Before You Spend the Money
Six questions about how you actually cook — not how you imagine you'll cook — and a straight answer, with the cooking area and BTU range to shop for.
Your answers score each fuel type on the things that actually decide whether you'll enjoy owning it: how fast it's ready, how hot it gets, how much attention it wants, and how it handles a long cook. The type that wins is the one that fits the way you already cook — the biggest reason people end up disappointed is buying for the cooking they aspire to rather than the Tuesday-night reality.
Sizing uses the retail standard of about 72 square inches of primary cooking surface per person, with a more comfortable target near 100, which leaves room to run a hot zone and a cool zone instead of cramming everything edge to edge (BBQGuys gas grill buying guide).
For gas, the number worth checking isn't total BTU — it's BTU per square inch of the primary grate. Industry guidance lands around 75–100 BTU per square inch; below that a grill struggles to sear, and far above it usually means a manufacturer chasing a spec-sheet headline (Barbeques Galore). Note that most brands advertise a "total cooking area" that includes the warming rack. Shop the primary grate number.
Price bands are approximate US street prices for 2026 and move with the season — treat them as a sanity check on what a given type and size should cost, not a quote. The cheapest window of the year is late September through October, when retailers clear floor models.