We Tested Over 50 Outdoor Grills. These 9 Are the Best.

I tested the black version of this grill in 2021, and it still stands out as one of our top-tested grills. When it launched, I was impressed with all of the premium features like its solid build, oversized side shelves, ample storage space and a warming rack that unfolds, making it double the size of most other grills (I love using this feature after searing food on the main grates and allowing it to gently finish cooking up top).

In our tests, this grill heated bread more evenly than most other models I tested. It also got a nice, deep sear on the steak and cooked quickly with no flare-ups. Chicken also cooked nicely and developed a golden-brown color with crispy skin on medium heat with minor flare-ups. Since I’ve tested this Weber, it’s been set up in a consumer tester’s home, where they use it for quick, weeknight meals and entertaining. The signature grates are a little wider than other grill brands, made of porcelain-enameled cast iron and easy to clean to keep looking fresh.

One of the best parts about this grill is its smart compatibility. It has a digital screen built into the side table that tracks the inside temperature of the grill, and it comes with probes you can use to monitor the internal temperature of your food directly from the screen or the app on your phone. You can program it to alert you when your food is ready. Plus, the accessories can be stores in the side compartment of the grill.

Nexgrill has held the title of our best-value outdoor grill brand for years. While you can still buy the refurbished version of the grill (which heated evenly in our tests) on Amazon, the brand recently released an updated version of their popular four-burner grill. This new grill is also made of stainless steel with the same ease-of-use features we touted in the past: it has two side shelves, tool holders, hidden storage, access to the propane tank from the front and four wheels for smooth movability.

In our experience, the stainless-steel grates produce nice sear marks and allow the grill to get nice and hot, so keep an eye on food to avoid burning. It’s a fraction of the price of many of our top-performing grills with a great reputation.

Two consumer testers have used their Nexgrill for years without needing to replace it.

Weber introduced their iconic kettle in 1956. It has a porcelain enameled lid and body that gives it a premium shine and feel and has proved to be rust-resistant over the years. Overall, it's lightweight and can be rolled around easily.

The handles stay cool to the touch when using them, and a shield on the top of the lid helps protect your fingers from accidentally touching the hot surface. The lid can be hung on the grill when not in use.

In our tests, we could heat the grill evenly and easily with lit coals, cook a delicious smoky steak, and then four chicken thighs. The coals can easily be positioned to create two cooking areas (one for direct cooking and one for indirect cool.) The ash collector on this model is enclosed to prevent mess. There's limited storage.

Weber updated their line of Spirit grills this year. One of the main differences includes a new way to light the grill – instead of turning the knobs and pressing the igniter, each knob is now equipped with auto-ignite for a one-step lighting process. This version, most comparable to the popular Spirit II E-310, has four burners, a sear zone that spans half of the cooking zone and enclosed storage space. It's also a bit more powerful with 5,000 extra BTUs.

This grill's side shelves are sturdy with a glossy finish and have tool holders on either side. The handle is also now made of stainless steel instead of plastic and has a heavier feel. The grates are porcelain-enameled like those on Weber's gas grills.

The steak cooked quickly, and the chicken cooked evenly in our tests (even though the bread didn't heat as uniformly). We also utilized the sear zone to grill some peppers and onions, which charred nicely and developed a lot of delicious flavor.

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While we just started testing this new grill from Monument Grill, we were impressed with how evenly it heated bread and how well it cooked steak and chicken. It's very powerful, so we had to cut the time to grill the bread in half to avoid burning, and we cooked the chicken on medium-low heat. Overall, there were some flare-ups, but we didn't experience any burning.

It's a large grill with six burners and a powerful side burner designed for searing. It also comes with a rotisserie attachment and an additional infrared burner built into the back of the grill. While we haven't tested these features yet, we were surprised to see them in a grill at this price point — typically, they're found in more expensive models. Even the digital control panel that can connect to your phone was a nice, elevated touch.

Other features that stood out were the amount of storage below the grill and the included waste basket. One thing to note: It took a professional more than four hours to assemble, and he suggested assembling with two people. We look forward to seeing how this grill performs in consumer testing – it's our first time testing a grill from this brand.

Our best overall portable grill is a Weber. It's ideal for small spaces or bringing on the go. It has a relatively large cooking area and gets nice and hot, plus it works with both a small propane tank and a standard-sized one, depending on your needs.

In our tests, it heated evenly and made good steak and chicken thighs with no flare-ups. It has a built-in thermometer and an oversized handle that stayed cool during use. The side shelves, which most portable grills don't feature, fold in when the grill is not in use. It's lightweight compared to other portable grills we tested and can be carried by one person.

Pellet grills are electric smokers powered by pellets (compressed pieces of wood that look like rabbit food). They can reach low temperatures and cook for hours without you checking on them. They can also be used to bake food at higher temperatures and even grill around 500ºF, although they usually don't produce the best sear marks.

Traeger's Ironwood 885 is one of our favorite pellet grills. It's sturdy but straightforward in design. In our tests, it cooked ribs nicely, leaving behind a subtle smoke ring. It also cooked a reverse-seared steak well and was some of the best brisket we ever tasted. It connects to an app, which monitors the ambient temperature and the internal temperature of your food, thanks to a couple of included probes and the pellet level.

Kamado grills are known for their excellent temperature retention and ability to reach really high temps. That means they can smoke food for hours at temps around 200ºF and get as hot as 750ºF for a nice sear

Like other kamado grills, this one from Kamado Joe is egg-shaped with thick, ceramic walls. It stands out in the category for the brand's attention to detail. The handle and side shelves are made of plastic material that won't wear over time like competitors', the rim of the base allows for a soft close and a good seal, and the vent on the top of the grill is labeled. It also comes with a two-tiered grilling grate to control your grilling experience better (add or move coals around when needed), a grate removal tool, an ash removal tool and a pull-out ashtray. The wheeled stand helps move it around, as it's very heavy.

Electric grills are a good option for people who live in areas where they can't use a gas or charcoal grill (like on a balcony in an apartment building.) They're known for not getting hot enough to produce a smoky outdoor grill flavor, but this one from Weber offers a good stand-in. It reaches over 600ºF.

It comes with two half-sized grill grates comparable to Weber's signature porcelain-enameled grates. You can swap them out during cooking to use the included grill basket or steam tray, which doubles as an area to hold your pellets for smoking

In our tests, steak got deep grill marks and was able to char. Chicken cooked nicely, too. This grill won a Kitchen Gear Award for its performance, ease of use, innovation and versatility. It comes in five colors.