Forbes Names the American Muscle Grill the #1 Grill for Your Backyard
When Forbes set out to find the best grills for serious backyard cooks, they didn't turn to a marketing team for opinions. They sent award-winning journalist and bestselling author Larry Olmsted — a man who has personally tested more grills than most people will own in a lifetime. His verdict? The American Muscle Grill isn't just good. It's number one.
The Forbes Review That Changed the Game
In his article for Forbes, Olmsted put the Muscle Grill at the top of his list of five grills that would transform any backyard cook into a legitimate barbecue contender. This wasn't a paid placement or a sponsored feature. Olmsted is known for hands-on, no-nonsense reviews built on actually living with the products he writes about — cooking on them day after day until he understands exactly what they can and can't do.
What Olmsted found was a grill that outperformed competitors costing three to four times as much. In a category where premium grills routinely cross the $10,000 mark, the Muscle Grill delivered professional-grade results at a fraction of the price. For a journalist who has cooked on virtually everything the market has to offer, that's not a statement made lightly.
What Makes the Muscle Grill a "Masterpiece"
The Muscle Grill earned its Forbes ranking by solving a problem that has frustrated serious grillers for years: the choice between fuel types. Most grills force you to pick a lane — gas for convenience, charcoal for flavor, or wood for that authentic smoke. The Muscle Grill eliminates that compromise entirely.
As the first true multi-fuel hybrid grill at its price point, the Muscle Grill lets you cook with natural gas, propane, charcoal briquettes, lump charcoal, wood chunks, or pellets. You can use any single fuel or combine them simultaneously. Want the convenience of gas ignition with the deep smoky flavor of oak wood chunks? Load both. Craving the searing heat of lump charcoal with a bed of cherry pellets for sweetness? Done. No other grill in its class offers this kind of versatility.
Engineering That Backs Up the Hype
The Muscle Grill isn't just versatile — it's built to a standard that professional outdoor kitchen designers respect. Every unit is constructed from heavy-gauge 304 stainless steel, the same medical and food-service grade material used in commercial kitchens. This isn't the thin-gauge stainless you'll find on big-box store grills that rust through in a few seasons. This is steel that's built to handle decades of high-heat cooking without warping, discoloring, or degrading.
Five 22,000-BTU stainless steel tubular burners deliver a combined 110,000 BTUs of cooking power across 1,105 square inches of grilling surface. The patent-pending hybrid fuel trays sit directly above the burners, letting you use gas to ignite your solid fuels instantly — no chimney starters, no lighter fluid, no waiting around.
The cooking grates themselves reflect a level of thought that separates the Muscle Grill from the competition. The heavy-duty cast stainless steel V-Tech grates are reversible: the convex side creates perfect sear marks on steaks, burgers, and chops, while the concave side gently cradles delicate items like fish fillets, shrimp, and vegetables to prevent them from falling through or sticking.
Built in America, Inspired by American Muscle
The design of the Muscle Grill draws inspiration from the front grille of a 1966 Mustang Shelby GT 350 — and the parallel runs deeper than aesthetics. Like the classic American muscle cars it pays homage to, this grill is all about raw power delivered through precision engineering, built entirely in the United States.
American Made Grills (the manufacturer behind the Muscle Grill) is part of the Summerset family of brands, combining decades of outdoor kitchen manufacturing expertise with a relentless focus on innovation. Every grill comes with a cover, leather gloves, and a grid lifter tool, and is backed by the kind of warranty support that a family-owned company stakes its reputation on.
Why It Matters for Your Outdoor Kitchen
A Forbes endorsement carries weight because it reaches the kind of audience that does their homework before making a purchase. When someone like Larry Olmsted — who has tested everything from $200 kettle grills to $40,000 custom smokers — puts the Muscle Grill at number one, it validates what the outdoor cooking community has been saying since the grill launched: there's nothing else like it at this price.
For homeowners planning an outdoor kitchen, the Muscle Grill represents a rare opportunity to get the centerpiece right without overspending. It's the kind of product that anchors a space, sparks conversations, and genuinely changes how you cook outdoors. Available in 36-inch and 54-inch configurations, in both built-in and freestanding models, there's a Muscle Grill for every backyard and every budget.
Shop the Forbes-Ranked Muscle Grill at LivingOutdoorsy
At LivingOutdoorsy, we carry the full American Made Grills lineup, including the Muscle Grill in every available size and configuration. As an authorized dealer, we offer the same product the Property Brothers trusted on HGTV's Celebrity IOU and that Forbes ranked number one — backed by our free shipping, 0% APR financing, and lifetime expert support.
If you're ready to upgrade your outdoor cooking setup with the grill that Forbes says is the only one you need, our team is here to help you choose the right model and plan your installation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did Forbes say about the Muscle Grill?
Forbes journalist Larry Olmsted ranked the American Muscle Grill #1 in his article on the best grills for backyard cooking. He noted that it outperformed competitors costing three to four times as much and described it as the best combination of price and performance in the multi-fuel hybrid grill category.
What is a multi-fuel hybrid grill?
A multi-fuel hybrid grill lets you cook with multiple fuel types — gas, charcoal, wood, and pellets — either individually or combined at the same time. The American Muscle Grill is the first true multi-fuel hybrid at its price point, delivering 110,000 BTUs across 1,105 square inches of cooking surface with five stainless steel burners.
What sizes does the Muscle Grill come in?
The Muscle Grill is available in 36-inch and 54-inch configurations, in both built-in and freestanding models. All models are built from heavy-gauge 304 stainless steel in the United States. View all models at LivingOutdoorsy.
Who makes the American Muscle Grill?
The Muscle Grill is manufactured by American Made Grills, which is part of the Summerset family of brands. Summerset is a family-owned company with over 20 years of experience building professional-grade outdoor kitchen equipment. The same brands were also featured on HGTV's Celebrity IOU with the Property Brothers.
Where can I buy the Forbes-ranked Muscle Grill?
LivingOutdoorsy.com is an authorized dealer carrying the full American Made Grills and Summerset lineup. We offer free shipping on orders over $99, price match guarantee, 0% APR financing, and lifetime expert support.
LivingOutdoorsy is an authorized dealer of American Made Grills and Summerset products. We offer free shipping on orders over $99, price match guarantee, 0% APR financing, and lifetime expert support. Contact our team for personalized recommendations.
