Outdoor cooking doesn’t have to be a delicate act of balancing an old frying pan on a blistering fire. With the best outdoor cooker as part of your appliances, you can prepare scrumptious, finger-licking meals without breaking a sweat. Outdoor burners come in an assortment of types, ranging from electric to propane, charcoal, ceramic, smokers and wood pellet grills.

Of course, a good outdoor burner has to have the capacity to meet your needs. It should be versatile enough to allow you to feed a hungry crowd of your friends at the pool party. Designs vary from easy-to-carry to lightweight to burly and big. Whatever the case, you want a want a cooker that’s easy to clean and one that doesn’t rust. Be sure to look for a durable workhorse that can handle the beatings for frequent use for years to come.

From all-round models that can let you prepare any meal to dish-specific and camping units, here are our picks for the best outdoor cookers for the money. Cooking mouth-watering meals wherever you go has never been this easy (and affordable)

10. CONCORD Outdoor Stand Stove – Best for Durability

Prepare a feast with this double burner stove in your backyard or camping site. Ideal for picnics in the pack or tailgates, it features heavy-duty cast iron construction, complete with weatherproof coating to keep rust at bay. You don’t have to worry about overcooking your food. The separate controls will keep you in charge of the heat levels up to 55,000 BTU for each burner.

The stand design lets you turn your food comfortably while the high-pressure regulator guarantees your safety as you prepare your spaghetti sauce. The CONCORD is easy to assemble too. There’s even an instruction manual just in case you need help. And, at less than 30 pounds of weight, carrying this burner around shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Other than that, this cooker can support two 60 QT stockpots. Now, that’s enough capacity to feed your entire family during the Thanksgiving dinner. How about the durability you ask? Well, this thing will last a lifetime! Yes, once you get it, all you need to do is to maintain it properly and you’re set, for life!

9. Bayou Classic SP2 – Best for Large Crowds

The SP2 is an excellent alternative if the 60 QT stockpots capacity offered by the CONCORD cooker isn’t enough for you. It can support up to 150-quart stockpots, making it a perfect choice for entertaining large groups of guests. You can even use it to cook crawfish boils.

The Bayou Classic SP2 has double jets and an 18-inch diameter cooking surface to ensure that your stockpots don’t wobble as you turn your food. While this cooker doesn’t have valves to fine-tune the flames, the dual jets pump out 219k BTU heat to boil your food twice as fast.

The SP2 runs on a mini propane tank so it comes with a 48-inch LPG stainless braided hose. That way, you can start to use it right away. It is essential to point out that you can use it with natural gas too but you have to purchase a conversion kit. The 11 ½ inches welded steel frame is not only sturdy but also designed for safety and function.

8. Camp Chef Cooker Stove – Best to Fix a Quick Meal

Put on a show for your pals with this beast of a cooker that has one burner and an ah-mazing 60,000 BTU output. The Camp Chef is powerful, efficient and fast – just what you’d be looking for in a top-notch burner. In the meantime, you can count on the iron cast stove and frame to stand the test of time, even with regular use.

Other than its stellar performance, the other thing that makes this cooker standout is its compact design. It measures a mere 16 by 16 inches with a height of 10.5 inches. Due to the small size and portability, it is one of the best outdoor cookers for camping and emergency preparedness. Plus, the high-pressure burner system makes this stove a good choice for all types of canning.

The stands are not only removable but also adjustable. By extension, this means that you can toss it into your camping carry bag and still have some space left for your sleeping bag or gratuitous condiment bar. Get this little powerhouse and you’ll never have to worry about frying, brewing or boiling water during your next backpacking trip at Salt Lake City.

7. Camp Chef Explorer 3X – Best for Long Camping Trips

Three burners for an outdoor cooking stove? Yes, you read that right! And the beauty of it is that each burner pumps 30,000 BTU for a highly efficient “blue frame.” This stove comes with a regulator to connect to your gas tank and can work with both propane and natural gas.

We love the three-sided windscreen to keep you cooking even in the windiest of days at the beach. The Explorer 3X is bulky. But, you can always remove its legs whenever you want to move it from point A to point B. And yes, you adjust the height to, allowing you to cook on uneven ground.

Meanwhile, the rugged design assures you of the stove’s durability. Fans applaud this stove’s iconic performance. Sure, with its heavy-duty cooking grates to support large capacity pots and high altitude regulator, this 3X will prepare a feast for you and your buddies, even above 5,000 feet. Now, that sounds like a stove you’d like to own, more so if you like to entertain guests at an outdoor party, doesn’t it?

6. GAS ONE Outdoor Gas Cooker – Best for a Tight Budget

Who said that the best outdoor cookers must be overly expensive? This one by Gas One dispenses a mind-bending 200,000 BTU of heat and it’s not even the most expensive model in this collection. With that kind of power, preparing meals for your visiting family shouldn’t be much of a problem.

The Gas One features a controllable air valve to let you fiddle with the flame as per your needs. There’s also a high-pressure regulator complete with a hose for propane gas connection. Put; differently, you’ll start to use your burner in a couple of minutes after it arrives.

Additionally, this stove is as brawny as they come. It is, therefore, perfect for brewing or fishing trip and any other situation that requires you to prepare food fast. Your safety when using this burner is taken care of as well. The CSA certified and the integrated O-ring regulators work together to ensure that there’s no gas leakage. The Gas One cooker is compact for portability and has a cast iron frame for longevity. And that’s we like to call value for your money right there.

5. King Kooker CS14 – Best for Occasional Cooking

Convenient, super-fast and ultra-portable, the Kooker CS14 is ideal for a hiker or camper who wants to save valuable trunk space. It will serve you well too if you don’t have a lot of outdoor cooking to do. In other words, this unit is for you if you cook outdoors say once or twice every season and don’t have a lot of people to feed.

King Kooker features a 14 by 14-inch cooking surface and can dispense up to 54, 000 BTU of heat. And just like the Explorer 3X, it has a removable shield for windy days. Its design meets the standards set by the CSA for your safety. You also get an LP listed hose and a regulator with a type-1 connection.

The interlocking stand is great for tall individuals but you can lower it if you’re shorter. And then there is the deep-fry thermometer just to make sure that you get it right with your cooking. You also get easy-to-cook recipes with every purchase!

4. Eastman Outdoors Kahuna Burner – Best for Versatility

The Kahuna offers everything you need to keep the food flowing for your next outdoor party. Don’t let its small size fool you – there’s so much that this cooker can accomplish, fast. For starters, it can generate 65,000 BTU which translates to faster cooking and lesser time turning your food.

The Eastman Kahuna could very well be the most versatile burner in this roundup. Due to its adjustable design, you can use it for fish, lobster, crab and woks pots. It will also accommodate 18 inches pots with a capacity of up to 36 quarts. The other thing that makes this cooker special is the fact that it supports clean-burning. It is 75% cleaner than industry requirement. In simple terms, you will prepare lip-smacking meals without harming the environment.

You can adjust the legs from18 to 26 inches and you can certainly remove them for convenient storage. And, the sure-footed design will keep your burner stable as you cook. Purchase this revolutionary burner and start cooking anything from chicken wings to veggies and seafood.

3. Camp Chef EX60LW Explorer 2 – Best for Weekend Retreats

Do you want the same trailblazing performance of the Explorer 3X but with fewer burners? The Explorer 2 is a smaller version of the 3X so you can already guess what it can do. It features two burners (obviously) with a 30,000 BTU output. You also get up to 448 square inches of cooking space and a three-sided windscreen.

Plus, you can regulate flame to simmer on one burner while boiling water on the other using the appliance-style knobs. The Explorer 2 also comes with a 3-foot hose for connection to a propane tank. The burners are cast-aluminum and the legs stand at a height of 29 inches.

Those who’ve used it say it can fit large pots and that it cooks pretty fast. The only thing you need to know is that you have to light it manually (just like most units on this list) so be sure to carry your lighter or matchboxes. Shoot, with the Explorer 2, you can even make weekend dinners outside every week!

2. Aottop Camping Stove – Best for Brewing

The Aottop is not only incredibly silent but also one of the best propane stoves you can get on the market. It is a great choice if you want to replace your old, noisy cooker with a weak flame. It pumps out 55,000 BTU and can support and 8-gallon cooking pots to handle your home brewing like a champ.

It features a 16 by 16 inches cooking surface to ensure that your stockpots rest easy and firmly as the food boils. Each unit comes with a regulator to make sure that you have absolute control over the flames. The UL listed 29-inch hose will connect to your propane tank in a cinch. And for those who may want to know, this cooker works best with a 20-pound gas tank.

The Aottop stands at a height of 13 inches. It is worth noting at this point that you cannot adjust the legs, so be sure to keep that in mind before purchasing. Otherwise, this is a brilliant outdoor cooker that outperforms other models in its class.

1. Bayou Classic SP10 – Overall Best

The SP10 by Bayou Classic is the best outdoor cooker hands down. It is affordable and its cooking ability will leave you satisfied in the words of those who’ve used it. This burner scores highly when it comes to sturdiness. While it is only 13 inches in height, it offers a low center of gravity that enables it to handle stockpots with a capacity of 100 QT. In fact, it is this ability that makes the SP10 and attractive option with cooking enthusiasts.

You also get a 360-degree windscreen protection so that the winds don’t have to stop you from preparing your favorite meals. Besides, this model has both residential and commercial certifications. As for the accessories, the SP10 comes with a 48-inch stainless steel braided hose, a brass control valve and a 10psi high-pressure regulator.

The welded-steel frame brings forth years of use, while the wide set legs provide remarkable stability. The cooking surface has a 14-inch diameter. What’s more? The SP10 comes at a price that won’t burn through your wallet (or purse)!