Gas BBQ Grill Review

How much grill do you need?

Charcoal grills have risen in popularity, but gas grills still account for about 60 percent of grill purchases. Although they cost more, gas grills are easier to light and control, and they heat up much more quickly than charcoal grills. Among gas grills, however, experts and product reviewers agree that a more expensive grill doesn't guarantee better outdoor cooking. In tests, cheaper models often outperform gas grills costing 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 ratings chart, ConsumerReports.org tests and rates over 80 gas grills ranging from small or 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 over a decade, and he has some good information about grill manufacturers, along with analyses and reviews. His information is kept up to date, unlike that found on other sites. Riches also 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.)

Good Housekeeping recommends grills that cost less than $500 as well as a couple that are worth paying more for. This article is up to date, and the recommended models were tested by the Good Housekeeping Institute, but grills aren't compared to one another or to models that aren't included. Other reviews aren't as up to date, including those by ConsumerGuide.com and The Toronto Star. 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. Epinions.com has a number of user reviews of a few models, mostly lower-priced ones.