Welcome to GrillFinder.com!

So, about three years ago, you splurged and dropped between $300 and $800 on a brand-new gas grill, probably at Home Depot or Lowe’s or some other mass retailer. You brought the grill home, assembled it and fired it up. It worked great, except you didn’t get quite the results you desired. “More practice with this grill,” you said, thinking that all you really needed was to develop “the right touch.”

After the last couple of years, however, you learned that the grill does not get hot enough to sear your steaks “just right.” You begin to look for more BTU’s, thinking that more is better, right? You find more BTU’s, but in much larger grills. You don’t need that size; what you want is the same size with more BTU’s. You end up more confused than before. “How do you measure this? Where are my answers? Where do I learn?”

I am here to answer these questions, and more.

My motivation for this site is to clear up some of the misconceptions and deceptions within the gas grill industry, define what to really look for in a gas grill, and to recommend what my research and experience defines as the “superior” products to purchase -- to give you an edge when you shop for your new grill. Here is an example of a report by a company (that will go unnamed) on one grill from this year’s crop:

Size: Large Burners: 6 Cooking grid material: Stainless steel Ignition: Electronic Rotisserie: Yes Side shelf: Plastic Side burner: Yes Fuel gauge: Yes Natural gas conversion available: Yes Propane tank included: Yes Wheels and casters: 2 wheels/2 casters

OK. So this tells you just about everything you ever needed to know before you dropped 1,800 dead presidents on a Weber Summit Gold D, doesn’t it? Size: Large?? What’s that? What about the rest of this grill? What type of side burner does this unit have? What type of casters-- plastic or industrial weight? How much does the gas conversion kit cost? Weber charges an astronomical $350 for a LP/NG conversion kit -- but does anyone else tell you this? Nope. Not at all.

But I do. You worked hard for that money; it’s best to let your money work for you instead of the other way around. You need better information than what’s above in order to make an educated purchase, to avoid being taken in by hustling salesmen who are more than willing to sell you the units that they make more commission on rather than selling you a grill that meets your needs.

This site is wholly owned and operated by me, Gary Petersen. I have been in the gas grill field for over 25 years, both as a sales/marketing rep and as a product design consultant, and I currently reside in greater San Jose, California.

I will let you examine the results and make your own decisions; in my mind, the best single thing you can do is have all of the facts before you purchase: you’ll have a grill that suits your needs and performs to your objectives, and you’ll be much, much happier.

How I do what I do:

Each year, I attend the HPBA and other shows and test the latest grills in the industry, and I report here what I find.

I evaluate size, cooking surface, burners and fuel type, and maintenance. I have cooked on each grill that I review on this site (not necessarily all sizes for the same grill, however -- for the most part, you can extrapolate the results by looking over the specifications from one grill to another within the same brand). I verify the manufacturers’ claims about their products. I compare features, assets and deficits, warranties and more. I measure these factors along with the manufacturers’ integrity to factor out the best appliance for you, the consumer, to purchase. To make it easy, I have created handy comparison charts (coming soon) to guide you in your hunt for “the perfect grill.”

So, grill hunters all, take the facts with you when you go to purchase. Know what you are dealing with when you talk to that fast-paced salesman with the pitch. You’ll be glad you did.

Have more questions? Check out my FAQ page. By the way, this site will grow and expand over time, so if there is something here that you don’t see that you’d like to know more about, just drop me an email and let me know; I’ll do my level best to address the issue for you.

I sincerely hope that this site answers your questions and guides you to a satisfying purchase. If you have questions or comments please feel free to e-mail me at: gary@grillfinder.com