Best Outdoor Grills

The gas-versus-charcoal debate has quietly become a build-quality question. At every price point, the spec that predicts how a gas grill cooks and how long it lives is not BTUs but grate material, burner construction, and body gauge: cast-iron or thick stainless grates hold sear heat, 304 stainless burners last 8-10 years versus 3-4 for cheap ones, and a heavy double-walled hood retains heat for actual roasting. BTU numbers without context are marketing; what matters is BTUs per square inch (aim for roughly 80-100) and how evenly the burners distribute them.

The market shift over the last two seasons is the collapse of the middle: strong sub-$400 options (Weber Spirit, Nexgrill's better units) and a booming $1,000+ tier (Weber Genesis, Napoleon Prestige, Monument stainless), with thin, rust-prone grills stranded between. Charcoal has also modernized: gravity-fed models like the Masterbuilt Gravity Series bring thermostat control to charcoal, and kamados (Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg) keep growing because a single ceramic unit smokes at 225 F and sears at 700 F.

The mistake most buyers make is oversizing. A three-burner gas grill with 450-550 sq in handles a family of four plus guests; buyers routinely purchase five- and six-burner grills that never run all burners, waste gas, and struggle to hold low temperatures for indirect cooking. Buy the size you cook for weekly, and buy two-zone capability (which any grill with 2+ burners or a charcoal basket setup has) rather than raw acreage.