Just like last year, 2022 will be a tough year to find a grill.
This article is completely different from recommendations from last year.
In this article, I’ll show you the best grills to buy, whether you like to smoke, sear, roast with a rotisserie, or throw a couple of burgers on a grill now and then.
We’ve tried every competitive grill brand over the last 15 years.
Table of Contents
Best Grill for the Occasional Griller
Weber’s works and it’s reliable and it does last, even in New England conditions.
The Spirit is the least expensive, starting at $429.00. The Spirit Series is the only Weber grill with two burners to fit into smaller spaces.
The side table models can also fold down for more accessible storage.
However, you’ll have problems finding the Spirit in 2022. So look at their Genesis. The Genesis is all new this year with the hotter Sear burner at 13,000 BTU.
Their OGS system allows you to do more than grill. It’s a frame kit accommodating different accessories to cook better, like a griddle or rotisserie basket or crisping French fries or making popcorn.
You can buy the roasting basket to grill veggies so they don’t slip through the crevices of the grates. Pizza will be easier to bake with their baking stone accessory as well.
Best Professional Grill
Every manufacturer and retail store can see Kalamazoo is the best grill. It’s made to order.
The grill is deeper than any on the market, providing a natural convection system for evenly cooked food.
The other main difference is the hybrid drawer, which allows you to use charcoal and wood. This is the only grill with the speed of professional gas and the flavor and texture of charcoal and wood.
You can even customize the grates based on the food you’re grilling.
It’s also available in marine grade steel. If you live by the ocean, this is the only grill designed to withstand the elements.
I used to say lead times were a problem at eight weeks, now that’s considered excellent.
You can now buy a Kalamazoo range top only without the hybrid drawer for the first time in their history. The unit is still the best insulated at 360 pounds versus 240 for the average of all the other brands.
Kalamazoo is still taller and deeper to allow for the natural convection airflow for more even grilling.
The price is $12,500, so it’s almost competitive to similar range tops as well.
Most Available Professional Grill
You may find yourself buying a DCS just because it will be the most available of the three most popular professional grills below Kalamazoo, the other two being Hestan and Lynx.
It’s an excellent grill and a bit different from the others.
All the grills listed have 25,000 BTU and another 18,000 BTU rotisserie burner in back.
However, DCS is an all sear grill, meaning the whole surface can reach 1100 degrees by employing ceramic elements throughout the grill.
At 1100 degrees, you’ll have a decent sear. The DCS Series-9 has the unique wooden charcoal basket accessory to infuse a smoky flavor to your grilled food.
Most Popular Professional Grills
Lynx started the whole professional growth segment, this year they’ll be hard to find. They’re known for their powerful trident shaped burners.
They changed their burner from solid cast brass to weather proof ceramic, and their sear element is also variable from 300-1000 degrees you can easily sear more delicate items like fruits and vegetables as well as meat.
Just be careful, you can over sear as well.
Their all sear is popular but you can buy Lynx with gas and infrared as well, and all gas.
The giant commercial supplier, Meyer, is behind the Hestan grill. It already is the best looking grill available in twelve designer and finishes.
Hestan boasts a BTU output of 25,000 BTU per burner. That’s 25,000 just for series, so it’s very powerful.
It has a rotisserie system holding 50 pounds of meat with a variable infrared burner of 12,000-18,000 BTU.
The hood will stop wherever you want so you can open it slightly without losing all your heat.
Hestan has thicker diamond cut grates. They can retain heat better and effectively sear on every inch of their grill.
Best Budget Professional Grill
You have to be careful about buying a product advertised as less expensive but with pro style performance.
Most of the time the grills have the less expensive part, but the pro part is lacking. You have to look at the finish, burners, and grates before you buy.
That said, the Aspire by Hestan is similar to the regular line. The burners are 23,000, only 2,000 BTU less than their regular line with the same sear burner of 25,000 BTU. It doesn’t have the diamond grates and only nine colors instead twelve. Aspire a is good, lesser expensive option.
Best Pellet Grill
Grilling with wood fire pellets are suitable for low and slow cooking with the ability to add flavor.
They are advertised as grills, so the expectation is fast, but with a 500 degree max, it’s not possible in a pellet type grill.
The Timberline 1300 has better construction so you won’t lose a ton of heat when opened, like their less expensive models.
Their WiFIRE WiFi system allows you to monitor your grill through an app on your phone.
Traeger’s a popular, fast growing company, so sometimes their customer service is a bit lacking. You may want to consider buying it from a retailer in this instance.
You can see a demo, talk to someone and quickly deal with problems.
Best Smart Grill
App driven grilling has been around since 2015, has evolved since. You can access recipes then grill to that recipe automatically.
The Weber is simple yet effective. It’s based on the Bluetooth temperature probe, setting the internal temperatures, then alerting you to flip your food or remove it from the grill entirely.
Conclusion
First, you cannot buy the best grill. Do you like cooking for long periods? Do you want speed, texture and flavor?
Each grill type has its advantages and drawbacks.
Buy the grill best suited to your style, whether it’s a gas pellet or hybrid grill.