Grate & Grill
Before you buy

Gas Grill Buying Guide

The gas grill aisle is built to sell you on the wrong number. Here's what actually predicts a grill that cooks evenly and lasts — burners, cooking area, grate material and build — and the marketing to ignore.

By Stephen V.Last updated Our methodology

Quick answer

Ignore the big total-BTU number — it measures gas burned, not cooking quality. What matters, in order: burner count and layout (three independent burners to build hot and cool zones), usable cooking area matched to how many you feed, grate material(porcelain-enameled cast iron holds heat best), and build and warranty(a heavy cookbox with a 10-year no-rust warranty lasts). Extras like a sear or side burner earn their keep; LED knobs mostly don’t.

Why BTU is the wrong headline

Almost every gas grill is marketed on a total BTU figure, and it’s the least useful number on the box. BTU per hour only tells you how much gas the burners can consume — not how evenly the grill turns that gas into heat, and not how well it keeps the heat around the food. A thin, cheap grill often quotes a huge BTU number precisely because it needs to burn a lot of gas to overcome a body that dumps heat straight into the air. A well-built grill with a lower BTU number frequently sears better because its mass, flavorizer bars or tamers, and heavy grates hold and radiate the heat. Treat BTU as a rough sanity check, never a ranking. What follows is what actually matters.

Burners and layout

Buy for burner count and independent control, not raw power. Three burners you can set separately is the sweet spot for most households: run one or two on high for a hot direct zone and leave another off to make a cool indirect zone, and you can sear a steak and then finish it gently, or roast a whole chicken with the lid down, without burning the outside. That two-zone ability is the single most useful thing a gas grill can do, and it’s why a good three-burner beats a cheap four-burner that only runs hot everywhere. A fourth burner adds surface for a crowd and often a dedicated sear or side burner — useful if you’ll actually use it, but not a reason on its own to spend more.

Cooking area

Match usable area to how many people you feed, and read the numbers carefully. Manufacturers quote a “total” area that folds in the warming rack, which isn’t primary grilling space — look for the primarycooking-area figure. Roughly 360–450 square inches primary suits most families of four to six; step up to 500 square inches or more if you regularly cook for a crowd or want to sear on one half while roasting on the other. Bigger isn’t free: more grate is more gas to heat and a larger footprint on the patio. Buy the size you’ll actually use, not the biggest one on the shelf.

Grate material

The grate is the surface your food touches, and it matters more than most shoppers think. Porcelain-enameled cast iron holds and radiates heat the best, giving you the deep sear marks people want, and the porcelain coating keeps the iron from rusting. Stainless steel grates heat faster and are lighter and easy to clean, but hold heat less steadily. Bare or thin plated grates are the budget option and the first thing to degrade. If a grill you’re considering ships with flimsy grates, factor in the cost of upgrading them — it’s a common and worthwhile first purchase.

Build, materials and warranty

Build quality is what separates a grill you keep from one you replace. A heavy, porcelain-coated or stainless cookbox resists the rust and warping that end a cheap grill’s life in a few seasons, and stainless burner tubes outlast the mild-steel burners that corrode first on budget models. The warranty is a useful proxy for how long the maker expects the grill to last: a 10-year-plus no-rust-through cookbox warranty (as Weber offers) signals a build meant for the long haul, while a one-year overall warranty tells you what to expect from a value grill. Decide up front whether you’re buying a grill for a decade or for a few seasons, and buy accordingly.

Searing and the extras

If a hard steakhouse crust matters, look for a purpose-built searing feature: a dedicated Sear Zone (Weber) or an infrared sear/broil burner (Monument’s Broil Zone) gets hotter and more even than running the main burners flat out. A side burner is genuinely handy for simmering a sauce or cooking a side without going inside. Beyond those, most “features” — LED-lit knobs, glass lids, app connectivity — are nice-to-haves that don’t change the cooking; enjoy them if they come with a grill you’d buy anyway, but don’t pay a premium for them. And note whether you want liquid propane (a portable 20 lb tank) or a natural-gas model plumbed to the house; they’re not interchangeable without a conversion.

Putting it together

The short version: a well-built three-burner with porcelain cast-iron grates, matched to how many you feed, backed by a real warranty, beats a bigger-BTU, more-burner budget grill for anyone who plans to keep it. If maximum surface for the least money is your goal instead, buy a value four-burner with clear eyes about its shorter life. See how the field sorts out across those trade-offs in our best gas grills roundup, read the Weber Spirit E-325 reviewfor our overall pick, and if you’re deciding how far up a line to go, the Spirit vs Genesis comparison shows what the extra money buys. Still weighing fuels? Our charcoal vs gas guide makes the honest case each way.

Frequently asked questions

How many BTUs should a gas grill have?

It's the wrong question — BTU measures gas burned, not cooking quality. A well-built grill sears fine at 30,000-40,000 BTU across its main burners because it holds heat where the food is, while a thin budget grill may quote 60,000 BTU to overcome a body that loses heat fast. Judge a grill by burner layout, grate material and build, and treat BTU as a rough sanity check only.

How many burners do I need on a gas grill?

Three independently controlled burners is the sweet spot for most households. It lets you build a hot direct zone and a cool indirect zone at once, which is the key to cooking anything thick without burning it. Four burners add surface for a crowd and often a sear or side burner, but a well-built three-burner beats a cheap four-burner that only runs hot everywhere.

What grates are best on a gas grill?

Porcelain-enameled cast iron. It holds and radiates heat the best for deep sear marks, and the porcelain coating keeps the iron from rusting. Stainless steel grates heat faster and are easy to clean but hold heat less steadily. Thin plated grates are the budget option and degrade first — if a grill ships with flimsy grates, budget for an upgrade.

How much should I spend on a gas grill?

Decide first whether you want a grill for a decade or a few seasons. A well-built three-burner with porcelain cast-iron grates and a 10-year no-rust warranty costs more up front but lasts and stays repairable for years. A value four-burner gives you more cooking surface today for less money, with a shorter life. Both are legitimate — just buy with clear eyes about which you're getting.

Do I need a side burner on a gas grill?

It's genuinely useful if you'll use it — a side burner lets you simmer a sauce, boil corn or cook a side dish outdoors without going back to the kitchen. If your cooking is mostly grilling the main event, you can skip it and save the money. Unlike LED knobs or glass lids, a side burner is a feature that earns its keep for the right cook.

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