5.0 Score
Pros
- The best professional quality gas grill you can buy.
- Super Hot grill, sears as you place the meat.
- Fit and Finish top notch
Cons
- Price
Final Verdict
Top of the list, The best professional quality gas grill you can buy if you can afford it.
FireMagic has been making professional quality gas grills in Southern California since 1937. Family owned, their slogan is “Built with Passion, Owned with Pride” for good reason. It’s simply the best gas grill you can buy at any price. Their highly automated facility in LA produces gas grills with a fit and finish that is top notch. There are so many good things to say about the brand and parent company RH Peterson, but the most important for you to consider when buying a professional gas grill is performance and reliability. 5 Stars on both!
Most grill manufacturers also make indoor appliances, and that leads to specifying parts not designed for harsh exteriors. RH Peterson makes FireMagic, AOG )a lower priced premium gas grill brand), American Fyre Designs (fire features) and Real Fyre – the top brand of fireplace gas logs…. no indoor appliances. Also beware of “no name” and even many famous brand names that are now made in China, FireMagic is proudly made in the USA!
Review Conclusion: 5 Stars, if you can afford it, there is no better grill you can buy.
Top Features of FireMagic Echelon Series Gas Grills
Better Tasting Food
Yes, food does taste better when cooked on a FireMagic grill. FireMagic replicated what people love about cooking on a charcoal grill with out the lighter fluid. The intense heat allows you to instantly sear your meat, locking in the natural juices.
Diamond Sear Cooking Grids
In addition to just looking great, these patented trapezoidal cooking grids provide an optimal cooking surface for even heat and searing, and greater surface area, covering 50% of cooking surface. They are also part of a unified cooking system, designed for peak performance.
Cast Stainless Steel Burners
1/4” thick cast stainless “E” burner for consistent, even heat and a lifetime of durability. Baffled design, there is no other gas grill burner like it. Simple things like the burner cap built in, that protects the ports from clogging. If it burns out while you own it (original purchaser) they will replace it no charge, not even freight.
Lights Every Time
Ignition is the first thing to stop working on most grills. FireMagic solved that issue with hot surface ignition. It even lights in the rain!
Hybrid – Multi Fuel Cooking
Best of both worlds. Yes, this gas grill and also be setup to cook with hardwood charcoal. Load the massive charcoal basket with your favorite hardwood charcoal and turn your gas grill into a charcoal grill. Light up the charcoal with the gas. There is also a lid so you can smoke wood chips and get that wonderful natural smoke infusing your grilled foods. You can do both indirect and direct cooking using multiple charcoal baskets.
Magic View Window
Optional Ceramic Magic View Window provides a clear view interior of the grill without having to open the lid. Natural air wash keeps the glass clean and when you get really messy, oven cleaner works like a charm.
Large Rotisserie
Rotisserie is one of those items that most rarely use, but let me tell you, once you have used a FireMagic rotisserie you will be hooked. Large enough to accommodate practically any size of meat or poultry – I’ve seen a hole hog done on their massive 48″ grill.
What’s Important to Know When Deciding Between Brands
Size Matters
It can be confusing when comparing FireMagic against its competitors since they all size their grills differently. FireMagic is old school, they size their grills based on primary cooking space. Some manufacturers measure the outside edges of the gas grill cart or on a built-in gas grill, the bracket either side of the hood, they use that bracket to hang the grill from the countertop. Or in the Lynx grill below, the made the face and bracket 42″, but the actual cooking surface is much smaller.
Grills can also vary in depth. While a wider grill may look impressive, if its is also shallow you may be getting less grill for your money. An illustration of why comparing primary cooking surface is more important than manufacturer declared size is a grill that FireMagic calls a 30″ portable gas grill (A660s-8EAN-62). At 660 square inches of primary cooking surface (30×22) it has more cooking surface than what Lynx call a 36″ grill (L36TRF) at 610 square inches (33×18) or a 36″ Twin Eagles TEBQW36RS at 640 square inches (32×20), also listed by the manufacturer as a 36″ grill. So be careful, when comparing one brand of a 36″ grill vs another brand 36″ bbq grill, FireMagic may look expensive, but when comparing square inches, they give you more usable grilling space for your money.
Firebox Depth Matters Too
The firebox is the area below the cooking grids, housing the burners and other parts of the cooking system, truly the heart of the grill. The firebox depth of a FireMagic gas grill is 12″ deep, most other brands fireboxes are 8-10″ deep. That extra depth not only allows you to rotisserie a larger piece of meat, but also adds consistency of cooking to the FireMagic cooking system. When your flavor grids or briquettes are farther the cooking grids, you have a lower chance of burning your food and higher chance of a successful cook.
BTU’s Per Burner
When you are shopping, you may hear a salesperson mention BTU’s per burner as a way to compare. For some grills that may be useful, but we feel BTU’s per inch is more accurate. Just take BTU’s of the primary burners and divide by the total square inches of the primary cooking space. Anything over 100 BTU’s per inch will perform well. A FireMagic E790 is 136 BTU’s per inch (90,000/660). The reason this is important is that tells you how hot that grill will get.
Flavor Grids vs Briquettes
The age old question, and there are proponents on both sides. It really depends on your cooking style. Briquettes are usually made from porous ceramic, and take a long time to heat up, but once heated, will give you a long, consistent cook. When flavor grids replace briquettes under the cooking grids and above the burners, they are there primarily to prevent flare ups. On FireMagic, the flavor grids glow red hot (producing natural infra-red) and vaporize the juices on contact, preventing most flare ups. FireMagic’s choice of flavor grids over briquettes allows it to be exceptionally responsive. High heat very quickly, and adjusting temperature on the fly quickly, giving you much more control. Briquette systems will be slower to respond. Another downside of briquettes it they can hold what ever you cook, adding flavor of your last several meals may not be desired.
InfraRed Cooking
Infra-Red cooking was popularized by a manufacturer called Tec, and cooks similar to most commercial broilers, getting super hot to sear meats. Most gas grills just don’t have the cooking power to sear, and benefit from a dedicated Infra-Red zone. FireMagic grills are so hot and when preheated for 10 minutes will sear instantly, they don’t benefit from an Infra-Red zone. If the grill you are looking at is less than 100 BTU’s per inch, we suggest supplementing the cooking power of that grill with an Infra-Red cooking zone.
FireMagic Echelon Series
Like most premium gas grill manufacturers, FireMagic offers both Portable/Cart grills, and Built-In or island grills.
Portable or Cart Gas Grills
This 36″ grill is the most popular sizzle and I love the large cooking surface. The E790s has 792 square inches of primary cooking surface. 36×22 cooking grids. 90,000 Btu’s from the main burners. 22,000 BTU back rotisserie burner and a 15,000 BTU sealed brass side burner.
If you want larger, you have the E1060s, 1056 square inches of primary cooking. 48×22 cooking grids and 112,000 Btu’s from the main burners. 13,000 btu back rotisserie burner and 15,000 btu sealed brass side burner.
And a smaller one to round out the line. E660s. 30×22 cooking grids, 11,000 btu back rotisserie burner and 15,000 btu sealed brass side burner.
Built-In or Island Grills
Built-In or Island grills are the anchor point for a great outdoor kitchen. Click link for our in depth review of outdoor kitchens.
The 36″ E790i is the most popular, and there are sizes smaller E660i and larger E1060i .
- E660i – 30″ 660 Square Inches, 30×22
- E790i – 36″ 792 Square Inches 36×22
- E1060i – 48″ 1056 Square Inches 48×22
FireMagic Aurora Series
Aurora series share many of the same features of the Echelon with a slightly different face.
Aurora series has many more options (grills without side burners or rotisserie) and more sizes, but if you want the largest grill (48×22) that is only available in the Echelon.
Available in Cart models and Built-In Models.
Aurora has two depths of cooking surfaces, 22″ deep and 18″ deep.
22″ Deep Models
- A790 – 36″ 792 Sq In – 36×22
- A660 – 30″ 660 Sq In- 30×22
And 18″ Deep Models
- A540i – 30″ 540 Sq In – 30×18
- A430 – 24″ 432 Sq In – 24-18
In the 24″ size they also make unique patio In ground post and Patio Post models.
Choice Series
Choice is the least expensive grill to wear the FireMagic label.
The main difference between Aurora and Choice is the burner and Turn to Light ignition. Like most premium grill competitors, Choice model have a tubular stainless steel burner.
Built in Models
- C650i – 36″ – 648 Sq In – 36×18
- C540i – 30″ – 540 Sq In – 30×18
- C430i – 24″ – 432 Sq In – 24×18
