The New York Times - Get your grill on

If you’re buying a grill, your first decision is fuel type. Propane or natural gas are probably better choices if you favor no-fuss cooking or you grill often. If you’re an occasional griller or you enjoy getting hands-on with your cooking, charcoal is an economical choice that, with a bit of practice, produces great, smoky-flavored results.

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Whatever you choose, make sure to give it a good clean before you cook on it.

We recommend the Weber Spirit II E-310. No other gas grill matches its combination of exceptional performance, usability, durability, and value.

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(Also, the slightly sleeker version of this grill, the Weber Genesis E-325s, is $100 off right now. This is the first time we’ve ever seen it on sale!) 

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Keep on grilling→

We recommend the Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″, the most versatile, most user-friendly, and best-performing charcoal grill we’ve tested.

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While you’re at it, we have recommendations for charcoal, too.

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Get a little smoky→

Portable grills aren’t just great for toting to a campground, park, or tailgate. If you don’t have the space or budget for a full-size grill, they are a solid option for your backyard or apartment balcony.

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For small-space grilling→

Spend more time chatting with your buddies and less time finding the right tool for flipping, scraping, brushing, and testing doneness. These are the best grill tools to keep on hand—from tongs to thermometers to chimney starters.

Get these before summer→

In the latest round of grill-related testing, we gathered food and cooking experts from Wirecutter and The New York Times to combine forces at a backyard-grilling boot camp.

Over the course of four days, we tested tools while cooking more than 100 burgers, 20 chickens, and 10 pounds of vegetables on nine different grills. We discussed the usability, quality, durability, and price of every tool, and we are confident that our picks will be top performers throughout the grilling season.

Get ready: Your grill-master reputation is about to skyrocket.