If you don’t have much time and just want to find out what the best smokeless grill is, then I recommend the Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Searing Grill as the best one.
Barbecue season is one of the best times of the year but many of us are unwilling to give up those awesome foods just because the weather turns foul. Whenever this happens, we turn to our electric powered smokeless indoor barbecue grills. These wonderful appliances allow us to follow our same favorite recipes without having to brave the harsh weather.
What to Look For in a Smokeless Grill?
There are several key features that you want to look at when considering a smokeless indoor barbecue grill. They include the drip pan, the heating plates, the hinge mechanism, and the heat settings. These will vary from one model to another and will often determine which model is the right one for you.
Drip Pan
Every good indoor smokeless grill should have a drip pan, whether they rest inside or outside the grill. Keep in mind, though, that internal drip pans can be challenging to get in and out and to empty. External drip pans are often easier to access. No matter which drip pan style you have you’ll want to look for one that is dishwasher safe, since this will make cleanup much easier.
Heating Plates
The heating plates of most indoor smokeless grills are removable. How you remove them will vary from one model to another, so you want to be sure check the manual to see how to remove your model’s grill plates. Good news is most grill plates are dishwasher safe, which makes cleanup much easier.
Hinge Mechanism
The most common hinge mechanism you’ll see with today’s indoor barbecue grills are the floating hinge style. This will allow the lid to lift and lower to match the height of the meat being grilled. Other hinge types include a swivel hinge that works well for unlevel foods and will accommodate the level of your meat, but it won’t offer you the flexibility of a floating hinge. Occasionally a model will have a manually adjustable hinge where you will have to set the height for your food.
Heat Settings
The original indoor barbecue grills did not offer much in the way of heat settings. They were either on or off. Most models now offer at least one nob to adjust the temperature while others may even go so far as to offer pre-programed digital settings to cook your food the way you want it done. Look for a model that has this adjustable heat setting as it’ll make cooking your food to the right temperature a much easier experience.
Smokeless grill review
Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler
This countertop griddle is a great choice for those who are particular about the temperature of the meat they grill. It has three adjustable temperature controls to give you more power to adjust the heat to your desired setting. Of course, it has a floating lid, drip tray, and scraper too.
The real standout feature of this griddle is the design of the cooking plates. They extend just beyond the rest of the grill. It’s a small detail that makes a big difference when fat splatters and drips. While these cooking plates are easy to remove and wash, their design will mean less time spent wiping down the outside of the griddle.
Pros:
- Great temperature controls easy to adjust
- Lightweight to make moving it around easy
- Durable parts, including a drip tray that doesn’t melt
- Convenient reversible plates
Cons:
- Takes a while to heat up
- Doesn’t maintain a consistent temperature
George Foreman 4-Serving Removable Plate Grill and Panini Press, GRP1060B
George Foreman was one of the first names in the smokeless grill category for a reason. The floating hinge offered a revolutionary way to sear both side of meat at the same time, and the nonstick coating makes removing the meat easy. The signature slanted design ensures that excess fat drips away from your food and into a convenient catch tray, too.
Unfortunately, George Foreman grills still don’t have specific temperature controls. This makes them fine for grilling meat, but you won’t have the specific control necessary to adjust for higher or lower cooking temperatures. Overall, the grill does one thing very, very well; just don’t ask it to do anything else.
Pros:
- Great as moving fat away from food
- Drip tray is convenient and easy to empty
- Red and green lights make it clear when the grill is ready to cook
Cons:
- The drip tray sometimes melts when hit with high temperature runoff
- There is no way to adjust the temperature
Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Searing Grill
In many ways, this Hamilton Beach is the best smokeless indoor grill. It does have the temperature alert lights like George Foreman, along with a single temperature control knob that is a limited version of the Cuisinart’s 3 controls. Its parts are dishwasher safe, and the whole thing is easy to use.
This grill comes with two defining features that make it stand out from the rest of the crowd. The first is the actual cook surface itself. Unlike other models that have a solid cook surface that whisks drippings away and allows them to drip off the edges, this one has slats cut the whole way through. This allows all of the fat and drippings to drop straight down into the very large drip tray.
Unlike some of the other models featured, this one does not include a floating hinge. This works just fine, since the design is more like that of a traditional grill. The hood comes down, functions as a lid and includes a clear window that lets you see your food while you cook. Overall, this power smokeless grill feels more like a traditional bbq grill than any of the other smokeless grills listed here.
Pros:
- Slatted cooktop works like a traditional grill
- Large drip plate is easy to remove and clean
- Hood with window lets you watch food cook
Cons:
- Only cooks from the bottom
- Takes up a little more counter space than other models
T-fal GC70 OptiGrill Electric Grill
The T-fal electric grill functions very differently than a lot of the others listed here. It cooks from both top and bottom at the same time and allows drippings to run off the front similar to the George Foreman. However, it includes the temperature controls that I find missing with the George Foreman. It even has six automated cooking programs that allow you to pre-program it to the right setting.
Where this grill shines is the way the top plate adjusts on a swivel. It makes it ideal for sandwiches that are often less than perfectly level and ensures an even cooking surface.
Where T-fal struggles, though, is with consistent quality. Several of their programs sometimes fail to work and occasionally the entire electric system can glitch and the cooker will refuse to turn on. There is a reset option that can be performed to get it working again but it’s a bit of a pain.
Pros:
- Pre-set cook programs and temperature adjustments
- Swivel lid instead of floating hinge
- Easy to access and clean drip tray
Cons:
- The electronics can be a bit unreliable
Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill
The Breville indoor bbq grill works a little bit differently than some of the others on the list here. Unlike many of those, it does not have a floating hinge, nor does it use a swivel top. What it does have is a 6-height adjustment setting on the hinge. This means you will have to manually adjust it for each different height setting.
However, it does include the temperature adjustment settings that I love. It can also lay flat. This makes it stand apart from some of the other offers. If you want an electric smokeless grill that can function like a traditional flat bbq grill, this might be the choice for you.
The drip tray is fully enclosed so it does not stick out on any of the edges, but it can make it a little bit challenging to get to at times. The digital readout display is convenient and easy to use. While this grill comes with a fantastic nonstick surface it does degrade with time. As wear and tear affect the nonstick surface, it can sometimes chip and peel, thus creating problems.
Pros:
- Lays flat
- Easy to read digital display
- Convenient and accurate temperature controls
Cons:
- Lid high must be manually adjusted
- Nonstick surface degrades with time
Conclusion
If you want to skip right to the best indoor grill, the Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Searing Grill may be the right choice for you. It is the best smokeless grill to mimic an outdoor grilling experience. This means that the same instincts you’ve developed for flipping and removing food from your outdoor grill will translate well to this indoor option.
When you want a great grilling experience without having to deal with outdoor weather, a smokeless grill makes a great electric substitute. No matter which indoor barbecue grill you choose, it won’t take up much space while making easy to have hot sandwiches and well seared meat in the comfort of you rain-free and temperature-controlled kitchen.
