Although you don’t get the same taste as with cooking with charcoal, the convenience of having the best propane grill means there’s always space on my patio for one. It seems that over 60 percent of outdoor grill owners in the US agree with me too.
For that mid-week grill after work, you can’t beat the speed of an electronic ignition and the turning of a dial that you have on the best propane outdoor grills. When camping or picnicking in open spaces, the top gas grills help avoid those outdoor fire bans that are so common now.
Join me as I take a look at what to consider in the best gas grills for your money, and later, I list my favorites in the gas grill reviews section.
Quick Answer: The 5 Best Propane Gas Grills For 2023
Factors to Consider Looking at the Top Rated Gas Grills
The best propane grills can vary in cost from just over a hundred dollars to well over two thousand bucks and more. Good gas grill brands make models which can be as much a status symbol as your beloved car on the driveway. How do you make sure you choose the best gas grill for the money?
How Big of a Grill do I Need?
The first questions you need to ask are how many people do you intend to cook for and how much patio space do you have available? The largest top gas grills will often have a cooking space over 500 square inches, and up to almost 800 square inches on the top end grills—great for groups of 10 people or more.
Also, consider the clearance the grill needs, top-rated propane grills can get very hot and will need at least 2-feet clearance at either end. If you only intend to cook for smaller groups or have limited space, a mid-range propane grill could be the answer and much cheaper too.
What is the Best BTU for a Gas Grill?
BTU or British Thermal Units is a term you will hear plenty about when looking for the best propane grill. It’s basically a measurement of the heat output of the burners of the grill, for more explanation click here.
For larger grills with a bigger area to heat up, you will need more BTU, normally this means more powerful burners or a larger number of burners. Most gas grill experts would recommend 80-100 BTUs per square inch of cooking space—more BTUs than you need will just burn up extra fuel.
Are Stainless Steel Grates Better?
The other factor which will affect the performance of your best gas grill is the metal used for the grates, with cast iron tending to get much hotter but stainless steel retaining heat better. If you want those distinctive sear marks on your foods, go for cast iron, although food can stick easier to cast iron and they can be harder to clean.
Stainless steel, by comparison, will help keep in the moisture of the food and be super easy to clean when finished. Some of the top-rated propane grills will feature porcelain-coated cast-iron grates which offer the low maintenance of stainless steel with the better heat conducting ability of cast iron.
How Long Should a Gas Grill Last?
Good gas grill brands like Weber and Char-Broil often guarantee their top rated propane grills for up to 10 years. If properly maintained the best propane grill should last you a lifetime with just the grates or flavorizer bars needing replacing every five years or so.
Try to choose a grill which uses porcelain-coated steel in its construction for more durability or stainless steel found on some of the best propane grills is great for weather resistance. Cheaper propane grills may use a powder coated steel which can often chip or flake with extreme use, leading to rusting.
The following YouTube video shows how to deep clean a gas grill which can significantly improve the lifespan of your best propane grill.
Other Features to Consider
The best propane grills for the money will come with extra features like a side burner, side shelves for extra workspace, and a large hood for convection cooking. The more independent burners a grill has to offer will allow for more heat zones and greater versatility.
The top-rated propane grills will normally feature some variant of the flavorizer bars pioneered by Weber. These sit under the burners and capture the juices of the meats, which then vaporize to give the food a smoky BBQ taste. They can also help with grease management—an important element of maintaining the best propane grills.
Our Choice of the Best Propane Grills in 2023
In the following gas grill reviews, I have looked for what I consider to be the best gas grills for the money. Although you can often find less expensive alternatives, all the top gas grills we have looked at come from well-known manufacturers and are extremely popular—that many people can’t all be wrong.
Best Overall—Weber 45010001 Spirit II E-310 Gas Grill
The Spirit II E-310 is one of the smallest gas grills Weber makes but it still offers an impressive 529 square inches of total cooking space.
Three stainless steel burners output a decent 30,000 BTUs of heat to prepare food for between five to seven people. Porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates are reversible with a thin side ideal for more delicate foods like fish, while the wider side creates great sear marks on your steaks.
The Spirit range uses Weber’s patented GS4 grilling systems. Infinity Ignition ensures the grill lights the first time and superior burner tubes make for a constant gas flow across the entire surface, producing more evenly cooked food.
Flavorizer bars ensure you get more of a smoky flavor and an effective grease management system prevents flare-ups.
Although more expensive than many similar competitors, with Weber you get a grill that will offer a long lasting superior performance. If that’s not enough, it’s backed up with Weber’s 10-year warranty on all parts.
Pros
- Durable construction using porcelain enameled steel for the cook box.
- Easy to assemble.
- Sturdy open cart design offers storage, folding side tables and integrated hooks for tools.
- Large 424 square inches of primary cooking surface with 105 square inch warming rack.
- Porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates retain the heat longer and are easy to clean.
- Stainless steel heat deflector.
- Fuel gauge ensures you never run out of gas mid-party.
- GS4 grilling system for superior performance.
- A 10-year all parts warranty from Weber hints at the longevity of this grill.
Cons
- No side burner or added features—a basic grill.
- Quite pricy when compared to competitors—call it the Weber tax.
- The lid is thinner than top-end Weber grills.
Best High-End Propane Grill—Weber Summit S-670 Liquid Propane Gas Grill
From one of the cheapest Weber gas grills, we move to this monster of a grill which is one of Weber’s top offerings for best propane outdoor grills.
It’s the extra features I particularly love about this top-rated gas grill—it has a huge choice of burners to use. In addition to the 60,800 BTU offered by the main burners you also get a 12,000 BTU side burner and a 10,600 BTU Sear station burner—combatting one of propane grills largest problems, the lack of a good sear.
You also get a smoker burner and stainless steel smoking box which is placed directly over the burner—just add wood chips to the box and turn on the burner to enrich the smoky flavor of your food. And finally, a rear mounted rotisserie burner with 10,600 BTUs is perfect for spit roasting your meats.
Extra touches like an LED fuel gauge and built-in thermometer on the hood add to the ease of use. If you love cooking on the grill as much as I do and you have the extra budget, you're gonna love this as it’s one of the best gas grills out there.
Pros
- Huge 769 square inches of cooking capacity—624 square inches primary, 145 square inch warming rack.
- Efficient and durable cast aluminum construction retains the heat well.
- Plenty of extra features, sear station, smoker box, rotisserie burner, and side burner.
- Includes handy extras like a fuel gauge, in-hood thermometer and grill lights on the handles.
- Enclosed cart with two stainless steel side shelves for a working area.
- Weber Flavorizer bar system and Grease management for better performance.
- 10-year all parts warranty offered by Weber—a grill built to last.
Cons
- Very expensive—you need to be serious about your grilling!
- Assembly can be difficult and time consuming—even the professional assembly option takes five hours!
Best Budget Propane Grill—Charbroil Classic 280
This budget model from Char-Broil is proof that you don’t have to spend a fortune if you just want to grill some wings and burgers at the weekend. The Char-Broil, as the name suggests, features 280 square inches of cooking space with two stainless steel burners for 20,000 BTUs of cooking power.
A porcelain coated steel construction, this propane grill is rust resistant, although the build quality can seem flimsy compared to more expensive models. I’m not too sure I would want to use this grill on a more windy day and it may not be as durable as grills like the Weber,
The smaller surface area heats up very quickly due to the two powerful burners and is capable enough to cope with parties of three to four people. The large lid allows for heat to spread more evenly across the grate and can even be used for indirect cooking with independently controlled burners.
Extra features include plastic side shelves for storing tools or extra workspace, and one shelf includes a side burner with a lid for when not in use. A detachable drip tray is easy to remove and clean, with grease dripping off the food into it, it makes for a healthier meal.
All in all, this is a great value for money little propane grill that is ideal for the occasional weekend party of three to four persons.
Pros
- Affordable and offers great value for money.
- Porcelain-coated steel construction for a weather resistant grill.
- Low pre-heat time.
- Easy to clean and maintain.
- Lightweight at only 52.8 pounds and won’t take up too much space on your patio.
- Includes a side burner for keeping those sauces warm.
- A 5-year warranty on the burners.
Cons
- Assembly can be complex and time-consuming.
- Uneven heating, especially with the lid open.
- Stainless steel grates don’t offer enough sear lines on your meats.
- Side burner only has 8,000 BTUs which can be underpowered when wanting to add that sear to steaks or veggies.
Best Propane Grill for Small Spaces—Fuego F24C Professional Propane Gas Grill
Not everybody is lucky enough to have a huge backyard for their outdoor grilling. This unique mushroom-shaped grill features an impressive 346 square inches of cooking surface, but in a much more compact design.
This space-aged grill gets its unusual design from a former chief designer at Apple, it features circular burners allowing for a more even heat flow inside the grill.
Under the dome-shaped lid, it’s still large enough for a group of four to five diners. The powerful dual ring burner means the grill reaches 500 degrees Fahrenheit in under five minutes, with a heat output of 21,000 BTUs.
If you live in an apartment with a smaller balcony, and maybe an open fire ban, this compact propane grill could be the ideal choice for you. The Fuego F24C propane grill is also compact and light enough to put in the trunk of your car for that next camping trip.
Pros
- Compact and ideal for smaller spaces with a 21-inch diameter footprint.
- Just 14 fasteners make assembly very easy with the wheels already attached.
- Circular design burner is more energy efficient and ensures a higher temperature with less hot spots.
- Two-ring burner allows for dual zone cooking.
- A convection oven effect is possible with a heat deflector in the hood.
- Internal temperature can be checked with a recessed thermometer.
- Grease is collected and stored safely in a residue tray under the fire box.
Cons
- Not suitable for leaving outside for longer periods due to the carbon steel exterior.
- The domed lid can be very tight and difficult to open—the handles get very hot.
- The temperature drops very quickly when the lid is opened.
Best Portable Propane Grill—Coleman Road Trip Propane Portable Grill LXE
If you are travelling, camping, picnicking or tailgating, a propane grill can be more convenient than a portable charcoal grill. Some open spaces, especially National Parks will even forbid the use of a charcoal burning grill.
The Coleman Road Trip LXE features a fold-up cart design which makes it so much easier to store in the trunk of your car. Wheels and a large towing handle make it simple to maneuver to your grilling area and quickly set up.
A 36-inch grill it features 285 square inches of cooking area, and you can even swap the grates over for a traditional grill or griddle effect. Two independent controlled burners provide 20,000 BTUs of heat output and allow for two different temperature zones.
Adding to the convenience of this compact grill is the removable drip pan and an instastart button for quick ignition without matches. If you are cooking for a small family or group of four to five people on the go, you will struggle to find a propane grill which is more portable and easy to move than the Coleman Roadtrip.
Pros
- Folds to a compact size and has wheels and a large handle for easy movement.
- Quick to set up.
- Two independent burners for 20,000 BTUs of heat over a 285 square inch cooking surface.
- Interchangeable cooking grates—although must be purchased separately.
- Easy to clean cast iron and porcelain-coated construction.
- Folding side tables for extra work space and storage.
Cons
- Very shallow lid won’t fit larger cuts of meat if closed down.
- The lid doesn’t fit too well and will need securing when transporting.
- Taller users may struggle to put the trolley and it can just be easier to carry.
Conclusions
My colleagues and friends often accuse me of being on the Weber payroll, I tend to always recommend the Weber model as the best grill. However you will find Weber’s best propane outdoor grills in almost every neighborhood across the states, they’re just that good.
Although the Weber Summit S-670 offers the ultimate propane gas grill, the price can be outside many people’s budget. For this reason I find the Weber Spirit II E-310 to be the best propane grills for the money. It may seem basic, with cheaper models from other brands offering more features, but it’s simple to use, reliable and extremely durable.
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