You’re in the process of finalizing the details of your outdoor kitchen design… And it’s come time to choose what built-in grill you want!
It’s a heavy decision. After all, this will be the grill you use for years to come!
And when it comes to built-in charcoal grills… There are quite a few options out there. (Enough to make your head spin!)
So, how do you sort out all the noise?
Fret not. We’ll do the sorting for you!
This blog will detail the main purchasing considerations, the best built-in charcoal grills, and built-in charcoal grill reviews.
From there, you should be well on your way to buying your ideal grill.
So let’s begin!
Considerations When Shopping for a Built In Charcoal Grill
As we alluded to in the introduction… Selecting a built-in charcoal grill is not a light decision!
These are the three things to keep top of mind before you throw down some cash.
Charcoal Grill Materials
In our minds, choosing a high quality built-in grill is the most important consideration on the list.
After all, if your charcoal grill isn’t built to last… Everything else doesn’t matter much, does it?
Thankfully, figuring out the difference between a good material and a bad material is quite simple.
We always recommend seeking out a built-in grill made from 304 stainless steel.
If it’s constructed from 304 stainless steel from top to bottom… You’re getting superior corrosion and rust resistance.
So if you live in a coastal or freeze thaw climate… You don’t have to worry about your grill crumbling in a few years.
If you want extra insurance, you could also opt for a marine grade (316 grade) stainless steel. This provides even more corrosion resistance, but will come at a significantly higher cost.
So… What materials should you avoid?
Everything else! Powder coated steel, 430 stainless steel, and aluminum will come in at a lower cost… But simply won’t last the long haul.
For peace of mind and maximum longevity, stick with 304 stainless steel.
Beyond that… What are some other considerations for your built-in charcoal grill?
Want to bring your idea to life?
Charcoal Grill Built-In Features
If the materials on the grill you’re interested in checks out… Next, you’ll want to review the included features!
When it comes to charcoal grills, temperature control is important! Consider how well your potential grill accomplishes this. (This typically refers to airflow control.)
The easier it is to control the temperature… The easier it is to ensure your proteins are cooked to perfection.
Same goes with ease of cleaning. Are the charcoal trays easy to remove to clean out ashes?
It may seem like a small thing… But the more time you save cleaning, the more time you gain for grilling!
There’s also the more flashy features to consider.
Although most built-in charcoal grills keep it simple in this department… Some options can be equipped with a rotisserie kit or other accessories.
These are often available for purchase separately… So don’t let it weigh too heavily on your final decision!
Charcoal Built-In Grill Sizes
In this case… Size matters!
Your grill should be the appropriate size for your needs.
If you’re only going to be cooking for yourself and/or your spouse… A 28”, 30” or even 32” grill will offer plenty of space!
But if you plan to host parties or other large gatherings… You’ll want to bump that size up to a 36”+ grill.
Even if larger gatherings only occur a few times a year… It’s still worth bumping your grill up to a bigger size.
It may seem like overkill now, but you’ll thank yourself later!
If your built-in charcoal grill is checking all the boxes so far… There’s one last box to fill.
Charcoal Grills Built-In Warranty
Just like materials… Selecting a charcoal grill with a subpar warranty is a risky move.
Even if you choose a grill that’s perfect on paper… Things can go wrong.
And if they do, you want to know that you’re covered.
There’s nothing more frustrating than being on the hook for fixing something that isn’t your fault!
Seeking a good warranty is the best way to keep your investment secured.
A high quality BBQ grill should come with a lifetime warranty. This is the standard to seek out!
The shorter your warranty… The less confident you can be that your grill is truly built to last.
A company that offers a superb warranty stands by their product. Therefore, you know you’ll be taken care of in the off chance things go awry.
Alright. Now that you know what to look for, let’s take a peek at some charcoal grills!
Best Built In Charcoal Grill Brands
To help guide you in your research… We’ve compiled some of the most popular built-in charcoal grills out there!
Once you’re through the list… You should have a good idea of where your tastes lie!
Blaze 32” Charcoal BBQ Grill (BLZ-4-CHAR)
Product Highlights
Cooking Area: 550 square inches
Materials: 304 Stainless Steel
Warranty: Lifetime for stainless steel housing and cooking grids, 1 year for any other components
Price: $1,619.00
PROS
- Complete 304 stainless steel construction
- Adjustable vents for regulating airflow
- Lifetime warranty
CONS
- Lifting the grill grates to add in more charcoal can be finicky
- Single size option may be limiting
- Warming rack may be missed by some grillers
Blaze is one of the most prominent grill manufacturers out there… So it’s no surprise they also have a popular built-in charcoal grill!
This 32” grill boasts a 550 square inch cooking area. This translates to space for 20 burgers on the grill.
Blaze’s heavy-duty grill features complete 304 stainless steel construction… And a double-walled hood!
The Blaze 32” charcoal grill also features an adjustable charcoal tray. This allows you to raise or lower the briquettes as needed.
There’s also adjustable vents in the back for airflow.
And should you need to throw in a few more briquettes while cooking… Each grill grate can hook to the back of the grill. This lifts them out of your way while you add more charcoal.
Blaze offers a lifetime warranty on the stainless steel housing and cooking grids. Any other components are covered for the period of one year.
Currently, this model is listed for $1,619.00 on Amazon.
Fire Magic Built in BBQ Charcoal Grill
Product Highlights
Cooking Area: 432 sq inches for 24″ charcoal grills and 540 sq inches for 30″ charcoal grills
Materials: 304 Stainless Steel
Warranty: 5 years for charcoal grills and 1 years for charcoal pan, charcoal grid, thermometer, and ashtray
Price: $2,219.00 – $2,910.00
PROS
- Two size options to better accommodate your needs
- Charcoal shield for indirect cooking
CONS
- Smaller cooking surface.
- Lower heat output.
- Limited warranty.
- Made with materials susceptible to rusting.
Fire Magic is a well-established outdoor appliance manufacturer… And their line wouldn’t be complete without a built-in charcoal grill!
In fact, you have two size options here. Both a 24” and 30” model are offered. Both are on the smaller side… So keep this in mind!
These grills will have 432 square inches and 540 square inches of cooking area, respectively.
When it comes to materials… Fire Magic offers complete stainless steel construction on their charcoal grills. The exterior material is specified as 304… But the rest is not defined.
Similar to Blaze’s offering… Fire Magic’s built-in charcoal grills also come with an adjustable fuel tray.
However, there are a couple slight differences in design.
The adjustable vent shutters are on the side of the hood, rather than the back. And to add in more briquettes… There’s a pull-down tray in the front, rather than having to move grates.
You’ll also find a warming rack and charcoal shield, which is not included with the Blaze grill. (The charcoal shield is useful for indirect cooking.)
When it comes to the warranty… Fire Magic covers their charcoal grills for 5 years. However, the charcoal pan, charcoal grid, thermometer, and ashtray are only covered for 1 year.
The 24” model is listed for a $2,219.00 MSRP on Amazon, and the 30” is listed for $2,910.00 MSRP on BBQGuys.
Turbo 32” Built-In BBQ Grill Charcoal
Product Highlights
Cooking Area: 740 square inches
Materials: 304 Stainless Steel
Warranty: 3 years for stainless steel components, 2 years for all other parts, 1 year for workmanship
Price: $1,299.00
PROS
- Efficient use of cooking surface (More space in a smaller footprint)
- 304 stainless steel construction
CONS
- Lack of clarity on certain features (system for adding in briquettes, ventilation)
- Warranty leaves more to be desired
Turbo Grills might not be the most well-known brand on the list… But they’ve been around for over 40 years!
Similar to Blaze… They offer a single 32” built-in charcoal grill. Between the main grates and the warming rack, there’s a total of 740 square inches of cooking area!
For materials, Turbo advertises full 304 stainless steel construction on this grill.
Once again, you’ll find an adjustable charcoal tray here. There’s also a slide out ash tray for easy cleanup.
There’s no mention of a system to easily add in new briquettes… So it appears this will be done the old-fashioned way by removing the grates!
There’s also no mention of ventilation. However, images reveal shutters on the sides of the hood.
Turbo offers a tiered warranty. All stainless steel components are covered for 3 years. All other parts are covered for a period of 2 years… And workmanship is guaranteed for 1 year.
For price, you’ll find the Turbo charcoal grill listed at $1,299.00 on Amazon.
Hasty-Bake Built-In Stainless Steel Charcoal Grill
Product Highlights
Cooking Area: 1,194 square inches
Materials: 304 Stainless Steel
Warranty: 10 year for grill
Price: $4,599.00
PROS
- 304 stainless steel construction
- Separate fire boxes for more control when grilling
- Front doors to easily add in fresh briquettes
CONS
- Ambiguity about airflow control
- While the warranty is good, we’d like to see a lifetime warranty
Let’s take a peek at another little-known manufacturer. Hasty-Bake only makes charcoal grills… But there’s only one built-in option available!
This large 42” grill boasts plenty of space for a backyard barbecue of any size! In total, there’s 1,194 square inches of cooking space at your disposal.
Hasty Bake also claims complete 304 stainless steel construction on this grill.
You’ll likely notice that there are two separate fire boxes! This makes indirect cooking far easier to pull off… And you can still direct cook at the same time.
Both sides have their own adjustable fuel tray… And both have doors for adding in more briquettes and cleaning out ashes.
A warming rack spans the entire width of the grill, as well.
There’s no mention of how airflow is controlled with this charcoal grill… So you’ll want to reach out to Hasty-Bake for details!
Hasty-Bake covers this grill under a blanket 10 year warranty.
Currently, the list price for this model is $4,599.00 on BBQGuys.
Cal Flame G Series Built-In Charcoal BBQ Grill
Product Highlights
Cooking Area: 800 square inches
Materials: 430 Stainless Steel
Warranty: 1 year blanket warranty
Price: $1,199.00
PROS
- Patterned V-grates are a unique touch
CONS
- 430 stainless steel construction isn’t durable outdoors
- Warranty is the weakest on the list
- Ambiguity about airflow control
Primarily known for their prefab BBQ islands… Cal Flame does also sell a standalone built-in charcoal grill.
Measuring just shy of 32” wide… This grill features 800 square inches of cooking area, with the warming rack.
Cal Flame constructs this grill with 430 stainless steel… Which does leave more to be desired. (Rust and corrosion can be a problem over time!)
The V-patterned grates are an interesting touch, and will provide unique grill marks!
As with all of the other grills discussed… Cal Flame’s charcoal grill comes with a crank-operated adjustable fuel tray. There’s also a pull-out ash tray for easy cleaning.
Unfortunately, there’s no mention of how airflow is controlled in this unit. You’ll have to refer to Cal Flame for details there!
For this grill, Cal Flame offers a blanket one year warranty. You’ll find it listed on Home Depot for $1,199.00.
Coyote 36” Built-In Outdoor Charcoal Grill (C1CH36)
Product Highlights
Cooking Area: 875 square inches
Materials: 304 Stainless Steel
Warranty: Lifetime for stainless steel frame and housing, 5 years for cooking grates, and 2 years for any plastic components
Price: $2,599.00
PROS
- Complete 304 stainless steel construction
- Convenient pull-out drawer to add briquettes
- Front knob for easy airflow adjustments
- Lifetime warranty
CONS
- Single size option may be limiting
- Cooking grates don’t fall under lifetime warranty
Wrapping up the list… We have Coyote Outdoor Living’s 36” charcoal grill!
This large 36” grill offers 875 square inches of total cooking area… And is completely constructed from 304 stainless steel!
Right in line with the other listings, this charcoal grill comes with an adjustable fuel tray. There’s also a warming rack included.
The front of the grill has a pull-out drawer for adding charcoal. This makes it super easy to throw in some extra briquettes as you’re cooking!
There’s also a knob on the drawer to easily adjust airflow… And a full-width drip tray at the bottom for easy cleaning.
Coyote offers a solid lifetime warranty on the stainless steel frame and housing. Cooking grates will be covered for 5 years… And any plastic components for a period of 2 years.
What’s the price tag?
The Coyote 36” charcoal grill is currently listed for $2,599.00 on Amazon.
Built In Charcoal Grill Islands
Best Outdoor Built-In Charcoal Grill
In all honesty… Most of the grills listed could be an excellent contender for your BBQ island.
Many of the brands listed hit our quality benchmark for 304 stainless steel and a decent warranty… So the brands that edge out primarily come down to small quibbles.
The only brand we absolutely would not recommend is Cal-Flame’s charcoal grill. The use of 430 stainless steel construction misses the mark for quality… And simply isn’t constructed to last a lifetime.
Speaking to the best, Blaze and Coyote are just about tied for first place!
Between their complete 304 stainless steel construction, lifetime warranty, and thoughtful design… There’s nothing to complain about here.
Your preference will really come down to slight differences in design. You might find the ventilation knob on Coyote’s grill more convenient… Or you might prefer having the vents in the back, like Blaze’s.
And while both Coyote and Blaze are great options… You still may not have found your perfect outdoor grill yet!
Alternative Built-In Charcoal Grill Ideas
Alright. At this point, you’ve seen quite a few built-in charcoal grills.
But what if you’re looking for something a little less… Conventional?
We won’t get into specifics here… But let’s discuss a few more charcoal built-in grill ideas.
Kamado Charcoal Grill
Charcoal grills are already highly functional appliances… But what if you’re looking for a little more variety?
Kamado grills (also known as kamado smokers) are an excellent choice!
These dinosaur-egg shaped appliances are beautifully designed for grilling… And for smoking!
And speaking of their unique shape… This oval design makes kamados well-suited to multi-tier cooking.
The vast majority of kamado smokers are made with ceramic. Ceramic’s impressive insulating properties allow kamados to sustain temperatures with relative ease.
As with any charcoal grill… There’s a bit of a learning curve to get used to them. (But it’s well-worth the effort!)
Curious about the “built-in” aspect of a kamado?
While they won’t generally be able to sit directly in your island… Many outdoor kitchen manufacturers make a stand your kamado can sit on. It will perfectly match the rest of your island!
Popular kamado grill manufacturers to look into are Coyote, Kamado Joe, and Big Green Egg.
Looking for something even more rustic?
Argentinian Grill
If you want the closest thing to campfire grilling in your backyard… An Argentinian grill is where it’s at.
While these are still built-in charcoal grills… It’s a far cry from what you’d normally expect to see!
The Argentinian is a completely open-air grill. Your coals will actually start burning in a specific basket, known as the brasero.
By starting the fire in an area that won’t touch your food… You’ll avoid the acrid flavor that normally comes from freshly-ignited coals.
Additionally, the grill grates are quite unique. Argentinian grills feature V-groove grates. These are designed to capture the fatty juices from your protein… So you can re-baste the meat as you cook.
Many will also include overhead hooks and rotisserie spits. This will allow you to roast whole birds, tomahawk steaks, and sausages over an open fire.
Like the kamado grill… Argentinian grills require some finesse to get the hang of! Again, your efforts will be rewarded.
Some Argentinian grill makers to consider are Urban Asado, Gaucho Grills, and Tagwood BBQ. If this offering is a bit too far on the rustic side… There’s one more barbeque grill to consider.
Charcoal Combo Grill
Sometimes, you just want more options.
And if you don’t have a ton of space in your outdoor kitchen… The appeal of a 2-in-1 style grill gets more alluring!
Well, that’s exactly what a charcoal combo grill provides! (Also known as a hybrid.)
While exact specifications will vary among grill manufacturers… Generally, this is a natural or propane gas grill and a charcoal grill smashed together.
This is an excellent option if you prefer to grill with charcoal… But sometimes appreciate the convenience of a natural gas grill. (Or, you just want to ensure a perfect sear!)
Some brands even give you the option of grilling with wood!
Point is, a hybrid grill can truly “do it all” when it comes to fuel types.
While there aren’t many brands on the market offering a hybrid grill… Kalamazoo and Coyote provide some dual fuel options to browse!
Whatever grill you decide to purchase… The next step is to consider where you’ll put it!
The Ideal Home for Your New Built-In Charcoal Grill
Before you can enjoy the savory flavors of a charcoal-kissed burger… You’ll need an outdoor kitchen!
And just as it’s essential for your grill to be top-notch in quality… The same goes for your future grill station.
There’s no point in making such a large investment if your project is going to crumble in a couple years.
With that said… Allow us to put a little note in your suggestion box.
When it comes to longevity, there’s no better choice than an RTA outdoor kitchen.
Made to order from high performance concrete (that’s rated for 100 years!)… There’s no question you’ll be grilling your favorite meals for decades to come.
Plus, every RTA island comes backed by a structural guarantee to ensure your outdoor kitchen is built properly. And for good measure… You’re covered by a limited lifetime structural warranty on the island panels and countertops.
So, where does the built-in charcoal grill factor into all of this?
Well, every RTA outdoor kitchen comes complete with Coyote’s line of premium appliances!
So if you’ve got your sights set on their 36” charcoal grill, asado, or hybrid grill… We’ve got you covered.
You’ll also have access to their entire range of matching outdoor kitchen accessories. Refrigerators, side burners, flat top griddles, built-in gas grills, pellet grills, sinks… The list goes on. (You might also enjoy a pizza oven from Alfa!)
We even have a free online design tool to create the exact layout of your dreams… Or we offer a line of Quick Ship kitchens with our best-selling designs, and a faster checkout.
If your interest has been piqued and you’re not sure where to start… Browse through our Learning Hub! This outdoor kitchen compendium will give you everything you need to get started.
And if you want to play around with some designs… Give our free design tool a whirl!
When you’re ready to chat about your project… We’re here for you!
Need Help With Your Plans?
FAQ
Unlike a portable charcoal grill… A built-in charcoal grill is designed to be built into an outdoor kitchen. In terms of functionality, this is the primary difference. Both will grill great meals with charcoal… Just consider whether you want a countertop charcoal grill, or one built into an outdoor kitchen.
