I live in Florida where the weather tears up grills and finding replacement parts every couple of years seems to be the law of the land. Previously, I lived near the ocean in South Carolina. Want to store your grill out on the deck? Fine—it will last you a year. While the longevity of grills remains in question, quality and features still make the top of my list when shopping for these culinary power tools. Recently, I came across Monument Grills, a brand that is sold direct-to-consumer and also via The Home Depot online. It didn’t take long before we requested a Monument Grill for review so we could see how it stacked up.
Where features like the inserts found in the Stok Quattro 4-burner grill impress, the 4-burner Monument Grill (model 35633) has a build quality and look that makes me wonder about the low $369 price. The company only has six models to choose from. Two have a Clearview lid (24633, 35633), two come in black-coated steel (24633, 13892), and two are available with searing side burners (24367, 35633). The models mix and match these features to come up with six grill combinations (see below).
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Monument 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill Features (model 35633)
The grill we chose for review (model 35633) costs $369 and has a nice array of features for the price. First, you get 4 main burners, 1 side burner, and 1 side sear burner. Instead of guessing what your food is doing, the ClearView glass window in front allows for easy viewing and the thermometer affixes right int he middle. The appliance-grade glass will likely grease up over time, but you can always clean it like you would an oven window (baking soda and water).
A separate battery compartment houses four AA batteries to power blue LED lights around each of the control knobs. Monument Grills claims this makes it easier to grill at night. I don’t know too many people who grill in total darkness, but I will say one thing. Because the knobs feature a line for marking the temperature setting, the blue LEDs actually do provide a means of knowing the position of your controls when it’s dark. The light from the burners will take care of helping you see your food.
So, yes, you could technically use this grill in complete darkness—and we observed it in our blacked-out shop. How long the LEDs will last is anyone’s guess, however, LEDs typically do not draw much power. Four AA batteries should give you a good amount of casual usage, provided the batteries don’t corrode.
Monument 4-Burner Gas Grill Build Quality
With grills, #buildqualitymatters. One big takeaway with Monument Grills would be that the assembly is more complex than most. If you like that sort of thing, you’ll really enjoy the process. If not—then you might want to pay someone to assemble it for you. The doors, lid, and side shelves are all made with 430 stainless steel. This is the same sort of steel you find on the inside of premium appliances like dishwashers and refrigerators. You also find it on automotive trim. It has excellent heat resistance and good corrosion resistance. The 4 main burners and two side burners are made with the even more corrosion-resistant 304 stainless steel. That’s also your typical kitchen sink steel.
The searing burner is the expected ceramic. All-told, you get around 72,000 BTU of heat to cook with across 513 sq. in. of your main cooking area and 210 sq. in. of warming rack area. The cooking grates are porcelain-coated, cast iron, and stainless flame tamers attempt to even out the heat from the burners.
A separate AA battery (yes, that makes 5 total) provides power for the electronic pushbutton ignition that arced all but the right -side burner for us. The removable grease tray has a nice, wide funnel which looks to cover all of the available bottom areas. This keeps your tank and lower cabinet from getting covered in those delicious drippings. The casters look pretty stout for a grill, and the front two lock to prevent movement while cooking. I had one parked at the edge of a short patio once and forgot to lock the casters…no one likes close calls while grilling!
Six Models to Choose From (We Hope)
While Monument Grill has six models to choose from, we’ve seen all but two of them drop like flies to “Sold Out” status. Now, hopefully, that just means they’re selling quickly and reloads are on their way overseas—but who knows. The fact that they’re sold via Depot and Walmart, as well as directly online, is a good sign. The current six Monument grills which use propane break down as follows:
Model 13892 – 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill
- Color: Black
- LED Controls
- Side Burner
- USB Light
- Price: $399
Model 24633 – 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill
- Color: Black
- ClearView Lid
- LED Controls
- Side Burner
- USB Light
Model 17842 – 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill
- Color: Stainless
- LED Controls
- Side Burner
- Rotisserie
- Price: $507
Model 24367 – 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill
- Color: Stainless
- LED Controls
- Side Burner
- Side Sear Burner
- Price $493
Model 35633 – Monument 4-Burner Gas Grill (review model)
- Color: Stainless
- ClearView Lid
- LED Controls
- Side Burner
- Side Sear Burner
Model 77352 – 6-Burner Propane Gas Grill
- Color: Stainless
- LED Controls
- Side Burner
- Price $549
Using the Monument 4-Burner Gas Grill
Having used more than a few grills in my time, it doesn’t take much to know what you like. The porcelain-coated cast-iron grates are decent. They will outperform (by far) those the steel you sometimes find on entry-level grills. They also make it simple to flip burgers and grab steaks and brats. More expensive grills might have thicker, more robust cast-iron grates, or even use thick stainless steel. The porcelain actually inhibits corrosion, as pure cast-iron will begin to deteriorate quickly. There were some trade-offs in heat retention and searing ability. That may be a good reason for grabbing a model that comes with an infrared searing burner with a stainless steel grate.
Speaking of the searing burner—it’s a rare and nice feature. You’ve got a choice of either searing your steaks before or after you cook them. We found that cooking with medium heat over a longer period of time yielded more consistent results. By “consistent”, I mean you’ll avoid major hot spots on the grill. You know, where you start playing “ring-around-the-rosie” with your meat to keep it from burning… With the searing burner, you can cook it to about 90%, and then sear it to lock in the juices. We did that with a couple of ribeye steaks, and they came out fantastic.
Brats and burgers came out great as well. We cranked up the grill to high, which got the internal temperature to 400 degrees in a relatively short amount of time. After that, we dropped on our meat and lowered the temperature. You can cook with the lid up or down, but we tend to keep the lid down so that we can cook all sides of the meat. The glass worked well, but we suspect it will be a constant cleaning process over time due to baked-on splatter.
Conclusion
With a one-year warranty on the grill and an 8-year warranty on the burners, Monument Grills provides stout competition in the mid-tier grill category. This is a company to keep your eyes on. They present good competition to Stok, Nexgrill, and others and fall into a great price point.
