The Best Indoor Smokeless Grills
Verified by
Ryan V. Editor-in-Chief
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Two of the tests in our research treated smoke as a headline criterion: Serious Eats, where Taylor Murray ran onions, chicken, and NY strip across 8 grills, and Food & Wine, whose lab has put 31 smokeless grills through infrared temperature readings and sear tests. Both put the Breville Smart Grill BGR820XL in their top three. Food & Wine found its temperatures the most consistent of anything it tested and credited the 1,800 watts behind them for effective searing.
Serious Eats liked the result on the plate. The raised grates produce nice, brown grill marks with excellent flavor, and the bottom plate tilts so fat runs into a removable tray instead of pooling under the meat. Push the hinge all the way back and the two plates lie flat for 260 square inches of open grilling, or close it over a sandwich and the top plate floats at whatever height you set. A digital dial runs 320F to 450F with a countdown timer on the LCD.
Both plates and the drip tray come apart for the dishwasher. The Breville has sold long enough that its spare griddle plate still has its own listing on breville.com.
What It Won't Do
It is big. At 19.4 lb, Serious Eats found it fairly heavy to pull in and out of a cabinet on a regular basis, and Food & Wine summed it up as heavy, bulky, and expensive. There is no fan either. Smoke control depends entirely on the tilted plate draining fat away, so a fatty ribeye on the Sear setting still wants a range hood running. The warranty is only 1 year on a $349.95 appliance.
No grill showed up in more of our sources than the Hamilton Beach Searing Grill 25361. Food & Wine named it Best Overall among its smokeless grills: its searing tests produced good grill marks with no to very minimal smoke. Serious Eats gave it Best Budget, The Spruce Eats picked its windowless twin for big groups, and Good Housekeeping listed it as the best grill for small kitchens.
The design is simple. It is an open, nonstick plate with a dial from 200F to 450F and a hinged lid with a window. Serious Eats found that closing the lid trapped smoke, steam, and grease splatter. Reviewed's Sharon Franke wrote that burgers, chicken, and fish came out with deep grill marks that closely resembled the ones from an outdoor grill. The plate, lid, and extra-large drip tray all go in the dishwasher, and Hamilton Beach lists it at $89.99, about a quarter of the Breville's price.
What It Won't Do
Heat is uneven at the low end. Food & Wine measured noticeable hot and cold spots at lower settings and found it ran a bit cool overall, so preheat on high before searing. Lid or no lid, Good Housekeeping's lab still got smoky while grilling, and the tester advised opening a window. It grills and does nothing else: there is no griddle plate. Amazon stock of new units has also been thin lately, though Hamilton Beach sells it direct as the 25361MN.
Who Should Buy Which
Breville the Smart Grill (BGR820XL)
The most consistent temperatures in Food & Wine's testing, with 1,800 watts behind every sear
- You grill indoors several times a week and want the steadiest heat available
- You want one machine for steaks, open grilling, and pressed sandwiches
- You care about dark, even grill marks more than extra functions
- You have a spot on the counter or a low cabinet for a 19 lb appliance
Hamilton Beach Electric Indoor Searing Grill with Viewing Window (25361)
Food & Wine's top smokeless grill, with a lid that holds in smoke and splatter, for under $90
- You live in an apartment and want grill marks without a smoke alarm going off
- You cook for up to six people and want to spend under $100
- You want every removable part to go in the dishwasher
- You don't need a griddle, air fryer, or panini press