We often hear that things were better decades ago—the food was fresher, the sky bluer, and all you needed was a big brick barbecue in the backyard. But patio cooking has been reanimated. Across this great land, people are searing, roasting, braising, and smoking. Grills have proliferated. When it comes to finding the best grill for you, there’s no shortage of models to chose in a range of prices and features.
Check out quick info below on a selection of the best grills from our testing—from homeowner-grade appliances to gourmet options—then scroll down for buying advice and in-depth reviews of these.
The Best Grills
Selecting the Right Grill
Despite the bevy of options, it’s not difficult to select the right grill as long as you think about what you want to cook, and how. If grilling a few hot dogs and hamburgers at the campsite is your goal, buy an inexpensive grill and spend your money elsewhere. But if you want to, say, grill seafood or smoke brisket, it makes sense to invest in a grill with the capacity to take you where you want to go.
No matter what kind of grill you have—gas, charcoal, or pellet—the most important thing is the being able to control the heat source. For charcoal grills, that means plenty of space for fuel and the ability to add more charcoal, raise and lower the cooking surface, or mound the charcoal up on one side for indirect cooking. For gas grills, you need two or more burners. For pellet grills, it’s a bit easier, because they have automated temperature control systems.
All of the grills we tested are mobile to one extent or another. However, if portability is a primary need, consider one of the portable grills we tested. They’re ideal for tailgating and do double duty to expand firepower beyond what your main grill can manage.
→ Watch: Dave Joachim’s best grilling tips.
How We Tested
We grilled almost everything—swordfish, lobster, some kind of spicy Portuguese sausage, more steak than you could shake a pair of tongs at. We also grilled bone-in-chicken, hamburgers, vegetable skewers, and vegetable patties. Hot dogs? Sorry, we skipped those. No offense.
We ran these grills as hard as we run lawnmowers and power tools. We grilled in a blizzard. We grilled in the dampness of early spring, the smell of cold mud competing with brisket. We grilled in early summer, morning, noon, and night, dragging these contraptions in and out of a barn, running test after test. We grilled in a parking lot, on a picnic bench, even hauled a couple to sporting events.
To evaluate heat distribution, we covered each cooking surface with white bread. This is a seemingly unconventional choice for grill testing, but white bread is ideal because it clearly shows where cold spots might produce under-cooked food.
Weber E-310 Gas Grill
Weber E-310 Gas Grill
Pros
- Relatively quick assembly
- Easy to use
Cons
- Slightly uneven cooking surface temps
Key Specs
| Fuel | Propane |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 529 sq. in. |
This is a great gas grill with user-friendly assembly; we put ours together in under an hour. The Spirit is ideal for the everyday griller. It’s simple to use and versatile, with three cooking zones. We experienced minor unevenness of temperature on the cooking surface, but that’s certainly not a deal breaker. The build quality of the grill is very high, with all parts exhibiting excellent fit and finish.
Camp Chef 24-in. Wi-Fi Woodwind Pellet Grill & Smoker with Sidekick
Camp Chef 24-in. Wi-Fi Woodwind Pellet Grill & Smoker with Sidekick
Pros
- Easy-to-use sear zone
- Versatile
Cons
- Expensive
Key Specs
| Fuel | Wood pellets |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 811 sq. in. |
The Woodwind Wi-Fi 24 is an attractive, versatile grill that fits better in tight spaces due to its vertical legs and small footprint. During testing, we found it more convenient to maneuver and reposition where we had issues with other grills.
A nice propane-fueled griddle attaches to the side (hence its Sidekick name) and runs independently of the pellet grill controller. Heat distribution was even, as evidenced by our white-bread test. And the sear zone was perhaps the easiest to use, with a slide that pulls out to expose the center of the cooking grate to the direct heat of the flame.
The color LCD control screen allows you to set the temperature and the amount of smoke produced. (You can also do that on the grill’s app.) We appreciated all the features, but they add to the cost—the Woodwind Wi-Fi 24 runs $800 without the Sidekick.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 Digital Grill
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560 Digital Grill
Pros
- Easy cleanup
Cons
- Complex system relies on electronics
Key Specs
| Fuel | Propane |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 560 sq. in. |
With a temperature range of 150 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, the 560 Digital Charcoal Grill is a multipurpose backyard cooker. Its innovative design stores charcoal in a vertical hopper on the end of the grill, where it is gravity-fed and burned from the bottom.
Flames and heat are drawn horizontally into the grill, where they enter a large diffuser and then rise to the grates. Temperature is maintained with a digital thermostat that controls the fan feeding air to the fire. Masterbuilt also has an app that pairs with the 560 so you can set and monitor the grill remotely. It comes with one temperature probe, but there are ports for three more.
Smoking in the 560 is as easy as setting the temperature and a timer. Using lump charcoal provides a smoky flavor, but if you need more smoke, you can add wood chips to the ash bucket, where they’ll burn slowly as embers fall on them.
On our first cook, a small brisket we had on for almost six hours at 220 degrees developed a fantastic crust—it was so easy, and so tasty. Grilling burgers, we set the temperature to 500. We found this to be a nice temp, between a sear and a slower cook, that gave our burgers a deep, brownish red color, with dark grill lines. Chicken on the bone cooked to perfection in about 40 minutes placed on the racks above the grill grates, away from the heat, and with the temp backed down to 400.
If you love the taste of charcoal-grilled food but cleaning up ash has held you back, Masterbuilt managed to take that hassle out of it. Due to the vertical hopper, the charcoal flows down as it burns, with the ash simply falling into a bucket at the bottom. Just open a door and empty the bucket—it’s that easy.
Char-Broil Commercial Series TRU-Infrared Grill
Char-Broil Commercial Series TRU-Infrared Grill
Pros
- Impressively even heat distribution
- Side burner
Cons
- Takes longer than average to heat up and cool down
Key Specs
| Fuel | Propane |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 725 sq. in. |
As evidenced in our bread test, Char-Broil’s Tru-Infrared four-burner grill has remarkably even heat distribution. This is largely due to the burner design, featuring four stainless-steel heat emitters (plates that absorb and emit infrared energy). Above those emitters is a set of porcelain-coated, cast-iron grates that imparted a typical wide sear mark.
The grill takes a little longer to heat up because there’s a lot of mass to heat in those emitters and cast-iron grates. It also takes longer to cool down, something to keep in mind if the temperature gets too hot for what you’re grilling. But the even heat meant we were able to cover the grill with burgers and have them all ready at the same time. Plus, we could turn one or more of the burners off or use the warming racks for indirect cooking while employing direct heat on the grates.
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Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill
Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill
Pros
- Weighs less than 10 pounds
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Limited use
Key Specs
| Fuel | Charcoal |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 205 sq. in. |
This is a phenomenal small grill, a kettle-shaped classic. A bottom vent and an aluminum top damper allow precise airflow. Despite the small kettle’s volume, there’s enough room to manipulate the coal for accurate cooking: Mound charcoal on one side for indirect heating and rotate the lid to place the top damper so it draws smoke past the food. Its setup and cool down are simple, precise, and fast. Years of experience with this grill have convinced us that some classics can’t be improved upon.
Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler Portable Charcoal Grill
Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler Portable Charcoal Grill
Pros
- Easy to use
- Adjustable charcoal tray
Cons
- A bit heavy
Key Specs
| Fuel | Charcoal |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 222 sq. in. |
This somewhat simple, unassuming grill turned out to be the “sleeper” in our test. We were really impressed by how easy it was to grill with either direct or indirect heat. The charcoal tray is adjustable, hanging from a ladder rack that can quickly raise or lower the coals as needed.
The burgers we grilled had fantastic coloring and that trademark cooked-over-charcoal taste. To cook chicken slower, we shuffled the coals to one side, put the chicken on the other, and closed the lid. You can manage heat with the damper on top and monitor it with a large, easy-to-read thermometer. As far as portability, this table-top grill doesn’t break down to take up less space—what you see is what you get, and it might be difficult to transport in some smaller cars.
We were surprised to find that the Rambler is nearly 50 pounds. That might seem a tad heavy, but it has cast-iron grill grates and it’s fabricated from thick-gauge steel instead of cheap stamped sheet metal. It’s built to last. We just wouldn’t suggest hiking into the woods with it.
Nexgrill Oakford 790 Wi-Fi Pellet Grill Smoker
Nexgrill Oakford 790 Wi-Fi Pellet Grill Smoker
Pros
- Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to grill remotely add value
- Sturdy construction
Cons
- One side shelf
Key Specs
| Fuel | Hardwood pellets |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 790 sq in. |
Nexgrill’s Oakford 790, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity to monitor your grilling remotely, represents a significant value among pellet grills. Pair it with Nexgrill’s free app and you can set target temperatures for the grill and meat probes, as well as check current temps and set a timer—capabilities often found on more expensive models. App control is one of the features we’ve really come to like, especially when smoking or cooking low and slow because you don’t need to be tied to the grill for the day.
With its temperature range of 160 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, you can smoke, bake, roast, and grill on the Oakford. After we seasoned the cast-iron grates, we grilled some burgers at the high end of the Oakford’s range, followed by chicken on the bone at just under 400 degrees. We found controlling temperature via the app and the panel on the grill equally effective and produced excellent results in both cases.
The grill’s construction is sturdy and everything fit well when we assembled it. The front fold-down shelf on the Oakford is kind of unique, in that when folded out, it meets the side shelf, creating a large useful place to shuffle plates and utensils on and hold food off the grill as you cook.
Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill
Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill
Pros
- Heats up as quickly as a propane grill
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Battery for the fan may run out after five hours
Key Specs
| Fuel | Charcoal |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 200 sq. in. |
For this Portable Charcoal Grill, Masterbuilt employed a simple version of technology it developed for its larger 560 Digital Charcoal Grill. With the use of a fan and a separate charcoal firebox, you can have this grill hot enough to cook in about the same time it takes to heat up a portable propane grill.
We loaded the firebox with charcoal from The Good Charcoal Company, which was a consistent medium size and perfect for the small, 1.5-pound-capacity firebox. We lit the charcoal with a torch for about 60 seconds, turned the fan to medium, closed the firebox, and in 15 minutes were grilling burgers.
The fan is electric, of course, but that doesn’t mean you have to be tied to an outlet—it can also run off of four AA batteries. When we tested using the battery, with the fan set on medium speed, we were able to grill for over 3 hours. The grill features a porcelain-coated, cast-iron cooking grate that helps provide even heat—and we found very easy to clean.
We were able to roll the grill around easily, with the collapsible cart. And with the dedicated firebox and locking grill lid, we didn’t spread ashes wherever we went with it. The Masterbuilt Portable Charcoal Grill makes grilling with charcoal easy, fast, and clean.
Weber Spirit II E-210 Gas Grill
Weber Spirit II E-210 Gas Grill
Pros
- Easy to use
- Good for small spaces
Cons
- Shelves don’t work well as handles to roll the grill
Key Specs
| Fuel | Propane |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 360 sq. in. |
If you like traditional gas, this is your grill. Its cast-iron grid sits above large inverted V-shaped deflectors to keep drippings off the burners. The deflectors are easily to remove and coated in porcelain for easy cleanup. And while we’re talking cleanup and convenience, bonus points to Weber for the generously sized stainless-steel side shelves that give you an ample and easily cleaned surface for food prep.
The Weber’s heat distribution is good. Two burner tubes run front to back, and a third connects them to keep heat rising toward the warming rack at the rear. Assembly? Clean, simple, and straightforward. The instructions are among the best of the bunch, complete with thoughtfully rendered illustrations.
Cuisinart Roll-Away CGG-240 Gas Grill
Cuisinart Roll-Away CGG-240 Gas Grill
Pros
- Easy to transport and store
- Dual swing-out shelves
Cons
- Uses small propane tanks
Key Specs
| Fuel | Propane |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 234 sq. in. |
There’s no need to carry this stainless-steel Roll-Away gas grill from Cuisinart. The stand folds down flat for maximum portability, so it can roll behind like a roller bag at the airport—plus, it can hang on a wall for storage. When set up, it has a relatively small footprint of 18 x 34 inches that makes it ideal for apartments or places with limited space.
Once open, two shelves swing out to provide handy staging areas on either side of the grill. The single 15,000-BTU burner sits beneath a metal cover to help distribute heat evenly under the grill grate. Our bread test revealed that there were two hotter spots, to the front and back of the cover, where the heat rose around it. Knowing this, it was easy to see where to cook things like chicken with indirect heat. The 18-x-13-inch enameled, cast-iron grate can fit 12 burgers with room to flip them—more than enough for a meal or small gathering.
Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX 900 Pellet Grill
Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX 900 Pellet Grill
Pros
- Hot sear zone
- Easy to move
Cons
- No Wi-Fi capability
Key Specs
| Fuel | Hardwood pellets |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 906 sq. in. |
Like all of Oklahoma Joe’s grills we’ve tested, the Rider 900 DLX is built from noticeably heavier-gauge steel than many other brands, giving us the impression that they’re built to last. The Rider has some nice features we really appreciated due to the nature of our testing process. We frequently move grills around, set them up, clean them, and put them away. The Rider has solid rubber tires on its large wheels, making it very easy to move and to do so without a lot of noise. It also has a quick-release hopper bottom that allows all the pellets to drop into a bucket hanging below—super useful if you want to switch to different pellets. And the bucket has a sealable lid to keep pellets dry once removed.
The Rider is unique among the pellet grills we tested, with a large round sear zone in the center of the cast-iron cooking grate. A lever on the front of the grill body can be set to smoke, sear, or anywhere in between to get the heat right where you want it. The burgers we cooked were perfect, with honeycomb sear marks from the unique cooking grate. We turned the temps down for the chicken to cook long and slow with excellent results as well. The Rider 900 DLX is a versatile grill and smoker with a wide temperature range from 200 to 650 degrees.
Char-Broil Cruise Propane Grill
Char-Broil Cruise Propane Grill
Pros
- Self-cleaning mode
- Even heat
Cons
- Can’t create separate heat zones
Key Specs
| Fuel | Propane |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 541 sq. in. |
With its new Cruise Gas Grill, Char-Broil takes temperature control to the next level. Similar to pellet grills that allow you to set a temperature, like an oven, the Cruise can cycle its burner on and off to maintain a consistent temperature. During testing, we found this worked great for things like chicken that you want to cook over a longer time.
The Cruise has porcelain-coated, cast-iron cooking grates, which we found were easier to clean off than plain cast iron. Below those grates are full-width heat diffusers; they helped distribute the warmth but also were less likely to flare up with grease drippings. Between the cast grates and heat diffusers, there’s a lot of material to warm up, which helps maintain an even heat. But one thing we noticed is that if you get them really hot and then want to cook something at a lower heat, you’ll have to wait a bit for them to cool down.
We used the single knob on the Cruise to set the temperature for the whole grill, checked the heat distribution with the bread test, and found fairly even heating, with slightly cooler spots at the two front corners. The Cruise also features a timer and self-cleaning mode.
KitchenAid 3-Burner Propane Grill
KitchenAid 3-Burner Propane Grill
Pros
- Strong side shelves
- Side burner
Cons
- Food may fall through wide grate
Key Specs
| Fuel | Propane |
|---|---|
| Cooking Surface | 644 sq. in. |
People often disagree on aesthetics, but it was unanimous among our testers: This KitchenAid is one of the nicest looking grills we’ve used. From assembling it, we could tell it’s well built, with excellent alignment of the panels, doors, and shelves. Resist the urge to pay extra for assembly. Do it yourself, as putting this one together is easier than most. Instead of a blister pack with 101 pieces of hardware, most of it’s already screwed in the place it belongs, so there’s no question of what goes where.
During the heat distribution portion of the test, our bread indicated slightly hotter strips over each of the three burners. The stainless-steel grates are spaced a little wider than normal, and we found this helped make them easier to scrub off. It also means there’s less mass to heat and hold heat, so the grill warms up and cools down a little faster than others. Plus, there’s a bonus ceramic sear burner on the side, so you can cook low and slow if you wish and use it to add those dark grill marks.
Read More About Grills, Smokers, and Accessories
Grills
Best Charcoal Grills | Best Gas Grills | Best Flat Top Grills | Best Pellet Grills | Best Kamado Grills | Best Indoor Grills | Best Small Grills | Best Portable Grills
Smokers
Best Smokers | Best Charcoal Smokers | Best Electric Smokers
Grill Accessories
Best Grill Mats | Best Grill Covers | Best Grill Gazebos | Best Grill Cleaners | Best Grill Brushes
Brad Ford has spent most of his life using tools to fix, build, or make things. Growing up he worked on a farm, where he learned to weld, repair, and paint equipment. From the farm he went to work at a classic car dealer, repairing and servicing Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and Jaguars. Today, when he's not testing tools or writing for Popular Mechanics, he's busy keeping up with the projects at his old farmhouse in eastern Pennsylvania.
