Best Infrared Grills - Our Experts' Top Picks

Infrared grilling has become increasingly popular over the past few years - and for good reason.

Instead of a traditional grill burner heating the air which in turn heats your food, infrared burners emit infrared heat waves that directly heat your food.

Practically it leads to incredible precision and extremely consistent cooking - which are the hallmarks of infrared grilling!

Over time a few manufacturers have tried their hand at perfecting the infrared grill.  In this article we'll take a look at which infrared grills are the best on the market today.

A Quick Note Before We Begin

It's important to note that not all "infrared grills" are made equal.  A lot of grills, especially in the high end and luxury categories, will feature a rear infrared burner that is utilized with a rotisserie kit.  But the rest of the burners underneath the main cooking grate are traditional burners.

For purposes of this article, we want to highlight grills that feature primary infrared burners under the main cooking grate.

A Closer Look At The Best Infrared Grills

Below we take a look at our picks for the best infrared grills on the market today - these are presented in no particular order as all of the units are great in their own right.

TEC Sterling Patio 2FR 44-Inch Infrared Gas Grill

The TEC Sterling Patio 2FR 44-Inch Infrared Gas Grill has been created using 100% infrared technology.

What we like with this grill is the wide temperature that you can achieve.

This grill can start off as low as 200 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the ideal temperature for smoking, and up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, which is perfect for searing and the ultimate BBQ.

This grill has been designed with a contoured, double walled hood that has been handcrafted.

Which helps to create a sophisticated and sleek appearance in any yard.

Alongside that, we found that there are no hot or cold pots with this grill, thus you can cook on every inch of the grates and no space is wasted.

This is a freestanding cabinet, and thanks to the self-cleaning surface. Cleaning up after a get together has been made even easier.

Also, due to being created with stainless steel, this is a durable grill that you can rely upon.

The steel means you can preheat this grill to your desired temperature in just 10 minutes.

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Pros

• Self Cleaning - Due to the self-cleaning nature of the grill, you no longer have to worry about having to clean up messy and greasy surfaces.
• Higher Temperatures - The 2 steel burners help you to reach up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
• No Hot Or Cold Spots - The grill is evenly heated, therefore making sure that this is no more wasted space that could be used for cooking.

Cons

• Warming Rack - A warming rack is available but sold separately. You don’t have to have it, but it does provide you with more space if you are known to feed large crowds.

 

Lynx 36-Inch Built-In Professional Gas Grill with 3 Trident Infrared Burners

Lynx has created a truly seamless design on their canopy, which means that no there are no gaps where moisture or cool air could get in and reduce the overall temperature of your grill.

The Lynx 36-Inch Built-In Professional Gas Grill features one of the deepest cooking surfaces, which provides you with plenty of space to cook for anyone.

All Lynx grills come with the choice of ceramic burners, infrared burners, or a combination thereof.

While their ceramic burner is a wonderful heat source and incredibly durable, we're here to talk about their patented Trident™ Infrared Burners.

 

With the Trident Infrared burners, you can instantaneously and precisely control temperatures between 300 and 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit on your grill.

No matter where in the world you are, this grill will be able to work and keep your food as hot as possible.

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Pros

• Seamless Construction - The Lynx 36-Inch Built-In Professional Gas Grill has been built seamlessly. This is to ensure that no air or moisture escapes through any seam or holes.
• Temperature Range - This product can reach temperatures between 300 and 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus making this girl ideal for various cooking methods such as smoking and baking to searing.
• Speed - The hot surface ignition system means that both burners switch on safely but quickly. Therefore, your girl comes up to temperature really quickly.
• Temperature Gauge - A temperature gauge is included so that you can keep an eye on the internal temperature of your grills.

Cons

• Luxury Price Tier - Lynx grills are the leader when it comes to luxury outdoor kitchen, so it's no surprise that their grill is the most expensive on this list.

Alfresco ALXE 36-Inch Built-In Gas Grill with Sear Zone Burner

 

The Alfresco ALXE 36-Inch Built-In Gas Grill has been designed and created in the USA with the best materials possible.

This grill has been made with commercial grade stainless steel and hand welded seams to reduce any heat from escaping while in use.

5 ways refractive ceramic heat briquettes remove any hot or cold spots on your grill, making your grill 100% usable and efficient.

You will find that two traditional burners and an infrared sear zone burner are used, with the infrared burner being on the left side of the grill.

One of our favorite features of Alfresco grills is their integrated smoking system with a dedicated drawer and burner. Thus, you will be able to smoke using wood chips with this grill to achieve that classic smoky flavor.

Alongside that, there is a warming rack that allows you to store food out of the way.

Also, this grill comes with an infrared burner and rotisserie system. This girl uses a push button start ignition, which is really simple and easy to use.

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Pros

• Smoking System - This grill comes with its own dedicated burner and smoking draw for your wood chips, to allow you to smoke your food easily.
• No Hot Spots - There are no hot or cold spots with this grill, as it has a 5 way refractive heating system. Making this a much more efficient grill to use.
• Warming Rack - A warming rack is provided as part of this grill, giving you more space to put cooked food.

Cons

• Price Point - Similar to Lynx, Alfresco grills are on the luxury end of the price spectrum

TEC Patio 1FR 26-Inch Infrared Gas Grill

Similar to it's larger cousin, the TEC Patio 1FR 26-Inch Infrared Gas Grill can reach temperatures between 200 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thus making this a really versatile grill to own, as you can use various cooking methods on this grill.

There are no hot or cold spots on this grill, which means you can use every inch of this grill to cook on.

Speaking of cooking space, this girl is roughly 296 square inches wide. Giving you plenty of space to cook 16 burgers in just 10 minutes.

The TEC Patio 1FR 26-Inch Infrared Gas Grill can reach 900 degrees Fahrenheit in just 10 minutes, for a quick start up.

In addition to this, this product has been created with a flare resistant design, therefore the chances of your food charring has been significantly reduced.

Thus, you can use this grill infinitely so that your food will be cooked properly and to your liking.

Pros

• Heat Distribution - TEC Patio 1 FR 26-Inch Infrared Gas Grill has an even heat distribution, therefore there are no hot or cold spots.
• Quick Start Up - Within 10 minutes, your grill can reach 900 degrees Fahrenheit, so you can start cooking quicker than before.
• Flare Resistant Design - The flare resistant design that his grill has been created with means the chances of your food burning are hugely reduced.

Cons

• Size - This is one of the smaller infrared grills on our list. Thus, not ideal when hosting large crowds of people.

Pros

• Sure Strike Ignition - This grill uses a sure strike ignition method, which is one of the most reliable starting methods that you can use.
• Lifetime Warranty - Every part of this grill has a lifetime warranty that you can use, if something goes wrong.
• Internal Lights - Internal lights have been fitted in and around the control knobs to allow you to have a better view of your food in dimmer lighting conditions.

Cons

• Additional Features - Most of the add ons and features for this grill are sold separately at an additional cost.

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What To Look For

Infrared refers to the method of heat transfer that the grill uses.

With an infrared grill, the actual grill plates have been designed in a particular way to transfer the heat through infrared radiation to then cook the food on those plates.

Thus, this cooking method is much faster and provides you with a much more even heat all over the grill.

Therefore, you will notice that there are no hot or cold zones, you can use your grill a lot more efficiently than before.

In this guide, we have put together some of the key elements that you need to think about when purchasing an infrared grill.

When you consider these elements, then it will make your overall decision much easier.

Grill Size

Just like with any type of grill, whether it is an infrared grill or a pellet or charcoal grill, they all come in various shapes and sizes.

Therefore, depending on how many people you normally have to feed will affect whether you need a larger commercial style infrared grill or a more compact grill.

Consider whether you often host large parties, and how much use this grill will get.

You don't want to buy a large grill, and it does not see very much action, otherwise that would just be a waste of money.

Speaking of size, you need to make sure that you have enough space in your yard to place this grill.

You don't want to buy a grill that is too large for your yard.

Therefore, it is always worth measuring the space that you have and then measuring the grill that you want to purchase.

When it comes to infrared grills, they are much more efficient than a normal grill.

Therefore, you may not need as big of a grill as you first think.

This is because you can use every inch of space on your infrared grill, thus you can cook a lot more than you used to be able to.

It is worth mentioning that you can purchase portable infrared grills, which is great when you are short on space or want to take your grill with you when you go away on a trip.

However, if you don't want to move the grill that much and have a lot of space, then a stationary may be more suited to your needs.

Cooking Surface Size

This is directly linked to the grill size. However, we are talking just about the cooking space that you need.

Having a larger cooking area means you will naturally have a much larger grill.

Therefore, it is important to think about how many people you need to feed with this grill and how often you will use it.

Maintenance Requirements

No matter the size of your grill, it is going to have some kind of maintenance that you will need to do on it.

There are two things to consider when it comes to the maintenance needs of an infrared grill.

You need to think about how easy it is going to be to clean. In addition to that, you need to know how durable the elements of the grill are as well.

This is because you want a grill that is going to last you a good few years at a minimum.

However, to make the grill last longer, ten you need to regularly clean it.

Therefore, you need to know how easy it is to clean, so you know how easy or hard to maintain this grill is going to be.

The majority of these grills are constructed using stainless steel, which means they are quite durable.

However, it is good to know whether any of the parts have a warranty, in case the worst happens, and it breaks after a couple of uses.

Budget

Infrared grills can vary in price, but that depends on the manufacturer and the model of the grill.

It is important that you save up and set yourself a budget for your infrared grill. As they can be quite a pricey piece of equipment.

However, you don't want to go with the cheapest model that you can find, which doesn't last you very long at all.

It is important to read reviews on infrared grills that are within your budget, to make sure that you find the best quality grill that you can afford.

In addition to that, a lot of infrared grills can come with additional add-ons, which are included for an extra fee.

Hence, it is important to see what you are getting for your money. As you want something that is durable and will last you many years.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Cook Food Slow On An Infrared Grill?

Infrared grills are versatile pieces of equipment, which allows you to cook a range of meals on.

They have broad temperature ranges, which means you don't have to just use these grills to cook food quickly.

They are known for searing means, but you can use an infrared grill for slow and low cooking methods as well.

Are Infrared Grills Easy To Clean?

It can vary depending on the model, as some models of infrared grills have a drip tray, which makes cleaning the grill a much easier process.

However, when it comes to cleaning your infrared grill, you clean it as you would any other grill.

Therefore, you take the grill plates off and scrub them clean.

Although, you should be extra careful when it comes to cleaning the infrared surface and heating element.

You should aim to properly clean your grill at least twice a year. This is also a great opportunity to check the grill over for any wear and tear.

This ensures that everything is still working properly, and everything is still in a good condition.

Are Infrared Grills Better Than Gas Powered Grills?

Infrared grills are much more powerful than a traditional gas powered grill.

They can reach higher temperatures and reach them a lot faster as well.

Furthermore, an infrared grill is a lot more fuel efficient than open flamed and gas grills.

Are There Any Disadvantages To An Infrared Grill?

There are a lot of advantages when it comes to an infrared grill, as they are a lot more efficient and hotter than other types of grills.

As a result, they allow you to spend less time cooking, so you can enjoy your moist and juicy food.

However, it isn't all good news. If they are more efficient, that means they are usually a lot more experienced.

In addition to that, they are less portable version available and usually once an infrared grill is installed, they are quite difficult to move, as they can be quite big and bulky.