Made In jumped into outdoor cooking last year when they released their first grill. It had amazing craftsmanship and was fun to cook on, but it may have been too good, because it was instantly sold out.

They’re back with an encore this year with a new version that includes some usability improvements. Most importantly, they’ve partnered with a new manufacturer, so you can actually buy this version. They sent me one to check out what’s new with it.

Summary

Whether you’re cooking in the backyard, tailgating, or camping, the Made In Grill is perfect for the task. They actually upped the already great quality this year by offering a stainless steel version. With its price tag, it’s a buy once, cry once type of grill, but between the quality and cooking experience it’s totally worth it.

Features and Specs

• Retail price of $599 (check price) in carbon steel or $699 (check price) in stainless steel
• Handmade in Nebraska
• Comes with a metal key to move the grate and access the charcoal when hot
• Silicone wrapped handles let you adjust the charcoal height while preserving your skin
• Removable ash pan makes clean-up easy

Updates

This version of the grill has some small updates to it to make the cooking experience better. The previous model had three different height settings for the charcoal basket, while the updated version has two. With that update though, you can now pick it up in either position.

Along with the height settings changing, they narrowed the charcoal basket a little bit to allow you to raised and lower the cooking grate in any position. That’s a welcome change because before you had to adjust the charcoal basket height down to be able to retract the grate.

Stainless Steel Model

The new version of the grill also has the option to be made out of 304 stainless steel. They list it as a limited edition, so I’d jump on that version.

The carbon steel model is really well made, but the stainless model takes it to the next level. My kids don’t know it yet but they’re getting it as an heirloom. The walls on it are super thick and it looks amazing. It will last forever.

Cooking

It’s really fun and easy to cook on the Made In Grill. I have a small charcoal chimney that fits inside that I use to light it. You don’t need a ton of charcoal either because it’s a small, hibachi style grill that retains heat well.

It feel solid to cook on because beyond using high quality materials, they also designed it to be stronger than they probably needed to. An example is you can see on the front corners they welded on triangles to reinforce it. The mechanical engineer in me loves stuff like that.

While there is one less cooking position for the charcoal, two is still enough because of the height of the grill. The top position helps with getting the grill heated up, searing, or getting the last little bit of heat out of your charcoal. The bottom position is helpful for cooking on lower heat or when you change-up what you’re cooking.

I like that the cooking grate is made from stainless steel and the grid is super wide. It helps add a nice crust to your food.

The grill is a great size for portability but it’s also decent for cooking with at home. If you’re cooking just protein for four or full meals for two, it’s enough space. When I cook with charcoal on weeknights, I like using small grills too because of how quickly they heat up.

Made In also makes a really nice griddle top for it that locks into place. It comes pre-seasoned and ready to go out of the box. It’s especially nice for camping because then you’re cooking breakfast outside too.