If you consider yourself a “grill master,” any old gas grill won’t do. Buying a gas grill requires thorough research so you can cook to perfection every time.
Fortunately, you don’t have to look too hard to find a gas grill. More and more companies put out new gas grills every year. However, the extensive gas grill pool might make choosing the ideal barbecue more difficult.
To help you narrow down the choices and ensure you pick the best gas grill for you, we’ve created a complete guide for how to buy a gas grill. Below, we’ve covered everything from size and gas type to cooking style and grill class. Keep reading to find the ideal gas grill for you.
What Gas Type Do You Want?
Gas grills come in two types, natural or propane. While both gas types provide the same cooking results, they each come with different benefits.
Natural Gas Grills
Natural gas grills hook up directly to your home’s natural gas line if you have one. Instead of purchasing new gas tanks every time you run low, natural gas doesn’t need frequent replacement.
However, using a natural gas line to fuel your grill means that your grill must stay relatively static. You can’t move it about your yard because it needs access to the gas line. As for your bill, installing a grill to your home’s natural gas line means that you will get billed for the gas you use when cooking as you would for your household utilities.
Propane Gas Grills
Unlike natural gas grills, propane-based grills require tank replacements. You can purchase propane tanks from drug stores, gas stations, home improvements stores, grocery stores, and other facilities. These tanks come with a set amount of fuel that needs replacing as the fuel diminishes.
Using propane tanks to fuel your grill means that you get more mobility out of your grill because the tank can move with the machine. However, if you grill frequently, you might find yourself having to replace the tank more often than you would with a natural gas line.
What Size Works for You?
Much like charcoal grills, gas grills come in different sizes to accommodate your lifestyle, cooking style, cooking quantity, and general preference. You can find gas grills in small, medium, large, or extra-large sizes.
Small Gas Grills
Small gas grills work best with propane tanks because people tend to use them for portable needs. For example, if you plan to take your grill with you to the lake for a late afternoon grill session, you probably want something small and mobile. If that’s the case, a small gas grill will suit you best.
Small gas grills also accommodate tight yard spaces. If you don’t have the most expansive backyard, you might want to look into a less substantial-sized grill to cook outside easier.
The less substantial the grill, the fewer burners you get too. So, if you don’t plan to grill out that often or don’t need to cook for large groups of people, a smaller grill with around one to three burners will accommodate your lifestyle better than a large grill with three to six burners.
Medium Gas Grills
Medium gas grills provide more burners and a wider body than a small gas grill, but can still accommodate tighter yard spaces.
Grills in mid-range size give you more space to fit more food, which is ideal if you plan to cook for more people. Unlike a small grill, a medium-sized gas grill isn’t as effortlessly portable.
Large Gas Grill
If you grill out frequently and entertain large gatherings often, you might want to invest in a large gas grill. A large gas grill has between three and six burners, and while it’s not suitable for mobility, it can accommodate a range of cooking techniques. You can try out different grilling styles, from standard grilling to slow roasting with the various burners and heat zones.
When it comes to the amount of food you can cook, a large gas grill is more than accommodating. You can roll out rows of hotdogs or load up a heap of burgers for a weekend tailgate on a large grill with space still to warm up your buns.
Grill Design Preference
Besides size and gas type, gas grills come in many different looks. You can find a luxury-style gas grill with a sleek stainless steel hood, or you can buy a more practical, painted steel gas grill.
Luxury Design
Most people prefer luxury gas grills as a built-in option for an outdoor kitchen. These grills become a focal point for your yard because of their sleek designs.
However, they don’t just look aesthetically pleasing; they come with high-quality materials to last throughout the years. Plus, luxury grills typically come with a wide temperature range to suit all grilling styles.
Practical Design
Practically designed gas grills get the job done, but they don’t typically come with all of the bells and whistles that luxury gas grills do. Practical gas grills don’t tend to last as long as a luxury grill might, but you might not need it to either.
These gas grill designs will probably best suit those who don’t grill too often, don’t need to feed large gatherings, or want to learn how to grill.
What’s Your Cooking Style?
Encompassing all of the previous research material, what ultimately matters is your grilling style. If you only want to use your gas grill for some burgers from time to time, you don’t need anything fancy or large with tons of excess features you won’t use.
Instead, you should look for something that suits your style. In this case, you might want to look at a small to medium-sized practical gas grill.
Opposingly, if you want to test your grill master abilities, explore new ways to grill, cook for large parties and do so frequently, you’ll probably want to look into a luxury, medium to large-sized gas grill that can handle it.
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Ready to dive into the search for your ideal gas grill? Check out some of our gas grill recommendations here.
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Last updated: September 24, 2023