We Tested 99 Grills—These Are the 8 Worth Buying

Best Overall, Gas

Weber Genesis EX-325S Smart Gas Grill

View On Amazon $1,049 View On Wayfair $1,049 View On Weber.com

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  5/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Design
  5/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  5/5
• Value
  5/5

When we tested gas grills side-by-side, we didn’t expect a smart grill to take the top spot. But after two weeks of testing, it outperformed all the rest including its basic counterpart! 

It wasn’t just the Weber Genesis EX-325s’s smart technology that won us over—the grill’s performance and design are nearly unparalleled. The 39,000 BTUs under the 513-square-inch main cooking grate flawlessly grilled our burgers and steaks. The only slight hiccups were a small flare-up while lightly oiling the grate pre-vegetables, and the areas directly above the burners being warmer than anywhere else.

Throughout all of our grilling, we enjoyed using the digital control panel, which connects to two included probe thermometers. This connects into the Weber smartphone app, which can give you temperature alerts in addition to its recipes and maintenance guides. Our phones stayed connected to the app for about 30 yards, and overall we enjoyed the added convenience. We just wished we were able to control the burners via the app instead of walking back and forth.

Dimensions: 61.5 x 27 x 48.5 inches | Cooking Area: 787 square inches | Burners: 3 | Power: 39,000 BTUs/hour | Warranty: 3 years (Weber Connect); 10 years (cooking grates, burner tubes, Flavorizer bars); 12 years (lid, cookbox); 5 years (all other parts)

Best Overall, Charcoal

Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill

View On Amazon $549 View On Wayfair $579 View On Home Depot $549

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.9/5
• Performance
  4.9/5
• Design
  5/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  4.5/5
• Value
  5/5

As much as we love charcoal grills, they aren’t without their faults. They can be especially tedious to light, messy to clean, and your barbecue plans can be ruined if the bag of charcoal gets wet. Safeguards against all of these issues is at the heart of why we love the Weber Performer Deluxe. Add to that its sublime performance, and this is a grill to have on your back patio. 

Its performance truly impressed us during an hours-long test where we smoked a full rack of baby back ribs, and not once did the temperature fluctuate wildly. In fact, it stayed within a 10-degree range the whole time, with the built-in thermometer running a little hotter than our infrared thermometer readings. Adjusting the temperature was simple, when needed, as the dampers and vents are easy to move.

Needing to add charcoal during such a long cooking session is where one of the only downsides appeared—it is difficult to adjust coals via the circular opening in the grate. Otherwise, the gas ignition system made lighting up the coals effortless and the cleaning system was a boon. We also appreciated the extra-long side prep table and charcoal storage underneath.

Dimensions: 48 x 30 x 44.1 inches | Cooking Area: 363 square inches | Warranty: 5 years (cleaning system, plastic components), 10 years (bowl, lid); 2 years (all other parts)

Best Pellet

Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill

View On Amazon View On Walmart $580 View On Home Depot $450

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.5/5
• Performance
  4.5/5
• Design
  5/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  5/5
• Value
  5/5

You don’t need to buy the biggest and flashiest pellet grill to get one with great performance, which is why we like the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX. We found that whether it was low temperatures for smoking or high heats—it can get up to 500 degrees—the Camp Chef was always within 10 degrees of our desired temperature, which is quite the feat.

Like many of our favorite grills, this has a simple digital control system that works with an automatic auger to keep the heat going. The grill’s 18-pound hopper holds more than enough pellets, though it can cause an error message when the pellets are running low. This was the only major flaw we observed. Assembly and cleanup are incredibly easy. 

If you’re looking for a slightly larger hopper and/or a smart pellet grill, the Camp Chef SG 24 Pellet Grill also tested well for us.

Dimensions: 45 x 21 x 51 inches | Weight: 140 pounds | Grilling Area: 570 square inches | Hopper Capacity: 18 pounds | Temperature Range: 160-500 degrees Fahrenheit

Best Budget

Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill

View On Amazon $219 View On Home Depot $219 View On Ace Hardware $219

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  3.9/5
• Performance
  4.8/5
• Design
  5/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  4.5/5
• Value
  4.5/5

If you want an inexpensive standalone grill, it’s more economical to choose a charcoal model since there isn’t the electronics necessary for a gas or pellet grill. But when it comes to a budget grill, you should go with the best, an iconic Weber Original kettle-style grill. Since this doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, it’s very intuitive to use and takes less than 15 minutes to put together.

We’ve tested it out twice now, and once you get the hang of positioning the dampers correctly, even a true beginner can handle grilling a fantastic meal. The porcelain-coated lid and bowl do retain significant heat inside the grill, but we have noticed that the built-in thermometer can oftentimes have an inaccurate reading. Be sure to have a separate thermometer on-hand to grill your burgers and hot dogs to the right temperature.

Dimensions: 27 x 22 x 39.5 inches | Cooking Area: 363 square inches | Warranty: 10 years (bowl and lid); 5 years (cleaning system and plastic components); 2 years (everything else)

Best Portable

Weber Traveler Portable Gas Grill

View On Amazon $449 View On Walmart $350 View On Weber.com

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.6/5
• Performance
  4.9/5
• Design
  4.8/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  4.3/5
• Value
  4.8/5

Portable grills can sometimes bring to mind mini versions of kettle grills or barrel smokers, but after testing portable grills for a month, this collapsible Weber portable gas grill was one of the best. Yes, we thoroughly enjoyed collapsing it down and wheeling it into position, instead of having to carry a grill and/or its parts long distances. 

We also really enjoyed its performance. Once you hook up the gas—this can use a 1-pound canister or a 20-pound tank—you’ll be able to get temperatures of up to 660 degrees, high enough to sear steak or make a crispy pizza. Additionally, you won’t need to carry along an extra thermometer since the built-in thermometer gives an accurate reading, as we observed during testing.

We did notice some uneven heating across the 320-square-inch grate when we left the lid open. This tended to resolve itself when we closed the lid, but it’s something to keep in mind. There was also some elbow grease required during cleanup.

Dimensions: 42.7 x 43.6 x 37.2 inches | Cooking Area: 320 square inches | Power: 13,000 BTU/hour | Weight: 49 pounds

Best Indoor

George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor Electric Grill

View On Amazon $184 View On Walmart $200 View On Home Depot $115

Our Ratings

• Ease of Assembly
  4.5/5
• Performance
  5/5
• Design
  4/5
• Cleanup
  4.5/5
• Portability
  5/5

Electric grills may not give you the smoky flavor of charcoal or the high heats you get on gas grills, but they do make it possible to grill indoors. After grilling steaks, eggplant, and chicken breasts on 23 electric grills, we enjoyed the performance and ease of this George Foreman model.

This sleek model is also quite powerful, with even temperatures across the 240-square-inch surface, no matter which of the five heat settings we chose. It does come with the famously sloped nonstick grate to allow grease to drip down into the grease pan, though some did splatter off onto the heat control. Luckily, the grease didn’t create enough smoke to set off any fire alarms, so you won’t have to stop mid-grilling to turn that off.

That sloped grate is not able to be removed from the grill, which made cleaning it a bit cumbersome. We also weren’t fans of the optional stand. While the grill never fell over, it was a bit too wobbly for our liking.

Dimensions: 10.88 x 20.5 x 21.25 inches | Cooking Area: 240 square inches | Power: 1440 watts | Weight: 19.89 pounds

Best with Smoker

PK Grills Original PK300 Grill and Smoker

View On Amazon $525 View On Home Depot $525 View On Pkgrills.com

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.8/5
• Performance
  4.5/5
• Design
  4.9/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  5/5
• Value
  4.5/5

If you truly want a different type of grill, and something somewhat versatile, the PK Grills PK300 is the answer. This unique grill allows you to do both direct and indirect heat, and also disconnects from the base to be used as a portable grill. We’ve tested both the original version and this "new original" model, and highly recommend both.

The PK300 works great partly due to its cast-aluminum body, an ideal material for heat retention, and partly due to a four-vent system (two dampers and two vents). These allow you to get high temperatures for grilling, while also allowing great airflow for low-and-slow smoking.

On the new version, some of the design updates include a tighter-fitting lid, longer handles on the vents, and an opening for a probe thermometer. It did not include a built-in thermometer, and since this can get very hot, very quickly, you should have a probe or instant-read thermometer nearby. We accidentally over-charred a steak while testing, and even with that mishap, this is been one of the best grills we’ve ever tested.

Dimensions: 42.75 x 16.2 x 37.35 inches | Cooking Area: 315 square inches | Warranty: 20 years (aluminum bowl, lid) 3 years (stainless steel grates); 3 years (plastic components); 2 years (all other metal parts)