Grills

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What These Grills Have in Common Build quality, more than any one format. These are the grills people move up to after an entry-level big-box model has rusted through a few seasons. The manufacturers here name the stainless grade rather than saying stainless and leaving it there, many back the housing with a lifetime warranty, most of them are made in the USA , and several models are rated for commercial use rather than only residential. That thread runs through every fuel and every format on this page. Start With Where the Grill Will Live This is the first decision, because it rules out whole categories before you look at a single burner spec. Built-in grills are a head only, with no cart and no legs. They drop into a masonry or framed island built to the manufacturer's cutout dimensions, with ventilation on the enclosure and access to the fuel connection from inside. Get the cutout drawing before the island is built, not after, because the island is built around the grill. Freestanding cart grills need no construction and can be moved or taken with you. You give up the finished look and the counter space an island provides. Fire pit grills are fire features you can cook on. The cooktop is usually a flat steel ring around an open fire, so food cooks by conduction on the hot surface rather than over a grate. The fire stays the centerpiece when nobody is cooking, which is the reason to choose one. Then Choose the Fuel Gas grills are the majority here and earn that place on control: immediate lighting and a temperature you can set and hold, which is what makes a weeknight dinner practical. They split by supply. Natural gas runs off a line to the island and never needs refilling. Propane runs off a cylinder, which has to live somewhere, usually inside the island behind a door. The two fuels are not interchangeable. They run at different supply pressures, so burner orifices are sized differently and matched to the fuel at the factory. Some manufacturers sell a model-spe