The 10 Best Propane Grills You Can Buy

Propane offers a superior cooking experience in every way over charcoal. You may have heard differently. You may even be someone who prefers charcoal. We’ll admit, there’s something to be said about the beauty of grilling meat over red-hot coals, but the fact remains that only propane ensures you taste your food, and only your food. Charcoal adds flavors, plus it doesn’t provide even heat.

For the best cooking experience, choose a propane grill.

By this point in your life, you’ve probably used a propane grill before. Basically, a pressurized canister of propane is attached to a burner unit via an insulated hose. A pressure screw valve gets opened, propane gas hisses into the hose, and a spark in the burner unit ignites it. As long as the valve stays open, gas feeds into the burner, and the fire stays lit.

That provides a consistent, constant, even heat. Your steak will come out perfectly cooked on both sides. With charcoal, there are hot spots and cold spots all over the grill, and if you’re cooking anything more complicated than hot dogs, it won’t cook it properly.

The great thing about propane grills is that they come in all different shapes and sizes. There are portable table-top grills and gigantic built-in grills. The best propane grill falls in the middle somewhere.

When choosing the best propane grill for you, think about what size you need. If you have a backyard with a patio, and you like to host summer dinners, why not opt for a large, high-priced barbecue? That way, you can cook quality meals for many people. On the other hand, if you live in an apartment, then you’ll want a small, portable propane grill. Many jurisdictions have fire codes against barbecues in multi-unit dwellings, but if you can carry your grill to the local park, you’re all set.

Next, you’ll want to be sure that the grill has enough BTUs to cook what you’ll ask of it. A BTU is a British Thermal Unit. It’s the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. But that’s not the only thing that affects heat. You’ll want your grill to be heavy metal because this retains heat better and longer. Thin and cheap metal grills diffuse heat quickly, so even if your barbecue has a high BTU, your meat won’t cook evenly. Look for a high BTU rating and heavy cast-iron or metal grills.

You’ll love the Weber Spirit II E-210 because it ticks all of the boxes. It has a porcelain-enameled cast-iron grill, an ignition that is guaranteed to work every time, and high-performance burners. With 360 square inches of cooking area, plus 90 square inches of warming area, you’ll have plenty of room for cooking. However, this grill isn’t too big. It’s 57-inches tall but only 48-inches wide, so this is perfect for a small backyard or patio.

You’ll pay between $375 and $425 for this nice-looking barbecue. Best of all, it comes with a 10-year warranty on all parts. Customers at Home Depot gave it 4.7 out of 5 stars. Almost everyone said the grill heated up fast and cooked food evenly. The only complaints were that the plastic wheels are weak and break easily.

Here’s another Weber beauty that easily qualifies for best propane grill of the year. The Genesis II E-410 is a modern-looking, boxy barbecue with big, manly knobs and plenty of cooking space. The grill has four burners, providing 48,000 BTUs to 844 square inches of cooking area. Like other Weber barbecues, the grill is porcelain-enameled cast-iron. That’s the kind of heavy grill we respect.

It's a big barbecue, at 61-inches tall and 61-inches wide. If you host a lot of barbecue get-togethers with friends and family, then this is the best propane grill for you. It costs between $900 and $1,000 but comes with Weber’s awesome 10-year warranty. Also, it has a 4.7 out of 5-star rating on Home Depot, with customers saying it is sturdy, is excellent at cooking, and it’s reliable.

Next up is the elegant, futuristic-looking Napoleon R​​ogue. It's a five-burner propane grill with a side infrared burner for sauteeing those little garlic butter mushrooms that taste so good with steak. There are 525 square inches of space, which 57,000 BTUs can handle with no problem. The grill is a thick stainless steel "wave" style, but there are also two stainless steel searing plates so you can trap those delicious juices inside the meat before cooking over the open flame. The Napoleon Rogue is 49-inches high and 57-inches wide. You can host a small get together or cook for two -- or one. They're all good options.

The grill costs between $1,100 and $1,200, but it comes with an incredible 15-year warranty. Customers loved it, rating it 4.8 out of 5 stars on Home Depot. Most said it works beautifully, and some praised how easy it is to assemble and operate.

Then there's the most unconventional-looking barbecue on our list. The ​Blackstone 36-​​inch​ propane grill is a square with no lid, that has a griddle top instead. So, you can cook a burger on the cold-rolled steel grill, or fry an egg on the flat stainless steel griddle, which attaches easily. Four burners pump out a total of 60,000 BTUs. That, combined with ample cooking space and a decent grill, makes this a contender for the best propane grill of the year. Also, people will comment on how unique this grill is. We bet that nobody else in your social circle has one quite like it.

You'll pay between $350 and $400 for this barbecue. However, the warranty only covers your purchase for one year. Home Depot customers gave it a respectable 4.5 out of 5 stars. Most people were happy with it, saying it cooks evenly and is very versatile. There were a couple of complaints that it's hard to use on a windy day.

Talking about uniquely-styled grills, the Weber Q 3200 looks like a robot from a 1950s space movie. It has a bulbous lid and weird, curving legs with a plastic face between them. The control knobs are staggered to the right side of the cooking unit. Although it only puts out 21,700 BTUs, there are only 400 square inches of cooking space to heat up. Also, the grill itself is Weber's excellent porcelain-enameled cast iron build, so it retains heat like no other. It's a small grill, only 55 inches tall and 50 inches wide, so it's perfect for a small home.

However, the price is rather large: It costs between $400 and $450. Thankfully, there's Weber's excellent 10-year warranty to protect your purchase. Customers gave it 4.7 out of 5 stars at Home Depot, with everyone saying this is a fantastic grill that cooks perfectly every time.

Then there's the affordable, highly-rated ​Nexgrill 5-burner​ propane grill. At first glance, this looks like any normal barbecue, albeit with a nice stainless-steel finish. Where it really shines, however, is with more than 600 square inches of cooking space and thick, heavy cast-iron cooking grills. The stainless steel lid has full welds, so there's no way that thing is falling off. Five burners are more than enough to cook your food evenly. And, best of all is the fact that it only costs between $200 and $250! That nice price tag comes with a limited five-year warranty, which is nice too.

Home Depot customers gave it 4.4 out of 5 stars, with most saying that it cooked evenly and looked nice. However, many people complained that assembly is difficult.

There is nothing quite as beautiful as this ​3 Emb​​ers​ four-burner dual fuel grill. There's a nice window in the boxy lid that gives it a modern look, as well as allows you to see your food cooking. It's dual-fuel because it can easily convert from propane to natural gas, depending on which you prefer. It puts out 48,000 BTUs in 700-square inches of cooking area. The grates are solid stainless steel. Also, you'll find a cast-iron side grill with its own 12,000 BTU burner, so you can whip up some side dishes. We think bacon would go great here.

You'll pay between $650 and $750 for this dazzling grill. On looks alone, this is the best propane grill we reviewed. Customers thought so too, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars at Home Depot. Almost everyone said it is an amazing grill, with three customers writing that it far exceeds their expectations.

Eighth on our list, which is in no particular order, is the Dyn​​a-Glo "Smart Space Living" propane grill. If you have a small apartment or condo, or even just a tiny patio, this is the grill for you. While it's a rather plain-looking barbecue, with a boxy design cramped into a 49-inch-wide frame, this grill cooks like nobody's business. That's because the three burners pump out more than 36,000 BTUs, which is plenty of heat for 500 square inches of cooking space. The heavy, porcelain-enameled cast-iron grill is perfect for channeling that energy into a sizzling slab of beef. Or chicken. Or pork. Even a nice salmon steak would be acceptable.

You'll pay between $200 and $225, which makes this the best budget-friendly propane grill you can find, although a measly one-year warranty comes up lacking. Home Depot customers gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Almost everyone praised the ignitor, which never seems to fail.

Next is another Napoleon barbecue. This time it's the LEX 730, which is a beautiful, stout, rather large barbecue. Because it's all stainless steel, it looks like something you'd find in a restaurant kitchen. And, because it has 730 square inches of cooking space and puts out 106,000 BTUs, it cooks like one too. You can literally cook 40 burger patties at a time on this monster. In addition to the massive cooking area, there's an infrared side burner that pops up into 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit within a few seconds. That's great for fajitas.

This industrial grill doesn't come cheap. It costs between $1,750 and $2,000 but comes with a lifetime warranty. Which means this is the last grill you'll ever buy. Customers rated it 4.8 out of 5 stars at Home Depot, with everyone saying it cooks food amazingly well.

Finally, we have something straight out of a western movie. The Ch​​ar-Griller Texas Trio is all-black matte, giving it a cast-iron look. Also, the grilling space looks like a drum. That's because this thing can cook with both propane and charcoal at the same time. Hanging off the side is another drum, which is a smoker. Food here gets smoke and indirect heat, so it won't sear. If you like fish, this is a great place to cook it. Its 48,000 BTUs of heat and cast-iron grills provide the raw grilling energy needed, but we especially enjoy the addition of two smokestacks. That's a cool look. Also, this thing is big, measuring 75 inches across and 49 inches high.

It costs between $350 and $400 and comes with a one-year warranty. Home Depot customers rated it 4.4 out of 5 stars, praising how tough and heavy this all-metal contraption is.