The Best Infrared Grill
Our Top Pick for 2018: Char-Broil Professional TRU Infrared 3-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill
Read our full review.
When the warm summer weather rolls around there is nothing better than getting outside with your family to grill up some delicious food and enjoy the weather. Fourth of July is also right around the corner, so if you have been putting off purchasing a new grill ever since yours called it quits last year, now is the time to do it. Whether or not you are looking for your very first grill or a replacement for the one that just isn’t cutting it anymore, we have taken all of the guesswork out of purchasing a new grill. Better than the traditional grill, these infrared grills are able to offer you a lifetime of delicious grilled food.
- #1 Gold Pick (1st Place Winner)
- #2 Silver Pick (2nd Place Runner-Up)
- #3 Bronze Pick (3rd Place)
- #4 Budget Pick (Best Cheap)
#1. Char-Broil Professional TRU Infrared 3-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill
View it on Amazon: -*
*Price typically updated every 24 hours. Current price may be different.
Grills, in general, are a wonderful thing to have, however, traditional grills are now a thing of the past as infrared ones have taken over the market. Grills that use the infrared system tend to head up a lot quicker and reach higher temperatures when compared to the traditional convection heat. When you decide to purchase an infrared grill there are tons of different benefits from your purchase such as a consistent heat spread over the whole grill. Now that one steak in the back right corner won’t get fried to a crisp when you walk away. In addition to this, you can avoid flare-ups and singing your eyebrows off because when the juices drip off of the food, they fall directly onto the burner and vaporize instantly. It looks like a win-win for everyone involved.
This grill, in particular, is one of the best ones you can purchase on the market, and you are absolutely sure to love it. Don’t let the name Char-Broil fool you either, you’ll be able to cook your meat to your exact specifications despite what the name may indicate. This model is a 3 burner gas grill that falls within the mid-sized range solution for a master griller. Perfect for a 4-5 person family, or someone who has smaller intimate gatherings, this is an ideal size range. It may be smaller, but it is able to offer you a high-performance grill with premium features.
A durable porcelain coated cast iron grate will prevent your food from searing and sticking onto it. All of the meat will be cooked evenly without burns. You can still easily adjust the heat though if you should choose. Even low temperatures will evenly distribute the heat throughout your grill. With only the push of a single button, the grill will heat up faster, hotter and much more evenly than other traditional grills have in the past. In addition to this, once it’s lit, the TRU-infrared technology will send the heat directly to the food to seal in the juices and give you the best BBQ you have ever tasted.
TRU-Infrared is unlike anything that has even been seen on grills before, and it gives you the option to cook with greater control over your own food. This is one of the main reasons infrared technology has become a leading competitor in the grilling business. Preventing hot and cold spots from forming, your food will cook in no time, faster than ever. This is a very important thing to keep in mind if you do choose to purchase this grill. If you have been using a traditional grill for a long time, you may be accustomed to your food taking a very specific amount of time to cook. However, this grill cooks things much faster and the first few times you use this, keep a close watch on your food to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked or burnt.
You know how hard it is to pick the little chicken pieces out of the grill once you’re finished using it. You also know that once it goes down those grates you’ll never see it again and it’s just going to burn down there for the rest of eternity. This grill plate doesn’t feature the slotted bars that traditional ones have had in the past. It is one even sheet that features rises so you can still get the grilled look on your food without having flare ups, or needing to pick out the little pieces stuck between the grates.
Surefire Electronic Ignition has the ability to sync all of the burners on the product and offer a reliable spark on each burner for quick start-ups. With the 13,000 BTU lidded side burner, you can create side dishes all while you grill whatever you need. No longer do you have to run back and forth from inside of the house to watch all of the food you’re cooking at once. Just plop it on the side burner and you are all set to go. If you choose to stash away an extra tank of propane or want to keep all of your grilling items in one safe place, there is still plenty of storage underneath the grill to hide things away. The grill sits on 4 casters, with two locking casters to make sure your delicious creations don’t roll away from you.
If this great grill sounds like it could be the next addition to your backyard barbecue, it can be purchased on Amazon with a wide variety of different options. The first option for $277.99 gives you two burners and a 325 cabinet grill, or you can throw that all in together with a cover for $302.98. Alternatively, you can purchase a 4 burner grill with a 420 Cabinet Grill for $399.00 or with a cover for $433.99. Finally, if you have some really big summer plans, you can buy a 4 burner with 525 Cabinet Grill for $488.00 or bundle it with a cover for $522.99. Depending on what your personal needs are for a grill, this is a wonderful option for anybody.
#2. Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Patio Bistro Electric Grill
View it on Amazon: -*
*Price typically updated every 24 hours. Current price may be different.
Much smaller and rounder than our traditional heavy duty grill, this option might just give the gold pick a run for its money. Featuring a traditional round design, this won’t take up a ton of space in your backyard if that is a concern of yours. Some of the concerns that center on having an infrared grill is the idea that it may ‘cook” your food as opposed to grilling it. If you wanted to actually have your food cooked, it would be easy enough to stay inside of your house and just turn on the oven. This electric grill, in particular, will give you an authentic grill flavor without any of the pain or mess that comes about with a traditional conventional grill. You can even cook in a variety of weather conditions with this grill without having any safety concerns.
When you go outside to grill, you want the actual feeling like you are grilling. Some traditional infrared grills don’t give you that option. You want to be able to stand outside with the sun on your head and the grass on your feet in front of an authentic grill. One of the great things about this infrared grill is that it truly does look like a grill. It stands at about waist level so you can comfortably do whatever you need to do on the grill. Beginner friendly, this could very easily become someone’s first grill. Without any charcoal to fret over, it’s as easy as flipping a switch and slapping some food on top.
When all the fun is over and food has been eaten, the nest step is to actually clean the grill, and this is usually no easy task. When you begin cooking, just lightly rub some olive oil on top and cook to your hearts content. Up next, all that you have to do is wipe it down with a wet soapy paper towel. No more throwing out your arm trying to scrub it clean with a grill brush. One of the hidden dangers of these brushes is the metal wires falling off and onto the food. It is so much easier to just use your traditional paper towel and soap, and also much safer.
This grill also doesn’t use propane tanks or any sort of gas. For the most part, electricity is pretty cheap and propane is quite expensive. For a years’ worth of grilling, you can very easily save hundreds of dollars by no longer purchasing expensive propane and charcoal for the traditional grill. This in itself will pay for the grill. In addition to this, your food may take up less than half the time it took to cook on your traditional grill. Everyone loves a nice hot summer’s day to grill, but the faster you can get it done and enjoy your delicious food the better.
As far as price goes, this grill is about half of what the Gold pick will cost you. This doesn’t mean that you are getting a product that is half as good, or that you are being swindled on the previous choice, though. The biggest difference between the two grills is size, considering that the previous option was roughly twice the size as this one. However, if you have a small family and simply don’t need all of that extra space, then what’s the point in paying for it? Your overall use will decide what size and what type of grill you want to use. There are many important things you want to think over before you make your final purchase decision. If you haven’t got a clue what to look for, sources like Outdoor Cooking Pros can help you out. Aside from having a wide collection of grills, they also publish a ton of guides for beginner and pro grillers. Generally, apartments and condos won’t allow you to have products with open flames, so this is another great option for those in tight spaces. Available on Amazon ranging between $107.00 and $223.91, you can pick and choose between six different colors and whether or not you want a cover.
#3. Char-Broil Performance TRU-Infrared 340 2-Burner Gas Grill
View it on Amazon: -*
*Price typically updated every 24 hours. Current price may be different.
Another product from Char-Broil offers you an additional option to fit in your backyard for some good summer grilling. For some of the more basic specs of the grill, the primary burner is comprised of 30,000 BTUs or the equivalent of 10,000 BTUS per each of the three burners. There is one side burner that runs pretty powerful itself for a total of 13,000 BTUs. It is able to heat relatively fast, but not quite as fast as the number one gold pick. This grill does run on propane with a natural gas option if you choose to use that instead. Overall, you have about 485 square inches of space on the top of the grill to cook on, leaving you a hefty amount of space to do what you want with it. When it comes to size, this option is comparable to the very first option in the sense that it’s a hefty grill that leaves absolutely nothing up to the imagination when you first look at it.
To pre-heat the grill, allow about 7 minutes for it to get up to full temperature. While this is a tad bit slower than the first option, for any grill, in particular, this is a great speed. Just enough to get everything you might need to cook outside and ready to go. The standard time limit for infrared grills is around 10 minutes. This is convenient for those who are most excited to sit down for a delicious meal and is also cheaper and much more efficient. Overall, the grill as a whole will spend less time on, meaning you are using less propane gas. This can add up and save you a lot of money in the long run. Reaching temperatures as high as 700 degrees Fahrenheit, it will keep a fairly consistent temperature despite the weather conditions surrounding it. Even if you want to grill in the winter or the snow, you’re all set to go with this Char-Broil product.
This grill, in particular, does not offer a main centrally located temperature gauge, but you are able to see three separate ones that will give you a reading for each burner. Some people may view this as a pain in the butt to have to set three different temperatures when you want to cook something, but this also ensures that whatever you set down on the grill will be cooked at just the right temperature you want. According to multiple reviews, these temperature gauges are extremely accurate.
You will never have to pull another piece of chicken off the grill looking like half of it was still left on the grate. With a porcelain coating on top of the cast-iron grates, nothing will stick to it, but you’ll still have that freshly grilled look. In addition to preventing food from sticking, it also makes the grill much easier to clean at the end. Once again, just wipe it down with a soapy paper towel and you are all set to go.
One of the best features of this grill is that no matter where you choose to purchase it from, the customer service and support will always be there for you when you need help. Whether or not you can find your question and the corresponding answer on their FAQs age, you can give them a call. The customer support is genuinely helpful and very nice if you ever find yourself having any issues. This is a fairly simple machine that can do exactly what it needs to do without any issues. To purchase this product, you can find it on Amazon for $327.31. If you want to purchase it with a brush it is $339.65, and with a cover, it runs about $352.30.
#4. Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Portable Grill2Go Gas Grill
View it on Amazon: -*
*Price typically updated every 24 hours. The current price may be different.
Completely different than any of the other grills on this list, this option is wonderful for those who want to grill on the go. Small and compact, you can take this wherever you might want to grill to your heart’s content. This would be great for those who want to grill while tailgating, or who go camping a lot and want a nice portable option to go with them. Even if you aren’t planning on doing much traveling with this grill, it is still wonderful for smaller areas where you can’t have open flames, or for small spaces that won’t allow for a large grill. Measuring at 23.7 x 15 x 13.6 inches, the entire grill itself can lay flat on the ground, or on top of a table for easy use, and weighs a total of 26 pounds so it’s nice and easy to carry wherever you plan to go. With a pair of handles on the sides for ease of lifting and transport, it also has its own lid as well as locks and latches so you know it remains secure for the duration of the trip. Overall, it looks a lot like a briefcase with handles.
Officially, this product is deemed as road worthy, and it truly is. The overall design is sturdy and can handle being put into a large truck with the rest of your items. This frame is built to last, and the handles and legs are comprised of a hardy material for transport. Additionally, the firebox is made out of cast aluminum so you get the authentic grill feeling.
Despite it being relatively small and portable, you can cook enough food for the entire family on the surface. You have 200 square inches of grill surface which gives you more than enough to feed everyone in your immediate family. As with all infrared grills, this can still cook your food at a lightning-fast speed so you can get to eating instead of slaving over a hot grill. Be careful though, since the food on here cooks so fast, you need to be mindful not to burn anything. It is incredibly easy to do when you’re used to your food taking forever to cook. Economical as well as portable, the gas usage is much smaller on this grill than other portable propane grills. Because of this, you’ll be able to earn your money back relatively fast on gas usage alone.
With a five-year warranty, it’s hard to go wrong with this great choice, although we hardly doubt you’ll need to cash in on the warranty with this sturdy grill. To purchase just the grill on Amazon, it will run at $109.87, but if you want to include a case with that it’s $159.86. You can also purchase the grill and a grill tool set for $139.86.
Pre-purchase considerations
How large would you like the grill to be?
Depending on what your living situation is will depend on the size of your grill. If you have a large spacious backyard that just screams grilling, then you can probably splurge on the larger grill of your choice. However, if you live in an apartment or a smaller house, a large grill just might not be in the cards. Even if you do have a larger space for a bigger grill, having a large grill to store during the winter may not make sense for you. Just remember to keep in mind your overall size requirements and you’ll be all set.
Would you prefer to use propane or electricity?
There are two different types of grills on this list. While all of them are infrared, some use electricity and some use propane. Overall, the electricity would probably end up being cheaper, but everyone has their own reasons for wanting to use one or the other. Think about how much you will be using this grill and what type you would prefer.
Do you want a side grill?
Depending on what you plan to grill, and how many people you are grilling for, you want to keep in mind how much space you will have. There is one option on this list that gives you a large main grill, in addition to a side burner for whatever else you can think of. Look at what you have cooked in the past and whether or not it makes sense for you to splurge with a side grill. If you found yourself running back and forth from the grill outside to the oven inside to get a meal cooked, then this would be a wonderful option for you.
What is your overall use for this grill?
Do you plan on cooking occasionally for your family, or do you guys have a weekly family tradition to grill every summer? Will this have a permanent home on your patio outside, or do you want to bring this to tailgating parties or camping? Your overall use will decide what size and what type of grill you want to use. There are many important things you want to think over before you make your final purchase decision.
Conclusion (Wrapping it up)
All in all, you can rest assured that no matter what you choose you will be getting a great grill for the entire family to use. Based on the above per-purchase considerations and any other deciding factors you may choose will help you pick the perfect grill to fit into your lifestyle.