The Best Gas Grills for Memorial Day 2026, by Backyard Type

Memorial Day 2026 is Monday, May 25 — twenty days from publication. If you're buying a gas grill this year, this is the buying window. The picks below are pulled directly from Gavler's community-ranked Best Gas Grills list, sorted by the kind of backyard each one is built for.

Memorial Day is the cleanest gas-grill deal window of the first half of the year, and the structural reason is simple: grill brands stocked their channel for the season, and retailers need to move freestanding inventory before July. Per Wirecutter's 2026 grill guide, the four-burner Weber Spirit E-425 is the consensus best overall pick at $679, and Weber is currently running $100 off Genesis grills directly through May 12 — a promo that overlaps the lead-up to Memorial Day rather than competing with it.

A few realities to set expectations. The headline discounts on Memorial Day weekend tend to be 15-30% off, per DealNews, with Home Depot's official Memorial Day Grill Sale running May 14-27. Watch out for "original price" inflation — some retailers raise list prices in the weeks before the sale to make the percentage off look bigger. Compare against the actual selling price over the past 30-60 days, not the marked-up sticker. And don't wait past Memorial Day weekend itself; the deepest stock-clearing happens between Thursday May 21 and the Monday holiday.

Below are five picks for five different backyards, with the live community ranking on Gavler's Best Gas Grills list.

For the Sweet-Spot Buyer (~$679) — Weber Spirit E-425

The default recommendation for most buyers. Four burners, a dedicated sear zone, 35,000 BTU across a 424-square-inch primary cooking area, and Weber's full 10-year warranty in a footprint small enough to fit a normal townhouse patio. Wirecutter's 2026 testing notes call out the E-425 as "the most consistent when cooking at both high and low temperatures, turning out satisfyingly seared beef, crisply roasted whole chicken, and delicately charred eggplant." Tom's Guide reaches the same conclusion in their separate Spirit EP-425 review.

The pitch is simple: this is the grill that does everything a household needs without overspending. The sear zone gives you usable steakhouse heat without paying for a dedicated infrared burner. Four burners means real two-zone cooking. The warranty and Weber's parts ecosystem mean it stays serviceable for a decade. If you don't have a specific reason to spend more, this is the answer.

For the Year-Round Griller (~$1,199) — Weber Genesis E-335

The upgrade pick for households that grill weekly or cook for more than four people. The Genesis E-335 gives you 513 square inches of primary cooking area (versus the Spirit E-425's 424), a 9,000 BTU dedicated sear burner, a 12,000 BTU side burner powerful enough to actually saute a sauce on, and PureBlu tapered main burners that produce more even heat front-to-back. AmazingRibs calls the new EPX-335 line "in many ways, the best Genesis lineup yet." Construction is heavier-gauge steel throughout — the Genesis lasts longer and looks better doing it.

The reason to spend the extra $520 over the Spirit E-425 is roughly twofold: cooking surface (you can host eight people without juggling a second cook) and structural longevity (the Genesis is built to a workmanlike 15-year standard rather than the Spirit's 10). Weber's $100-off promotion runs through May 12, which makes the buying math meaningfully better if you can decide quickly.

For the Steak Cook (~$1,499-$1,879) — Broil King Regal S590 Pro IR or Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB

The infrared-sear pick for buyers who grill protein more than vegetables. The Broil King Regal S590 Pro IR runs five burners across 875 total square inches, with a 1,700°F infrared side burner and a rotisserie kit included in the box. Consumer Reports and BBQGuys both rank it as the most-recommended model in the Regal lineup — the value pick of the premium tier. The 9mm cooking grates are among the heaviest in the industry, which translates to the kind of dark, even sear marks that home grills usually can't produce.

The Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB ($1,879) is the alternate pick at this tier — fewer burners (four), but the 14,000 BTU ceramic infrared Sizzle Zone hits 1,800°F in roughly 30 seconds and includes an adjustable cooking grate that raises and lowers for searing or wok cooking. Per AmazingRibs' Prestige 500 RSIB review, the Sizzle Zone is "direct heat onto the food, not the air around it" — the right tool for restaurant-quality steak crusts. Choose the Broil King if rotisserie matters and you want the larger cooking area; choose the Napoleon if the infrared experience is the headline reason you're upgrading.

For the Outdoor Kitchen (~$1,599-$2,899) — Bull Outdoor Angus 30" or Coyote C-Series

The built-in pick for permanent installations. The Bull Outdoor Angus 30" is the consensus drop-in head for residential outdoor kitchens — 75,000 BTU across four burners plus a 15,000 BTU rear infrared rotisserie burner, built from 16-gauge 304 stainless with a lifetime firebox-and-burner warranty that no freestanding grill matches. The Coyote C-Series 28" 2-Burner ($1,599) is the entry-tier built-in for a smaller installation, with hand-welded firebox construction and dual cast Infinity burners.

The reality of the built-in tier: if you're building an outdoor kitchen, you've already decided you're spending. The decision isn't price, it's whether you want the flagship spec sheet (Bull Angus, four burners, lifetime warranty) or the smaller-footprint two-burner head (Coyote C-Series) that fits a more compact island. Memorial Day discounting on built-in heads is generally lighter than freestanding — these aren't volume products — so don't expect the same 25% off you'll see on Spirit and Genesis cart models.

For the Budget Buyer (~$329-$579) — Char-Broil Performance 475 or Weber Spirit E-310

The under-$600 picks where the choice is real. The Weber Spirit E-310 at $579 is the cheapest credible Weber — three burners, 30,000 BTU, the same 10-year warranty as the rest of the Spirit line. The Char-Broil Performance 475 at $463 is the best non-Weber budget grill on the list — four burners, 36,000 BTU, side burner, electronic ignition, and a solidly built cart that punches above its price tier. The Monument Grills Mesa 4-Burner ($329) is the rock-bottom pick — adequate for a renter or a starter grill, but not built to the same longevity standard as the Spirit or Char-Broil.

The honest framing: under $600, you're buying for three to five seasons of use, not a decade. The Weber Spirit E-310 will outlast the Char-Broil by roughly that ratio — if you can stretch to $579, the Weber is the better buying math. If $463 is the firm ceiling, the Char-Broil 475 is the right call. Skip the Monument unless you have a specific reason to limit yourself to $329.

When the Memorial Day Math Actually Works

For most buyers, the cleanest sequence in 2026 looks like this. The Weber Genesis E-335 with the active $100-off promo running through May 12 lands at $1,099 — that's the right buy if you're stretching to the year-round-griller tier. The Weber Spirit E-425 at $679 is the no-brainer for everyone else; expect Home Depot, Lowe's, and Ace Hardware to discount it by $50-100 during the May 14-27 Memorial Day window, but be aware that Spirit pricing is structurally less aggressive than the Genesis line. The Broil King Regal S590 Pro IR at $1,499 typically holds list price through Memorial Day; the better deals on that model land at end-of-season clearance in August-September.

Two anti-patterns worth avoiding. Don't chase a "doorbuster" no-name brand on a six-burner cart for $399 — those grills are built to a 12-month standard and reach end-of-life well inside their warranty period. And don't wait for "the perfect price" on Weber Spirit or Genesis stock; those models discount predictably but not deeply, and a $50 hold-out can cost you the model in your size if Memorial Day stock runs out.

For the full community-ranked picks across freestanding, premium, built-in, and budget tiers, head to Gavler's Best Gas Grills list. If you're in the lawn-care half of the Memorial Day prep cycle, the Best Lawn Mowers 2026 Brief is the companion piece for buyers shopping the same weekend.

Common Questions

When is the best time to buy a gas grill in 2026?

Memorial Day weekend (May 23-25) is the cleanest mid-year deal window — most retailers run 15-30% off through their Memorial Day promo cycles. Home Depot's Memorial Day Grill Sale is officially May 14-27, 2026, and Weber is running $100 off Genesis grills directly on weber.com through May 12. The Thursday-through-Saturday window before the holiday tends to combine the best stock with the deepest pricing. Wait past Memorial Day only if you can hold out for August-September clearance, when retailers cut deeper on prior-year stock to free up floor space.

What is the best overall gas grill for most buyers in 2026?

The Weber Spirit E-425 at $679 is Wirecutter's top pick for 2026 and the consensus sweet-spot recommendation across reviewers. Four burners, a dedicated sear zone, Weber's 10-year warranty, and a footprint that fits a normal patio. It's the grill most buyers should buy unless they have a specific reason to spend more — which usually means they want infrared searing, a built-in installation, or a larger cooking surface for entertaining.

Is a Weber Genesis worth the upgrade over a Weber Spirit?

Yes if you grill year-round or cook for more than four people regularly. The Genesis E-335 ($1,199) gives you a meaningfully larger cooking area (513 sq in vs the Spirit's 424), a more powerful 12,000 BTU side burner, PureBlu tapered burners with better edge-to-edge heat distribution, and heavier-gauge steel construction throughout. If you grill twice a month for a small household, the Spirit E-425 is the better buy. If grilling is a primary cooking method, the Genesis pays back the difference in build quality alone.

Should I buy an infrared sear burner?

Only if you cook steaks, chops, or seared scallops more than once a week. Infrared sear burners hit 1,700-1,800°F in 30 seconds — a temperature regular gas burners can't reach — and put a steakhouse crust on protein in under two minutes. The Napoleon Prestige 500 RSIB and Broil King Regal S590 Pro IR both deliver this. If your weekly cookout is mostly burgers, chicken, and vegetables, a standard gas burner sears those just fine and the infrared upgrade is overkill.

Is Memorial Day actually the best grill sale of the year?

It's the best mid-year sale, but not the absolute deepest of the calendar. End-of-season clearance in August and September typically beats Memorial Day on raw percentage off — retailers need floor space for fall stock and discount aggressively. The trade-off: by August, the model you wanted may be sold out, and you've missed three months of grilling on it. Memorial Day is the right call if you want to use the grill this summer; September is the right call if you're willing to wait a year to use it.