Monument Grills 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill Stands Out for Size and Power

We purchased the Monument Grills 17842 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill so our reviewer could put it to the test. Keep reading for our full product review.

Monument Grills is known for its high-quality stainless steel and porcelain grills—each featuring high-powered burners that heat up quickly for fast, even searing on meats, vegetables, and more. To see if the 17842 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill lived up to the company’s promises, we recently tested the mid-sized (and mid-priced) model every night for three nights. We evaluated factors like heating capability, ease of cleaning, and durability. Is this grill the one you need for your summer cookouts? Read on to find out.

Setup Process: Lengthy but uncomplicated

The instruction manual that comes with the grill is straightforward. One person can tackle the majority of the assembly, but a second person may be handy when placing the grill top on the bottom portion.

We only needed one tool—a Phillips head screwdriver. Don’t attempt to use a power tool to assemble this grill. You might over tighten bolts and easily strip them. Based on our test, you can expect setup to take about two hours from start to first ignition switch. The most difficult piece to install is the rotisserie kit, but more on that later.

Performance: Quick to light, fast to cook

To light this grill, we simply opened the propane gas valve, opened the burner at one eye, and pressed the electric ignition switch. It’s a fairly easy process, and we found the gas lit within one or two strikes. Once we lit all the burners—this grill has four, plus a side burner—the grill heats exceptionally fast.

In our tests, the grill went from start to 400 degrees (about the temperature you’d want to reach before cooking) in under 10 minutes. That’s perhaps no surprise, as all the burners deliver a combined 60,000 BTUs of cooking power. The grill grates, which are porcelain-coated cast iron, also spread heat from the flames quickly and evenly, whether we were cooking with one burner or all four.

Each burner has a graduated temperature control knob that allowed us to select on a curve between maximum and minimum, but even the lowest level produced a steady stream of heat that was great for foods we wanted to cook low and slow.

We tried thick pieces of steak and chicken breast halves first. They’re among the trickiest foods to cook properly over a high-heat surface. Because the temperature was so easy to control with the knobs, however, we successfully cooked each piece of meat to perfect temperature without searing the outside or burning any of the outer edges.

The same was true for vegetables. We cooked corn, eggplant, and squash in a second test. The latter two foods are notoriously sticky on grills, but we found the enamel-coated cast iron easily released them when properly heated.

Even sandwich buns heated evenly with no burning over low heat. The ability to control the amount of heat—something you don’t always get with charcoal grills—helped us create “sections” within the large cooktop for higher heat and lower heat. That allowed us to cook more food at once, at different temperatures, with the best results.

The side burner is a round-eye burner, like what you might expect to use on a gas cooktop. It also has a range of heat, but the open flame is quite intense. We used the side burner to heat barbecue sauce for chicken and ribs in a saucepan. It quickly came to a boil, so be careful not to burn anything you plan to heat here.

A warming rack sits in the top of the grill, several inches above the cooking surface. It’s far enough away for indirect cooking, but the heat coming from around the stainless-steel flame tamers is still intense, so we had to be careful not to overcook our food.

In one test, we placed thick-sliced toast on the warming rack to keep warm while chicken breasts finished cooking. But because the warming rack still gets a lot of radiant heat from the burners below, the bread became a bit hard. Use this rack for foods that can take a bit more heat, even if they’re finished cooking, such as vegetables and meat.

Design: Standard with sleek details

Rounded edges give this grill a modern aesthetic. Every exposed surface is stainless steel. The doors and top for the side burner integrate into the unite seamlessly, too. The most intriguing design aspect, however, is the LED knobs, which can be turned on and off with a switch that sits to the right of the knob panel. The vibrant blue hue of the knobs is a good feature for late-night cooking, but it also sets this grill apart from others. It’s a small design detail, but it makes a powerful impact.

The primary cooking surface is 513.3 square inches; the warming rack adds another 210 for a total of 723.3 square inches. A built-in thermometer sensor sits in the center of the lid, measuring the inside while the lid remains shut. We found the thermometer to be accurate and quick to move up or down when the grill lid was lifted or shut.

Material: Relatively sturdy

The grill grates, which can be removed for cleaning, are porcelain-coated cast iron. The grill lid, frame, side burner, and side table are all constructed from stainless steel. The smooth metal shows spots and stains easily, so you’ll need to clean after every use in order to maintain the pristine finish.

Where the manufacturer’s cost-saving measures show is in portions of the cooker’s construction, specifically thinner metals in the grill’s body with small bolts. When we put this grill together, we noticed that the slots for bolts were not reinforced with extra material. That leaves bolts holding together large and heavy pieces of the grill without any additional strength or support from extra material. This may never be an issue, but in a large appliance of this size, we worry the bolts could begin to weaken around the thin metal—especially if you move it frequently.

The grill sits on four heavy-duty plastic casters, which swivel easily for agile movement but also lock. We found in our tests, however, that the wheel locks do not always engage on the first attempt. More than once, we clicked the lock in place only to have the wheels begin to move. On a flat surface, the grill may be stable even without the locks, but on a surface with any amount of incline, you’ll need to double check the locks are engaged before walking away from it.

Features: Rotisserie kit and easy-clean tray

This Monument Gas Grill comes with a rotisserie kit—a plug-in feature with its own motor. It’s easy to use, though it is cumbersome to install. The long rotisserie spit, however, is thick and rigid, which means it is unlikely to be bent or warped through the long cooking period that’s necessary for rotisserie-style cooking.

We liked that we could slide a zinc-coated galvanized tray with grease pan from the rear of the grill once we’d finished cooking. The pan can be lifted out of a basket at the bottom of the tray and then emptied and cleaned. Unfortunately, the tray is too large for a dishwasher, but we found it was easy to wash in a double sink or outside sink.

Another bonus is storage: We appreciated the included tool hooks that allow for easy access to grilling essentials like tongs, a brush, and a spatula. The bottom of the grill also has storage space for any additional supplies.

Price: Excellent for the quality

This grill is not a beginner grill—it’s a mid-sized cooker at a median price point—but the sturdy construction makes this unit seem like it would be sold at a higher price point. However, at less than $400, you’re getting a grill that’s built to stand up to long weekend cookouts and frequent use. Plus, the burners have an eight-year warranty and a one-year overall warranty.

Competition: Large in its category

In the realm of grills priced under $500, the Monument 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill stands out for its size and power. The cooking surface—more than 700 square inches total—and the five high-powered burners allow for quick heating and cooking. While not portable enough for a tailgate or trip to the beach, the heavy-duty swivel casters make moving the grill easy—whether you need to transport it from garage to patio or just around the patio for safe keeping.

Compared to a similar grill, Weber Spirit II E-310 Gas Grill, the Monument 4-Burner Propane Gas Grill has a few more features, plus more cooking space. The Weber grill has only three burners with a maximum of 30,000 BTU and 529 square inches of cooking space. But Weber grills often have a higher price tag ($538) as a result of thicker steel, reversible grill grates, stronger construction, and a longer warranty (10 years on all parts, versus one year for the Monument grill).

For about half the price of the Monument grill, you can get the Char-Broil Classic 3-Burner Gas Grill, which has three cooking burners like the Weber grill. It features 360 square inches of grill space and another 170 square inches of warming space, for a total of 530 square inches—almost identical to the pricey Weber grill but smaller than the Monument grill. As the name implies, the Char-Broil is bare bones—it has two side shelves for storage but no other features.

At a price point between these two, the Monument grill is an affordable option with several great features, even if its warranty is limited.