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GrillingSetup

Gas grills

Propane grills. Total BTU is the headline number, but what predicts preheat and recovery is that output spread across the primary grate, and neither figure is on the retail listing.

What actually decides this purchase

Output per square inch, not total BTU

A big total BTU figure spread across a big grate heats no faster than a small one over a small grate. Divide the main burner rating by the primary cooking area and compare that. It is the number that predicts how quickly the grill recovers when you put cold food on it, and no retailer prints it.

Primary grate area, not total cooking area

Total cooking area almost always folds in a warming rack, and a warming rack will not take a burger. Two grills advertised at the same total can differ by a hundred square inches of usable grate. Compare the primary figure or you are comparing nothing.

The parts that wear out

A gas grill dies through its burners, igniter and grates, not its frame. A brand that stocks replacement parts turns a ten year chassis into a ten year grill, and one that does not turns the same chassis into scrap when a burner rusts through. No listing mentions this.

Measure the spot with the side shelves up, which is never the width in the product title, and check the clearance the manufacturer requires to a wall or a soffit. On a covered patio that clearance ends a lot of searches before any specification does.

Coverage

No comparison published in this category yet. The buying guidance above stands on its own, and the products below are what I am tracking.

What I am covering

Tracked, not yet reviewed. Prices checked .

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Common questions

Do more BTUs mean a hotter grill?
Not on their own. BTU per hour measures fuel burned, not heat delivered to the food, and the same output spread across a bigger grate runs cooler. Divide the main burner rating by the primary cooking area and compare that instead. A big headline number over a big grate is marketing, not heat.
Cast iron or stainless steel grates?
Porcelain-coated cast iron holds more heat and sears harder, and it wants to be kept dry so the coating does not chip and rust. Stainless rods take scraping and weather with less care and hold a little less heat. Thickness decides more than the material: a heavy version of either outperforms a thin version of both.
How many burners do I need?
Enough to run one side hot and one side off, which means three or more for most people. Two-burner grills can do it but the cool side is small. Burner count matters less than whether you can create a zone you are not cooking over, because that is what lets you finish thick cuts without burning the outside.