The grill aisle, minus the sales pitch

The Big Green Egg Large is the most popular size of the iconic ceramic kamado cooker, capable of grilling, smoking, roasting, and baking. Big Green Egg is the brand that brought kamado cooking to the American mainstream.

The Big Green Egg XLarge is the crowd-size version of the iconic ceramic kamado, with a 24-inch grate that swallows two packer briskets or four whole chickens side by side. Same thick ceramic and lifetime warranty as the Large - nearly double the cooking area.

The Big Green Egg MiniMax packs the full ceramic kamado experience into a 19.5-inch-tall tabletop cooker that ships with its own carrier. It's the Egg for balconies, tailgates, and campsites - same 750°F ceiling, a quarter of the footprint.

The Kamado Joe Classic III is an 18-inch ceramic kamado loaded with innovations like the 3-tier Divide and Conquer system, SloRoller smoke chamber, and a single-finger Air Lift hinge. It's the feature-rich rival to the Big Green Egg.

The Kamado Joe Joe Jr. is a compact 13.5-inch portable ceramic kamado that brings full kamado versatility to small spaces, balconies, tailgates, and camping. It's the most portable cooker in the Kamado Joe line.

The Pit Barrel Cooker Classic is an 18.5-inch porcelain-coated drum smoker that hangs meat vertically over the coals on hooks. It's beloved on r/smoking for being nearly foolproof - light it, hang the meat, and walk away.

The Monument Grills Mesa 415BZ is a value-oriented 4-burner stainless gas grill with a Broil Zone sear burner, a clear-view lid window, and a side burner. Monument is a fast-growing direct-to-retail brand. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Monument Grills Mesa II 415BZ. (Original Mesa 415BZ shows 'Unavailable' at $499 on monumentgrills.com; Mesa II 415BZ is the current version at ~$499)

The Napoleon Rogue XT 525 SIB is a 4-burner propane gas grill with an infrared Sizzle Zone side burner for searing. Napoleon is a Canadian brand known for stainless construction and wave-pattern grates.

The Weber Smokey Mountain is the legendary bullet-shaped charcoal water smoker that has been the 'first real smoker' recommendation for decades. Two stacked grates and a water pan turn out competition-quality BBQ for under $500.

The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL is a 7-in-1 electric outdoor grill, smoker, and air fryer that burns a small box of real wood pellets for flavor while cooking on electric heat. It's Reddit's go-to answer for balconies and apartments where charcoal and gas are banned.

The Kamado Joe Big Joe III is the 24-inch flagship of Kamado Joe's ceramic lineup - everything the Classic III does, scaled up to brisket-and-a-half capacity, with the 3-tier Divide & Conquer rack system, SloRoller smoke chamber, and a heavy-duty rolling cart included.

The Weber Master-Touch 22 is the upgraded version of Weber's iconic charcoal kettle, adding a hinged Gourmet BBQ System grate, a built-in thermometer, and a Tuck-Away lid holder. It's a benchmark backyard charcoal grill.

The Char-Griller Akorn is a budget kamado-style grill that uses triple-wall insulated steel instead of ceramic to deliver kamado-like efficiency at a fraction of the price. It's the popular gateway into kamado cooking.

The Blackstone 36-inch is the best-selling outdoor flat-top griddle in America, a 4-burner propane cooking station with a huge rolled-steel cooktop. It's the go-to for smash burgers, breakfast, hibachi, and big-batch cooking.

The Blackstone 28-inch is the compact 2-burner version of America's favorite outdoor griddle, offering the same flat-top cooking in a smaller footprint suited to smaller patios and families. It's a top-selling entry griddle.

The Weber Original Kettle Premium 22 is the iconic charcoal kettle that started backyard grilling in America, upgraded with a built-in thermometer, hinged grate, and sealed One-Touch ash catcher. It's the single most-recommended first grill on Reddit.

The Weber Slate 36 is Weber's flagship flat-top griddle, pairing a pre-seasoned rust-resistant carbon steel cooktop with four independent burners, a built-in digital cooktop thermometer, and the storage and side tables that made it an instant Blackstone rival.

The Weber Summit Kamado E6 is Weber's 24-inch kamado-style charcoal grill built from dual-walled, air-insulated porcelain-enameled steel instead of ceramic. It pairs kamado heat retention with kettle conveniences like the One-Touch ash cleanup, a hinged RapidFire lid damper, and a flip-up diffuser for easy fuel access.

The Z Grills 7002C3E is the value pick of the popular 700 series - 697 sq in of two-rack cooking space, a 28 lb hopper, and an upgraded PID 3.0 controller with dual meat probes, at a price hundreds below the name-brand pellet grills it competes with.

The Smoque is Weber's 2025 answer to the entry-level Traeger, and it deliberately does less than the Searwood to cost $300 less: no direct-flame searing, no 600F mode, just a smoker-first pellet grill that nails the fundamentals. Reviewers and early owners consistently rate its smoke flavor ahead of equivalently priced Traegers - the SmokeBoost setting and SmoqueVent circulation produce visibly better smoke rings and bark - and the Rapid React PID recovers temp fast after lid opens. The porcelain-enameled barrel (the same coating Weber kettles wear for decades) and 5-year warranty make the hardware feel more durable than the sheet-metal norm at this price, and the enclosed grease-plus-ash drawer is genuinely tidy. Trade-offs are real: 500F max with no sear zone means steaks finish better on a separate grill, 594 sq in is one-brisket territory, the single-position upper rack limits tall cooks, and Weber Connect - though improved - still draws occasional app-pairing complaints carried over from the SmokeFire era. Against the $799 Traeger Woodridge you're choosing more smoke flavor and simpler controls over Traeger's bigger 860 sq in and accessory ecosystem.

The Traeger Ironwood 885 is a WiFi-connected wood-pellet grill and smoker from Traeger, the company that popularized pellet grills. It uses the D2 direct-drive controller and WiFIRE app for hands-off cooks. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Traeger Ironwood XL. (Still sold at $1,399.99 on traeger.com under 'Legacy Grills'; new Ironwood/Ironwood XL (2023) and Woodridge (2025) are the current lines)

The Traeger Pro 575 is Traeger's best-selling entry-level WiFi pellet grill, using the D2 controller and WiFIRE app. It's the model most people picture when they think 'Traeger.' Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Traeger Woodridge. (Retailer-only closeout: traeger.com lists $799.99 but no longer sells direct; remaining retail stock clearing at $500-600)

The Weber Genesis E-325s is a 3-burner premium propane gas grill with a dedicated sear zone and side burner, part of Weber's redesigned Genesis line. Weber is the benchmark brand for backyard gas grills. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Weber Genesis E-325. (2024 refresh dropped the 's' (stainless flavorizer bars became porcelain); weber.com E-325s NG listed $849 'Currently Unavailable', new E-325 $899)

The Weber Searwood 600 is Weber's 2024 pellet grill that finally fixed the SmokeFire's sins - a 180-600°F range, DirectFlame searing, manual offline mode, and a Rapid React PID controller at a sharper price. Reddit's pellet crowd calls it the redemption arc.

The Traeger Woodridge Pro is the 2025 replacement for the aging Pro series - 970 sq in, a 24 lb hopper with pellet sensor, Super Smoke mode, and a 10-year warranty at $1,000. Reviewers call it the biggest upgrade to Traeger's entry lineup in years.

The Broil King Regal S590 Pro is a North American-made 5-burner stainless gas grill with massive 9mm solid rod grates, dual-tube burners, a side burner, and a rear rotisserie burner with kit. It's the r/grilling insiders' alternative to a Weber Genesis.

The Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Pro is a heavy-duty 21.5-inch charcoal drum smoker with a sealed intake-pipe airflow system that gives drum-style cooking unusually precise temperature control, plus meat hangers and hooks for classic hang-style smoking.

The Slate 30 is Weber's answer to the mid-size Blackstone, and its whole pitch is lower maintenance: the carbon-steel cooktop is case-hardened and pre-seasoned at the factory, and owners consistently report it shrugs off the surface rust that plagues bare-steel Blackstones left outside. Reviewers and r/grilling owners also praise how evenly it heats edge to edge — three burners under 540 sq in with far fewer cold corners than the 4-burner Blackstone 36 — and the front-corner grease trap is easier to manage than rear-scrape systems. The build is classic Weber: heavy, rigid cart, good casters, and a 5-year warranty versus Blackstone's 1 year. The honest trade-offs: at $649 it costs roughly twice as much as a Blackstone 28 with similar cooking area, the digital temp display is reserved for the $799 premium trim, rust resistance is explicitly excluded from the cooktop warranty, and you still need to season and oil it like any griddle. If you griddle weekly and hate rust babysitting, the Slate is worth the premium; occasional smash-burger cooks will get 90% of the experience from a Blackstone for half the price.

The 22-inch tabletop is the best-selling portable griddle in America and the default answer whenever r/blackstonegriddle gets asked about camping, tailgating, or balcony setups. Two independently controlled H-burners give you a real two-zone flat top - eggs and pancakes on low, smash burgers screaming hot on the other side - and 361 sq in is legitimately enough to feed six to eight people, which no portable grate grill this size can match. It screws onto a 1 lb propane canister and hits searing temps fast, though owners recommend the 20 lb tank adapter hose because it burns through the little green bottles quickly. Honest downsides: like every bare-steel Blackstone the cooktop rusts if stored damp, so seasoning and a cover are mandatory; the burners struggle in wind without a shield; the low-end simmer is touchy; and at 32 lbs it's luggable, not light. Quality control complaints (warped tops, sticky regulators) show up in reviews at a low but real rate, and the warranty is only a year. For the price of a nice dinner out, though, nothing else cooks this much food this portably.

The Gravity XT is Masterbuilt's current gravity-fed flagship and a direct response to the #1 complaint about the original 560/800/1050 series: build quality. The XT gets dual-wall FuelSaver insulation, a porcelain-coated interior, beefier hardware, and a 3-year warranty (up from 1), while keeping the party trick that made the line famous - real charcoal flavor with pellet-grill automation, from a 225F smoke to a legitimate 700F cast-iron sear in minutes. Owners and reviewers consistently call it the best-cooking gravity smoker you can buy, with better fuel efficiency and steadier temps than the old 1050 and the Char-Griller Gravity 980. The honest caveats: at $1,799 it costs nearly triple what a Gravity 800 street-prices for, it's a 199 lb two-person assembly job, and the electronics-in-a-charcoal-grill concern hasn't vanished - fans, switches, and control boards remain the failure points owners report, though XT-generation complaints are notably rarer. The hopper's 12 lbs of lump or 18 lbs of briquettes genuinely runs an overnight brisket. If you want charcoal taste with an app and don't want a Big Green Egg's learning curve, this is the class leader.

The Q 1200 has been the default answer to 'best portable gas grill' for over a decade, and the review volume backs it up - it's one of the most-reviewed grills Weber sells. Unlike the thin folding camp grills it competes with, the Q is a real grill shrunk down: a cast aluminum cookbox that retains heat like a full-size Weber and porcelain-enameled cast iron grates that lay down legitimate sear marks on steaks and burgers. OutdoorGearLab has ranked it their top tabletop portable for years, and r/grilling threads about balcony and tailgate setups almost always land here. Honest limitations: one U-shaped burner means no two-zone cooking, so thick cuts and bone-in chicken take lid management and patience; 189 sq in feeds about four people; it drinks 1 lb canisters, so most owners buy the adapter hose for a 20 lb tank; and the low-profile grease tray will flare if you never clean it. The regulator's low-flow safety lockout (weak flames after a bottle swap) is the most common owner complaint, fixable with the well-known reset ritual. Against a Blackstone 22 you're trading griddle versatility for real grill marks and a lid.

The current-generation Ironwood replaced the discontinued Ironwood 885 in Traeger's lineup, trading raw cooking area for a dual-wall insulated barrel, a color touchscreen, and Smart Combustion tech that owners on r/pelletgrills consistently say holds temps within a few degrees even in wind and cold. The EZ-Clean ash keg is the sleeper feature — cleanup drops from a shop-vac session to emptying a bucket. The honest knocks: at $1,800 you're paying a steep premium over a Woodridge Pro that cooks nearly as well with more space, the 500F ceiling still won't sear like a gas grill or a Weber Searwood's 600F, and Traeger's smoke profile stays on the mild side unless you lean on Super Smoke and 225F cooks. Some owners report WiFIRE connectivity drops and occasional startup temp overshoot, and the induction fan is audible. But as a set-and-forget smoker with genuinely modern controls and a 10-year warranty, it's the best-sorted mid-size Traeger yet — just know you're paying for polish, not capacity.

The Woodridge is the grill that finally retired Traeger's ancient Pro Series platform — it's the true successor to the Pro 575/780, and at $799 it undercuts them while fixing their two biggest complaints: cleanup and hopper size. You get 860 sq in (more than the old Pro 780), a 24 lb hopper with a clean-out chute, WiFIRE, a wired probe, and the same EZ-Clean ash keg as the $1,800 Ironwood, all under a 10-year warranty. Owners on r/pelletgrills call it the best value Traeger has ever shipped, with steady temps from the new digital controller. The honest trade-offs: no Super Smoke mode (that's the $1,149 Woodridge Pro), no pellet sensor or side shelf, and like every Traeger it tops out at 500F with a mild smoke profile — Camp Chef's Woodwind and the Weber Smoque both produce noticeably more smoke flavor. Early-batch owners reported some app-pairing friction and thin-ish lid steel. If you want the Traeger ecosystem without flagship pricing, this is the one to buy; if you mostly chase heavy smoke, look at the Pro trim or a competitor.

The Spirit E-210 is the compact half of Weber's best-selling gas grill family - the current Snap-Jet generation of the 2-burner that thousands of small-patio owners have run for decades. The formula hasn't changed because it works: a porcelain-enameled cookbox that won't rust through (and is warrantied for 10 years against it), cast iron grates, Flavorizer bars that turn drippings into flavor instead of flare-ups, and burners that light on the first click years in. At 48 inches wide it fits patios and townhome decks where even the 3-burner E-310 feels bulky, and the 2025 refresh added per-burner Snap-Jet ignition and Weber Works rails for accessories. The honest limits: 26,600 BTU across two burners means preheating takes a while, a hard steakhouse sear takes patience, and two burners make real indirect cooking cramped - a whole chicken works, a brisket doesn't. Owners also note the current generation's lid can drip rainwater into the grease tray if stored uncovered. Against value rivals like the Char-Broil Performance, you pay roughly double up front and get a grill that routinely outlives three of them; used Spirits famously hold resale value.

The Weber Spirit E-310 is a compact 3-burner propane gas grill and one of the best-selling backyard grills in America. The latest redesign adds Snap-Jet ignition and a more modern cart.

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 is a digital, app-controlled charcoal grill, griddle, and smoker that uses a gravity-fed charcoal hopper and a fan-driven digital controller to automate charcoal cooking. It blends real charcoal flavor with set-and-forget convenience.

The Kamado Joe Konnected Joe is an 18-inch ceramic kamado with pellet-grill convenience bolted on: a push-button electric fire starter lights the charcoal for you, and a WiFi-connected fan holds your set temperature automatically while real lump charcoal does the flavoring.

The Oklahoma Joe's Highland is the most popular entry-level traditional offset smoker, with a heavy-gauge steel cook chamber and side firebox for real wood-and-charcoal Texas-style barbecue. It's the classic stick-burner starting point. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Oklahoma Joe's Highland Classic. (2024 line refresh renamed Highland to Highland Classic (24203001); oklahomajoes.com $379.99 (reg $429.99), out of stock direct but stocked at Home Depot)

The Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital Electric Smoker is the best-selling electric smoker in the US, a vertical cabinet with digital temperature control and a side wood-chip loader. It's the simplest way to smoke meat.

The Char-Broil Performance Series 4-Burner is a budget-friendly stainless gas grill with a side burner, one of the most popular value gas grills at big-box retailers. Char-Broil targets the affordable mainstream.

The Traeger Timberline XL is Traeger's top-of-the-line flagship pellet grill, with a fully insulated double-wall body, induction side burner, and a touchscreen controller. It's aimed at serious enthusiasts.

The Char-Griller Gravity Fed 980 is a WiFi-controlled gravity charcoal grill and smoker with a 16 lb hopper, fan-driven 200-700°F range, and 980 sq in of space. It's the budget rival to Masterbuilt's Gravity Series with a triple-insulated body.

The Pit Boss Pro Series 1150 is a value-focused WiFi pellet grill sold through Lowe's, featuring a sliding Flame Broiler plate for direct-flame searing and a digital PID controller. Pit Boss is owned by Dansons. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Pit Boss Pro Series V3 1150. (Original Pro Series 1150 replaced by V2 (10576) then V3 (10980/PB1150PS3) at Lowe's; V3 sells ~$699)

The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 is a WiFi pellet grill with a reinvented Smoke Box that lets you burn wood chunks, chips, or charcoal alongside pellets for real-wood smoke flavor. It's a favorite of smoke-flavor purists.

The Weber SmokeFire EX6 is Weber's WiFi pellet grill, notable for reaching 600°F to sear and using a steep-walled firebox for direct grilling. The 2nd-gen revision fixed many early reliability issues. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Weber Searwood XL 600. (SmokeFire line discontinued 2024, replaced by Searwood; no new-stock retail, used units ~$350-700)

The PK Grills PK360 is a cast-aluminum charcoal grill and smoker with a capsule-shaped body and 4-vent airflow control for precise two-zone cooking. PK Grills makes rustproof, heirloom-quality American charcoal cookers.

The Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn is the larger, heavier-gauge sibling of the Highland, built from 2.5mm cold-rolled steel for better heat retention and more cooking capacity. It's a step up for serious offset cooks. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Classic. (Renamed Longhorn Classic (13201747-50); oklahomajoes.com $629.99 (reg $729.99), out of stock direct; also at Tractor Supply)

The Char-Griller Smokin' Champ is a barrel-style charcoal grill paired with a side firebox for offset smoking, offering large capacity at a budget price. It's a flexible, affordable charcoal grill and smoker combo.

The Yoder YS640s is a 315 lb pellet smoker welded from 10-gauge American steel in Yoder, Kansas, with the FireBoard-based ACS controller and true direct-flame grilling. On BBQ forums it's the buy-once-cry-once pellet grill.

The Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB is a full stainless 4-burner gas grill with an infrared Sizzle Zone side burner, an infrared rear rotisserie burner, and an included rotisserie kit. It's the step-up-from-Weber recommendation on r/grilling. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB (2025 generation, from $2,099). (Home Depot sells P500RSIBPSS-3 as 'Legacy Prestige 500' at $1,879 while stock lasts; 2025-gen Prestige 500 replaces it from $2,099)

The Recteq Backyard Beast 1000 is the successor to the beloved RT-700 'Bull', pairing 1,014 sq in of stainless cooking space with a dual-band WiFi PID controller and a class-leading 180-700°F temperature range that lets it sear as well as it smokes. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Recteq Backyard Beast 1200 (RT-1200BB). (RT-1000 discontinued; Backyard Beast 1200 replaces it (and the Flagship 1100) at $1,199.99, frequently on sale at $1,049.99. No verified non-Amazon rating for the discontinued RT-1000)

The Recteq Deck Boss 590 is the mid-size workhorse of Recteq's lineup, bringing the same 180-700°F WiFi PID controller and stainless build as its bigger siblings in a family-friendly 590 sq in footprint that fits comfortably on a standard deck or patio. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Recteq Deck Boss 900 (RT-900DB). (RT-590 lineage: Deck Boss 590 -> Deck Boss 800 -> Deck Boss 900 (introduced 2026) at $999.99. No verified non-Amazon rating with sufficient count for the discontinued 590)

The Green Mountain Grills Ledge Prime 2.0 is the successor to the popular Daniel Boone, a mid-size WiFi pellet grill that runs on 12V direct power and spans a wider temperature range than most rivals - from a 150°F cold-smoke setting up to a 550°F sear.