The Best Luxury Outdoor Grills Right Now

Some people call it summer. Others call it Grilling Season. Call it what you will, it’s here – yaaas! So, when throwing a steak (or fish, or vegetables) on the grill, which luxury grill brand is the best? Said another way: How do you grill like a boss? Our intrepid correspondent Julie Chang Murphy has tracked down the best luxury outdoor grills right now, including gas, wood-burning, design-driven and high-tech models.

While Memorial Day may be the unofficial start to outdoor cooking season, we plan on firing up the grill long before the end of May. We’re Jones-ing for the rich taste of our favorite Grilled Skirt Steak recipe. And the dudes on the Sports Desk keep repeating the phrase “Fire. Meat. Good.” Clearly, outdoor grilling is a deeply-rooted primal urge – an atavistic act.

what makes for the best luxury outdoor grill?

As with all things luxury, “best” is in the eye of the beholder. Whether it’s  luxury speakers and sound systems, headphones, and even suitcases, the question is whether your top priority is functionality, design, or the use of the latest and best technology. No worries – there’s a perfect luxury grill out there for you, no matter your Hierarchy of Need. Some of it comes down to whether you’re prepared to pay almost $30,000 for a grill.

If money is no object, there are endless choices when it comes to shopping for outdoor grills.  There are smokers, gas grills, charcoal/wood grills, hybrid grills, kamado, infrared, rotisserie, smart grills and more.

Here are 11 of the best luxury outdoor grills – including one that operates by voice command, and another that can reach up to 1000°! Whether it’s the Hamptons, the Vineyard, Nantucket, or a chic rooftop terrace, these will all expertly get the job done as the temperatures heat up. Toss the toys into the pool, and you’ve got yourself a party.

the best luxury outdoor grills right now

Functional Stand-outs:

1. Viking

Viking may best be known for their restaurant quality stoves for the home, but their outdoor grills are equally deserving of attention.  As with their stoves, Viking’s commercial-style construction, design and styling appeal to home chefs channeling their inner Gordon Ramsay. So whether you’re looking to grill, smoke or cook on a rotisserie, the brand has you covered.

The grills come with summer entertaining-friendly options like warming drawers to keep food hot after it comes off the fire. The best-known model is the Viking Professional 5 Series, which comes in four different sizes. It’s a powerhouse of 25,000 BTU stainless steel grill burners, and comes with a heavy-duty rotisserie that can easily handle any grilling challenge – from seared tuna fillets to 25-lb. smoked turkeys.  We also love that it comes in both built-in and portable versions (so you can keep using it during fall tail-gating season). There are also both natural gas and propane options. Prices range from $4,000 – 5,200 (or more, depending on size and add-ons).

2. Fire Magic

Fire Magic delivers just what its name implies. Founded in 1937, the company has created grills that suit the needs of even the most demanding customers. An added plus? All of the brand’s grills are manufactured in the US.

With sleek lines, a unique contoured face and state-of-the-art features such as hot surface ignition and blue back-lit knobs, the brand’s Echelon Diamond embodies true luxury grilling.  Each grill in this line features a charcoal smoker basket and heat zone separators between each burner. Plus a flavor grid and a cooking grid to allow grilling of an assortment of foods at different temperatures simultaneously. There’s also an optional see-through window so that you can monitor you grilling without letting any of the heat escape – a cool feature we found only from Fire Magic. The Echelon Diamond comes in three different sizes – all of which are available in built-in and portable options. Prices range from $5,000 – 6,000 (or more, depending on size and add-ons).

3. Napoleon

Napoleon’s Prestige PRO™ 825 with Power Side Burner and Infrared Rear and Bottom Burners is spacious enough to cook for a crowd. It also provides many different ways to cook, making it one of the best luxury outdoor grills on the market. It’s really a complete outdoor kitchen that enables you to sear over high heat, bake and roast using indirect heat, and use the rear burner for rotisserie meals. You can even turn the grill into a smoker with the integrated smoker tube and dedicated smoker burner.

The secondary head features two ceramic infrared burners that reach high heat in seconds, ideal for searing restaurant quality steaks, or a quick meal for a couple of friends. You’ll know it’s a Napoleon with the iconic wave cooking grids for those distinctive sear marks. $4,799

4. Alfresco

As one of the first companies to embrace the idea of the “open air kitchen,” Alfresco knows luxury. Having designed outdoor kitchens for the likes of Derek Jeter – and garnered endorsements from the likes of Jean George, Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck – this is a brand that actually lives up to the hype.

All Alfresco grills feature titanium burners able to withstand harsh climates because they’re made of commercial-quality stainless steel. If you want to grill year-round, no matter where you live, this grill’s for you. The ALXE Grill comes in 4 different sizes, each available in both built-in and cart styles. The top-of-the-line 56” size is available in a Deluxe Model that includes a sear zone, rotisserie and side burner. Each of the brand’s grills have stainless steel main burners producing 82,500 BTUs. And a smoker system with a dedicated burner and a drawer for wood chunks. Prices can go as high as $14,500 for the largest-size ALXE grill, fully loaded.

Design-Driven Models:

5. Twin Eagles

Twin Eagles creates sleek, luxurious and meticulously-engineered grills that are as beautiful as they are high-performance. Developed by award-winning gas engineer Dante Cantal, this line of grills provides high temperatures using less gas due to its hexagonal grates – which also produce restaurant-style sear marks – bonus! High shine finishes, halogen interior lighting and LED control knobs complete the luxury finishes on their line of built-in and freestanding grills.

We especially love the Grill Hood Assist System that makes it easier for you to open and close the hood by reducing the weight load with hidden extension springs. Because let’s face it, a heavy duty grill means that all of its parts are, well, heavy. Prices range from $4,000 – 6,000 (or more, depending on size and add-ons).

6. Komodo Kamado

In recent years, Americans have discovered kamado style cookers. These cookers have a rich history – they’re descended from a style of clay pot cooking from nearly 4,000 years ago. Today, kamado grills are typically egg-shaped domed cookers made with a very high-tech approach. The Komodo Kamado is made with ceramic developed for NASA. It will hold temperatures to within a couple of degrees for hours, and will run for 3 days on one load of charcoal.

Using 100% stainless steel components to eliminate long term corrosion, the Komodo Kamado comes in seven sizes, ranging from tabletop to a 42” style aptly called Serious Big Bad. This grill is a 1,200-pound giant that can hold an entire pig. Are you kidding us??? Clad with mosaic tiles, these eye catching grills are available in a wide range of jewel-like finishes. Prices for the Serious Big Bad range from $9,200 – 9,500, depending upon the exterior finish.

7. Grillworks

Argentinian asado-style fire cooking has also become trendier in the US recently. This style of grilling requires heavy-duty steel grills with wheels – and chains for raising and lowering heavy grates – that burn hardwood. If you’re looking for this style of grill, look no further than GrillWorks. Their grills are gorgeous, and are used by restaurants and chefs around the world.  The company has a line-up of eight residential models, but also offers custom-made grills. The brand only produces a few hundred grills per year, by hand at its headquarters in Michigan.  Whatever you do, just don’t ask them to build you a gas-powered grill!

The GrillWorks 20 was the first grill made by the company in 1978 and to this day is still one of their most popular models. Though very simple in style, these are the premier wood-fired luxury grills used by many home gourmets, professional chefs and kitchen designers. Prices range from $3,500 for the GrillWorks 20 to to $13,775 for the top-of-the-line GrillWorks Dual 54 “CRE”.

8. Hestan

California-based Hestan is legendary for its professional kitchen innovations. Expect a lot of oohs and ahhs from your guests. The first thing you notice about their outdoor grill line are their custom designer colors, 12 in all, ranging from Citra (an effervescent orange hue) to Lush (a sophisticated dark plum) to Bora Bora (a tropical blue). They’re really gorgeous to look at.

But these colorful grills also deliver high-performance power with superior-grade construction, easy maneuverability and plenty of work space for food prep. The heavy-duty Horizon Hood opens easily and holds place at the desired height for easy access. Grilling at night? Not a problem with Halogen Stadium Lights that illuminate your entire cooking area. The built-in whisper-quiet rotisserie adds even more options for those summer soirées. $10,888

High Tech Grills of the Future:

9. Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo grills are the Rolls Royce – or perhaps the Tesla – of the grilling world.  The brand is the leader in hybrid grilling technology, with a product line allows you to cook with any combination of gas, charcoal or wood, with grilling drawers that slide in above the burners.  Kalamazoo also offers personalized grilling surfaces, allowing you to combine patterns for meat, fish, vegetables, and hibachi. You can even add your initials to the pattern.

Each Hybrid Fire Grill is hand-built in Michigan, and signed inside the hood by the people who constructed it.  The midsize Hybrid Model has three burners that produce a staggering 75,000 BTUs and can sear at 1,000°, making it one of the most powerful grills on our list. It’s available as a built-in or a free-standing grill. Prices range from $15,000 – $28,300 (depending on size and add-ons).

10. DCS Grills

DCS Grills recognizes that the best and most passionate chefs in the world aren’t always found in restaurants; sometimes they’re in home kitchens. So they’ve set about building one of the best luxury outdoor grills. All of the brand’s grills are hand-finished and built to withstand the demands of outdoor cooking in all seasons. In addition to great features like infrared rotisserie burners and charcoal smoker trays, the company’s Series 9 grills are also packed with lots of extra features. They include intuitive grill lighting (the dials glow white when the grill is on and orange when the gas and grill are working); radiant-heat ceramic briquettes; and clever storage spaces for tools and accessories.

The Series 9 grill is extremely powerful, and allows you to use the entire cooking surface to sear as high as 950° with three 25,000 BTU burners. DCS promises that it delivers “beauty, brains and brawn.” Prices range from $6,000 – 8,000 for the 48-inch free-standing model.

11. Lynx

Since its launch, Lynx has set the standard for design, innovation and engineering excellence. Lynx offers one of the coolest features we have come across so far with its Smart Series grills. These grills feature an automated cooking system via the MyChef operating system. MyChef monitors cooking times and temperatures and allows you to do “automated cooking,” either from your smartphone or by using voice command.

Smart Series grills also have a learning algorithm that learns how you prefer your food cooked  – over time, it will automatically dial in the grill to get the food to your preferred temperature. Cool. The Smart Series is available in four models (including a smoker style), both built-in and freestanding in a range of sizes. Prices range from $2,500 – 8,500 for the Smart Series (depending on size and add-ons).

the best luxury outdoor grills right now

That’s our round-up of the best luxury outdoor grills on the market right now, best luxury outdoor grills right now, including gas, wood-burning, design-driven and high-tech models. We’re thinking that any one of these would make for the perfect Father’s Day gift for the grilling maven in your life. They get the grill of their dreams, and you get delicious meals all summer long. Win-win!

Which one is on your list? Did we miss anything? Whichever one you go for, save us a burger. We’re on our way over now. And yes, we’ve got the beer.

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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, and fitness. Julie lives in New York where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing. And spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.

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