Sizzle & Sear To Perfection; The 5 Best Gas Grills Under $500

How to choose a gas grill under $500

The Definitive Buyer’s Guide

How To Choose A Gas Grill Under $500

There are three main things you’ll want to consider:

Cooking surface area and even cooking;
Fuel consumption (and gas type); and
Special features.

I like to translate this list into practical questions that we can all understand. What does that look like? Respectively:

How much do you want to cook at a time?
How much gas do you want to burn through per grilling? (and what fumes do you want to be sending into the atmosphere?); and
How fancy do you want to get out there this summer?

Let’s start with the basics.

Cooking Surface Area

This will typically be served up to you in square inches. But I think it’s more fun (and useful) to think of it in burger patties. Here’s my quick calculation for grill enthusiasts who want to visualize what they’re getting themselves into before purchase:

You can fit 3 average sized burgers per 100 square inches.

For example, following our simple burger arithmetic, we can say that a 480 square inch grill will get 14.5 burgers sizzling at once.

This figure is a great starting point for beginners. Put it this way. When you read ‘cook 14.5 burgers at once’, what’s your immediate reaction? Are you thinking, ‘I can’t imagine ever needing to cook 15 burgers, let alone at the same time’; or something like, ‘just 15? What about the other 20 people at my cookout?’

I like to call this the party reflex. It’s a good way to find out what you really imagine yourself buying the grill for. If it’s personal use, then cooking surface area won’t be high on your priority list and you can probably save yourself a good deal of cash on purchase. Then again, if you’re looking to have the whole neighborhood over every other weekend, grill space is holy and you’ll chip in a few extra bucks to get the people their burgers on time.

One thing to note about grill space specifications: be wary of how the manufacturer quotes this figure. We’ll talk more about warming racks in my special features section, but it’s worth knowing that some brands will try sneaking this into their overall grill surface area. The marketing tactics and morals of grilling manufacturers is hardly my business–my business is making sure you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. If your grill of interest does include a warming rack, take a close look at the specifications to be sure that they haven’t added these square inches to your cooking space. If it isn’t strictly listed on the product description, a quick call to customer service will clear things up quickly enough (they might be a little embarrassed to admit it the trick, but you’ll save yourself an unwelcome surprise in the process).

Fuel Consumption, Btus And Gas Type

The first grill lingo you’ll want to add to your vocabulary is BTU, or British Thermal Unit. It’s the horsepower of gas grills, and it will tell you how much gas you’re likely to run through per hour. Just like a finely-tuned car, though, power isn’t everything. You don’t just want a gas-guzzling engine, you want efficiency.

An old grilling motto runs along the lines of: Look for a grill with 100 BTUs per square inch of cooking space.

This is somewhat outdated. It may have been true of grilling days yonder, but we live in a vastly more energy-efficient era than our grilling ancestors. With this in mind, I would suggesting altering this calculation to ‘Anything less than 100BTUs per square inch of cooking space’. So long as you’re not looking at mini-camping grillers, this will at least tell you that the manufacturer has paid some attention to energy efficiency–it may actually be a sign of quality of components, as opposed to a lack of power as it once might have.

Since we’re talking strictly about gas grills, we may as well congratulate ourselves on coming this far.

The good news is: both propane and natural gas options have significantly lower CO2 emissions than gasoline, kerosene or charcoal options.

You’re probably not here for a lecture on climate change, and I’m not the person to give it you.

Still–it’s good to know that if you’re lighting up with a propane or natural gas tank, you’re not doing anything to contribute to the problem. At the very least, you be opening yourself up to any unwanted attention from environmentally-conscious neighbors.

Many of my Top Picks on the grill list above use Liquid Propane (LP). LP is generally sold in 20lb. tanks, which you can find outside of gas stations, hardware and grocery stores. These are typically your best bet financially, and will last you a few years (some, like Weber, offering up to 10 year warranties).

However, if you do branch out beyond my Top Picks (which I recommend if you don’t find anything that meets your specific needs), then you’ll want to be sure that your grill is compatible with both the gas type and size of tank. This should be listed clearly on your grill specifications, but if you find yourself with a grill that doesn’t match its tank, don’t stress: you can always buy an adapter.

Special Features

This is where things get interesting–or potentially distracting, depending on how you look at it. If you’ve come to the grill market with a simple agenda to cook some steaks and burgers for your friends, it’s easy to get side-tracked with special features. Warming racks, side-burners, side shelves, beer holders, stainless steel hoods–the list can go on and on. Don’t worry, I’m here to keep you on track.

There are some components that are essential, some that are useful, and some that are mostly superfluous. Let’s break it down simply, then:

The Essentials:
1) Burners
2) Cooking Grates
3) Gas Tanks

With these three components, you’ve got yourself a grill that can actually do what it’s supposed to: cook up some delicious food.

Burners

Burners will control not only how hot your grill gets, but how quickly it can heat up. Generally speaking, a 4 burner grill will heat up faster than a 3 burner grill. More burners, more immediate heating power; faster cooking and heating time. Simple right?

There’s a little more to it than that. Each burner is a focus point of heat. Therefore, the more burners you have, the more control you will have over the heating areas of your grill. Four burners with adjustable heat knobs will let you have your veggies slow-grilling on one side of your grill, while you’ve got your kebabs and patties cooking on high right beside them.

Cooking Grates

Next to burners, cooking grates are the most important thing about your grill. While there are a variety of grate materials out there, I’ll be upfront about this:
You want to stick with stainless steel or cast iron.
These materials are the easiest to clean, and they also resist corrosion more effectively than any other materials out there on offer.

Stainless Steel

These are your easy-clean, rust-free option for grilling. They’ll sparkle in the sun and attract a crowd, but for all the razzle dazzle, they just can’t produce the same consistent heat as cast iron cooking grates.

Cast Iron

This is your old school grilling material–it’s been used since medieval times. Even with all the advances in grilling technology, this stuff still comes out on top when it comes to retaining heat and producing a quality, consistent cook. That being said, it will cost you a little bit of time and effort to clean, and it can build up rust if you don’t maintain it regularly.

The Usefuls:

Side burners; and
Warming Racks

These will make your grilling experience a little more comfortable, while opening up a few nice cooking options for larger parties and servings.

Side burners: These are low-power burners that stick off the side of your grill like a pair of wings. They’re great for reducing sauces and heating up food on the side while you focus on cooking the main course in your central grill.

Warming racks: Warming racks allow to raise your food off the cooking grate. Direct contact with the grate is ideal for searing and high intensity grilling, but it’s nice to have some freedom away from this. By raising the food above your grill, you can keep a constant, gentle heat–while also opening up new cooking methods like smoking and slow-cooking your meats. It will also open up fresh grill space below, so that you can show-off as the ultimate multi-tasker at your next cookout.

The Superfluous (sometimes Useful)

Side shelves;
Electric ignition switch; and
Portable wheels.

These are what I would consider nice bonus features, but hardly the first thing you should be looking for.

Side shelves: These are a useful addition to your grill’s storage and give you a little more freedom during the cooking process. Most side shelves can be used as chopping boards, or used for marinating and preparing dishes on the side of your grill. The most handy models will have foldable designs for easy storage.

Electric ignition switch: This is pretty self-explanatory, but a nice added touch if you don’t want to fiddle with matches or lighting the grill manually.

Portable wheels: I keep this in the ‘superfluous’ category, though it depends on your backyard setup. If you need to bring your grill out into the open while grilling, then store it elsewhere, then portable wheels will be incredibly useful. That being said, if you can set it up in one spot for the entire summer without needing to move it, then portable wheels are hardly essential.

Premium Features

– Flavorizing bar
– Grease management system
– Pressure gauge and thermometer
– Rotisserie option
– Installed bottle opener

Summing Up

In summary, keep it simple. To find the best grill under $500, you may need to make a couple of sacrifices. Better to make these sacrifices in the ‘useful’ and ‘superfluous’ categories, rather than selling yourself short on the essentials like burners and cooking grates. Consider how much you want to cook, for how many people, and how often you plan on doing it. Then, find the grill that meets your needs and looks good in your yard to light up some winner BBQs this summer.

How To Start A Gas Grill

Starting a gas grill is simple. First off, you’ll want to open up the hood of your grill to let out any shut-in, unlit fumes. Next, you’re going to open up the valve on your gas line (from your natural or propane tank). Give it a minute to allow the gas to run up the gas line, then turn your burners to high. Depending on your model, you will then either press the electric ignition starter, or light the burners manually. When lighting the grill manually, be sure to use long-ended matchsticks.

How To Use A Gas Grill

Before throwing your meats on the grate, be sure to let your grill heat up for 10-15 minutes. This is particularly important for cast iron cooking grates, as it will give you the best quality product.

Once you’re up and running, how you use your gas grill is entirely up to you (and the design). Four-burner gas grills will offer you enough flexibility to cook your veggies and meats at the same time at different intensities. Once you’ve finished cooking up something good, be sure to turn off all of your burners and shut off your gas tank’s valve.

How To Smoke On A Gas Grill

Smoking meats on your gas grill can be incredibly easy with the right model. Some brands offer pre-installed smoker trays, where you can place your soaked woodchips for creating that perfect smoky finish. For these grills, all you need to do is load up the smoker tray, place your meats in aluminum foil (with a few holes cut in there) and close the hood to keep the smoke in.

For less sophisticated models, you can also get some decent smoked meats with a warming rack. Warming racks let you raise the food above direct contact with the grill, so that you can easily smoke your fish and other dishes while still grilling on the main grate.

How Long Do Gas Grills Last

The best gas grills can last a couple of decades with regular cleaning, maintenance and storage. This of course depends on the quality of the components to begin with, how often you are grilling, and what conditions the grill is exposed to. However, generally speaking, burners and cooking grates should be able to push on for 10-15 years without needing any replacements. Weber is a great example of quality components–they’re products are typically backed by a 10 year warranty.