Full Review – Kalamazoo K750HS Gas Grill
Simply put, Kalamazoo makes the best gas grills in the world and the Kalamazoo K750HS Gas Grill is their flagship product. They also make the most expensive. Many people might not recognize the name, but then the Kalamazoo Grill isn’t a status symbol. It is a hard-working, amazingly capable, and solidly constructed outdoor cooking appliance. People serious about grilling know the name, and that is what counts. It is better for serious cooks to desire this product than for the idle rich to decorate their patios.
So why would you spend well over $25,000USD on a gas grill? There are great gas grills for thousands less? Because of its construction and its capabilities. You don’t walk into a hardware store and pick one of these up. It has to be made for the individual, by hand (and some very cool laser-cutting equipment). The professional welders who put these together spend a year on the job before they are allowed to weld a seam that can actually be seen. On the inside front panel are the signatures of everyone who worked on making your grill.
What’s Inside the Kalamazoo K750HS Gas Grill
Getting into the details of the Kalamazoo Grill, we start with the burners. These are certified lead-free cast brass (forged in Canada, the only part not made in the United States). These burners weigh in at 14 pounds apiece and there are three of them in this model. The burners sit low in the grill so that the heat can evenly distribute and make way for the hybrid fuel drawer. Constructed of plate stainless steel, this drawer can hold charcoal or hardwood logs. The main burners will ignite the fuel. Then the grill is running on real fire for an extra smoky flavor. This feature is what makes this a hybrid grill. Built to run on gas, it can burn practically anything for heat. Temperatures at the cooking surface can reach 1,000 degrees F., making this one of the hottest cooking grills ever built.
To take this kind of heat and transfer it to the food is a set of custom-made 1/4-inch thick stainless steel plate cooking grates. These are laser cut and can be made in any desired pattern. They can even be a solid griddle plate or have a custom logo cut into them. All the rest of this grill is similarly constructed of 304 stainless steel. A marine-grade 316 stainless version is available. Every part of this grill is made to last.
Extra Features
Now add onto this a full rotisserie system that matches this quality. In the rear of the grill is an infrared rotisserie burner. This is a typical feature of many high-end gas grills and something people have come to expect. The rotisserie motor sits inside the cabinet of the grill. A stainless steel chain drives the heavy-duty rotisserie rod. Loaded up the food and slip it easily into place. Personally, I would do my rotisserie cooking with the main burners, cooking indirectly with hardwood, but I understand the desire for this feature.
The Kalamazoo Grill also has a pair of powerful side burners (optional but recommended for the freestanding version). Actually, these are professional cooktop burners and there is an option for an even more powerful wok burner. This wok burner is not just a burner with a special top that holds a wok, but an actual work burner that puts the heat around the wok, not just under it. If you understand Japanese wok cooking, you know how important this distinction is.
Bottomline
Ultimately, it is the attention to detail that makes this the best gas grill. Every nut and bolt is overengineered. There isn’t a seam that isn’t welded, ground to perfection, and then polished. This includes all the welds that will never be seen. The wiring and electronics are all water and heatproof.
To reiterate, this is the best gas grill in the world. It is also the most expensive. Fully loaded, this model comes in at over $25,000. There are very good grills for a tenth of the price. There are a dozen companies making great, comparably sized gas grills for half the price. Is this one twice as good as they are? I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this very question and I have to say, that it is worth it. The cooking system of this grill is unlike anything else I have cooked on. The heat is intense, the versatility is simply amazing, and the results are phenomenal. Yes, this is a luxury product that most of us will never own, but it is worth aspiring to.
Specifications – Kalamazoo K750HS Gas Grill
- Three 25,000 BTU lead-free cast brass burners
- 726 square inches of primary grilling space
- 75,000 BTU maximum output from the main burners
- Two 16,000 BTU professional-grade side burners
- The standard cooking surface is stainless steel rod grates but can be replaced with laser cut 1/4 stainless steel plate grates
- Complete stainless steel construction including all fasteners, knobs, and any other part
- Built-in rotisserie system with internal motor, chain-driven spit mounts, and infrared rotisserie burners
- Electronic hot surface ignition
- Large capacity fuel drawer for cooking with wood or charcoal (lit from the burners)
- Available extras include side burner unit, external smoker box, customized cooking grates, plus a full line of cabinetry and outdoor appliances
- Made entirely in the United States by Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
See the complete list of Freestanding Gas Grill Reviews
PROS
- Highest Grade Construction
- Custom Made to Order
- True Hybrid Grill
- Complete Rotisserie System
- Highest Possible Cooking Temperatures
CONS
- Price
Kalamazoo Gas Grill Review
Summary
Kalamazoo makes the best grills in the world. They have charcoal and gas models. They make traditional gas grills as well as Kamado-style and Gaucho grills. They are the best in the same way that Cartier makes the best watches. You pay for what you get and in the case of Kalamazoo, you pay a lot. The three-burner model of their Hybrid gas grill comes in at nearly $30,000 and that is without custom features.
If you have the money, this is the grill to buy. Don’t bother with Viking or Wolf, because the Kalamazoo Grill outperforms them on every level.
Kalamazoo K750HB 38-Inch Built-in Gas Grill
So why would you spend over $25,000USD on just the gas grill when building an outdoor kitchen? You don’t walk into a hardware store and pick one of these up. The Kalamazoo K750HB Hybrid Built-in has to be made for the individual, by hand (and some very cool laser-cutting equipment). Because this is a hybrid grill, it has a deep body. This means that the enclosure the grill goes into can’t be like most. So what you get is a grill that drops all the way to the ground.
The built-in version of this Kalamazoo grill comes with everything in the freestanding grill except the side burner and table sections. Kalamazoo has several side burner options that you can add to your outdoor kitchen as well as everything else you can imagine. They offer a complete line, built to their exhaustive specifications. Yes, a Kalamazoo outdoor kitchen will cost, but if you have the money, you can’t do better.
Other Sizes of the Kalamazoo Gas Grill
Kalamazoo’s best-selling grill is the three-burner built-in version of this grill. Most of their buyers are building an outdoor kitchen and the mid-sized model has the perfect combination of space and features. There are, however, two other models of this gas grill. They are also available as freestanding gas grills as well as gas grill inserts. The largest is a monster and beyond the needs of most families. The smaller version lacks the size to have a lot of versatility.
K500HT Gas Grill
The smallest of the Kalamazoo Hybrid Grills is the K500HT model. This two-burner gas grill has 500 square inches of primary cooking surface. This is larger than most of the gas grills you find in hardware stores. It comes with a full rotisserie system. You can add the dual side burner unit to this grill is you want.
The K500HT has a starting price of over $17,000 and that is without the side burner or the custom cooking grates of it is $4,000 less than the next sized Kalamazoo grill. If you don’t need the extra space or only have a small space to work with, this is a good choice. However, if you are spending this kind of money on a gas grill, why not go large.
K100HT Gas Grill
With a starting price of over $27,000USD the four-burner version of the Kalamazoo Hybrid Fire Grill is the most expensive version of the world’s best grill. Add in the side burners and custom features and you can easily push the price tag over 30K.
This gas grill is, of course, a monster. The primary cooking surface is 1,000 square inches. It has two full rotisserie systems. Given the incredible versatility of this grill, you could have a prime rib on the rotisserie while searing steaks and cooking a pizza.
On the other hand, this grill is larger than the needs of even the most habitual of home entertainers. If you need the space then buy this one. If not, the three-burner K750HT is perfect for you.
