Preheating a gas grill is a simple, three-step process:

  1. Open your lid, turn on the gas (if necessary), and light the grill
  2. Turn all burners to the highest heat setting
  3. Close the lid and let the grill sit for about 10–15 minutes
Gas grill with open lid

Yep, that’s all it takes! For all-infrared gas grills, follow the first two preheating steps but don’t close the lid once you’ve cranked the heat up. Most infrared grills are meant to be cooked on with the lid open, and because they don’t use convection heat, there’s no need to trap hot air inside the grill body. These burners will take only 3–5 minutes to reach cooking temperatures. If you have a single infrared burner on a conventional gas grill, preheat the grill as usual then let the infrared burner preheat for about 3 minutes with the lid open.

When searing steaks or cooking at higher temperatures on non-infrared burners, let your grill preheat for closer to 15 minutes. When using indirect heat or grilling more delicate foods, it’s a good idea to cut off your preheat around the 10-minute mark. You can always adjust the temperature before throwing food on the grill, no matter how long your preheat lasts. Keep in mind that the built-in thermometer on your grill won’t reflect the precise temperature of your grilling surface. Try using an infrared temperature gun if you want to know exactly how hot your grill grates are.