The Best Gas Grill Under $500
When my wife and I bought a house in upstate New York where we hoped to spend weekends—and Airbnb to make a few extra bucks—I knew we’d be outside a lot. There’s a wraparound deck that looks out onto a backyard framed by tall, dense hemlock and maple trees. It’s serene, away from street noise and neighbors. I imagined all the summer cookouts we’d host for friends and family and already knew which grill I’d buy. (That was pre-pandemic so we’re not currently hosting, but still cook outside several times a week during the summer.)
I spent weeks researching gas grills in 2017 when we moved into our apartment in Brooklyn with a small backyard. Based on what I read then, the most important features for a gas grill were a cast aluminum cookbox and cast iron cooking grates. Both not only delivered better cooking performance, but also resisted rust and led to a longer-lasting product.
Based in part on reviews by AmazingRibs.com on its site and in a list of the best gas grills under $1,000 on Serious Eats, I chose the Huntington Cast 4200, a two-burner grill with the features mentioned above. It also cost about $200. It’s held up well over three years and many cookouts and nightly meals. Unfortunately, the Huntington Cast 4200 was discontinued. So I started researching grills again for our place upstate.
The almost across-the-board consensus for grills in this price range was the Weber Spirit II E-310 (not to be confused with the previous model Spirit E-310, which is still being sold), a three-burner grill with cast iron cooking grates and half of a cast aluminum cookbox—the lid is porcelain-enameled steel. Weber also sells a two-burner version of this grill, the Weber Spirit II E-210. Both are a bit pricier than what I was looking for, but more than eight hours of research over two weeks and the enthusiastic endorsement from a friend convinced me this would be Jack’s Rec for the best gas grill under $500.
The Best Gas Grill Under $500
Jack’s Rec: Weber Spirit II E-210/310
Best for: Those looking for a high-performing grill that should last for years without the expensive price tag.
Why I love it: It heats up fast, cooks more evenly than most grills I’ve used and is one of the better looking grills available for the price. The open cart design creates more storage space and the easily removable drip tray is a nice touch.
Not ideal: The warming rack makes it difficult to get meat onto the back of the grill, but it’s easy to temporarily remove. It’s also not something I use very often.
| Key Specs | 210 | 310 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $379 | $479 |
| Number of burners | Two | Three |
| Cooking area (sauare inches) | 360, about 12 burgers | 424, about 18 burgers |
| BTU (per square inch) | 26,500 (73.7) | 30,000 (70.8) |
| Dimensions | 44.5"H X 48"W X 27"D | 44.5"H X 52"W X 27"D |
| Assembly time | 1 hour 15 minutes for two people | 1 hour 15 minutes for two people | Warranty | 10 years all parts | 10 years all parts |
The first time I used my Weber Spirit II E-210, I couldn’t believe how quickly it heated up. It’s fast. From the time you turn it on, you’ll be cooking in less than 10 minutes. In the few times I used it this past week, the temperature gauge on the lid got to 500 degrees on average in about 7 minutes. By comparison, my Huntington Cast 4200 took 13 minutes to reach that heat. I’m a burger guy so that’s what I’ve cooked most often since buying my grill a couple of months ago. This grill cooks up to a dozen burgers at a time with a nice sear while allowing them to stay pink in the middle in about five or so minutes per side.
I’ve also used it to make chicken breasts and thighs, sliced zucchini and squash and even french fries in a pan—playing around with direct and indirect heat depending on what I was cooking. It’s exceeded my expectations and cooks more evenly and quicker than my Huntington. It also recovers much faster, not losing as much heat when I open the lid to check on or turn what I’m cooking. It’s also a great looking grill, easily the best looking in its price range.
One of the grill's nicer features is an easily-removable drip tray located directly beneath the grill that you can access from the front, what Weber calls its grease management system. The grill comes with a single aluminum tray pan liner, and you can buy a package of 30 replacement pans for $13.99 but wiping the tray clean after each use will save you a few bucks. I’ve used the tray liner that came with the grill for a dozen or so meals since I bought it a couple of months ago and there’s no reason it won’t last a while.
The propane tank hooks onto the outside of the grill under the right utility shelf. It attaches to a gauge that uses the weight of the tank to display how much propane is left. It’s another nice feature and one that should help prevent you from running out of propane without expecting it.
And the open cart design creates some additional storage space, or another place to put a pan if you’re using both side racks. The previous version of the Spirit had an enclosed cart that hid the propane tank.
Assembly was pretty straightforward. All the parts and hardware were clearly labeled. The BILT app, which make the instructions even easier to follow with clean graphics and clear voice commands, estimates it will take two people an hour and 15 minutes to put the grill together. It took me about two hours by myself. I’m fairly handy but think anyone could handle these instructions. You might want to use a hand truck or an extra set of hands to get the unassembled grill in its box to your deck or patio. It does weigh 103 pounds. Another benefit of this grill is how sturdy it is for the price.
The Spirit II line incorporates Weber’s iGrill 3, which is also available on its Genesis II line. With the purchase of a $100 probe thermometer, it allows you to monitor meat with longer cooking times from an app on your phone. It’s not something I plan to use, but it’s nice to know that if I wanted to learn how to smoke ribs, or keep a remote eye on a chicken, it’s an option
The only thing I don’t like about the grill is the warming rack. It’s small, only five inches deep, which doesn’t provide a lot of room for indirect cooking or warming buns. The grates run also horizontally, making it difficult to use a spatula without sliding it between them. And the warming rack is only five inches from the primary cooking surface, which makes putting anything on the back of the grill using your hands a challenge. It wouldn’t be a problem if you’re using a spatula or tongs. Since it’s not mounted into place, the warming rack is easy to remove if you know you won’t be using it.
My Research
Me and grills
I exhaustively research everything I buy. I’m obsessed with finding the best deal, but I also want to make sure whatever I’m buying fits my needs. That means I spend a lot of time reading reviews and combing through lists to put together notes and spreadsheets to compare my options. I start with review sites and also read consumer reviews.
When I bought my Huntington Cast 4200, I researched options for weeks. My wife and I had just moved into our first apartment with a backyard, which we wanted specifically to grill. As I mentioned earlier, I spent weeks researching grills and learning about what to look for when buying one and which were the best options overall and in my price range.
My Huntington was the first gas grill I bought and it met my expectations. It heated up in 10-15 minutes and its 400 square inches of cooking area could accommodate up to 16 one-third pound burgers. However, it had significant hot and cool spots, which led to some uneven cooking earlier on but I eventually adjusted. Because it was less expensive, some of its components felt cheap. Almost immediately, the plastic handle on the lid broke but I was able to get a replacement from Home Depot after some cajoling. The grill also didn’t have a removable drip tray so whatever juices got through the bottom of the cookbox landed in the cart below.
With that said, I was still disappointed when I learned that I wouldn’t be able to buy another Huntington Cast 4200. Sure, it’s not a perfect grill, but for $200 and a better-than-most warranty (limited lifetime on the cookbox), it was easy to overlook a few flaws.
How I identified options
I hoped to find a different model from maker Onward Manufacturing, which has five grill brands. The same version of the Huntington grill I bought at Home Depot was sold as the Broil Mate 165154 at Ace Hardware, Do It Best and Valu Home Centers. It was also discontinued. Sigh.
So I started researching gas grills again, this time already knowing that I wanted a cast aluminum cookbox and cast iron cooking grates. That doesn’t really exist anymore in my price range, which was as close to $200 as I could get. In fact, nothing I found under $500 had both a full cast aluminum cookbox and cast iron cooking grates.
I had recommended a less expensive Huntington grill to my sister a couple of years ago, and was hoping that could be a solution. It was also out of stock, and didn’t have cast iron cooking grates. Missed that at the time. Sorry, Kendra.
Most of the other grills in the $200 price range had mixed consumer reviews, so I turned to the experts. Popular Mechanics made the 210 its Editor’s Choice. Wirecutter, The Spruce (best under $500), Reviewed, Business Insider and Good Housekeeping all picked the 310 as their best overall or best gas grill. Consumer Reports named the 210 among its best small gas grill (18 or fewer burgers). It also gave the 310 a 75 rating (subscription required), which was among its top-rated grills overall (the highest rating was a 78).
While more than I initially wanted to spend, I thought I’d found the right grill after reading the glowing reviews of the Spirit series on numerous review sites. Wirecutter wrote “No grill matches its combination of exceptional performance, usability, durability, and value.”
Consumer reviews were equally as enthusiastic. One Amazon reviewer praised the Spirit 210’s engineering and compared it to a luxury car. “I'm an engineer. This grill is the best engineered product I've seen in many many years,” he wrote. “The build quality is BMW or older Mercedes class.”
What sealed it for me was the endorsement from my friend Chris Girten who recently bought the 310 and loved it. It wasn’t his first experience with the Spirit. His parents have owned one for 20 years so he didn’t spent a lot of time looking when he needed a new grill. He already knew what grill would perform well over a long period of time.
Here’s a similar story from a Home Depot reviewer:
Ultimately, I went with the 210 instead of the 310 mostly because it was cheaper. I didn’t think the grilling surface area I would lose and the fact it was just two burners instead of three would make much of a difference for what I’d use it for: burgers and hot dogs, chicken, the occasional steak and grilled veggies. I’m happy with most of what I buy because I spend so much time researching everything, but I’m exceedingly thrilled with my 210.
A quick note about BTU
BTU, the abbreviation for British Thermal Units, refers to the amount of energy necessary to heat one pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit. For gas grills, it’s a measure of the heat produced and fuel consumed. Comparing BTUs isn't particularly helpful when evaluating grills because so many other factors impact cooking performance, quality and durability. According to Consumer Reports, when buying a grill you should consider factors like the variety of food it can cook, warranty and sturdiness. And don’t forget about the cast aluminum cookbox and cast iron cooking grates.
Amazingribs.com uses a different measurement to compare BTUs called heat flux, which is BTU per square inch (divide BTUs by the cooking area). According to Amazingribs.com, typical heat flux is 85. That still doesn’t tell me much about heat flux as a performance measurement to compare grills. My Huntington has a heat flux of 100 while the 210 is about 73. The 210 heats up faster, cooks more evenly and recovers quicker after the lid has been opened than my Huntington. So it seems like BTU is a decent way to understand fuel consumption but not much else.
My favorite grill accessories
Grill brush
I’ve now recommended and bought the Kona bristle-free grill brush to family and friends for three years. I discovered it after wires from my previous grill brush came off onto the grates. Fortunately, I noticed at the time and was able to clean them off the grill before they could stick to any food. That experience scared me enough to find a bristle-free brush and the Kona is great. I soak it in water and use it on a hot grill before I cook to dislodge bits of food stuck on the grates from the last time I used it. The brush gets between the grates without a problem and has held up well into its third grill season. It comes with a 10-year guarantee. I’ll never use another grill brush.
Speaking of cleaning, Weber recommends removing the grates and flavorizer bars to clean the insider of the cookbox and burners twice a year, by scraping away food with a plastic putty knife and old toothbrush. See more detailed instructions on Weber’s website.
Grill cover
In my experience, all grill covers are garbage. I haven’t found one that’s lasted more than a year (I do live in the Northeast and my grill stays outside all year, protected by the cover, but still exposed to rain and snow). The thick canvas covers I’ve used come apart at the seams, fade and disintegrate from the inside out. They all claim to be waterproof, but none are. Never again. This year, I’m trying a different type of cover that was honestly the cheapest I could find on Amazon. The listing says it’s a “PVC-lined Oxford material,” which appears to be a waterproof polyester. It looks and feels like nylon, which seems more likely to be waterproof than the canvas covers I’ve used in the past. So far, after a couple of months, it’s holding up well to heavy rain and strong winds. I like it so much that I’ve already bought it for a friend. And if it doesn’t actually hold up, I’m only out $16.
Sources
Huntington Cast 4200 2-Burner Gas Grill Review by Max Good in Amazingribs.com
The Best Gas Grills Under $1,000, 2018 Edition (update of original 2016 post) by Max Good in Serious Eats
The Best Gas Grills to Rule Any Barbecue by Roy Berendsohn, Timothy Dahl and Bradley Ford in Popular Mechanics
The Best Gas Grills by Tim Heffernan, Lesley Stockton and Michael Sullivan in Wirecutter
The 9 Best Gas Grills Under $500 of 2021 (update of 2020 post) by Donna Currie
The Best Gas Grills of 2021 (update of 2020 post) by Lindsay D. Mattison in Reviewed
The best gas grills in 2021 (update of 2020 post) by Steven John and Owen Burke
8 Best Outdoor Grills of 2021, According to Appliance Experts by Betty Gold and Nicole Papantoniou in Good Housekeeping
Spirit E-210 customer review on Amazon
Chris Girten, friend, amateur grill master and locksmith
Gas Grills: Buying Guide, Reviews, And Ratings by Meathead Goldwyn in Amazingribs.com
Weber Grills FAQs: How Do I Clean the Inside of my Gas Grill
Product Links