takes for metal to stand up to years of high heat. In this case the lower part of the unit is one large tub from cast aluminum. No seams or welds to fail, no Ferris metal to rust. The lid is porcelain enameled for ease of cleaning and resistance to the elements. They also have well made covers that sit over the flame elements, keeping them from getting clogged by juices. These covers offer a very hot surface for drippings to sizzle away adding flavor to your grilled foods.

What we didn’t like

The grease capture system is easy to clean, but it requires a disposable aluminum pan you buy from Weber. At 10 for $10 it won’t break the bank, but needs to be mentioned. All these grills require assembly. The directions are decent, but it is a time-consuming project, well over an hour, that you must be meticulous about. Their customer support is available, but kind of hard to navigate their sites and systems. The unit is also hard to maneuver with the shelf folded down on the end you need to lift.

Char-Broil Performance Series 2-Burner Cabinet Liquid Propane Gas Grill, Stainless Steel

The American Barbecue Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Char-Broil is coming up on 75 years of making outdoor cooking, making them the most experienced manufacturer in this group. No small feat. Part of their approach is to create a solid value in their product. This unit is no exception as one of the lower priced grills we selected. They have larger, and more expensive models in their catalog, but we like what this one delivers.

Features & Specifications

The two stainless steel burners are rated at 12,000 BTUs each delivering concentrated heat on the 300 square inch main cooking surface. The warming rack pulls up and away when the lid is opened allowing full access to the grilling space. The lid is double layered stainless steel to avoid contact burn on the outer surface, grates are the usual porcelain clad cast iron for heat retention and ease of cleaning.

Things we liked

Four wheels with two that lock, and fold away side tables make this an easy to maneuver unit, especially in tight spaces. The front door of the cabinet opens for easy access to the tank for shut off and re-filling. Assembly requires only a Phillips screwdriver and typically less than an hour of time. The grease pan is accessed from the back, porcelain clad metal, decent capacity and easy to clean. The internal parts that are stainless steel, which will discolor, but should endure without rusting out.

What we didn’t like

The warming shelf can be problematic. It seems to allow only 4-5” of clearance when the lid is closed, so you need to be cognizant of placing any tall food items to cook on the rear half of the grill. It is nice that the shelf retracts when the lid is raised, but if you use it for round foods, asparagus for example, they will roll around if you open it quickly. The stainless-steel sides will discolor quickly unless you work hard to keep up on cleaning them with degreaser and such.

Kenmore 3 Burner Outdoor Patio Gas BBQ Propane Grill, Black

The American Barbecue Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

Kenmore has been a solid brand for over 100 years. You can’t get much more iconic than that. Most of us have the story of a Kenmore appliance that seemed like it would never die. In 2014 they dove into the gas grill market and have been well rated since they started. Their styling has a unique aspect, in this case the four wheeled pedestal is a sharp looking grill.

Features & Specifications

The BTUs are rated at 10,000 for each burner, which is individually lower than many models we chose. However, the total of 30,000 BTUs come through a more compact area, just under 400 square inches of primary cooking surface, giving good flame with that rating. There are shelves on each side that do fold away, with bars to use the included ‘S’ hooks to hold your implements. Easy rolling, the rear casters will lock once you have the grill in place. The tank and grease drain are also accessed through the rear of the pedestal.

Things we liked

The styling and look are nice, with a good mix of some smooth stainless, but mostly powder coated steel for durability. The grates are porcelain coated and will withstand high temperatures. This delivers high temp and is able to reach the 700-degree high listed on the fixed thermometer on the lid. The warranty is one year, with 5 years on the burners.

What we didn’t like

The need for regular rear access. If you like to turn the gas off at the tank, lock the wheels, empty the grease pot; all these require accessing the back of the unit. So does changing the tank, but that is acceptable, and done less frequently. We’re not a fan of ‘S’ hooks, they’re known to stay hooked to your implement when you make a quick grab for the tongs or spatula.

Monument Grills Larger 4-Burner Gas Grills Stainless Steel Cabinet Style Propane Grills with LED Controls & Side Burner

The American Barbecue Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

For a couple decades Monument has been putting out solidly built grills for home outdoor cooking. They do like to try adding some leading-edge advances or some new twist on old idea. LED lit dials, USB ports for a grilling light, and glass inserts. The last idea, for example, is fun when it is clean, but difficult to maintain, which is part of the reason we did not seek out that feature. Their mechanics are sound and their pricing commensurate with the product, so they earned a place on this list.

Features & Specifications

Stainless steel, lots of stainless steel. The only exception is the grates of porcelain coated cast iron. Almost 500 square inches of cooking surface and the additional warming rack makes this a good unit for a hungry group. All four burner elements and the side burner are rated at 12,000 BTUs each for a great amount of heat to cook with.

Things we liked

Four casters mean you never have to lift an end to scoot the grill around, they also have simple locks to keep the grill in place. The stainless looks great and is a nice weight, although it will require diligence to keep that look. Most of all this unit gets really hot when all four burners are cranked up! It also has an easy-to-use grease catch for cleanup, and the LED lit knobs are kind of cool, nice on a dark night.

What we didn’t like

While the assembly is not really difficult, the instructions were not as helpful as you should expect, and there are reports that the customer service is lacking. The mixed blessing of broad stainless-steel surfaces means you will spend time polishing and cleaning, or it will start to show coloration from heat and smoke fairly quickly. Using 5 ‘AAA’ batteries made us suspect that you may be changing them with some frequency since they are also driving the LED lit knobs.

MASTER COOK Gas Grill, BBQ 4-Burner Cabinet Style Grill Propane with Side Burner, Stainless Steel

The American Barbecue Rating: 🔥🔥🔥

Master Cook has been building a decent name in the market for a while, and their replacements parts are readily available from third party vendors. Interestingly, their own website is somewhat elusive, they show up as built by Shinerich International. We are impressed enough with the quality of the product to include them here, however warranty support and customer service may be difficult should you have any issues.

Features & Specifications

These guys have a 36,000 BTU rating through 4 burner elements providing heat for a 400 square inch cooking surface. The burners put flame out both sides making for very even heat distribution. Master Cook adds in the warming rack and a side burner for a pretty effective outdoor kitchen at a good price. The metal construction mixes stainless, enameled cook racks and powder coats for a decent overall build.

Things we liked

Frankly, the amount of powder coated surfaces. Stainless looks great to begin with, but a couple years of serious use will show up in stains and discoloration. Powder coats seem to offer better longevity while looking decent. This unit also puts out a solid level of heat creating excellent char broiling flavor and texture to your food. The cabinet storage for the propane keeps the tank out of the elements.

What we didn’t like

The compact box and high heat for this unit can be problematic. If you don’t scrape the interior with some regularity the built-up soot and oils can combust when you reach high temps. The side burner unit is well sized, but be aware that the rack is lighter weight than we would like, a heavy pot of water for pasta or such could over burden the device. Love the four wheels, wish they locked in case the unit gets bumped into. The ‘S’ hooks are a mixed blessing because it is easy to bring one with the implement when you grab it.