Best Outdoor Electric Grill: Weber, Char-Broil, & Techwood
When most people think of outdoor grills they only consider charcoal or propane variants, but there’s another option that’s becoming more popular. The best outdoor electric grill easily rivals the other grills because these models are convenient, don’t need extra resources (no more buying and storing propane or charcoal), and many of them work both indoors and outdoors. Not only that, but they give you the same delicious grill marks that you demand from a grill.
We’re going to cover the top outdoor electric grills to show you which is best. We’ve also included a buyer’s guide to ensure that you know which factors to consider when getting an electric grill.
Outdoor Electric Grill Buyer’s Guide
Maximum Temperature: Any grill, whether it be electric or any other medium, must reach an adequate temperature to give you delicious grill marks. You should look for outdoor electric grills that reach at least 400F, but 450-500F is even better. This ensures they cook veggies and proteins quickly while giving you the grill marks and coating that you love.
Cord Length: A limitation of these grills is that they must be plugged in. Make sure that the cord length is long enough to reach the nearest port in your backyard. While extension cords might seem like a smart idea, it’s best to avoid them if at all possible for safety reasons.
Controls: Electric grills often have better controls than other grills because you can set the exact temperature. However, be sure to check the controls to ensure they fit your needs. Some people prefer advanced controls while others like a simple dial.
Legs: Most outdoor grills have legs or a cart to stand on, but that may not be true for electric grills. Some are like traditional grills and can easily stand on their own. Others are meant to sit on a flat surface like a table. Make sure to check this and choose the best one for your needs.
Cooking Surface: You’ll need a large cooking surface, especially if you’re grilling for the whole family or a party. Be sure to check this to ensure that the grill is large enough for your needs. Simply consider how many burgers, dogs, steaks, or chicken breasts you need to grill at once.
George Foreman Indoor Outdoor Electric Grill
This is currently the most popular outdoor electric grill as it’s simple to use, looks like a charcoal grill, has a large cooking surface, and comes the George Foreman features you expect at a good price. You can also use this grill inside, but it might be a little large on your countertop.
Speaking of large, this has a big cooking surface of 240sq. Inches. That’s enough for 12-15 servings depending on what you’re making. You’ll have no problem fitting steak, burgers, dogs, and more all in one sitting. Plus, it cooks quickly. It shouldn’t be long before you have delicious food ready for everyone.
The circular grill grate has a tough nonstick coating that’s dishwasher safe when it’s time to clean up. The drip tray is also easy to clean.
Like most other George Foreman grills, this one has a simple temperature dial that you can adjust. The settings go from 0-5 with 5 indicating the highest heat. One issue we have with these grills (this is common for George Foremans) is that they don’t tell you what 5 indicates. It seems to be around 400-450F, but they don’t say. That being said, it still cooks quickly and efficiently, it would just be nice to know exactly how hot the grill gets.
This model comes with a stand so that you can place it anywhere. The stand is collapsible for easy storage. It only takes a few seconds to set up and to connect the grill.
Overall, this is currently the most popular outdoor grill and it’s easy to see why. It’s easy to use, simple to clean, and offers a large cooking space.
Check Price: George Foreman Outdoor ->
Char-Broil Electric Outdoor Grill
While Char-Broil grills are obviously best known for charcoal grills (just look at the name), they have stepped into other grill markets to give people a comprehensive line of models to suit your needs. Not only do they offer an electric grill, but it’s easily one of the best on the market. It looks and functions nearly like a charcoal grill. The only major difference is the power cord sticking out from the side.
This is a large grill with a combined 320 sq inches of cooking space. We say combined because the main cooking space is a 240 sq inch grill that’s nonstick, porcelain-coated and delivers grill marks quickly and efficiently. There’s also an 80 sq inch raised grate. This is great for veggies that need less heat to cook, or a place to warm food after it’s done cooking.
The Char-Broil electric grill uses TRU-Infared technology to evenly cook food. Not only that, but the heat penetrates deeper and faster to ensure your food is cooked in just minutes. The grill is largely enough for 10-12 burgers, giving you plenty of space to cook anything you need.
Much like the George Foreman, this has a dial for controlling the temperature. The maximum temperature is around 550F. This is ideal for searing and getting a fantastic crust on your proteins.
If you want a strong electric grill with lots of space, then the Char-Broil model is ideal. Not only that, but it cooks quickly and tastes the same as cooking with any other outdoor grill.
Check Price: Char-Broil Electric Grill ->
Techwood Indoor and Outdoor Electric Grill
The Techwood grill looks a lot like the Char-Broil one. It takes that classic charcoal grill aesthetic, but it’s powered by electricity. This gives you the consistent heat and convenience of an electric grill with a classic aesthetic.
This grill includes a large 15+ serving cooking space of 240 sq inches. You can easily cook burgers, dogs, chicken, and more while having enough room for everyone. There’s also a foldable warming rack to place food. The only caution we give is that the warming rack isn’t stable with heavier ingredients, so we suggest only placing lighter items here.
The temperature dial allows you to select the right temperature for your needs with the maximum temperature being around 500F. This ensures that you can cook any proteins or veggies with ease. The entire cooking surface heats evenly, so no hot spots like with traditional grills.
This grill comes with a stand so that you can place it anywhere (as long as the cord can be plugged in). Not only that, but you can remove it from the stand and use the grill inside if you’d like. This ensures that you can cook anywhere with ease.
The stainless steel grill grate is simple to remove for cleaning. You can also control the heat and smoke by using the durable lid as needed. Assembling the grill only takes minutes and soon you can enjoy grilled food inside or outside.
If you liked the Char-Broil grill but wanted a stainless steel grate (which is more common with other grill types), then Techwood might be right for you. Either way, this is a fantastic grill with a large cooking area that can serve up to 15 people.
Check Price: Techwood Electric Grill ->
Weber Q1400 Electric Grill
This durable outdoor electric grill is made with a strong glass-reinforced nylon frame, cast aluminum body and lid, and durable cast-iron, porcelain-coated cooking grates. This grill is meant to last and will effortlessly grill proteins and veggies for a long time to come. Not only that, but it easily transitions from outdoor to indoor cooking.
The cooking grates are removable for easy cleaning when you’re finished serving your family or guests. Simply let them soak and clean them by hand. No assembly is required for this grill. Just take it out of the box, connect the power cord, and start cooking.
The cooking space is 189 sq inches, which is enough for about 6 burgers. Unlike most of the other grills here, this one doesn’t come with a stand, so you’ll have to find a table or similar surface to place it. Some people might actually like this as it makes the grill a little more portable and better for indoor cooking.
Controlling the temperature is simple with the included dial. Just turn it to either increase or decrease the temperature. It may not look it, but this grill is the hottest here and can reach a maximum temperature of 600F. That’s more than enough for any ingredients.
If you’re looking for a portable, hot, efficient grill, then the Weber Q1400 is one of the best out electric grills that you can get.
Final Thoughts
The best outdoor electric grills are just as durable and efficient as charcoal or propane grills, and all of these deliver. Not only do they offer lots of features, but most of them can be used inside and also offer consistent, even heat that no other grill can rival. Choose the one that best suits your needs and see how great electric grills work.
