Best 42-Inch Built-In Gas Grills (2026)

Forty-two inches is the point where a built-in grill stops being a big grill and starts being the center of an outdoor kitchen. Northwoods Grills carries 14 different 42-inch built-in models from eight brands, from $2,729 to $12,190. They are not variations on one thing: burner counts run from 2 to 6, total output from 35,000 to 110,000 BTU, and — the part that catches people out — the island opening they need varies by more than five inches.

That last point is the one to settle first, because it is the only decision here you cannot change after the mason leaves.

What island opening does a 42-inch built-in grill need?

There is no standard 42-inch cutout. Among the grills on this page the required opening runs from 39-1/2 inches to 45 inches wide, and depth and height vary just as much. A hole cut for one 42-inch grill will very often not accept another.

The outlier deserves its own warning. RCS names its grills by cooking-surface width, not by overall width, so the Cutlass Pro 42 needs a 45-inch opening — four and a half inches wider than most of the field, and three inches wider than the grill’s own model number suggests. The same convention runs through the RCS line (the RON30B takes a 33-inch cutout). If you are cross-shopping RCS against any other brand here, that is the single most expensive detail to miss.

Two practical consequences. If your island is already built, start from the opening you have and work back — the replacement grill finder does exactly that. If the island is still on paper, pick the grill first and give the mason its figures, because the cheapest way to get a 45-inch opening is to have asked for one. Our cutout dimensions reference lists every brand we carry.

We do not publish a cutout for the AMG Atlas 42, Alturi 42 or Ovation 42 in the table above, because American Made Grills does not publish one we could confirm for those models. Call us before framing for any of the three.

Every 42-inch built-in grill Northwoods carries

Sorted by price. Where a figure reads “not published”, the manufacturer does not state it and we would rather say so than print a number we cannot stand behind.

Why we don’t give you one cooking-area column

This is the most misleading number in the category, and leaving it out of the table above was deliberate.

Manufacturers do not measure cooking area the same way. Alfresco publishes 770 square inches for the ALXE-42 as its main grate only. Artisan publishes 966 for the ARTP-42 and Sunstone 987.5 for the Ruby 42, and both of those figures include the warming rack. Put those three in one column sorted high-to-low and you have not ranked the grills by size — you have ranked them by how generously each brand counts.

Where both figures are published, here is the honest comparison:

Read down the main grate column and the Coyote pair are the largest cooking surface at this width by a clear margin. Read down the total column and they still lead, but the gap narrows. Either way, compare like with like — and if a spec sheet gives you one number without saying which it is, treat it as unusable.

Which 42-inch grill puts out the most heat?

The Coyote SL-42 at 110,000 BTU total, followed by the Alfresco ALXE-42 at 108,000 and the Coyote CL-42 at 100,000. But total BTU is a sizing figure, not a quality figure, and how it is assembled matters more than the headline.

The SL-42’s 110,000 is four 20,000 BTU main burners plus a 15,000 BTU infrared sear burner plus a 15,000 BTU rear burner. Its main burner output is 80,000 — lower than the CL-42’s 100,000, which spends all five bays on conventional burners. So the CL-42 is the more powerful grill for ordinary grilling, and the SL-42 is the more capable one for searing and rotisserie. Both take the same opening, and the CL is $1,600 less.

At the other end, the Sunstone Emerald 42 Hybrid publishes just 35,000 BTU of gas, which looks alarming until you understand what it is: a dual-zone charcoal and wood grill with gas assist, not a gas grill. Judge it on the charcoal trays, not the burner rating.

Which 42-inch grills can sear with infrared?

Fewer than the marketing suggests, and the word “sear” is used for two different things.

• Fitted from the factory: the Coyote SL-42 (15,000 BTU infrared sear burner in a dedicated bay) and the AMG Estate 42 (26,000 BTU drop-in infrared sear burner included).
• Available as an add-on: the Coyote CL-42 takes the same sear zone infrared burner as the SL for $159; the Artisan Professional 42 offers a 20,000 BTU infrared Sear Zone; the Estate Freedom 42 sells its sear burner separately; the RCS Cutlass Pro 42 and Bonfire Prime 500 both list one as an upgrade. Alfresco handles it with a separate model (ALXE-42SZ) or an insert kit on the AIPG.
• Not infrared at all: Sunstone’s “Pro-Sear” on the Ruby 42 and Emerald 42 is a thermal cooking grid heated by the main burners, reaching around 800°F with the hood down. It is a genuinely useful searing surface, but it is not a separate infrared burner and should not be compared as one.

Which ones include a rotisserie, and which charge extra?

At this size a rotisserie is close to standard, but two notable models make you buy it. The Coyote CL-42 has no rear burner at all and its rotisserie kit is a separate $349 purchase — a spit fitted to it cooks over the main burners rather than under radiant rear heat. The AMG Estate Freedom 42 is built around the idea of choosing your own extras, so its 100 lb rotisserie kit is also sold separately.

Everything else in the table ships with the kit and a rear burner behind it: 15,000 BTU on the Coyote SL-42, Bonfire and Sunstone Ruby, 12,500 BTU on the RCS, 12,000 BTU on both AMG Estate models, and 15,000 BTU on the Artisan. Alfresco integrates it as the Mega-Drive system with a 50 lb capacity on the AIPG-42.

Which 42-inch grill suits which kind of build?

The value pick

The Coyote CL-42 at $2,899 puts 100,000 BTU across five interchangeable 20,000 BTU burners and the largest main grate in the group into the cheapest 304 stainless body here. You give up the rear burner and buy the rotisserie separately. If you grill conventionally, nothing on this page gives you more cooking power per dollar.

The most complete grill without moving into five figures

The Coyote SL-42 at $4,499 — sear burner, rear burner and rotisserie all standard, ceramic briquettes, laser-cut grates, and the same cutout as the CL so you can decide late.

If you want the heaviest construction

The AMG Estate 42 uses cast red brass burners rated 26,000 BTU each — the only brass burners at this size we carry — with 9mm grates and an 18-gauge double-lined hood. The Artisan Professional 42 is hand-welded 304 with heli-arc seams at a third of the price. Both are 304 stainless throughout.

If you are cooking with charcoal or wood as well as gas

Two genuine hybrids: the Sunstone Emerald 42 with dual height-adjustable burn trays, and the AMG Ovation 42 at the top of the range. Both burn gas, charcoal and wood in the same firebox.

If the island is already framed

Measure first, then shop the cutout table above rather than the price list. Anything needing a wider opening than you have means masonry work; anything needing a narrower one means an unsightly gap or a trim kit.

Which brands don’t make a 42-inch built-in?

Worth knowing before you spend an evening looking. Summerset tops out at 40 inches — its built-in sizes are 25, 32 and 40, so the Sizzler and TRL Pro lines have no 42. TrueFlame also stops at 40 with the TF40. American Outdoor Grills stops at 36. If you have been comparing a Summerset TRL Pro 40 against the grills on this page, the two-inch difference also changes the opening, so it is not a like-for-like swap.

What else a 42-inch grill needs

An insulating jacket, if the island is combustible. Wood or metal framing and most modular kit islands require one; solid masonry generally does not. They are model-specific — Coyote’s 42" jacket for CL and SL is $929, and Alfresco specifies the AIJ-42 for the ALXE with its own larger 45-1/4" jacket cutout, which has to be designed in from the start. The insulating liner guide explains which category your island falls into, and the full liner range covers the other brands.

Gas supply sized for the load. A 110,000 BTU grill is not a small appliance. Natural gas installations at this size want the line sized by whoever runs it, and manifold pressures differ by brand — Alfresco specifies 5" W.C. on the ALXE-42 and 4" on the AIPG-42, Bonfire wants 11" W.C. on propane. Have the figures in hand before the plumber quotes.

Ventilation, if anything is overhead. Any roof, pergola or overhead structure over a grill this size needs a hood sized to the output — read the ventilation and hood sizing guide at the design stage, not after. We carry outdoor-rated vent hoods to match.

A cover. Sized to the model, not to the nominal width — Coyote’s 42" built-in cover is $99. Browse all grill covers.

Frequently asked questions

Do all 42-inch built-in grills use the same cutout?

No, and this is the most common and most expensive mistake at this size. Among the models we carry the opening ranges from 39-1/2 inches to 45 inches wide, with depth from 19-3/4 to 23 inches and height from 9-1/2 to 12-3/4 inches. Always build to the installation manual for the exact model you are ordering.

Why does the RCS Cutlass Pro 42 need a 45-inch opening?

Because RCS names its grills by cooking-surface width rather than overall width. The RON42B has 42 inches of cooking surface and a body wider than that, so the island opening is 45 inches. The same convention applies across the RCS range — the 30-inch model takes a 33-inch cutout.

Which 42-inch grill has the most cooking space?

The Coyote CL-42 and SL-42, at 990 square inches on the main grate and 1,247 including the warming rack. Be careful comparing this figure between brands, though — some publish the main grate only and some include the rack, so the numbers are not measured the same way.

Which 42-inch grill has the highest BTU output?

The Coyote SL-42 at 110,000 BTU total. But its main burners produce 80,000 of that, with the rest coming from the sear and rear burners. The Coyote CL-42 produces 100,000 BTU from main burners alone, so it is the stronger grill for conventional grilling.

Is a 42-inch grill too big for a family?

It depends how you cook rather than how many you feed. Around 100 square inches of main grate per person you regularly cook for is a reasonable guide, so a 42-inch grill suits eight or more — but the other reason to buy one is zone cooking. Five or six burners let you hold a genuine low zone alongside a hot one, which a 36-inch grill struggles to do. If you are unsure, the built-in grill sizing guide works through it, and the 36-inch guide covers the size below.

Do 42-inch grills come in both natural gas and propane?

Yes, every model on this page is offered in both. On most brands it is an option on the product page; Coyote sells each fuel as its own product. Decide before ordering — conversion after the fact is not a simple swap on these grills.

Which 42-inch grills include a rotisserie kit?

Most of them. The exceptions are the Coyote CL-42, which has no rear burner and sells the kit separately for $349, and the AMG Estate Freedom 42, which sells its kit separately by design.

Do I need an insulating jacket for a 42-inch built-in?

Only if the island is built from combustible material — wood or metal framing, and most modular kit islands. Solid masonry or poured concrete generally does not need one. Jackets are specific to the model, and some brands need a larger island opening for the jacket than for the grill, so decide early.

What is the difference between the Coyote CL-42 and SL-42?

They are the same size, the same cutout and the same 304 stainless shell. The SL adds a standard infrared sear burner, a 15,000 BTU infrared rear burner, an included rotisserie kit, ceramic briquettes and laser-cut grates for $1,600 more. The Coyote series comparison goes through it in detail.

Why do some grills here show “not published” instead of a specification?

Because the manufacturer does not publish that figure, or publishes it in a way we could not confirm — for example repeating the 36-inch model’s numbers on the 42-inch page. We would rather leave a gap than print a number you might build an island around. Call us on those models and we will confirm directly with the manufacturer.

Buying a 42-inch built-in grill from Northwoods Grills

Northwoods Grills is a family-owned outdoor kitchen retailer in Charleston, South Carolina, and an authorized dealer for every brand on this page.

• Authorized dealer. Current-production units supplied through the manufacturer.
• Full manufacturer warranty. Whatever each brand covers, you get it in full.
• Free shipping. Included on these grills, with no credit card fees.

A grill at this size is usually the most expensive thing in the island and the hardest to change later. If you send us the opening you have, or the plan you are working to, we will tell you what fits before anyone cuts stone. Call 843-212-7209, or browse the full 42-inch built-in grill range.