Napoleon Prestige 500 Natural Gas Grill Review

The Napoleon Prestige 500 Natural Gas Grill is a top choice for grilling enthusiasts who value quality, versatility, and durability in their outdoor cooking appliances. With its sleek design, powerful performance, and advanced features, this grill is engineered 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: Offers a total cooking area of 760 square inches, including the main grilling surface and a warming rack, providing 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: Features an Accu-Probe™ temperature gauge 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: Includes spacious side shelves, an integrated ice/marinade bucket, and a cutting board for convenient storage and preparation space.

Build Quality and Design

The Napoleon Prestige 500 Natural Gas Grill impresses right from the start with its robust build quality and sleek design. Constructed from high-grade stainless steel, this grill is not only resistant to rust and corrosion but also exudes a polished, professional appearance that fits seamlessly into any outdoor kitchen setting. The solid construction gives confidence in its durability, ensuring that the grill will be a reliable companion for many grilling seasons to come.

The grill’s thoughtful design extends to its functionality. The spacious cooking area, combined with the warming rack, provides ample room to cook multiple items simultaneously, making it ideal for both small family meals and large gatherings. The grill is also equipped with an integrated ice/marinade bucket and a cutting board, adding convenience to your cooking experience.

Performance

When it comes to grilling performance, the Napoleon Prestige 500 truly shines. The four stainless steel burners deliver consistent and even heat across the entire cooking surface, ensuring that your food cooks uniformly. This is particularly important for grilling delicate items like fish or vegetables, where uneven cooking can easily ruin the dish.

The rear infrared burner is a standout feature, perfect for rotisserie cooking. Whether you're roasting a whole chicken or slow-cooking a pork loin, the consistent heat provided by the infrared burner ensures a golden-brown, crispy skin while keeping the meat moist and flavorful. The side infrared burner, also known as the sizzle zone, is equally impressive, delivering intense heat that locks in the juices and flavors of the food, making it ideal for searing steaks.

One of the most notable aspects of the Prestige 500 is its versatility. Whether you're grilling burgers, searing steaks, or roasting vegetables, this grill handles it all with ease. The grill heats up quickly and maintains a consistent temperature, making it easy to achieve perfect cooking results every time.

Self Experience

Using the Napoleon Prestige 500 has transformed my outdoor cooking experience. As someone who enjoys entertaining, I’ve found that this grill is more than capable of handling large gatherings, thanks to its spacious cooking area and powerful burners.

One of my favorite grilling experiences with the Prestige 500 was during a family cookout where I tested the grill's versatility. I started by searing steaks on the sizzle zone burner, which created a perfect crust on the outside while keeping the inside tender and juicy. Next, I moved to the main grilling area to cook burgers, hot dogs, and vegetables. The even heat distribution across the cooking surface ensured that everything was cooked to perfection, with no hot or cold spots.

The rear infrared burner also proved invaluable when I decided to try my hand at rotisserie cooking. I mounted a whole chicken on the spit rod, and the rear burner provided the consistent heat needed to achieve a golden-brown, crispy skin while keeping the meat moist and flavorful. It was a hit with my family, and I’ve since used the rotisserie feature for other dishes, such as pork loin and lamb.

Cleaning the Prestige 500 is surprisingly easy, given its size and power. The WAVE™ stainless steel cooking grids are simple 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.

In my experience, this grill has exceeded expectations in terms of performance, ease of use, and overall value. It’s a worthy investment for anyone looking to elevate their outdoor cooking game, providing the tools and features needed to create delicious meals with ease.

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.