7 Best Built-in Gas Grills (2022 Updated)
These backyard kitchen devices are similar to standalone grills, but with better performance. Since it’s a big investment (it will be literally built-in to your house), you need to serve you and your family well. When choosing the right gas grill for your outdoor kitchen, there are so many things to think about. Don’t you wish someone had done all the work and just presented you with a few of the best choices? That’s exactly what we did. Read on to find out the best built-in gas grills!
1. Blaze Professional 34” 3 Burner Built-In Gas Grill
This robust built-in grill is an industry leader in thickness and durability. They are more economical and efficient without using as much gas as other models for ideal temperatures. Thanks to their solid innovative technology that utilizes the exact mix of fuel and oxygen.
This solid model comes with quality cast stainless steel H burners (like the Lion Premium and Weber Summit S-460) with an included rotisserie kit available for that mouth-watering rotisserie chicken you crave. You no longer have to experience waiting to serve everyone at the party with the illuminated control knobs (like Napoleon's I-GLOW) and a cooking surface with an available 630 square inches of total cooking space! Get the perfect grilled taste with no flare-ups and cleanup is easy as pie with removable baffles plus the drip tray.
Pros
- Cast stainless steel burners reach ideal temperatures without much gas
- Serves everyone quickly with a large cooking space
- No flare-ups
- Clean-up is easy
- Comes with quality illuminated control knobs for your convenience
- Excellent double-lined grill hood to protect the outer layer
- 630 square inches of cooking surface available
- Comes with a warming rack
Cons
- Difficult to replace the hood lights.
2. Fire Magic Echelon Diamond E660i Built-In Gas Grill
The Fire Magic Echelon model presents you with a wide variety of quality choices. Choose between using propane or natural gas, analog or digital thermometer, and whether or not it includes a magic view window. If you have a smaller space available, the E660i is the perfect drop-in grill.
The compact size of this premium Fire Magic model takes less space and includes excellent features as well like Diamond Sear cooking grids and a meat probe. You can make anything you want with this versatile built-in grill. Use the grill, smoker burner, and rotisserie burner for mouthwatering meats.
It has 900 square inches of cooking area available (more than Napoleon LEX), with the main grilling area at 660 square inches and the secondary one at 240 square inches. This cooking area is perfect for small families under 4 people and those with limited space. For more similar options, go and check our reviews of premium 4 burner gas grills.
- Compact size and cooking area great for small spaces
- Versatile grill with smoker burner and rotisserie
- Diamond cooking grids
- 900 square inch cooking area available for grilling
- Flavor grids
- Stainless steel cooking E burners
- Main Burner: 75 000 BTUs | Back burner: 11 000 BTUs
- Comes with a variety of choices
Cons
- Smaller cooking surface
3. Summerset TRL32 32” Stainless Steel 3 Burner Built-In Grill with Rotisserie Burner
This solid 3 burner grill model possesses all the quality features you look for in a built-in top-quality outdoor kitchen appliance or grill all in one package. Use the rotisserie grill that provides heat that's evenly distributed, it also has an available 15,000 BTU rear infrared burner, infrared sear zones, and sturdy stainless steel burners that come through for you every time you're using it. It has 18 000 BTU burners (each) which amounts to 54 000 total BTUs, while there's a 15 000 BTU rear infrared rotisserie. The cooking area is 855 square inches.
Run no risk of flare-ups while grilling. Sear burner plates like the ones in Napoleon help prevent this. In Summerset, the included burner covers that contribute to the full flavor the grill can give and there’s a flamethrower as well that can sear the top of the meat perfectly. Definitely a solid cooking experience. Enjoy a lifetime warranty with your purchase of this outdoor grill even though you might not need it. It’s extremely well-built being made entirely of stainless steel, you can be sure it'll stay with you for many years.
Pros
- See everything well as you're grilling with the halogen lights and LED lighting
- Made of quality stainless steel construction
- Reliable flamethrower with total cooking
- Briquette trays minimize flare-ups
- 54 000 BTUs of power (18 000 BTU burners and 15,000 BTU infrared burner)
- 855 square inch cooking area available
- Lasts for years
- Enjoy your delicious food cooked from the many capabilities of this outdoor grill
- Difficult to light sometimes
4. Profire Grills PF SERIES 48” Hybrid Stainless Steel Built-In Grill
The next one on our list for the best built-in gas grills is this large add-on to your outdoor kitchen from the PF Series. It is one of the best kitchen kits for your backyard. This high quality professional device comes with 8 11 000 BTU stainless steel burners that pumps out 98 000 BTU of heat distribution. The self-cleaning plates are made from commercial grade stainless steel that are topped with a double-walled hood and finished off with a polished look.
This solid built-in grill model is still able to provide even heat even with the large 966 square inches of cooking space available. The cooking grates in this model are spaced more closely together to accommodate smaller pieces of food. Among the other features available, there's smoker tray, a dual thermometer and spark ignitor among many others.
Pros
- Large built-in gas grill to complete your outdoor kitchen.
- Comes with electric spark ignition system
- 98 000 BTUs
- The 966 square inches of cooking space is made available for large parties
- The stainless steel grates are spaced more closely
- Well built for solid stainless steel cooking
- Pumps out impressive grilling power
- Comes with smoker tray and dual thermometer
Cons
- A lot of effort and power for smaller parties
- No rear infrared burner available
5. Blaze Professional 24” Stainless Steel Built-In Grill with Infrared Burner
Blaze Professional is a great name in the kitchen industry, and it packs every available feature you want into a smaller design compared to the 34” big brother grill. Complete your outdoor kitchen with this cast stainless steel grill (like Lion Premium) that features infrared burners. It’s the industry leader in thickness and robust design that increases the durability and contains it’s impressive grilling power. The total output of this grill is 36 000 BTUs (18 000 BTU burners) plus a 10 000 BTU infrared rotisserie burner.
It also has a temperature gauge (like Napoleon) to read internal temps.
Their technology that utilizes the perfect and precise mix of oxygen and fuel will make sure using the grill is economical. Barbecue parties can be enjoyed under the moonlight with the illumination system that lights up the grill for easier monitoring as you cook. For a bigger grill, the Blaze 40" also has a cast stainless steel construction (like Lion Premium).
- Smaller surface and more compact in size compared to the 34”
- Lifetime warranty, so you're sure this durable grilling product will last years
- Thick and robust design
- Also includes a temperature gauge that's visible with the illumination system
- Powerful cooking at 36 000 BTUs (18 000 BTUs burners, 10 000 BTUs infrared rear burner)
- 816 square inches of total cooking space available, with the grilling area at 630 square inches
- Heat has an evenly distribution with the cast stainless steel construction (like Lion Premium)
- Solid stainless steel burners
Cons
- Hood light replacements are difficult
6. American Muscle Grill AMG 36 36” Stainless Steel 5 Burner Grill
Take your pick of natural gas or propane, using either one will of these built-in gas grills will provide you with even cooking and extreme power that exceeds 100 000 BTU. Whether you like to use charcoal, wood chunks, natural gas, propane, or pellets, this premium built-in gas grill can do it!
Illuminate your cooking experience by using the LED front panel lighting and interior halogen lighting that's available for your grilling any time of the day. The stainless steel construction is double line, much tougher than some cast iron options. Turn up the heat with these best grills that offer maximum cooking horsepower.
We reviewed more 5 burner gas grills for your convenience.
Pros
- Complete your outdoor kitchen with this fuel chameleon.
- Cooking experience around the clock with illumination
- Cast stainless steel (like Lion Premium) double line construction
- Maximum power of 110 000 BTUs
- Heat up your food with natural or propane
- Large cooking surface available as it comes with 5 burners
Cons
- It’s quite expensive
7. Mont Alpi 32 Inch Built-In Gas Grill
This grill is packed with many features available and comes at half the price! The 304 heavy-duty commercial grade stainless steel burners (like the Lion Premium) are amazing and are the envy of beginner chefs and the infrared rear burner is great for larger meals. There’s even an included rotisserie kit for larger meals.
It has a 68 000 BTU output. LED lights and halogen lighting will brighten up your cooking experience whether it’s under the sun or stars. It's the only grill on the market to feature the new Heat Wave double layer sear plates. This heat wave reduces flare-ups, heat escape and enhances the smoked flavor. The stainless steel and heavy-duty grilling products from Mont Alpi can withstand heat and cold - all the elements.
- Cheap price for all it comes with
- Comes with stainless steel burner and infrared rotisserie burner
- Also includes rotisserie kit for larger meals
- Illumination system available for use
- Heat Wave double layer sear plates
- Can withstand any element with the tough design
Cons
- Some customers needed professional help for installation
Built-In Gas Grills Buyer’s Guide
Everything looks great on paper. Guides and manufacturers will promote the name of each available grilling product in the best light, but you never know what you get until you finally receive built-in grills. How do you know what to look for based on just the specs and product description?
We’re here to help you find the best heat distribution, and capabilities an outdoor grill has to offer. Follow our buyer’s guide and reviews for the easiest route to buy the perfect grill to your dream outdoor kitchen.
What to Look for When Buying the Best Built-In Gas Grill
Performance
Just because you spend on a high price tag and famous name, it doesn’t guarantee great grilling performance. Napoleon, Weber, Blaze, and Mont Alpi are great brands, but not everything is made equal. What you need to look for in terms of grill performance is heat distribution, cooking power, no flare-ups (if possible) and sturdy construction.
All our subtopics down below on what to look for when buying gas grills will determine the performance of your new cooker. If you find an efficient grill (no matter if it’s natural or a propane grill under 300), it needs to check off most of these factors for a place in your heart. The grilling options we suggested above sure hit them all, so if you don’t know where to start, our top 7 is a good place.
Durability
The next up on our list is the durability of a grilling product. This determines how long the model you buy will be in service. A few determining factors on how durable these products are can be seen in the thickness and materials used for construction.
Excellent high-grade materials such as stainless steel surely beat the cast iron grills. Since the grill will handle high temperatures, it’s important that they shield you and surrounding appliances from the radiating heat while grilling. Even though the grills we listed are very tough, it’s always good if they come with a warranty when you buy them. Brands like Weber, Blaze, and Napoleon do offer such.
Materials and Build
304 stainless steel is the unspoken best commercial grade material. Most affordable gas grills are made of high-quality stainless steel material including the top model grills of RCS brand. It's incredibly durable and lasts longer than other materials on the market. They fend against all types of weather or temperature, whether you’re having a cook-out in the blazing sun or warming up in the dead of winter, a stainless steel grill can handle it all.
Since they're stainless “hence the name”, they show much less wear compared to the other materials as well. Of course, like with many things, you get what you pay for. For a 304 high-grade stainless steel grill, it's a higher price compared to your run-of-the-mill products.
Stainless steel also weathers the storm much better and since it'll most likely be sitting outside, go with stainless steel we say!
Cooking Space
Features or what heat capabilities don't matter if there's not enough cooking surface on grills. Don’t settle for a “just enough” grilling surface area, you want more than your fair share of cooking surface to accommodate any sized meal. When planning a good backyard kitchen, grilling area is a big consideration. It could range from 600 to almost 1000 square inches of space. The Napoleon Prestige Series has something in between at 760 sq.in.
Determine the needed cooking surface depending on how many people you might be cooking for on a regular basis. You can find a grill with an independent cooking surface where you can cook multiple meals at once at different temperatures to cook everything perfectly.
Location
Where you intend to place the grill, whether a gas grill or the best pellet grill, is important. This affects the size of the grill, and you need to be sure you'll be 100% safe. Having anything combustible or being in an open area will risk the wind blowing smoke into your house.
How Many People?
Other than the cooking surface, your answer to this question also affects the grill size. Of course, that’s if you aren’t limited on space. Consider if you're a small family or if you're only whipping out the grill for large house parties.Smaller grills are great for families of 2 to 4 people, but if you have double that, you'd need a medium to large grill like a 4 or 5-burner. Yes, a smaller grill can still have the same output as a larger one, but it takes much longer. If you only serve larger parties on occasion, then a small to medium-sized grill should be enough for your grilling needs.
What Do You Like to Cook?
What you like to cook will greatly impact the grill you choose as well. The bigger the total grilling space, the more variety of excellent foods you can cook. If you're a vegetarian or vegan and are looking at only vegetables, then you won’t need as high-powered a grill as a hardcore carnivore. Smaller ones are also necessary if you’re looking at small skewers and chicken wings. You don’t want to lose half of your dinner to the grill.
Burners
Most built-in grills have multiple burners. If you find a really good deal on a grill with just 1 burner then we must warn you that the heat distribution will not be as evenly done as one with at least two. You need two burners minimum to successfully heat food evenly. Some like the Weber Summit S-660 even offers 6 burners!
With that logic, the more burners you have the better! They will cook your food faster. Heating the ambient temperature will serve to cook your food through indirect methods. Some grills have burners that are independent of each other and allow you the freedom to adjust different temperatures while grilling.
The grids are also designed differently. Napoleon has its unique wave grids, intended for more food contact during cooking.
Lids
Not all built-in grills come with a lid! Some higher end ones might be missing this most basic feature. If your top grill will spend all of its life outdoors (which most built-in gas grills do), then an excellent lid is essential. It offers an important role in keeping your food warm and retaining heat.Grates
As mentioned, larger-spaced ones will contribute to smaller bits of food falling between the rungs of built-in grills. Larger and heavier ones are generally more durable and can hold more food. They can either come in cast iron or stainless steel material. Stainless steel grates are much easier to clean and they last longer than the cast iron grades that corrode. However, cast iron grates can retain heat much better than stainless steel grates.BTU (Cooking Power)
BTU stands for British Thermal Units. This is the unit of measure for cooking power. Naturally, you'd think the higher the BTU, the better. That is true with BTUs, but only up to a certain point. Since we’re talking about gas grills and not charcoal, there will be a point where you hit the maximum BTUs.
We don’t mean maximum heat but maximum effective temperature. Let’s say steak chars at 500 BTU but your grill can go up to 1000 BTUs, there really isn’t a point for that extra 500 BTU. If you look for around 100 BTU per inch of cooking space you will have plenty of cooking horsepower. A 25 000 BTU for a burner is decent to cover the inches of area. I
Ignition System
Aren’t you grateful we don’t live in the prehistoric era or need to start fires with a stick, flint and/or kindling? The point of grills is their convenience and efficiency to cook a meal like we would in the old day - with fire! One perk of the 21st century is getting the cooking and grilling going quickly with the right ignition system.
Gas ignition systems can ignite almost instantly, and cut down the set up time compared to traditional charcoal grills by at least half!
You have three main kinds of ignition systems: Piezo Electronic, hot surface, and electronic. Let’s take a look at a deeper breakdown between the three.
Piezo Electronic - This is the most common and most loved among avid bbqers. It’s because it’s incredibly simple and starts easily with the press of a button. If you have or want a grill like that where all you need is your finger, then you want a Piezo.
Hot Surface - This ignition system uses rods that light the burners. We don’t really recommend these grills since they are quite unpredictable at times.
Electronic - The electronic systems use batteries. However, as many systems that require batteries do, your grill will need regular battery replacement.
Style And Appearance
The appearance and aesthetics are further down our list also because it’s easy to find and choose an eye-catching design. Most manufacturers produce a nice matte or polished finish that is enough to make any product look high-end. Your top grill will be the center of attention in your outdoor cookery, so it only makes sense you want to find one with all the bells and whistles.Stainless steel is sleek and it’s easy to pair your grill with other outdoor appliances since most of these have a stainless steel option. Nothing says classy like an excellent uniform kitchen!
Extra Features
Speaking of bells and whistles, what other cool features do you want in your cohesive kitchen? Before you check off each box of top functions, we’d advise you to focus on the main functions available first. What’s a cool grill that can operate a flamethrower if it can’t properly grill a steak in all its inches? Definitely do not center your buying option on frills.
Some top grills have future upgrades and good add-ons. Standalone burners don’t have this luxury so this is another factor that easily sets them apart. For others, extras might not be necessary at all, but before you write them off, we need to properly advocate for them because they sure do come in handy when you least expect it.
More than one of the options on our top list offers rotisserie kits. Maybe you’re used to baking or grilling your birds, but you haven’t had delicious pheasants until you’ve tried a rotisserie roast. Ceramic burners (like the 25 000 BTU Lynx Professional 42 inches) make for a great easy sear and if you don’t want bbq season to be restricted to the daytime, look for illuminating LED displays.
Maybe you’ve read about an infrared burner, whether or not they're preferable than regular burners is still debatable. If you have them on your new built-in unit, then consider them an added bonus. If not, there are burners from TEC that you can consider.
You can also want a grill that offers a good smoker box. A smoker box further improves the flavor of your smoked meats. Units like the Weber Summit S-660 have a dedicated smoker box and also a sear burner. Lynx Professional also has grilling units with a smoker box. (We also compared Lynx and Fire Magic to paint a better picture)
Another excellent extra feature is the grill grate. Cooking grates come in different forms, sizes and spacing. Coming from someone who has experienced first hand losing a whole batch of thin skewers through the grates, the size and spacing are very important. Sometimes you may find a grill that offers different alternating grates to use.
Some grills may even have Bluetooth and wifi features and have compatible apps for you to easily monitor your food as you cook without having to open the lid.
Safety
Now that you know a little bit more about what to look for, let's bring the safety issue into the burners equation. Sturdy gas grills aren’t just more convenient and easy to use, they are safer too! A strong build and a heavy grill is a good thing, why? Because it can hold more weight and it prevents the grill from tipping in case weight is distributed unevenly. So, more control.
Sharp edges and corners are not hazards we aren’t used to, but why not avoid it? If the grill offers burner covers or mechanisms that can reduce flare-ups, then great. Flare-ups happen when fat or oils get heated up. They cause the fire to lose control and surge up close to the bbqer’s face. You can easily imagine the dangers in that!
The back lit illumination for burners is a great product feature we touched upon in the “extras” section, but they also provide excellent safety. If you like to do your cooking during the night, it should be easy to see the food. Having these trusty lights is important for the night owl cookers.
Ones that come with meat probes and built-in thermometers adds to safety. Some of the best grills on the market may come with good alarms that sound off when something is burning.
Price
Although the price is the most important factor for many shoppers most of the time, we believe that shouldn't make or break your grill purchase. While we understand that everyone has a budget, the statement “you get what you pay for” stand ever so true for gas grills.The best gas grills available on the market will set you back a few thousand in price and you should brace yourself for that. Although we have presented you with many affordable yet excellent options that still do a great job in terms of performance. Stainless steel has a higher price but it also add a few years onto the life of your outdoor kitchen centerpiece.
A few more (a lot more) dollars in price could add extra grill features, many that have your safety in mind. A higher price could also mean more square inches of total cooking surface, guaranteed evenly distribution of heat, more than 100,000 BTU of heat output, a warming rack, and much more for you to use to make your life easy. Some units like the Napoleon LEX has over 90,000 BTUs in total power, while others like the Lynx Professional 42" has 25 000 BTU.
The easiest way to control or establish a realistic budget is to check off what you want in a built-in gas grill. You'll get a clearer picture of how much the price tag would roughly cost with all your wanted features and frills.
Warranty and Guarantee
Grills wear out with time and use, so we really standby what we say about purchasing the right products that have one or two of these. Rest assured that everything we presented and most higher-end models will offer a warranty. With something that needs to be used before you can properly make judgments on whether there are any deficiencies or malfunctioning parts. It’s also nice that a lifetime warranty or guarantee in products means it's supported by manufacturers 100% so you get most out of the price you paid.What are the Best Built-In Gas Grills?
We stand by all the grill options we have listed (in order) in our reviews as the best built-in gas grills money can buy. They offer all the basics you can use such as even heat distribution, decent inches for the cooking surface, high-powered cooking and stainless steel durability. They also feature free rotisserie kits, a warming rack, illumination systems and a temperature gauge.Which of these is the “best” is a tough answer to provide. It completely depends on your outdoor living space, your needs, price, and your preference as well. One that hits all those categories for you will be the best! For us, it's the Blaze Professional 34” 3 Burner Built-In Gas Grill, but more on that later.
What are the Best Propane Grills?
Propane grills have the clear advantage over the traditional charcoal grills. Propane grills are much more convenient between the two and they startup with a simple twist of a button. The best propane grill would be at a perfect size for you. You can find options from 145 to 723 square inches of cooking space and anything in between to cook everything you want.
If the propane grill isn’t built-in, you can take the smaller designs with you easily when you’re on the go. Looking for the perfect afternoon picnic at the park? Your dream can become a reality with a small propane grill.
The BTU also matters in a propane grill. As mentioned for vegetarians, if you’re looking at mostly vegetables or pescatarians who eat fish, you won’t need a grill with a very high BTU. How many burners would you like your new grill to have? These are all questions that contribute to the best propane grill.
A Deeper Look at BTU
Not a lot of people are familiar with this unit of measure. Here is a reminder: BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, and it's used to measure the power output of your grill. Sometimes the BTU is measured per square inch of your grill (the best being 100 BTU/inch). Many people recommend going higher on BTU because it allows you to accommodate more types of food.It may not be necessary to go super high if you don’t often tend to grill a lot of big and thick meats in the inches of your grill. While it’s nice to have the temperature range and different options, it’s not completely vital. One nice thing about higher a BTU is the quicker startup time.
Infrared rotisserie burners are much safer since there are no flare ups and are much more consistent.
Are Gas Grills Heat Efficient?
Two determining factors of heat efficiency for the best gas grills are heat retention and distribution. Thicker walls and insulation can keep the ambient temperature within the grill at a steady level, which enables more balanced cooking. A lot of double-walled models can do this.
An even distribution of heat will make sure the entire cooking surface is the same temperature. This will reduce or eliminate the chances of having a steak that’s raw on the inside and charred on the sides.
Many worry about flare-ups in high temperatures, they're dangerous and they can catch you off guard. Today, a lot of grills have infrared burners that do not have this problem and porcelain or ceramic grill grates that also help. Familiarizing yourself with how infrared grills perform against gas grills can help inform your decision.
Better built and thicker models of grills are the best as they offer good heat retention and distribution -- two important factors when you cook. A stainless steel construction also keeps heat from escaping in a short time.
Natural or Propane Gas?
Many models we offer provide the luxury of both natural and propane gas options. It begs the question, which is better? Since the built-in grill will be a permanent fixture and connected to your home, if the rest of your house runs on natural gas and there are already existing natural gas lines, that would be easiest for you.
You pay for your natural gas usage at the end of every month or every other month just like water and electricity. Natural gas is convenient and allows you to bbq and grill for as long as you want without worrying about running out of gas (pun intended).
So how does propane gas work? They're more for people without access to a natural gas line. You'd have to purchase heavy propane tanks at your local store.
You would also need to refuel it on your own making it a bit more inconvenient. If you’re wondering about the results, they're about the same. The units are also priced pretty evenly, so you aren’t really losing much if your house doesn’t run on natural gas.
How Do You Install a Built-In Grill?
Our guess is not a lot of us will be personally installing the grill, which makes sense since you'd need professional help for the know-how to successfully put in your new unit. But there are a few things you can determine on your own.
Choose a good place for installation. Place the grill away from combustible materials (for good reason) and definitely keep a fire extinguisher close at hand just in case emergencies happen.
Also keep it a safe distance away from the house, garage, guest house or any other residence (we’re thinking at least 10 feet of line distance or more). Wherever you choose should also be dry, maybe have some sort of coverage or awning in place and be effectively shielded from the wind. If you purchase an insert grill, measure the inches to make sure it's a perfect fit.
Benefits of a Built-In Gas Grill
They provide convenience for outdoor living than other models such as charcoal or pellet. Gas grills are easy to set up and clean up as well. They heat up quickly and you can get cooking just a few short minutes after you turn them on. Control the temperature and everything else by simply turning the control knobs. Some like Napoleon LEX has an I-GLOW knob for cooking in the dark.
Most gas grills also come with drip trays that make cleaning easier. Take care of the drip tray and bypass having to worry about ash and soot. They also offer versatility with gas source choices, sizes, cooking methods, and temperature.
Want to consider an alternative? The electric Cookshack Smokette Elite has received positive reviews.
Conclusion
As mentioned, our favorite is the Blaze Professional 34” 3 Burner Built-In Gas Grill. It’s one of the amazing cooking tools that have heat zone separators that allow different temperatures and cooking multiple foods at once. Stainless steel and industry leaders in thickness? You know the grill is strong and sturdy and will last long plus keep you safe!
It also has LED illumination aside from the basic features that can provide you the choice of entertaining guests under the moonlit sky. Enjoy fresh rotisserie chicken with the fear rotisserie burner and keep everything warm until you’re finished cooking with the warming rack. What are you waiting for? Select the best built-in gas grill now.
Our #1 Pick: Blaze Professional 34”
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