Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer specializing in home, kitchen, and pet products. In her 6+ years of experience as a product tester, she’s reviewed hundreds of items firsthand, and her work appears in publications such as PEOPLE, The Spruce, Homes & Gardens, and more. Camryn is also the proud owner of a small homestead in Rhode Island, where she spends her spare time gardening, tending her many animals, and working through a never-ending list of home improvement projects.
The really important part is that the entire heat-delivery system—the firebox, burners, and burner hoods—has a much greater effect on the overall results of your food. And all those elements are of the same great quality we’ve consistently seen on Weber grills. This kettle grill has a 22-inch diameter, and can hold up to 13 burgers at a time on its 363 square inches of cooking space. The lid and bowl of the grill are porcelain-enameled for superior heat retention, and the lid has a built-in thermometer and aluminum dampers. The Napoleon Prestige 500 was one of the most expensive gas grills we tested, and while it has an incredibly sleek design, its performance wasn’t good enough to earn it a top spot on our rankings. This grill has 500 square inches of cooking space over four main burners, and it also has a unique “Infrared Sizzle Zone” side burner that gets extra hot, allowing you to char meat quickly.
If it spills over, you’ll be cleaning grease out of the inside of your grill for an hour. We backed this reporting with comprehensive research—the in-depth, professional reviews at AmazingRibs.com being a standout source—and with hands-on time with grills at the big hardware chains. With more heat per square inch and a larger grilling area than the Spirit E-310, weber charcoal grill the Genesis E-325s is our top choice for dedicated grillers. Whether you are flash-grilling sea bass or slow roasting pulled pork, all of Weber’s bbqs are made with the highest quality materials, specially selected to meet your barbecuing needs. This attention to quality means our grills, indoors or outdoors, will serve you well for many years to come.
It also effectively prevented any flare-ups, making it a good choice for new grillers. However, the downside of the plates is any grease that drips onto them ends up smoking, which may affect the flavor of your food. Overall, we think this grill is a great value, especially for beginners or those who don’t necessarily need an extra-large cooking area. If you’re looking for a big grill without a big price tag, the Nexgrill 4-Burner Gas Grill is worth considering. It has a fairly basic, no-frills design, but it has a 417-square-inch main cooking grate with four burners, giving you plenty of space to grill for a crowd. It also features a handy side burner and an electronic ignition, and it weighs significantly less than other grills, making it easy to move around as needed.
The hinged rack measures 5½ inches deep when folded and expands to 11 inches. Weber also switched the direction of the rods on the upper rack so that they now run back to front, instead of side to side. As a company, Weber constantly refines its designs, even on its classic charcoal kettle grill, which has been around for well over 60 years. And, again, Weber’s warranty covers all parts of the Spirit II E-310 for a full 10 years.
We don’t recommend grills with side burners because we don’t think that extra feature is worth the $100-plus markup. We think you’re better off saving over $200 with the Spirit II E-310. If you want to splurge on a grill with exceptional temperature control and a dedicated searing zone, go for our upgrade pick, the Weber Genesis II E-325s, instead. Gas grills run on either liquid propane (most common) or natural gas—both fossil fuels.
If you grill regularly or you enjoy grilling on weeknights, when time is at a premium, you should invest in a gas grill. That’s more than twice the price of a quality charcoal grill, but if you prioritize speed and convenience, the higher price is worth it. A grill that is both durable and easy to repair creates much less waste than a cheapo grill that ends up in the garbage. We chose grills with fireboxes made of cast aluminum because the firebox is a major part of the grill, it’s difficult to replace, and aluminum is resistant to rust and corrosion. Cheaper grills have thin enameled steel fireboxes that are prone to damage and holes from rust.
It wasn’t as bad as other grills we’ve tested, but you might need a partner or a friend on hand to help you build it. This grill is easy to use and made the best food of any we’ve tested. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the competitors, but it doesn’t need them. Finally, although we looked at grills from high-end makers such as Hestan, Lynx/Sedona, and MHP for comparison (and a sense of what’s possible in a grill, for a price), we did not test them.
The Weber Q 1400 is a great choice if you live in a condo or other small space where the use of gas and charcoal grills may be restricted or if you want an easy-to-use unit that only needs to be plugged in. In 2021, Weber introduced a line of smart grills that we chose not to test. The app also has recipes and a step-by-step feature that sends alerts to your phone when it’s time to tend to your food.