The Best BBQ Grills for Christmas: Because the Holidays Deserve Better Than a Dry Oven Roast
There's a moment every December when someone in the family — usually the person who's been standing over a hot stove for three hours — looks around and says, "Next year, we're doing this differently."
This is that different.
Grilling at Christmas might feel unconventional depending on where you grew up, but it's becoming one of the most popular ways to cook for the holidays, and for good reason. The flavors are better. The stress is lower. And there's something genuinely festive about gathering outside around a warm grill while the cold air makes everything smell sharper and the smoke drifts up past the lights someone strung around the fence in October.
Whether you're buying a grill as a Christmas gift or finally committing to the outdoor holiday meal you've been thinking about, here's what's worth your attention.
What Makes a Christmas Grill Different From Any Other Grill
The honest answer is: not much. A great grill is a great grill year-round. But Christmas cooking has a few specific demands that are worth thinking about when you're making a decision.
You're likely cooking for more people than usual. Holiday gatherings have a way of expanding, and a grill that handles eight people comfortably on a regular Saturday might feel small when the extended family shows up. Think about your worst-case scenario guest count and buy one size up from what you think you need.
You're also probably cooking something more ambitious. A holiday spread isn't burgers and hot dogs — it's prime rib, whole chicken, glazed ham, salmon, roasted vegetables, maybe a side of something smoked low and slow. These dishes require more space, more temperature control, and more cooking time than your average weeknight grill session.
And if you live somewhere cold, you'll want a grill that holds temperature well in low ambient conditions. Some grills struggle in the wind or cold — others barely notice.
The Pellet Grill: The Holiday Cook's Best Friend
If there's one type of grill that was built for Christmas cooking, it's the pellet grill. Here's why: you load it with wood pellets, set a temperature, and it maintains that temperature automatically for hours. You can put a prime rib on at noon, set it to 250 degrees, and walk away to spend time with your family. The grill does the work. You just check in occasionally.
The Traeger Ironwood 885 is one of the best options in this category for holiday cooking. The cooking area is generous, the temperature control is precise, and the Super Smoke mode lets you dial up the smoke flavor on whatever you're cooking. A prime rib from this grill comes out with a crust that you genuinely cannot achieve in an oven.
The Weber SmokeFire EX6 is another serious option. It runs hot enough for proper searing — something many pellet grills struggle with — which means you can finish a reverse-seared roast with a proper crust without having to transfer it inside. That versatility is valuable when you're managing a complex holiday menu.
For something more accessible in price, the Pit Boss Sportsman 820 punches well above its cost. It's a workhorse, handles large cuts without any drama, and the open flame feature adds flexibility for higher-heat cooking.
The Kamado Grill for the Person Who Wants to Impress
If someone in your life is serious about food — the kind of person who reads about cooking the way other people read novels — a kamado grill as a Christmas gift will be remembered for a long time.
The Kamado Joe Big Joe III is the pinnacle of this category. The ceramic construction holds heat with an efficiency that no other grill type can match, which makes it ideal for long cooks in cold weather. It barely uses charcoal to maintain temperature for six or eight hours. The divided firebox system lets you run multiple temperature zones at once, and the capacity is large enough to handle a full holiday spread.
The Big Green Egg XL is the other name that always comes up in this conversation. It has a devoted following for a reason — it's incredibly versatile, built to last decades, and holds its value well if you ever decide to upgrade or move. Cooking a whole smoked turkey on one of these on Christmas morning, while everyone else is still in pajamas opening gifts, is the kind of thing that becomes a tradition.
A Serious Gas Option for the Practical Holiday Host
Not everyone wants to manage charcoal or pellets during the holidays. Some people want reliability, speed, and control without any extra variables — and there's nothing wrong with that.
The Napoleon Prestige Pro 500 is the gas grill to consider if you want no compromises. Infrared rear burner for rotisserie cooking, infrared sear stations that hit temperatures high enough to properly brown a roast, and a build quality that feels like it will still be sitting in your backyard twenty years from now. It's an investment, but for a household that cooks seriously and entertains regularly, it pays off quickly.
The Weber Genesis EX-335 is the more approachable option in the gas category — still excellent, with smart features like a built-in thermometer and good heat distribution across all burners. It handles a holiday cook with ease and requires very little learning curve.
The Gift Angle: What to Consider When Buying a Grill for Someone Else
If you're shopping for a grill as a Christmas gift, think carefully about the recipient's cooking style and outdoor space. A pellet grill is a brilliant gift for someone who loves the idea of great BBQ but doesn't want the complexity of managing a fire. A kamado is perfect for the already-accomplished cook who wants to go deeper. A gas grill works for almost anyone who just wants reliable, high-quality results without much fuss.
Also think about accessories. A quality instant-read thermometer, a good set of grill tools, or a bag of premium smoking wood makes an excellent companion gift to a new grill — and it shows that you thought about the whole experience, not just the box under the tree.
One Last Thing
The best Christmas grill isn't necessarily the most expensive one or the one with the most features. It's the one that fits how you actually cook and who you actually cook for. Get that right, and every holiday meal from here on out gets a little better, a little more relaxed, and a lot more memorable.
The oven will always be there. This year, give it a break.