Artisan vs Alfresco Grills - What's The Difference?

Alfresco is known for its expansive selection of grills and outdoor kitchen products, all manufactured in the United States.

Over the past couple of decades, they've risen to the top as one of the most well known names in the world of luxury outdoor culinary systems.

You may or may not know that Alfresco also manufactures a second brand, called Artisan.

 Aesthetically, the two product lines look fairly similar but the prices vary quite a bit - so it's fair to ask what's the difference between Artisan and Alfresco Grills? After all, they're manufactured by the same parent company.

In this article, we'll go over the key points, specs, and features between the two lines so you'll have a better understanding of which might be better for you.

Artisan vs Alfresco Grills - Overview

For a quick comparison, we'll take a look at the Alfresco, Artisan Professional, and Artisan American Eagle grills side by side.

How Do The Brands Differ From A High Level?

Alfresco Grills are a top of the line luxury grill brand, laden with features and manufactured with the highest quality materials and level of precision.

Artisan Grills sit just below the luxury grill market in the value to high-end grill category, and feature two lines of grill products.  Artisan Professional Grills are on the high end performance tier and come with quite a few features.

Artisan American Eagle Grills are on the value performance tier. These grills are more "bare bones" and don't come with too many bells and whistles - but they nail the fundamentals.

On the performance side, Alfresco Grill burners are more powerful than Artisan's.  Alfresco burners produce 27,500 BTUs each and Artisan burners produce 20,000 BTUs each.

The other area that Artisan and Alfresco differ is in selection of outdoor kitchen products.  Alfresco has the largest offering of outdoor kitchen products on the market.

Artisan offers your standard access doors, drawers, and a couple of refrigeration products, but not the wide selection of niche products found under the Alfresco name.

Most Alfresco products are backed by a lifetime warranty, whereas most Artisan products are backed by a 15 year manufacturer's warranty.

How Are They Similar?

Both brands are manufactured by the same parent company, at the same facility.  Because of this, the general aesthetic of both of the lines are similar to one another.

That's not to say the grills are identical to one another - far from it.  However, you'll see some similarities in the look of the grill hoods, front panels, etc.

They are also similar in construction material.  Both lines are made with high quality 304 stainless steel material across all key parts.

Finally, both of the lines are available in built-in or freestanding configurations and with natural gas or propane as the fuel source.

A Closer Look At Alfresco Grills

Alfresco are a well known outdoor culinary company that are known for integrating craftsmanship and innovation with their wide range of integrated products.

The company allows for the design of your own outdoor kitchen as well as the choice of extensive add ons and accessories, offering a level of detail, quality, finish and fit that makes them stand out from other grill manufacturers.

Alfresco offers a variety of features with their grills, such as the state of the art “Signature Taste” integrated smoking system, which adds an authentic smoke flavor to your outdoor cooking.

The company is also well known for their impressive record of industry firsts, such as creating the first integrated rotisserie motor and being the first cookware company to produce an outdoor pizza oven for built-in applications and countertops. You can check out our Alfresco Pizza Oven Review here.

Let’s now have a look at some of the most well known Alfresco grills:

Alfresco ALXE 30-Inch Built-In Gas Grill With Rotisserie

This luxury 30-inch grill might be the smallest of Alfresco grills, but it is also the perfect example of how great things can come in small packages!

The no nonsense, compact nature of the ALXE-30 means that power and performance are of high importance and aren't sacrificed, even with its smaller size.

The ALXE 30 offers the following features integrated within the grill (these features are integrated in all Alfresco grills):

• Mega-Drive rotisserie system that is integrated with ease and features an infrared burner
• High intensity halogen work lights that are dual integrated
• Signature Taste integrated system for smoking, featuring a drawer and burner for wood chunks
• Two 18-SR Accufire stainless steel main burners
• A grilling area of 542 square inches
• A user-friendly push button ignition, featuring a sealed 110V AC power source
• The option of natural gas or propane gas
• Infrared SearZone burner upgrade available at no extra cost
• Option of standard cart
• Three position warming racks

Here's a photo of the drawer on all Alfresco grills where you can add wood, charcoal, and other aromatics to flavor your food.

Now let's take a look at the optional accessories which compliment this grill:

• Commercial grade griddle plate insert
• Pasta cooker
• Fryer
• Steamer
• Solid fuel insert (for direct heat wood fired/charcoal grilling)
• Wind guards
• Indirect roasting pod
• Grill cover
• Insulated jacket (required if you're building in to combustible materials)

Alfresco ALXE 42-Inch Built-In Gas Grill With Rotisserie

Made from all commercial grade 304 and 18-8 stainless steel - and featuring heli-arc handled seams- without any mechanical fasteners, the ALXE 42-Inch is a bigger choice that is better suited for those wanting more out of their grill.

The refractive, 5-way ceramic heat distributing briquettes means that there are no hot and cold spots as you grill, making for a more effective and evenly distributed grilling surface.

The ALXE 42 inch offers the same accessories as the smaller 30-inch model, but with some added capabilities.  Most notably, the 42-inch iteration has 770 square inches of main cooking surface area.

Also, if you are going the freestanding route, the 42-inch ALXE is available with some highly sophisticated cart options.  You can pick up this grill on a standard cart (two access doors), a deluxe cart (one access door and two drawers), or a refrigerated cart (refrigerated access door and two refrigerated drawers).

No matter which sized Alfresco grill you get, you'll experience the same integrations mentioned above.

The other Alfresco grill sizes include the following:

• 36-Inch Grill (built in or standard cart)
• 56-Inch All Grill (built in, standard cart, or refrigerated cart)
• 56-Inch Deluxe Grill - essentially a 42-inch grill with an attached side burner (built in, standard cart, or refrigerated cart)

Shop Alfresco Grills →

A Closer Look At Artisan Grills

Artisan grills set themselves apart in that they have the high quality and range of features that are to be expected from a luxury grill brand, but with prices that normally tend to be seen in imported products.

With that said, it's important to reemphasize that all Artisan grills are made in the USA, just like Alfresco.

The Artisan grills are offered in two different series: the Professional and the American Eagle series.

Let's look at the main differences between the two, as well as some examples of the models available.

The Professional Series

The Artisan Professional series features three different sizes - the 32-inch, the 36-inch and the 42-inch. All of these feature three BTU U-burners and have the option of coming on a freestanding cart or being built-in.

All models in the Professional Artisan line of Alfresco grills features the following:

• Stainless U-burners with 20,000 BTU’s per burner
• Stainless rod cooking grates
• 110V electric ignition
• Ceramic briquettes for heat distribution
• Interior halogen light
• Rotisserie kit included and infrared backburner
• Blue LED control panel lights
• Hood assist
• Analog temperature gauge
• Warming rack
• 15-year warranty
• 10-year warranty for cooking grates
• Optional infrared sear burner upgrade at an extra cost

The Professional is a slightly more expensive option, but it offers more in terms of features. Let's look at the 42-inch version in a little more detail.

Artisan 42-Inch 3-Burner Professional Freestanding Gas Grill

As mentioned, these grills are a great choice of a heavy-duty grill that can withstand the great outdoors.

The 42-inch Artisan Professional is no exception, featuring heavy duty stainless steel cooking grates that have a special, non-stick and electro polished finish, positioned over the briquettes and the U-burners.

The ceramic briquettes within the grill are kept in place with radiant tray locks. The grill can also self clean when the tray is turned over with the fire burners on high.

There is also a two position warming rack that is practical in terms of both cooking and storage, easily able to be stored up and out of the way when it isn't being used.

The 42 inch features an interchangeable and optional upgrade to an infrared burner which, if opted for, upgrades one burner to a culinary grade infrared burner that doesn't flare up and performs great in the wind.

Some more features of the 42-inch Professional Artisan grill - including those we mentioned above - also include:

• A total of 75,000 BTU’s
• 732 square inches of grilling area
• A choice of natural gas or propane
• Interior halogen light and LED lit burner knobs

Shop Artisan →

The American Eagle Series

Much like the Professional series of Artisan grills, the American Eagle line up has three different sizes available: the 26 inch, the 32 inch and the 36 inch.

The smallest, 26 inch size has two U-burners, whilst the other two sizes have three U-burners each.

Here is what all three models of the American Eagles have to offer in terms of their specific features:

• 20,000 BTU’s per burner
• Stainless rod cooking grates
• 9 volt battery ignition
• Ceramic briquettes for heat distribution
• Hood assist
• Analog temperature gauge
• Warming rack
• 15-year warranty
• 10-year warranty for cooking grates
• Optional infrared sear burner upgrade at an extra cost

The American Eagle grills are a little less pricey than the Professional, but they don't have quite as many features.  You'll miss out on the rotisserie kit, internal lights, and lit burner knobs.

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

Though very similar to the Artisan Professional line, the American Eagle line is different in that does not have any of the electrical features that the Professional offers, including internal halogen lights, LED lit control knobs, electrical ignition and a rotisserie back burner.

The 36-inch American Eagle specifically includes the following:

• A total of 60,000 BTU's across three 20,000 main BTU U-burners
• Warming rack
• 9 volt electronic ignition
• A grilling area of 620 square inches

Artisan Professional & American Eagle Similarities

That being said, the two Artisan series do share a fair amount of features as well, such as the following:

• Heavy duty 304 stainless steel burners that feature 20,000 BTU’s of power as well as dual rows of ports that allow for an even distribution of temperatures.
• A grilling system that utilizes non-stick, electro polished stainless steel rod cooking grates that are heavy duty
• Standard, spiral torsion that is non-corrosive and features spring hood assist
• Refractive five way heat distributing tray system with briquettes and a lock bar.
• Self-cleaning briquette trays that can be used by turning over the tray and switching the burners on high for a couple of minutes.
• Exclusive control panel air curtain that allows air to flow naturally between the firebox and the control panel, keeping the knobs cool to the touch as well. This is a feature that is used across all Alfresco grills.

As well as that, they also include various accessories that can be added to both the Professional and the American Eagle grills to heighten your cooking experience, such as:

• Griddle: Made of solid stainless steel with backsplash nests and integrated sides.
• Insulated Jacket: Required for safe installation if your enclosure is made up of combustible materials.
• Grill Cover: A high density, premium canvas cover featuring an Artisan logo that can be used to protect your grill from the elements.
• Wind Guard: A stainless steel guard that is useful for grills placed in exposed environments that can affect the consistency and performance of your cooking.
• Sear Zone Grate: A V-shaped cooking grate that is able to capture natural flavors via the fats and juices before caramelizing them. Can be used with the optional sear zone infrared burner.
• Sear Zone Infrared Burner: Allows for an intense level of heat with 50% faster cooking speed.

Final Thoughts On Artisan vs Alfresco Grills

If you are thinking about whether the Artisan or the Alfresco is best for you, then consider what it is that you want to achieve with your cooking.

Is your set up more casual or are you looking for a luxury outdoor kitchen set up to meet your culinary needs?  How much do the bells and whistles matter to you?

The Artisan grills - both the Professional and the American Eagle models - offer the chance to cook high quality, professional levels of food at a reasonable price.

They are truly one of the top options at this price point that are made in the USA.

For something closer to an entry-level price point the American Eagle Artisan grill is a perfect choice.

For more features that will put you back a little more in terms of price, the Professional Artisan grill could be the way to go.

If price isn't a problem, and you want the ultimate grill that can last for many years to come - whether you are a professional cook or just enjoy cooking in your free time - then any of the Alfresco grills and outdoor kitchen products might suit you best.

Questions about Artisan or Alfresco grills? Our experts are here to help! Reach out to us any time and we will be happy to assist you.