The Best Backyard Gas Grills

Even heat is the whole ballgame, and this is where Weber's Genesis line built its reputation. Wirecutter's heat-consistency work found the E-335 held surface temperatures within about 15 degrees across the entire grate — a benchmark result for grills its size. In practice that means the burgers at the front edge finish when the ones in the middle do. You stop shuffling food around to dodge cold corners.

The sear zone is the part you'll notice first. It's a wider, hotter strip designed for the moment you want crust, and it heats fast even though the cookbox is large. Owners upgrading from older Genesis models consistently say this one gets hot quicker despite the extra square inches. If you cook steaks more than occasionally, that's the single feature worth paying for.

Porcelain-enameled cast iron holds and radiates heat better than plain stainless bars, which is why the sear marks come out deeper at the same surface temperature. The Flavorizer bars underneath catch drippings, vaporize them for smoke flavor, and steer grease away from the burners. America's Test Kitchen found that heat tents of this type cut flare-ups roughly 40 to 50 percent. Fewer flare-ups means less scorched chicken skin.

The 10-year warranty is the broadest in mainstream gas grilling. It covers burners, grates, Flavorizer bars, igniter, lid and body — not just the parts that never fail. Consumer Reports reliability surveys put Weber at the top for burner longevity after three or more years of ownership, and owner reports of 10- and 15-year Genesis grills are common. That coverage is a big part of why this costs more than a similar-looking grill.

Day to day, the details add up. The grease tray slides out from under the cookbox so cleanup takes a minute instead of a project. The storage locker swallows a chimney starter and a stack of tools. And the grates accept Weber's Crafted inserts — a pizza stone, a griddle, a dual-sided sear grate — if you want to push past burgers without buying a second appliance.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Assembly is the recurring complaint, and it's a fair one. Owners describe a multi-hour job with a manual that's hard to follow in spots, and setting the cookbox onto the base genuinely takes two people. Weber's 3D assembly app helps, though a few owners found it didn't quite match their model.

Only part of the grill is stainless steel. Some long-time Weber owners are frustrated that the sheet metal underneath eventually rusts out even when the burners keep going. A cover and a sheltered spot go a long way here, especially if you live somewhere damp.

It's big. At nearly five feet wide with the side tables up, it eats a chunk of a small deck, and this is the propane version — you'll be swapping tanks rather than tapping a gas line.

Weber covers the E-335 with a 10-year warranty on the burners, cooking grates, Flavorizer bars, igniter, lid and body.

If you're cooking for four, this is enough grill. Owners describe it as exactly right for getting a round of burgers off quickly, and the footprint is close to a two-burner while the cooking area is meaningfully larger. You give up the side burner and the storage locker, not the fundamentals.

Weber's build quality survives the price cut, which is the reason to buy this over a similarly sized no-name grill. You still get porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates, the same grease management approach, and the same 10-year limited warranty. Owner feedback from people who'd been replacing cheap grills every season or two is blunt about the difference. Good Housekeeping Institute testing also found a Spirit-series grill lit on the first try across every ambient condition they tried.

The Boost Burners are the interesting addition — Weber rates them at 40 percent more power in what it calls the largest sear zone in its class. Owners back that up, describing a sear strip that runs very hot next to burners that still hold a gentle medium. That two-zone split is what you need for a thick steak: crust one side, then move it over to finish.

Snap-Jet ignition lets you light each burner one-handed, which sounds trivial until you're holding a platter. And the Weber Works side rails take snap-on accessories — a bottle holder, extra tool hooks, a light — so you can claw back some of the prep space the smaller cart gives up.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Several owners wish it were a few inches wider for what it costs. If you regularly cook for more than about six people, you'll be running two rounds.

Assembly again takes a few hours, and at least one buyer received a unit missing hardware and got bounced between Amazon and Weber support trying to sort it out. Check the box contents before you start.

The Spirit E-325 carries a 10-year limited warranty.

The SIZZLE ZONE infrared side burner is the reason to want this grill. Napoleon rates it to 1,800°F surface temperature in about 30 seconds — roughly triple what a standard gas burner reaches. On a one-inch ribeye that's a hard crust in under a minute per side, which no conventional burner here can match. If steakhouse sear is what you're chasing, this is the shortcut.

Capacity is the other half of the argument. You get 500 square inches of main grate, 260 more on the warming rack, and 140 on the side burner. Napoleon says that's 31 burgers at once on the main surface alone. Four stainless burners put out 48,000 BTU, and stainless sear plates sit between the burners and the food to spread heat and vaporize drippings.

The rotisserie isn't an afterthought. The 18,000-BTU infrared rear burner and heavy-duty spit kit come in the box, and owners who'd written off rotisserie attachments on other grills as gimmicks say this one actually works. A whole chicken over that burner is genuinely different from one sitting on a grate.

JETFIRE ignition lights each main burner individually, and there's a back channel between burners so they can cross-light if an igniter gets stubborn. That's a small piece of engineering that pays off in year four. Owners several years in report the grill still looking and working well, including one whose grill got blown onto its side in a windstorm and kept going.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The cabinet doesn't match the firebox. Multiple owners describe the base and doors as thinner and less impressive than the cooking hardware above them, and some arrived dented or scratched. The grill part is built like a tank; the furniture around it isn't.

It's heavy — nearly 200 pounds — and wide. Assembly runs an afternoon, and the heavy pieces really want a second person.

This is the propane version. If you want to run it off a house gas line, that's a different model, not a conversion you should improvise.

If you already have a natural gas line on the deck, this is the most complete grill here that's built for it. A 10-foot hose comes in the box. You never buy a tank again, and Bob Vila's figures suggest households grilling three or four times a week save a meaningful amount annually on fuel compared with propane.

The dual-tube burners are Broil King's answer to the front-to-back temperature drift that plagues wide grills. Ports run along each side of a tube-in-tube design, so heat is meant to arrive evenly at both the front edge and the back. Across 625 square inches of primary space plus a 250-square-inch warming rack, that matters — The Spruce Eats notes that five-burner grills over 600 square inches can hold three distinct heat zones at once, which is how you feed eight people without staggering.

The reversible stainless V-grids are a nice touch you'll use more than you expect. Pointed side up gives you sear marks; flip them and the V-channels catch juices and baste as they run. Consumer Reports reliability surveys rank Broil King alongside Weber among the highest owner-recommended brands after three-plus years, and one owner living a quarter mile from the ocean reports it still looking new with a cover and regular cleaning.

There's a 10,000-BTU side burner for sauces and a 15,000-BTU rear burner with a premium rotisserie kit and an auto-reversing motor included. It's assembled in North America from domestic and globally sourced components, which shows up in the general heft — this thing is over 200 pounds.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Burner durability is the worry. More than one owner reports burners rusting out within a year or two, and at least one struggled to get replacement parts to honor the warranty. That's the opposite of the Weber experience, and it's the main reason this isn't our top pick.

Heat output divides owners. Most call it plenty hot; a few say it takes too long to bring steaks up and that their indoor grill runs hotter. Expect capable rather than blistering, unless you're using the rear burner.

One buyer received a four-burner unit against a five-burner listing, so confirm the exact configuration and finish before you order.