Gas BBQ Grill Review

How much grill do you need?

Despite a surge in sales of charcoal grills, about 60 percent of grill purchases are gas grills. Although they cost more, gas grills are easier to light and control, and they heat up much more quickly than charcoal grills. However, among gas grills, experts and product reviewers agree that a more expensive grill doesn't guarantee better outdoor cooking. In tests, cheaper models often outperform gas grills that cost three to five times as much, at least in the short term. Durability over the long haul, on the other hand, is a more open question.

This report covers gas grills. ConsumerSearch covers charcoal grills in a companion report. We found ConsumerReports.org to be the best reviewer of gas grills, with testing updated annually. For its most recent test, ConsumerReports.org tests and rates 42 grills ranging from small, portable grills to big backyard models. Each is tested for cooking performance and ease of use as well as evenness of heating when cooking beef, chicken and fish.

We found an excellent collection of articles at About.com from barbecues and grilling guide Derrick Riches. Riches has covered the outdoor cooking industry for a decade, and he has some good information about grill manufacturers, along with analysis and reviews. Riches does a much better job than other leading review sources in covering the high end of the market, which is helpful if you're considering a showpiece grill that costs more than $1,500. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

Other reviews cover far fewer gas grills and aren't as up to date as the reports at ConsumerReports.org and About.com. Choice magazine, Australia's version of Consumer Reports, tests and reviews a number of gas grills, but only a few are available in the United States. ConsumerGuide.com, Good Housekeeping, MSNBC.com, Better Homes and Gardens, and The Toronto Star cover a good selection of models. However, these reviews don't always explain testing methods, and models aren't as current. Coverage is also fairly minimal.

Rounding out our sources are the grilling websites HomeBarbequeGrilling.com, BobbysBest.com and Gas-Grill-Review.com, as well as user reviews from HomeDepot.com, Lowes.com, Walmart.com and Amazon.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) lists several gas grills recalled in the past year: Master Forge Five-Burner Gas Grills, Cooks Outdoor BBQ Grills sold by JCPenney, some models of Perfect Flame SLG Series Gas Grills sold at Lowe's (check the CPSC website for model numbers), and Fiesta Blue Ember grills with the model numbers FG50045, FG50057 and FG50069 (check the CPSC website for specific serial numbers of affected models).

The recalls illustrate why it's a good idea to register your new gas grill with the manufacturer so you can be notified of recall or repair issues.