Find the ideal outdoor grill to suit your needs. Our grill experts compare the performance, capabilities, durability, and price value of the top modern grills in 2022.

The Best Charcoal/Wood Grill: 30-Gallon Sea Island Forge Grilling System

• Price: $3,650
• Grill Dimensions: 42 W x 42 D x 19 H with boot rail stand (32 W x 32 D x 8 H of Kettle bowl only)
• Cooking Area: 471 sq. in. (50-gallon - 1123 sq. in.)
• Weight: Kettle 225 lbs, Grill attachment 20 lbs

The rich, smoky flavors that come from cooking over coals, embers, or an open fire are something that the other types of grills just can't quite replicate. There is something unique about going back to our roots: just you, the grill, the Kettle, and the coals. With hand-forged stainless steel grill grates, cast ductile iron fire Kettle, and a galvanized steel boot rail stand, the all-in-one Sea Island Forge Grilling System captures everything good about outdoor grilling: quality time around quality food.

The Sea Island Forge Heat Dome 2.0 accessory, with its thermometer, ash handle, and smoke valve, improves the Grilling System’s remarkable cooking accuracy by preserving the tenderness of your meat while capturing mouthwatering smokey flavor. According to one reviewer, “THIS DOES IT ALL. We have so much fun cooking meals on the Kettle. Even did the Thanksgiving turkey on the Grill with the Heat Dome - hands down the best turkey we've ever had.”

The artisan-crafted, long-lasting Sea Island Forge Fire Kettle really can do it all. This fire pit doubles as a grill and enthusiasts adore that social gatherings now take place around fire pit grills. You can spend the entire evening seated in one cozy location around the fire while preparing appetizers and main courses with your friends and family. Once dinner is made, easily remove the grill attachment and unwind and roast marshmallows over what is now a backyard fire pit. 

• Best Grill Features: Patented ratchet system can raise, lower, and pivot the grilling surface for precise heat control, the versatility of grilling as well as gathering around the fire, and wood-burning capabilities. All accessories are included in the price, unlike other grills.
• Things To Consider: It is advised to oil the cast iron bowl to "season" it between burns, just like a cast iron skillet. This full Grilling System is also less mobile than others due to its heavy-duty construction; it does not come with wheels.

The Best Gas Grill: Napoleon Rogue Grill

Our Favorite Portable Grill: Broil King Porta-Chef Grill

• Price: $399
• Grill Dimensions: 39.5 W x 26.5 D x 43.5 H
• Cooking Space: 294 sq. in. primary area, with 426 sq. in. cooking area total
• BTU/hr: 21,000
• Weight: 45 lbs

If you love camping or tailgating, you know how practical a portable grill is. These are perfect if you live in an apartment, condo, RV, or tiny house. Our favorite portable grill is the Broil King Porta-Chef 320 Grill, a propane grill that’s only 45 lbs and great for bringing along to that outdoor party or storing on a small patio.

This small but mighty propane grill can reach high cooking temperatures in no time, making it a convenient tailgating grill. The features of this Broil King portable grill include three primary stainless steel tube burners, a digital igniter, and coated cast iron grill grates. It is excellent at indirect heating and even has a warming rack, which is rare in a portable grill. In the words of one reviewer, “I bought this bbq one month ago...and I'm really satisfied. Simple to use, powerful, and very comfortable with the three handpieces to adjust the right temperature. Indirect cooking is fantastic! Suggested especially if you need a simple bbq to transport everywhere!”

This grill also boasts the Broil King’s stainless steel Flav-R-Wave cooking system and a Linear-Flow valve with 180-degree constant heat rotation. This lightweight, portable grill has foldable side shelves and snap-in legs for easy storage and portability.

If you’re looking for a lightweight yet sturdy grill that still boasts a decent amount of cooking area with its 426 sq. in. of grill space, the Broil King Porta-Chef Grill is for you.

• Best Grill Features: Quick preheating and can reach high cooking temperatures, cast iron cooking grates, excellent indirect heating, overall good temperature range, very convenient, and has a warming rack, which sets it apart from other portable grills.
• Things To Consider: Some outer parts are made from plastic. Also, wind can cause issues with this grill since it is so light. It is recommended you have some kind of windbreaker near the grill.

Our Pellet Grill Pick: Traeger Ironwood 650 Pellet Grill

• Price: $1,399.99
• Grill Dimensions: 46 W x 27 D x 47 H
• Cooking Area: 418 sq. in. cooking area + 231 sq. in. secondary cooking grid area (650 sq. in. total)
• Weight: 149 lbs
• Pellet Hopper Capacity: 20 lbs

Grillers love pellet fuel because wood pellets have no risk of embers, are chemical-free, and provide a lot of heat with little smoke. Overall, a pellet grill can heat up quickly and cook food in a short amount of time while being more environmentally friendly than a gas grill.

This pellet grill is for the tech-savvy griller with its wifi connection using WiFIRE Technology to connect to the Traeger App. Imagine upgrading your grill experience to keep an eye on your cooking, modify the grill temperatures as needed, and access more than 1,600 recipes with a few taps on your phone! There is even a built-in pellet sensor for the griller to easily monitor the number of pellets in the grill. 

Setting the temperature of the grill is as simple as turning on the oven using the D2 controller's digital display, which allows you to change the temperature in 5°F intervals. It also has an adjustable bottom cooking grate that can be raised and lowered, ideal for searing steaks and then grilling them.

This grill boasts a powder-coated steel exterior and double-side-walled interior for maximum heat retention, making it easy to smoke food all day at 165°F. You can then easily crank up the cooking temperature to up to 500°F for searing, or grill a pizza directly on the grates thanks to the convection cooking made possible by the natural airflow inside the grill. 

Its name, the Traeger Ironwood 650, comes from its immense total cooking area of 650 sq. in. A reviewer can’t say enough about its cooking capabilities: “This is one versatile cooker. I’ve done brisket, ribs, chicken, steaks, and pork shoulders/butts with fantastic results. I own a wood smoker, drum smoker, charcoal grill, and gas grill and this grill outperforms them all. Easiest grill to operate. Love the WiFi connectivity. Well worth every penny.” 

• Best Grill Features: Double side-walled interior for heat retention, easy to smoke food and can cook all day without adding fuel, automated and has wifi connection to Traeger app with WiFIRE Technology, stable target temperature.
• Things To Consider: The “hot rod” burns out and needs to be replaced yearly according to reviewers, pellet grills need frequent oiling and proper maintenance is key.

The Best Kamado Grill: Kamado Joe Classic II 18" Grill

• Price: $1,299
• Grill Dimensions: 47 W x 30 D x 48 H
• Cooking Area: 250 sq. in. 
• Weight: 231.5 lbs

Kamado-style ceramic grills are masters in heat retention. Their thick ceramic sides allow heat to stay trapped in these grills for hours, making this grill ideal for long, slow cooks. Grillers also love that kamado grills can act as an all-in-one grill, smoker, or oven. Our top pick for this style of grill is the Kamado Joe Classic II.

According to Consumer Reports testing, this Kamado Joe model with its ceramic exterior, locking lid, and durable wire mesh fiberglass gasket was rated excellent for both low-temperature cooking of pork shoulder and high-temperature cooking of pizza. The Kamado Joe is designed for an air-tight seal, making it adaptable for searing on high heat as hot as 750°F, or smoking on low heat at 225°F. With its well-sealed design, the grill was made to maintain a constant cooking temperature in any climate.

This grill has many features to enable ease of temperature adjustment, including a top vent that can be used as a chimney or cover and a built-in thermometer to quickly check the internal grill temperature. The grill's limited cooking area of 250 sq. in. isn't a problem for a normal-sized family, but Kamado Joe does offer the Big Joe Series for more cooking area.

You can simultaneously cook on two separate levels using the two stainless steel cooking surfaces or the two split heat deflectors for indirect cooking and baking. One reviewer says, “Awesome product. Divide and conquer for direct and indirect heat to grill the steaks. Extreme steady temperature once set. Twelve plus hours of smoking before refilling the charcoal. A deflector to smoke brisket, pork butt, ribs, chicken, duck, etc. I'm extremely satisfied.”

• Best Grill Features: Kamado-style ceramic lid maintains consistent heat control and high cooking temperatures for long periods of time, quick preheating time, rated as best kamado-style grill by Consumer Reports.
• Things To Consider: Its heavy weight makes it less mobile than other grills, with a smaller cooking capacity than other grills on this list, trapped heat in a high-temperature ceramic bowl can cause the kamado grill to get extremely hot and it can be hard to bring the temperature back down easily.

The Top Stainless Steel Grill: Weber Summit S-470 Grill

• Price: $2,749
• Grill Dimensions: 66 W x 27 D x 51 H
• Cooking Area: 468 sq. in. + 112 sq. in. warming rack (580 sq. in. total)
• BTU/hr: Main Burner 48800, Side Burner 12000, Rear-mounted Infrared Rotisserie Burner 10600, Stainless Steel Smoker Box and Smoker Burner 6800
• Weight: 245 lbs

This Weber Grill is best in its class when it comes to being long-lasting and weather-proof. One reviewer says, “We've had ours for ten years now, and it's been the best grill ever. No rust, the searing station is great, and the infra-red and rotisserie are terrific. Finally smoked a brisket this past June, and for a first-ever attempt, it was fantastic. Almost no assembly required.” Grillers have also commented on how they can grill in harsh weather, including freezing winter temperatures. 

This grill beats many with its preheating time; it can rapidly reach high cooking temperatures, making your grill ready to go in no time. This is partially due to the additional Sear Station burner’s strong heat, which reduces preheat time and can swiftly sear your meats. Also, due to an integrated stainless steel smoker box with its own dedicated burner, you can easily create delectably smoked foods. Overall, the four burners give you tons of options for grilling exactly how you want.

• Best Grill Features: Reaches high cooking temperatures at rapid speed, excellent sturdiness, and durability, built to last
• Things To Consider: No utensil hooks or place to store grilling accessories, less mobile due to size, and cannot fold down shelves.

Regardless of your outdoor cooking needs, you'll enjoy fantastic grilling experiences with any of these high-quality products. We wish you the best of luck as you search for your ideal charcoal, gas, portable, pellet, or kamado grill for entertaining and cooking delicious meals.