Shoppers Say These Are The Best Grills You Can Buy At Costco

The history of American barbecue goes back a long way, with links to Christopher Columbus, the Caribbean islands, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and a need to curb a feral pig population. When Columbus first journeyed to the Caribbean in the late 15th century, he found tribes on the island Hispaniola cooking meat on an open, indirect fire, using green wood to keep the heat down, so the meat could cook low and slow. The first modern grill was invented in 1952 by Weber Brothers Metal Works — and that design stood the test of time. Round with a hinged cover, standing on three legs, with a metal grate to hold the food clear of the coal.

Cut to today and the backyard grill has gone to a whole new level of tech, with multiple burners, precise temperature control, different cooking zones for sides and sauces, as well as built-in storage and grease management systems. The flipside of having a wide variety of options is that making a choice becomes slightly harder. There are so many decisions to make when it comes to choosing the best grill for your barbecue needs, starting with what your heat source should be: charcoal, wood or gas?

Costco has a wide range of grills available. So, to make your decision easier, we scrubbed through the reviews to find the best grills at Costco, according to shoppers. And what better place to start than a Weber.

The Weber Genesis C-435S Gas Grill brings together the best of two worlds: A high-quality grill with all the bells and whistles and a very good price point. The grill comes with four burners, including an extra hot sear burner to trigger the Maillard reaction to get a nice crust on meats, seafood, and vegetables. It also has a side burner, warming racks which are great for toasting burger buns, and enough space to cook 28 burgers at a time. This Costco exclusive grill costs under $1400.

The grill has a rating of 4.5 stars on the Costco website, with many positive reviews. "Replaced my 20 year old Genesis natural gas grill with this natural gas one," one poster said, adding that the first month using the grill has been awesome. "Definitely have made improvements in 2 decades!" Another shopper said that the grill was big enough for their annual block party and well constructed. "The only con is that I wish it had cast iron grates," they wrote. A shopper also referred to the Genesis C-435S as a beast. "It is well built and is stunning at the same time. I added a Weber griddle, and now it doubles as a traditional grill and a Blackstone," they wrote.

Some customers had negative things to say, particularly about the inadequate assembly instructions. "The directions came with pictures only, no words. They claimed the direction would be available soon. Not helpful when all of their customer service people were unavailable until 12 hours later," a shopper posted.

If the Weber Genesis C-435S is a beast, then what would this one qualify as? The Kirkland Signature Stone Island 12-Burner Gas Grill has six main burners, two side burners, two burners for searing, and a porcelain-coated cast iron griddle going across two burners. You get a total of 1,220 square inches of total cooking space, as well as warming racks, foldable side shelves, a pullout trash can, and a decent amount of storage. The stone swatch and high-quality aluminum finish gives it a premium vibe — which it should, considering the $3,999 price tag (further proof that Kirkland Signature isn't just a cheaper knock-off brand).

Shoppers absolutely loved this unit, with the product getting a 4.4 rating across more than 600 reviews. "Love the grill, the ceramic coating on the griddle (which is very heavy and easy to clean), and the heavy duty, nice cast iron burners on the side," one shopper wrote. Another shopper called this a pretty epic grill. "While I was skeptical of the entire system relying on one propane tank, there doesn't seem to be any issues this far," they posted. "Knobs feel big and bold, flavor bars work great and distribute heat superbly." 

If you're someone who values utility as well as looks, there's good news. Several shoppers took time to comment specifically on how gorgeous the unit was, with one calling it "highly impressive in person." 

Third on our list is this gorgeous grill from Traeger — the Ridgeline XL Pellet Grill. The cylindrical lid gives it a retro look and feel. Not only does it score high on vibes, it's also a versatile unit with a wide temperature range that allows you to grill, smoke, bake, roast, and barbecue with precision and control. It's electric-powered, comes with auto-ignition, and connects to the internet so you can track how your food is cooking using the Trager App (a great feature if you're looking to smoke meats for consistently great results).

All of this is pretty handy considering it's priced at under $1,000. The Traeger's Ridgeline XL is understandably a hit with Costco shoppers, one of whom calls it the best grill they have ever owned. "The features are super easy to use and very helpful. I may not win any BBQ competitions, but boy have I been grilling and smoking some of the best meat I have ever made!" a shopper wrote on the Costco website, where this grill has a 4.5 star rating. Another shopper refers to it as the gift that keeps on giving. "This was a Father's Day present for my husband, but the family are the ones benefiting! Grandpa got ribs, mom got tri-tip, the sons got brisket! Everything has been tender and juicy and my husband has enjoyed every minute of smoking it," they wrote.

For such a sleek-looking unit, the Pit Boss Heritage Wood Pellet Grill delivers an impressive cooking surface area of over 1,000 square inches. It connects to Wifi and bluetooth, has a broiler feature that you can use to sear your meats (or even potato skins), and comes with Pit Boss's Variable Smoke Technology (VST), which you can use to add more smoke and flavor to your food. There's also a 4.3 inch touchscreen controller for customizing settings as well as running diagnostics on the grill. This splendid unit from Pit Boss is priced at $849.99 on the Costco website.

It has an impressive 4.6-star rating, and that positivity is reflected in the reviews. "We have owned several grills, smokers, griddles etc., and I can honestly say, this is the best one yet. It doesn't hurt that it's a beautiful unit," a happy shopper said. Another added that the quality of the parts made it seem like it would last for years to come. "It's built solid, with tons of space for cooking, and it comes loaded with features you'd normally only find on high-end pellet grills — things like precise temperature control, a large hopper, and multiple cooking racks," another review said.

The one thing they had in common was that they all unequivocally recommended buying the grill, their stamp of approvals covering the full range from "we absolutely recommend this," to "if you're on the fence, go for it", and finally, "you won't regret getting this smoker, I promise!"