What's cooking? Smart gas grills ready for summer

If you're new to outdoor cooking or just need to replace an old grill, the abundance of options can make picking the best grill overwhelming. Gas grills are a great place to start for new grillers and make a great upgrade, too. Outdoor gas grills are simple to use, easy to control and roomy enough to feed the whole family.

We put several bestselling models through their paces at the CNET Smart Home. After cooking up 12 racks of ribs, 18 whole chickens and 96 burgers, here are our three top picks.

WEBER SPIRIT II E-210

THE COST $379

If burgers are the mainstay of your cookouts, this Weber gas grill is a great choice. In fact, it's a great choice for cooking all around. Weber's 10-year warranty applies to all its grill parts, so you'll be set for years to come, even with heavy use (like, if you let no weekend go by without having a chance to char-broil some burgers). Its consistent performance in our testing delivered burgers with a good char and a slightly pink center.

The Spirit II E-210 is also one of Weber's iGrill compatible models, an additional accessory line that includes Bluetooth temperature probes you can monitor via a companion app. If you'll be preparing dishes that require more time on the grill, the iGrill system will help you keep an eye on things from a distance.

CHAR-BROIL COMMERCIAL DOUBLE HEADER

THE COST $449

The name says it all. This grill is a good choice if you're looking for large capacity, and it feels like working in a professional outdoor kitchen. Equipped with four burners, two separate fireboxes and a side burner, this grill will easily conquer cooking for the largest crowds.

This Char-Broil also does an excellent job of preventing flare-ups, no matter how greasy your meat. And it takes a low-and-slow approach to cooking, which means you can relax in a lawn chair without worrying that your meat will burn. However, it is expensive. You might luck out with summer sales, but be prepared to spend big for a big gas grill that will serve up patties by the dozen.

WEBER SPIRIT II E-310

THE COST $479

Weber's larger Spirit II model includes three burners. It also comes with a propane tank scale and six hooks for easy tool organization. It performs well and gives you the option of an iGrill accessory, a $100 Bluetooth temperature probe that connects to your mobile Weber app to monitor the temperature of your food.

It's pricey, but the Spirit II E-310 looks great, offers smarts and is a good size for most people. If the tank scale and iGrill 3 accessory matter to you, the Spirit II might be worth your money.