Napoleon LEX 730 Built-In Natural Gas Grill with Infrared Rotisserie Review
Most of the liquid propane sold in the United States is a byproduct of refining crude oil into gasoline. This means the price of propane sold in tanks can just as easily fluctuate like the price of oil or gas. At the same time, North America’s vast natural gas supplies are making it a far more attractive and affordable option. This is especially true in gas grills and outdoor grill stations.
Napoleon offers several grills in this niche, that can vary in size and features. Yet all carry their sleek stainless steel look and long-earned reputation for quality.
The LEX 730 natural gas grill is the largest in Napoleon’s residential grade built-ins. The hood, grates, and burners are all made from 304 stainless steel. The grill head is made from heat resistant 430 stainless steel.
The massive primary grill grate is made from 304 and offers an astonishing 730 square inches of cooking space. This is more than enough space to grill up to forty hamburger patties.
The four stainless steel burners each produce a ripping hot 16,000 BTUs. The rear burner also produces 16,000 BTUs. The built-in infrared element generates 15,500 BTUs of heat and is designed to work in concert with a rotisserie. However, the rotisserie is not included in the purchase. The burners are all ignited by Napoleons proprietary Jet Fire electronic ignition system.
Construction & Ease of Assembly
Napoleon hangs their hat on offering high-quality products made from the best quality materials. All this is combined with a sleek stainless steel look, precise measurements and backed by a superior warranty. Their stated dimensions ring in at an accurate 43 1/4″ wide x 21 3/8″ deep x 7 1/2″ high.
Not including the rotisserie in the purchase is a little bit of a black eye on the Napoleon LEX 730. Especially when it is included in some of the smaller grills in this same line.
Assembly is obviously going to take you some time. This unit is set up to run on natural gas. So you will need to make sure that you have a reliable municipal hook up.
Grilling Performance
The Napoleon LEX 730 is massive. It’s maybe even a little too big for small homes or if you are just needing to grill for your family of three. If you have a big family, or you frequently host cookouts, then it has all the space you need to grill up just about anything you want.
The depth of the firebox and the shape of the natural gas burners also means that you can set an accessory charcoal box under the stainless steel grates. You can load it with jumbo lump charcoal if you want the classic fire-kissed flavor.
If you prefer, you could load an accessory box with wood chips or wood chunks that have been soaked overnight in water. This would allow you to set up medium to low heat on one side of the grill to smoke ribs or a pork shoulder on the other side of the grill. The natural gas burner can even ignite the charcoal or wood chips for you.
It would be nice if Napoleon included the rotisserie in the purchase. Still, it’s worth the extra money. Just make sure to set a drip pan under the bird or meat being cooked. This will capture any grease and make clean up much easier. With a larger chicken, there might be enough dripping to slowly braise some carrots and quartered potatoes.
Grilling Areas
The Napoleon LEX provides you with an enormous 730 square inches of cooking space on the primary stainless steel grill grates. The chrome plated warming rack is a little on the small side. Still, the primary cooking area is so large that you could simply set up one side on low heat to act as an improvised warming rack for things that get done early.
Special Features
- The Jet Fire electric ignition system helps you fire up the LEX 730’s burners with ease
- The glow knobs aren’t necessarily “Special” but they do still add to the LEX 730’s sleek look.
- The depth of the firebox and natural gas burners allow you to add metal charcoal or wood chip box.
Ease to Clean
Napoleon put some extra effort into designing the LEX 730 to be easy to clean. The stainless steel cooking grates and the chrome plated warming rack are a little on the sticky side, but not too bad. The stainless steel gleam also matches Napoleon’s branded look. Scraping them down with a nylon bristle grill brush will help remove anything that sticks, without scuffing the grates like a wire-bristled brush is prone to do.
The drip tray is large enough to handle pretty much any grease you can throw at it. Something with a lot of wet dripping marinade might load it up, but you shouldn’t have to worry about an overflow.
Warranty
Like many other grills in this line, the Napoleon LEX 730 has a multi-tier limited warranty. The aluminum castings, stainless steel base, and lid all come with a lifetime warranty. The Burners have a 10-year warranty. The stainless steel grates and the rear burner are covered by a 5-year warranty. All other parts and components come with 2-years of warranty coverage.
It’s also worth noting that if you buy the accessory rotisserie, it comes with a three-year warranty.
All things being equal this is a superior warranty compared to most of the competition in this category.
Conclusion
If you need a massive natural gas grill for your outdoor kitchen, then it behooves you to start by looking at the Napoleon LEX 730. It’s got the size and capacity you need, with the convenience and sleek look you want. It’s a pity that it doesn’t come with the rotisserie included.
