Best Gas Grill With Side Burner: Worth the Extra Burner?

Are Side Burners Actually Worth It? I Cooked on One for 2 Years to Find Out

The marketing says a side burner turns your grill into an outdoor kitchen. That's a stretch. I've owned a Napoleon with a side burner for two years now, and I've used the thing maybe 12 times. But when I did need it, I needed it bad. So is the extra burner worth the $150 to $300 premium? Depends on what you cook and if you're honest about how you actually use a grill on a Tuesday night.

I'm Ray. I've been judging BBQ circuits for 12 years and I've owned four grills, including a Weber Genesis that's survived 8 Chicago winters. My Napoleon sits next to it. After two years of cooking on both, I've got opinions about the side burner question that don't match the marketing.

Let me be clear about one thing up front: I don't track prices day to day. I bought my Napoleon in early 2023 for $899. Prices have moved since. I won't pretend to know next week's deal. What I can tell you is what's worth paying for and what's a gimmick.

The Case Against Side Burners

Most people who buy a grill with a side burner use it twice, then it becomes a shelf for tongs and a bottle of sauce. I've seen it a hundred times. The burner sits under a metal cover, collects grease, and rusts. Nobody cleans it because nobody uses it.

The math is brutal. A side burner adds $150 to $300 to the purchase price. That's a third of the cost of a decent mid-range grill. For that money, you could buy a standalone propane burner that's more powerful, easier to clean, and doesn't tie you to the grill's footprint.

And side burners are weak. Most put out 10,000 to 12,000 BTU. My stovetop at home puts out more than that. You're not searing a wok full of vegetables on a side burner. You're simmering sauce and boiling corn.

The Case For Side Burners

Here's where I flip. There are exactly three things a side burner does that justify the cost if you actually cook.

First, it keeps your kitchen clean during a big cook. I did a 14-pound brisket last summer. Sides for 10 people. The side burner ran for 3 hours straight: beans simmering, corn boiling, sauce reducing. My kitchen stayed clean. My wife didn't kill me. That alone was worth the money.

Second, it changes how you use your main burners. When you're not boiling water on the grill's main surface, you're not fighting for space. The main grill can hold a steady 350 degrees for the protein while the side burner handles everything else. On a Weber without a side burner, I'd have to run inside to use the stove, which means the lid opens and the temp drops.

Third, the sear. My Napoleon's side burner hits 12,000 BTU and gets hot enough for a decent crust on a cast iron pan. I've done smash burgers on it in a cast iron skillet while the main grill seared steaks. That's a real workflow, not a gimmick.

What I Actually Own and What I Learned

The version I own is the Napoleon Rogue 425 with the side burner. It's a 4-burner main grill with 425 square inches of cooking space and a 12,000 BTU side burner. The main grill has the infrared sear burner, which is the real star. The side burner is an afterthought that I've grown to appreciate.

After two years, here's what I know. The side burner cover gets hot. Like, burns-your-hand-if-you-grab-it-wrong hot. I've done it twice. The knob is plastic and feels cheap, which is my pet peeve. I wobble it and I don't trust the gas control. But it's held up so far.

The burner itself is a simple tube design. It rusts if you don't clean it. I clean mine twice a year with a wire brush and it's fine. The grease tray under it is too small. I've had it overflow once during a long cook, which made a mess. Design flaw.

The Short List

Here's the quick breakdown of what I'd buy today if I was shopping in the $400 to $700 range.

Weber Spirit E-325s

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The complaint pattern on this grill is the side burner is weak and the igniter dies. Both are true. The 10,000 BTU burner struggles to boil a large pot of water. I've timed it. Six minutes for a quart. My stovetop does it in four.

But the Spirit line is still the best value in gas grills. The firebox is solid. The flavorizer bars are stamped steel, which means they'll burn through in 2 to 3 years. Budget for that. The main burners are good, the heat distribution is even, and the warranty on the firebox is real.

I'd buy the E-325s if I wanted a side burner for occasional use and I valued reliability over power. It's not exciting. It's not flashy. It's a workhorse. My Genesis has lasted 8 years and I expect the Spirit to do the same.

Napoleon Rogue 425

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This is what I own, so I'll be honest about the flaws. The side burner knob is cheap plastic. The cover gets dangerously hot. The grease tray overflows during long cooks. The price is higher than a comparable Weber.

But the infrared sear burner is the best searing technology I've used. It hits 800 degrees in 5 minutes and puts a crust on a steak that looks like a steakhouse. That's not marketing. I've done it twice a week for two years.

The side burner is the most powerful of the three I've tested. 12,000 BTU is enough for a proper wok. I've done stir-fry for 4 people on it. It's not a wok burner, but it's close enough for a suburban driveway.

Choose the Rogue if you want the best searing and you're okay with a side burner that needs maintenance. Choose the Spirit if you want to set it and forget it.

Char-Broil Performance 475

I keep a Char-Broil in my back corner as a reminder of what cheap grills become. I bought one in my twenties. It rusted out after two winters, which I covered with a tarp. The firebox just dissolved. It was a learning experience.

The Performance 475 is the same story. The side burner is stamped tin. It'll rust. The main burners are thin and clog easily. The firebox is the weakest part, and the firebox is everything. If it rusts, the grill is dead.

But here's the honest take: if you have $300 and you need a grill now, this one works. Cook on it. Don't cry when it dies. Buy a Weber or a Napoleon when you can afford one. The math works if you know what you're buying. A $300 grill that lasts 2 years costs $0.41 per day. A $700 Weber Spirit that lasts 8 years costs $0.24 per day. The cheap one isn't cheaper.

My Honest Bottom Line

Is the side burner worth it? Yes, but only if you cook sides outside. I've used mine 12 times in 2 years. That's 6 times a year. At $150 for the upgrade, that's $12.50 per use. That's not terrible, but it's not a bargain.

The real question is whether you'd use it. If you're the kind of cook who does a full protein plus sides on a weeknight, the side burner changes your workflow. If you're a burger-and-chicken guy, skip it. Save the money and buy a better main grill.

The best gas grill with a side burner is the Napoleon Rogue 425, if you can afford it. The best value is the Weber Spirit E-325s. The Char-Broil is a rental, not a purchase.

I've had my Napoleon for 2 years. I've burned my hand on the cover. I've cleaned the burner twice. I've cooked 30 brisket flat steaks on the infrared sear. The side burner has earned its spot, barely. If it rusted out tomorrow, I'd replace it. That's not a glowing review. That's the truth.