Best gas grills of 2025

To determine the best gas grill and see how these grills perform in a variety of cooking scenarios, we conducted three tests. Based on different meats, methods and heat settings, these tests show us how efficiently and evenly the grill cooks (or doesn’t).

Ribs

Our first test is ribs. It’s a narrative tour, so there’s no attached thermometer or software that captures specific data. We preheat each grill on high heat for 10 minutes before turning it down to low, indirect heat. Depending on the size of the grill, this means turning off one or two burners completely.

We remove the outer membrane on a rack of pork back ribs and season them with the all-purpose rub we use for ribs and chicken. The ribs are then placed on the racks for at least three hours, with the lid closed the entire time.

Rib lovers may not agree with the relatively short, smoke-free cooking method, but it allows us to see how well a regular propane grill cooks low and slow. If time allows, continue cooking until the ribs are completely cooked and record the total cooking time.

A chick

To test the grill with a medium cooking time and medium heat settings, we grill a whole chicken. We heat the grill on high for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and turn off the burners to create an indirect heat environment.

Once the bird is finished trimming and seasoning, place it on the roasting tray and insert one temperature probe into each chicken breast, for a total of two probes per chicken (this is an important step even if your grill has a built-in thermometer because undercooked chicken is good for no one). To keep our results as fair as possible, all chickens weigh as close to 5.5 pounds as possible.

These temperature sensors are connected to a data logger and laptop computer equipped with software that records the internal temperature of each chicken breast every two seconds. Each chicken is cooked until the temperature in both breasts reaches a food-safe 165°F.

Roast chicken should have crispy skin and meat that is fully cooked but not dry. We perform this test in three rounds, giving us a consistent average cooking time for each grill.

Burgers

The Burger is our final test for our grill reviews. Measure 5.3 ounces of 80/20 ground beef and press it into uniform patties. Place these patties in a grill basket and insert the temperature probe into the center of each piece at a 45 degree angle.

With the grill preheating for 10 minutes on high, place the basket on the grill. After six minutes of cooking, turn the basket over and monitor the internal temperature. Once the last burger in the basket reaches 145°F, the batch is finished. A good burger in this test is one that has a nice outer char and a slightly pink center.

The burger test indicates any hot spots across the grill’s cooking surface if one burger consistently reaches 145°F before the others in each round.

An average difference between 15 or 20 degrees across the fastest and slowest pancakes in a batch was the norm in our tests. Red flags are raised when we start seeing differences in the 30 to 40 degree range.