Best Value & Budget Built-In Gas Grills - Our Expert Reviews

If you are building an outdoor kitchen, odds are you're looking for a built-in grill to become the centerpiece of your entertaining space.

The built-in nature of these appliances gives your outdoor kitchen a sleek look that provides not only an excellent cooking environment, but a focal point for your outdoor gathering space.

There's no denying that outdoor kitchens can be expensive! But not all built-in grills have to break the bank.

In this resource, we take a closer look at the best value built-in gas grills on the market to help you decide which is the right fit for your project.

RCS Premier Series 32" Built-In Gas Grill With Rear Infrared Burner

The RCS Premier Series 32” built-in grill comes with a rear infrared burner and is part of a value-priced range from RCS which makes it perfect for this list.

RCS is a family business that has been in the outdoor kitchen space for decades, and all of their products are made in the USA.

The purpose of this high-quality grill being offered at such a reasonable price is to allow all families to experience the joy of an outdoor kitchen area that is fit for its purpose and provides a great outdoor cooking experience.

The Premier Series 32” grill is packed with features that make it even greater value for money. These features include stainless steel tube burners that are corrosion-resistant and therefore durable enough to withstand regular usage.

The appliance also features sure strike ignition and has backup, manual flash tubes, and cross-over tubes between the burners that ensure that your grill will light the first time, every time and that all burners will remain lit during cooking.

There are also several accessories that come as standard with this product. A full-width slide-out drip tray means that cleaning the grill is super easy and helps you to keep your grill looking new and looked after no matter how much you use it.

There is also a stainless steel warming rack that helps to keep your cooked food warm while other things cook or while you spend time with your loved ones.

One of the most interesting features of this grill is the briquette flavor grids that allow grillers to add more depth of flavor to your food.

The rear infrared burner is a great addition to this grill that allows you to produce beautifully seared food such as steaks and salmon.

RCS is also a great brand if you're looking to add more outdoor kitchen products (such as access doors or side burners) because they offer a complete line of products under the brand.

Pros

• Rear infrared burner
• Slide-out drip tray
• Briquette flavor grids
• Made in the USA
• Value pricing

Cons

• Few accessories options

Mont Alpi 805 Built-In Gas Grill

The Mont Alpi 805 built-in gas grill is the perfect choice for any outdoor kitchen, no matter what your cooking skill level is.

This grill is robust yet stylish and offers six heavy-duty burners made of high-quality 304 stainless steel that has a high resistance to corrosion and make it easy to produce professional meals even as a novice griller.

This grill comes packed with added features and accessories as standard which makes it great value for money and gives you so many options for how to cook your food outdoors.

The included rotisserie kit and rear ceramic infrared burner on the Mont Alpi allows you to slow cook large cuts of meat on a spit.

Halogen lights that are built into the grill make cooking during the evening as the sun goes down easier, and can also help to keep food warm for longer.

One of the most interesting features of this grill is the “heat waves” double-layered sear plates that can enhance your cooking even further.

The role of these plates is to reduce instances of grease flare ups which makes the grill safer to use, and retains heat while encouraging smoke and flavors that take your grilling to the next level.

The warranties that are offered with this grill are generous as well with lifetime warranties to cover the product with excesses applied after certain periods of time.

Mont Alpi makes a great built-in grill head, but they do not offer other outdoor kitchen products, so you'll need to mix and match brands if you want to add doors, drawers, or other appliances.

Pros

• Double-layered sear plates
• Heavy-duty rotisserie kit
• 304 stainless steel
• Good warranty cover

Cons

• Mont Alpi doesn't offer other built-in outdoor kitchen products
• Manufactured overseas

Artisan 36-Inch 3-Burner Built-In American Eagle Gas Grill

As with all Artisan grills, the Artisan 36-inch 3-burner American Eagle grill combines industry-leading construction and functionality with beautiful craftsmanship that results in a unique and stunning grill.

The heavy-duty burners in this grill are made from 304 stainless steel and are positioned to ensure that an even heat is distributed over the entire cooking surface.

The Artisan American Eagle grill is made entirely in the USA with craftsmanship that ensures that the product is durable.

The shape of this grill is what makes it so effective and helps to produce beautifully cooked meat every time.

The lid of the grill is designed to hold heat inside for longer and direct the trapped heat back toward the cooking surface to provide intense levels of heat during the cooking process.

The grill also contains a radiant tray that locks briquettes in to ensure that the heat is directed towards the food that is being cooked.

The cleaning of the grill is super easy, simply flip the radiant tray over and turn the burners onto a high heat, keep the lid closed and the heat will sanitize the grill.

There is also a multi-position warming rack that can be folded completely out of the way when it is not in use which makes it easier to use the entire cooking surface.

There is also an optional upgrade to add an infrared burner to the grill, but this is not a standard feature.

The Artisan American Eagle gas grill comes with a warranty of up to 15 years for certain parts of the grill. This is a decent warranty that covers a lot of the grill for years of use which adds peace of mind.

If you're looking to build out a custom outdoor kitchen, Artisan is another great brand to go with as they offer many additional outdoor kitchen products.

Artisan is manufactured by Alfresco - which is one of the top luxury outdoor kitchen brands on the market.  Artisan products are made with many similar core features as Alfresco, however they just lack some of the bells and whistles.  Read more about the differences between Artisan and Alfresco here.

Pros

• Made in the USA
• Good warranty
• Easy cleaning
• Multi-position warming rack

Cons

• Few accessories as standard

Blaze Prelude LBM 32-Inch 4-Burner Built-In Gas Grill

Blaze is a well-known name in the grilling world and the Blaze Prelude built-in gas grill is the perfect option for your outdoor kitchen no matter what your level of experience is.

The Prelude features heat zone separators that mean that different heat intensities can be used for different areas of the grill.

This allows you to cook different foods in different ways on the same grill at the same time which really cuts down on cooking time overall.

Another incredible feature of this grill is the flame stabilization grid that helps to minimize the risk of flare ups while you’re cooking which increases the safety of the grill, especially for less experienced grillers.

The full width drip tray also makes the cleaning of the grill a lot easier and also contributes to minimizing flare ups.

The lid of the Prelude grill is double lined to ensure that the outer shell is not discolored by the heat. This means that your grill will remain looking shiny and beautiful in your outdoor kitchen.

There is also a lifetime warranty that is offered with this grill as standard providing great peace of mind if you purchase this grill.

Pros

• Heat zone separators
• Flame stabilization grid
• Full width drip tray
• Double walled lid

Cons

• Few cooking accessories as standard
• Manufactured overseas

Artisan 26-Inch 2-Burner Built-In American Eagle Gas Grill

This Artisan American Eagle built-in gas grill is the younger sibling of the 3-burner version mentioned above.

The features of this grill are identical to those mentioned with the 3-burner grill with the exception of the number of burners.

This grill is a great option for anyone who is tight on space or budget for their outdoor kitchen.

The 2-burner American Eagle grill is still made with the impeccable craftsmanship and the functional design that is expected of Artisan grills.

It even features the pyramid inspired hood design that helps to facilitate perfect cooking of any type of meat or vegetable on the grill.

This grill can also be cleaned and sanitized incredibly easily through the use of the burners and the hood.

There are also heavy-duty, stainless steel, cooking grates that feature a non-stick finish. The burners are U-shaped to ensure ultimate cooking conditions for your outdoor dinners.

Pros

• High-quality manufacturing
• Easy to clean
• Compact size
• Made in the USA

Cons

• Small cooking surface

 

Cal Flame P Series 5-Burner Built-In Gas Grill, 40-Inch

The Cal Flame P Series 5-burner built-in grill is one of the most revolutionary grills that you can purchase which is not unusual for the brand.

The grill is made with 304-stainless steel which has an incredible level of corrosion resistance which makes it ideal for outdoor grills.

In addition to this perfect grilling material, the Cal Flame P series grill contains a number of signature features that you don’t get with other grills on the market.

These signature features include cast stainless steel burners that have individual ignition switches which give you total control over the level and position of the heat that you cook on.

Similarly, the grill also features heavy-duty, V-shaped grates that create a large cooking surface that maximizes the area of heat within the grill.

One of the most attractive features of this grill is the fact that it can be powered by either propane or natural gas.

While propane gas is the default setting for the grill, it is shipped with a conversion kit as standard to allow users to convert the grill themselves to run off of natural gas instead.

Both of these gas options are relatively environmentally friendly and cost-effective to use.

As well as coming with a conversion kit as standard, the product also comes with rotisserie attachments, a custom grill cover, a griddle tray insert, and a smoking box to place wood chips in.

These standard accessories significantly add to the value for money that you get with this product. It also means that the grill is more like a 3-in-1 product than simply a built-in grill.

Pros

• Made with 304-stainless steel
• Attachments included as standard
• Natural gas conversion
• Industry-leading design

Cons

• Narrow warranty coverage
• Manufactured overseas

Factors to Consider

Although purchasing a grill is ultimately a personal decision that is affected by many different factors, there are a few things that are important to consider when you are looking for a grill for your outdoor cooking area.

In this buyer’s guide, we will look at a few things that should be at the forefront of your grill decision making.

Size

One of the most important considerations that needs to be made when you are looking for a grill of any type is the size of the grill.

Naturally, we want to have as much cooking space as possible with outdoor kitchens, however, bigger does not always mean better.

The space that you have to work with in your outdoor cooking area is finite and if it is on the smaller side, filling it with a large grill is not necessarily the best idea.

Instead, a smaller grill, with less burners can often be the best choice to allow you to keep a decent amount of countertop space outside.

This way, you won’t have to keep moving between your kitchen and grilling area when you are preparing food to be cooked. A smaller grill is also a better idea if you have a smaller family or live alone.

A large grill is great for households that have a lot of people in them or for people who entertain groups of people often. A large grill for the sake of it will only take up unnecessary space.

Accessories

The accessories that are available is another important factor to consider when choosing the right grill for you.

If you are a griller who likes to keep things simple and enjoys just throwing some meat on the grill and letting it do its thing, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a grill that comes with a lot of attachments or accessories.

However, if you are someone who prefers to get creative with your grilling practices, you will want to purchase the grill that has the most accessories and attachments available such as rotisserie kits and searing plates.

It is important to decide whether the attachments and accessories that come with a grill will be useful to you or not. If you are not going to use the rotisserie kits or searing plates, you will be storing them for no reason.

Materials

The materials that a grill is made with play a really big role in how durable and well made a product is.

There are so many different materials that a grill can be made from, but the best and most long lasting ones are usually made with 304 stainless steel.

It is this type of stainless steel that has the greatest resistance to corrosion, no matter how often you cook on it or how much fat or oil is involved.

It is also important to ensure that the knobs and ignition switches are made of high-quality, heavy-duty materials that can withstand regular usage and potentially exposure to the elements.

This is an important factor even if a grill comes with a cover that you intend to use when the grill is not in use.

Fuel Type

The fuel type that is used for each grill is an important factor to consider before making a purchase.

The two main types of gas fuel is propane and natural gas.  Some of the grills on this list need to be specified at the time of purchase which type of gas you need.  Others ship as a propane grill with a natural gas conversion kit, or vice versa.

Warranty

Finally, something that is particularly important to most consumers is the warranty that is offered with a product.

Not only does a warranty give you peace of mind that if something goes wrong with the grill, it will be replaced, fixed, or refunded, but it also helps you to know which products are worth your money.

The more generous and encompassing a warranty is, the more faith a company must have in their product. The more faith a company has in their product, the more faith you will have in their product.

Final Thoughts

There are so many different built-in grills that are available on the market, the ones mentioned in this article are some of the best value in terms of their price and what they have to offer.

Whichever grill you opt for, it will help to complete your outdoor kitchen area and lead to many happy memories with your loved ones.

Still have questions? Reach out to our team of experts and we will be glad to assist.