When you’re looking for a built-in gas grill, you really want two things:
1) A high-quality outdoor experience with indoor convenience and 2) A seamless look that fits into your outdoor living space.
Did I nail it?
Built-ins have to do everything traditional stand-alone grills do, but I think they should do them better.
You’re investing in a serious backyard kitchen. The grill you buy will need to perform AND last.
This isn’t just something you roll out once or twice a summer from the garage. It’s a permanent fixture and should serve you as well as your indoor kitchen. This means perfectly seared, medium steaks, hot dogs with lightly charred grill marks and flavorful, juicy racks of ribs.
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The Final Sear: The top-performing grill in the built-in category is the Lion Premium Grills L75625. It offers a massive cooking surface at 830 sq inches and a powerful 75,000 BTUs. The industrial grade 304 stainless steel and heavy construction make this a winner.
When looking at long-lasting prospective grill candidates, it’s a good idea to keep a few key points in mind: cooking surface area, overall power, construction materials, the bells and whistles added on for convenience, as well as overall improvement of the experience.
The Lion is a true beast when it comes to outdoor kitchen grills.
It provides you with a massive 830 square inches of cooking surface with four stainless steel burners to give you a variety of cooking options, coupled with a solid lifetime warranty on the burners, so you can depend on some serious longevity.
Temperature and overall heat control is key when grilling. This means you need two key things: 1) great power and 2) a nuanced temp regulator. The Lion Premium Grill’s XL temperature gauge will help you reach desired temperatures and fine-tune your grilling experience.
On the power issue, the Lion brings 75,000 BTUs to the table. If you aren’t well-versed in grills, let me tell you, that’s A LOT. So what does that mean for you?
That much power means a quick heat-up, consistent heating and controlled extended heat that doesn’t drop in cooler temps or during extended use.
This grill also comes in a natural gas version which can be found here. I also really like some of the bonus features on this machine.The adjustable warming rack is well placed and nicely constructed and is a great way to cook different types of meat simultaneously, or warm buns for burgers or hot dogs. It really keeps rarer meat heated but without drying it out, while you cook a more well-done piece of steak or platter of chicken breasts.
Most grills these days also provide more than one option for cooking. Versatility for the win! The Lion Premium Grill is no different.
Along with the burners, there is also an infrared rotisserie back burner. The design of this burner allows the meat to be evenly roasted and cooked internally, while simultaneously searing the outside to prevent the loss of juices or drying of the meat.
The interior features two LED lights for grilling later in the evening so you can keep a close eye on whatever you’re grilling. This is really helpful, especially if you’re grilling in warmer climates during the winter when days are short. I live in California and regularly grill into October and start up again late January.
You’ll also enjoy a built in smoker box and even a bottle opener, because Lion understands it’s about the experience, not just the end product.
Check out the sizing guide HERE to make sure it fits with your setup
Any list about built-in gas grills would not be complete without a Napoleon in one of the top spots. Napoleon is notorious for top tier grill-making and the Prestige 500 is a solid pick for building out a luxurious outdoor kitchen experience.
The Prestige series is an especially solid pick if you’re looking for those extra burners not offered in the Weber line up without the over the top price tag.
The 500 comes equipped with 4 main burners, 1 infrared rear burner AND 1 infrared burner. It’s also roomy, allowing space to cook up to 30 burgers on the main cooking area, and 8 on the side burner. The tube burners, sear plates, and cooking rods are all made from stainless steel as well as the entire outer casing to prevent rust and corrosion.
Napoleon grills also come with the brand’s signature WAVE cooking grates, for a unique and perfect sear experience, providing even heat distribution and preventing smaller pieces of meat from slipping between the bars while cooking.
The Prestige also offers a quick and easy jet-fire ignition system, a heavy-duty steel rotisserie kit, soft-touch control knobs, lift-ease roll top and handle, and an easy grease management system to limit flare-ups.
It’s also aesthetically striking with stainless steel casing, chrome fittings, and soft blue light-up SafetyGlo knobs that turn red when the burner is on so you never walk away without remembering to turn everything off.
This is a great mid-size gas grill that comes in both a natural and propane option, earning top marks for durability and quality.
Bull is one of our favorite grill brands of all time. They make lots of different sized grill heads and the durability is unmatched. You won’t find a bad review of it rusting through after a few seasons.
From the 3 burner “little” steer all the way to the massive 1026 sq. in. Brahma (name comes from a type of cattle known for their extreme tolerance to heat and are widespread in tropical regions), Bull has a grill for your planned outdoor kitchen.
I love that they use creative names. It shows they care about the details and not just naming it after the size such as “LEX 605” or something boring.
The Lonestar sits right in the middle equipped with 60,000 BTUs of overall power, a dual lighting system for getting up to temp quickly and easily, 4 stainless steel bar burners, and ReliaBULL technology designed by the geniuses at CalPoly to improve heat distribution and eliminate hot and cold pockets for ultimate grilling consistency.
It also includes a smoker box, which is a really nice and welcome addition. Total cookspace is 810 square inches.
The Bull is available in both propane and natural gas, depending on your needs and preferences.
The Lonestar comes with welded stainless steel bar burners which is much more durable than the porcelain coated. I feel it is worth the extra few bucks and your grill will last longer and perform better. If you are building out a serious outdoor kitchen I would go for the Lonestar. If you are on a tighter budget the Outlaw is a good second choice.
Check Page 8 of the instruction manual HERE to get specific dimensions for your setup
Weber’s reputation as a premier company for excellent grills is legendary.
So is anyone really surprised that the Weber Summit S-460 built-in is at the top of its game in its category? I know I’m not.
The Summit is well-constructed and thoughtfully engineered. It boasts four stainless steel burners, each with a different cooking feature and different BTU value.
The burners offer a range of precision-tuned functionality. It includes a sear burner, smoker burner, and steel smoker box, and an infrared rear-mounted rotisserie burner. Check the feature list below for exact BTUs on each.
The S-460 also has flavouriser bars which are popular for giving your food that smoky flavor we love, in addition to redirecting the grease to the grease management system that Weber grills are known for.
A warranty comes with this grill, so should anything go wrong there is no need to be anxious because it is covered by the weber guarantee.
Even though this grill is made for natural gas, the option is available to obtain this grill for liquid propane purposes. Contact your retailer to ensure that you are receiving the correct model for the gas type you prefer. The complexity of the model does not allow for easy consumer conversion so ensure that you specify that natural gas or liquid propane to avoid confusions or mishaps.
The Summit S-460 cooking system is built with the user and grill master in mind, and its versatility and ease of use is perfect for anyone looking to purchase a built in grill.
Prepare yourself for a summer of backyard dinners and grilling parties as your guests will be anxious to come over, even if it is just to drool over this masterpiece.
Pricewise, this grill is ideal for the budget anxious AND the performance savvy griller.
Over twenty years ago Bull products were introduced to the market and the company has been growing and dominating their corner of the marker.
Bull grills are manufactured with the customer in mind to the highest degree of integrity and this is evident in their 26039 Natural Gas Outlaw Drop-In Grill Head.
This grill has more than 60,000 BTU of cooking power and features that will give any other built in a run for its money. With four porcelain coated bar burners, cleaning this grill is quick and easy.
The solid stainless steel grates and smoker box are ideal for this kind of grill and the unique piezo ignition on each valve set it apart from other brands.
The warming rack and cooking surface offer 210 sq. in and 810 sq. in of cook space respectively.
It is also easy on the eyes and offers a solid, durable grilling experience.
The Summerset is a beautiful performance grill that is one of the most feature-rich options on our list. It doesn’t pop up higher simply because the price point is beyond the budget of most home grillers. If you’re lucky and have more to invest in your grilling experience, this should definitely be a contender.
The TRL32-NG boasts stainless steel construction throughout, three 18,000 BTU U-tube burners, a 15,000 BTU infrared rear burner, a ceramic briquette system for even heat distribution across all 855 square inches of cooking space.
I am also really impressed by the flamethrower ignition system and interior halogen lights. It also comes equipped with a rotisserie kit, which you should really expect at this price level.
This is also a really good-looking grill that is definitely a top pick if you want to impress with your grill game.
This is another exceptional product from Lion that hits all the marks for quality and performance, but falls lower on our list simply due to the price tag.
Lion makes our favorite built-in grills and the 90823 really ranks up there with the very best. Notable features of this model include 5 cast stainless steel burners, 90,000 BTUs of total cook power, a massive 1,030 square inches of cooking space, commercial grade stainless steel construction, an adjustable warming rack for added cooking space, and a smoker box.
This model also includes an infrared rotisserie back burner.
I also have to note, this grill is perfect for the craft beer lover, it has a built in bottle opener that just takes it to a whole other level for me. Genius.
If you want to go big at home, this epic grill beast from Napoleon is the way to do it.
Packing 6 stainless steel main burners at 88,000 BTUs and 4 additional infrared burners for searing, smoking, and rotisserie, there isn’t much you can’t do on this grill aside from roasting a pig whole. It offers 825 square inches of primary cooking space (the equivalent of 51 burgers!) with an extra 420 square inches of warming rack across both grill boxes.
Like all Napoleon grills, it comes with their signature WAVE cooking grates, a quick start jet-fire ignition system, soft touch control knobs with soft SafetyGlo lighting that turns red when a burner is left on, the lift-ease roll top and handle, a lid-mounted thermometer and an easy to clean grease management system. It also includes Napoleon’s rotisserie kid with the basket so you can go beyond meat and cook your favorite veggies and chicken wings.
The built-in smoker tray is a sweet addition and allows for maximum versatility. It includes a dedicated burner and an easy to fill smoker tray on this particular model.
This is a top tier grill with all the best bells and whistles and beautiful stainless steel construction. It’s the perfect addition to any high-end outdoor cooking space.
While KitchenAid is not a professional grade brand in the grill world, the 740 is a good choice if you’re looking for an outdoor built-in that lands in the more affordable category.
The 740 comes equipped with full stainless steel construction, offers 775 square inches of total cooking space and 61,000 BTUs of power, which is about average, though not the max we’re seeing in this category. It includes four primary stainless steel burners, and an additional ceramic rotisserie burner. KitchenAid also has a brand specific “EvenHeat” system to maintain a consistent cook temp throughout.
In a category with some serious grill giants, the KitchenAid just falls a little behind.
Week 1 - Types of Grills
Week 2 - Grilling Basics
Week 3 - Steaks
Week 4 - Chicken
Week 5 - Ribs!!!!
Join Todd(me) and learn all the basics of grilling!
I am a grill freak! It's hard to pick my favorite thing to grill, but if I had to choose... it is still a tie between pork ribs and a juicy beef burger. I am currently grilling on a Weber S210(I live in a small space) but my dream grill is definitely a summit. Those things are bad ass. Anyways I would love to hear from you, leave a comment or question below!