6 BBQ Grill Brands You Absolutely Must Try

Companies and Brands

Group of friends having party outdoors. Focus on barbecue grill with food. Space for text — New Africa / Shutterstock.com

Published: March 26, 2024 9:30 am

The weather is changing and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to grill. There are all sorts of brands out there, and each one is known for a certain type of grilling. Gas? Charcoal? Pellets? Everyone has a preference, but today, we went ahead and ranked six of the best grill brands that you should be using. Let’s get started.

To determine this list, 24/7 Wall Street compiled crowd-sourced data from the r/Grilling subreddit, along with some expert opinion and editorial experience. We also tried to rank the list in order, starting with the cheapest and most accessible brand for most people.

6. Char-Broil

Beef ribs being basted with bbq sauce on a grill with a basting brush — Char-Broil is really affordable and offers the most popular grill models.

Types of Grills: Gas, Charcoal, Electric
Price Point: Extremely Affordable

An Affordable Classic

You can find Char-Broil grills in almost every major home improvement store.

Char-Broil is one of the old faithful picks for anyone looking to get into the grill game without breaking the bank. Usually seen in militaristic rows outside of Home Depot and Lowes before every man-centric holiday, these grills have options for everyone at a really great price point. Does it have the clout that something like a Weber does? No, but really, who cares?

5. BroilKing

There are three main ways to power a grill: gas, charcoal, or electric.

Types of Grills: Gas, Charcoal, Electric
Price Point: Mid-Level

Up-and-Coming FLAV-R-WAVE

The FLAV-R-WAVE element on a BroilKing is supposed to act similar to an infrared grill element.

BroilKing entered the game somewhat recently, at least compared to the rest on our list. Additionally, the brand offers a grill style that fits almost any need (vertical charcoal, Kamado, pellet smoker, and more). Their standard six-burner grill has an average lifespan of 9+ years, and its specialized FLAV-R-WAVE is supposed to really make a difference as it vaporizes drippings for extra flavor.

4. Weber

The round Weber kettle is one of the most iconic grills ever.

Types of Grills: Gas, Charcoal, Electric
Price Point: Mid-to-High End

The Easy Pick

Besides the traditional charcoal kettle, the brand also has high-end gas grills.

Few names are as well-known in any industry as Weber is in grilling. The brand will always be associated with the Original Kettle charcoal grill, although they do offer dozens of other grill types these days. Online groups rave about Webers, people have used them for decades, and they make really quality products. You really can’t go wrong.

3. Blackstone

Blackstone helped to popularize the griddle-style of grill.

Types of Grills: Griddles
Price Point: Mid-to-High End

A Flattop Griddle

Summertime Chicken Wings on the Griddle — These flattops are extremely versatile and can be used to cook large amounts of food at once, or foods not usually cooked on a grill.

Blackstone is a specific brand that really helped to popularize griddle cooking in a grill-sized format. They are simple, easy to use, and great for almost every major grilling need, plus a few specialty ones that only a griddle can do. Plus, many of them now sport air-fryers and gas burners built-in, so you really aren’t missing out on much. The big weaknesses of griddles are the physical grill marks (which some people obsess over) and smoking.

2. Big Green Egg

A kamado egg type barbeque grill standing on a living house terrace with beef steaks and vegetables to be cooked. — Big Green Egg helped to popularize the Japanese grill method using Kamado grills.

Types of Grills: Kamado
Price Point: High End

The Kamado-Style Pick

Homemade pizza baked on a kamado cook stove — You can cook anything on a Kamado, including smoked meats, pizzas, and whole chicken.

While every major grill brand out there now has a Kamado-style pick, Big Green Egg brought it to the masses here in the United States. These grills are Japanese in origin and let you grill, smoke, roast, and even make pizza. The Big Green Egg offers a few sizes and lots of accessories, although at quite a high price point. If you want something extremely versatile and very capable, a Kamado-style grill is a great route to take.

1. Traeger

Wood pellets in a smoker pellet box for barbecue — Traegers use pellets to smoke food as it cooks.

Types of Grills: Pellet Smoker
Price Point: High End

Smoked Meats

Smoker grill in home backyard, container with coal, smoke coming out of a smokestack, barbecue on green background, family patio, outdoor bbq party on open air — Pellet grills are extremely versatile and great for adding smoked flavors to any food.

Traeger really revolutionized the game through its innovations that combined pellet grills and internet capabilities. In many ways, the Traeger hard-launched pellet grills to the masses, and it isn’t a stretch to say that we are still in the era of pellet grill domination. If smoking meats is something you value, pellet grills make the process easier than ever. Additionally, a Traeger can do all that a traditional gas grill can, making it quite the versatile addition to anyone’s backyard setup. There are other brands today that offer pellet grills, but Traeger is one of the OGs in the space, and its price-point says as much.