Napoleon Prestige 500 Natural Gas Grill Review

The Napoleon Prestige 500 Natural Gas Grill is a favored choice among grilling enthusiasts who seek a high-quality, versatile, and durable outdoor cooking appliance. With its sleek design, powerful performance, and advanced features, this grill is designed to deliver exceptional results whether you're searing steaks, slow-cooking ribs, or roasting vegetables. In this review, I’ll cover the specifications, share my personal experience with the grill, and explore its benefits and use cases.

Specifications

The Napoleon Prestige 500 Natural Gas Grill is equipped with a range of features that make it a standout option for outdoor cooking:

• Material: Constructed from high-grade stainless steel, ensuring resistance to rust and corrosion, even in harsh outdoor environments.
• Cooking Area: Provides a total cooking area of 760 square inches, including the main grilling surface and a warming rack, offering ample space for a variety of foods.
• Burners: Equipped with four main burners, a rear infrared burner, and a side infrared sizzle zone burner, delivering a total of 66,000 BTUs for versatile cooking.
• Ignition System: The JETFIRE™ ignition system ensures quick and reliable start-ups, lighting each burner individually with a simple push of a button.
• Temperature Control: The Accu-Probe™ temperature gauge allows for precise monitoring of the grill's temperature, making it easy to achieve perfect cooking results.
• Grill Grates: The WAVE™ stainless steel cooking grids are designed for even heat distribution and superior searing, while also being easy to clean.
• Storage: Features spacious side shelves, an integrated ice/marinade bucket, and a cutting board, providing convenient storage and preparation space.

Build Quality and Design

The Napoleon Prestige 500 immediately impresses with its robust build quality and sleek design. Constructed from high-grade stainless steel, this grill not only looks impressive but is also built to last. The stainless steel construction ensures resistance to rust and corrosion, making it a reliable option for outdoor use, regardless of the weather conditions.

The overall design of the grill is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The sleek, modern look complements any outdoor space, and the thoughtful integration of storage options like side shelves and an ice/marinade bucket adds to its convenience. Despite its large cooking area, the grill's compact and organized layout ensures that it doesn't take up excessive space on your patio or deck.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the Napoleon Prestige 500 truly stands out. The four main burners provide ample power, delivering a total of 48,000 BTUs. In addition, the rear infrared burner and side infrared sizzle zone burner offer an extra 18,000 BTUs, bringing the total to 66,000 BTUs. This power allows the grill to handle everything from quick searing to slow roasting with ease.

The JETFIRE™ ignition system ensures that the grill is ready to cook in seconds, and the Accu-Probe™ temperature gauge allows for precise monitoring of the internal temperature, making it easy to achieve the desired cooking results. Whether you’re grilling burgers, slow-cooking ribs, or preparing rotisserie-style dishes, the Napoleon Prestige 500 delivers consistent, even heat across the cooking surface.

One of the standout features is the WAVE™ stainless steel cooking grids. These grids are designed to distribute heat evenly across the cooking surface, which is essential for achieving perfect results every time. Whether you’re cooking delicate vegetables or thick cuts of meat, the even heat distribution ensures that there are no hot or cold spots, resulting in perfectly cooked food.

Self Experience

Using the Napoleon Prestige 500 has truly elevated my outdoor cooking experience. As someone who enjoys entertaining, I’ve found this grill to be more than capable of handling large gatherings. Its spacious cooking area and powerful burners make it easy to prepare a variety of dishes simultaneously, ensuring that everyone gets their food hot and fresh.

One memorable grilling experience with the Prestige 500 was during a family cookout. I started by searing steaks on the side infrared sizzle zone burner. The intense heat from this burner created a perfect crust on the steaks, locking in the juices and flavor. After searing, I moved the steaks to the main grilling area to finish cooking while I grilled burgers, hot dogs, and vegetables. The even heat distribution across the main grilling surface ensured that everything was cooked to perfection, with no need to shuffle items around to avoid hot or cold spots.

The rear infrared burner also proved to be a game-changer when I decided to try rotisserie cooking. I mounted a whole chicken on the spit rod, and the rear burner provided consistent heat, resulting in a golden-brown, crispy skin while keeping the meat tender and juicy. The rotisserie feature has since become a favorite for cooking various meats, including pork loin and lamb, with consistently excellent results.

Cleaning the Prestige 500 is surprisingly easy, considering its size and power. The WAVE™ stainless steel cooking grids are easy to brush clean after each use, and the stainless steel surfaces wipe down quickly, keeping the grill looking as good as new. The integrated ice/marinade bucket is also a great feature, allowing me to keep marinades and beverages close at hand while grilling.

Benefits

• Spacious Cooking Area: With 760 square inches of total cooking space, the Prestige 500 is ideal for cooking multiple items simultaneously, making it perfect for large family gatherings and parties.
• Versatile Cooking Options: The grill's four main burners, rear infrared burner, and side sizzle zone burner provide a wide range of cooking options, from searing and grilling to rotisserie cooking and slow roasting.
• Even Heat Distribution: The WAVE™ stainless steel cooking grids ensure even heat distribution across the cooking surface, which is essential for consistently excellent results.
• Durability: The high-grade stainless steel construction is built to withstand the elements, ensuring that the grill remains in top condition even after years of use.
• Convenient Features: The integrated ice/marinade bucket, cutting board, and spacious side shelves make food preparation and storage easy, enhancing the overall grilling experience.

Conclusion

The Napoleon Prestige 500 Natural Gas Grill is a fantastic choice for anyone who takes outdoor cooking seriously. Its combination of powerful burners, durable construction, and versatile cooking options make it a top-tier grill that can handle a wide range of grilling tasks with ease. Whether you're searing steaks, cooking rotisserie-style dishes, or grilling for a large crowd, the Prestige 500 delivers consistent, high-quality results that will impress even the most discerning grillers.

FAQ

Q1: Can the Napoleon Prestige 500 be converted to propane gas?
Yes, the Napoleon Prestige 500 can be converted to propane gas with the appropriate conversion kit, which is available separately.

Q2: How do you clean the WAVE™ stainless steel cooking grids?
The WAVE™ stainless steel cooking grids can be cleaned easily by brushing them with a grill brush while they are still warm. For a deeper clean, you can remove the grids and soak them in warm soapy water before scrubbing with a non-abrasive pad.

Q3: Does the grill come with a rotisserie kit?
Yes, the Napoleon Prestige 500 comes with a rotisserie kit, including a heavy-duty motor and spit rod, allowing you to cook rotisserie-style dishes right out of the box.

Q4: How does the JETFIRE™ ignition system work?
The JETFIRE™ ignition system uses a push-button to ignite each burner individually. It provides reliable start-ups with minimal effort, ensuring that the grill is ready to cook in seconds.

Q5: Is the grill suitable for use in all weather conditions?
The Napoleon Prestige 500 is constructed from high-grade stainless steel, which is resistant to rust and corrosion, making it suitable for outdoor use in various weather conditions. However, it’s recommended to use a grill cover when the grill is not in use to protect it further.

Q6: How long does it take to assemble the Napoleon Prestige 500?
Assembly time can vary, but it typically takes about 2-3 hours to assemble the grill, depending on your experience with assembling similar products.

Q7: What kind of warranty does the Napoleon Prestige 500 come with?
The Napoleon Prestige 500 typically comes with a limited lifetime warranty on specific parts and components. It’s advisable to check with the manufacturer or retailer for detailed warranty information.

Q8: Can the cooking grids be replaced if they wear out?
Yes, replacement WAVE™ stainless steel cooking grids are available for the Napoleon Prestige 500, ensuring that you can maintain the grill’s performance over time.

Q9: Is the grill easy to move around?
The Napoleon Prestige 500 features sturdy wheels, making it easy to move the grill around your outdoor space. The wheels can be locked to keep the grill in place during use.

Q10: Does the grill come with a cover?
The Napoleon Prestige 500 does not come with a cover, but a custom-fit cover is available for purchase separately to protect the grill from the elements.