Best Grills for 2024 [CNET]

Grilling isn’t a one-machine-fits-all type of cooking. There are portable grills you can easily take to the park, traditional charcoal grills for a great backyard barbeque, pellet grills for that smokey taste or high-heat kamado grills for specialty grilling. Whatever your style and whatever your meat of choice, we found a grill for it.

There are so many options to choose from, so if you’re considering what type of grill to get, check out our guide to pellet, charcoal and gas grill variants.

What’s the best grill of 2024?

After spending countless hours grilling and smoking, including burning and eating hamburgers, chicken, corn and kebob skewers, we’ve managed to crown the best grill overall: the Denali 605Pro smart grill from Monument. It’s a gas grill large enough to feed a huge family, or the entire block if you’re having a cookout. It’s equipped with smart technology, so you can keep an eye on the food even from the kitchen.

While the perfect grill may not exist for everyone, many grills tick a lot of boxes. The right grill for you depends on what type of food you want to grill, so bear that in mind. Here is some guidance:

• Charcoal grill: Good for high heat and getting that perfect char.
• Gas grill: Great for large grills and spur-of-the-moment outdoor cooking.
• Flat top grills (griddles): Perfect for smash burgers and tacos.
• Pellet grill: Perfect for long, slow cooking and smoking your food.
• Kamado grill: Great for extreme heat or heat retention.
• Pizza oven: Wonderful for pizza, sure, but great for other breads, too.

No matter what type of outdoor grill you choose, you should brush up on how to clean it (keeping that grilling surface clean with a grill brush and grill cleaner is essential) and get the best accessories for grilling. Having the right techniques and tools of the trade will complement your perfect grill, turn you into a grill master extraordinaire and make your cookouts a breeze.

Best grills

pellet grill. While there are many choices in the Traeger lineup to choose from, after testing the latest Ironwood XL, it was clear that this is the one that can do it all. There is a smaller version, the Traeger Ironwood, which has all of the same features as the XL model but over 300 square inches less cooking space. If you don’t plan on cooking large pieces of meat like brisket or for large groups of people, then the smaller model might be for you.

The Traeger Ironwood XL gets the top spot because of more than just the large cooking area. It’s because it offers the complete package for pellet grills. It does a great job of managing its pellet usage. When I cooked for 24 hours on it with meals ranging from pork chops to beer can chicken and pork butt to brisket, the Ironwood XL handled it all wonderfully. With a temperature range of 165-500 degrees, it can cook any way you want.

The WiFIRE features allow you to monitor grill temps, pellet levels, food temps with the included meat probes, and more. The control system combining a rotating knob and touchscreen makes tuning the grill to your needs a snap. I also like the Traeger app, which has many recipes you can send straight to your grill. The biggest downside is the price, which is quite expensive. There is little this grill can’t do when it comes to outdoor cooking.

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Seeing Traeger at the top of this list shouldn’t be surprising, considering the brand truly popularized the pellet grill. While there are many choices in the Traeger lineup to choose from, after testing the latest Ironwood XL, it was clear that this is the one that can do it all. There is a smaller version, the Traeger Ironwood, which has all of the same features as the XL model but over 300 square inches less cooking space. If you don’t plan on cooking large pieces of meat like brisket or for large groups of people, then the smaller model might be for you.

The Traeger Ironwood XL gets the top spot because of more than just the large cooking area. It’s because it offers the complete package for pellet grills. It does a great job of managing its pellet usage. When I cooked for 24 hours on it with meals ranging from pork chops to beer can chicken and pork butt to brisket, the Ironwood XL handled it all wonderfully. With a temperature range of 165-500 degrees, it can cook any way you want.

The WiFIRE features allow you to monitor grill temps, pellet levels, food temps with the included meat probes, and more. The control system combining a rotating knob and touchscreen makes tuning the grill to your needs a snap. I also like the Traeger app, which has many recipes you can send straight to your grill. The biggest downside is the price, which is quite expensive. There is little this grill can’t do when it comes to outdoor cooking.

pizza oven that I liked when testing, but this griddle is a stand-out product. On top of all the standard testing I do with grills, I got to take it for the first camping trip of the season and it held up like an absolute champ. The cooking surface heated evenly, and because of the inspired idea to include a spirit level and adjustable feet, I could set it up on a rickety picnic table and not have my eggs run to one corner. That spirit level is such a good idea.

I love having a giant griddle to cook for my huge family, but the Halo tabletop griddle is perfect for making a few smash burgers, or some breakfast burritos without using a ton of gas to do it.

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Halo has made some excellent products over the last few years, including a pizza oven that I liked when testing, but this griddle is a stand-out product. On top of all the standard testing I do with grills, I got to take it for the first camping trip of the season and it held up like an absolute champ. The cooking surface heated evenly, and because of the inspired idea to include a spirit level and adjustable feet, I could set it up on a rickety picnic table and not have my eggs run to one corner. That spirit level is such a good idea.

I love having a giant griddle to cook for my huge family, but the Halo tabletop griddle is perfect for making a few smash burgers, or some breakfast burritos without using a ton of gas to do it.

top pizza ovens. That ceramic does an amazing job at holding heat, allowing you to use far less charcoal than you would in a traditional charcoal grill and get more smoke and heat from it.

The Kamado Joe Konnected Joe may have a steep price tag, but this high-end grill delivers plenty of cooking power for the money. That means lots of grilling accessories that don’t come standard with other grills, including the Big Green Egg. It performs well, too. On our slow-and-low barbecue grill test, we adjust grills to 225 degrees Fahrenheit (107 degrees Celsius) and let go of the controls to see what happens. In this trial, the Konnected Joe demonstrated excellent temperature stability. Thanks to the Wi-Fi connectivity, you can monitor and set temps for your ceramic cooker from the comfort of your AC.

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Kamado grilling cookers are distinctively egg-shaped wood-burning grills. They impart a delicious smoky flavor to everything, and this is the best grill in the bunch. They can run low and slow for hours at smoker temperatures and sear at high heat levels that go well beyond the capabilities of gas grills. That’s hot enough to create true steakhouse steaks and real wood-fired pizza like a pro griller.

These abilities are attributed to the thick ceramic used to form and line the grill, which is similar to what is used for a pizza stone in the top pizza ovens. That ceramic does an amazing job at holding heat, allowing you to use far less charcoal than you would in a traditional charcoal grill and get more smoke and heat from it.

The Kamado Joe Konnected Joe may have a steep price tag, but this high-end grill delivers plenty of cooking power for the money. That means lots of grilling accessories that don’t come standard with other grills, including the Big Green Egg. It performs well, too. On our slow-and-low barbecue grill test, we adjust grills to 225 degrees Fahrenheit (107 degrees Celsius) and let go of the controls to see what happens. In this trial, the Konnected Joe demonstrated excellent temperature stability. Thanks to the Wi-Fi connectivity, you can monitor and set temps for your ceramic cooker from the comfort of your AC.

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