28″ Tailgater Gather Grill Review and Rating

Gather At The Gather Grill—A Multi-Functional Table Grill For Food and Fun

The 28″ Tailgater Gather Grill is a large, round, charcoal and/or wood fired cooking system and table. It’s constructed predominately of heavy steel coated with heat-resistant black paint and stainless steel weighing 280 pounds and resting on three legs with large, locking casters. Height adjusts from 28″ to 34″. While this versatile device is capable of grilling, griddling and smoking, it also creates a unique environment that brings people together.

Gather Grills explains, “At a normal dinner party, people usually congregate in the kitchen. With the Gather Grill people congregate around the grill. They are drawn to the grill and stay gathered for the warmth, the intrigue, and the socializing.”

Gather Grills offers four models: 18″ Mini, 28″ Tailgater, 35″ Pioneer, and 46″ Reunion. I tested the 28″ Tailgater Gather Grill.

Configuration

The table surrounding the grill consists of removable polyurethane “wings” that lock onto the grill pit body. With wings installed, the table diameter measures 61″ and comfortably seats up to seven people.

The waterproof and UV resistant wings are embossed with an attractive faux wood finish available in three colors: Brazilian Walnut, Coastal Gray and Black.

The polyurethan wings weren’t affected by the heat as long as the fire stayed in the pit. Of course you should take care not to inadvertently drop any hot coals on them.

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Remove one wing and you can assume the position of chef, bartender, or master or mistress of ceremonies.

The center cook surface is a Lazy Susan design that spins 360 degrees on ball bearings while the wings stay stationary. This allows users seated around the grill to easily access food and cooking surfaces.

The Lazy Susan is a stand out feature that makes the grill really fun to use when cooking with a crowd. It encourages others to participate in the cooking process and makes it easy to pass food around the table without having to reach over the hot grill. It’s particularly awesome with hungry kids.

Our 28″ Tailgater Gather Grill handily feeds a horde: 25 Hamburgers, 14 Ribeyes or 2 racks of ribs. The bigger Gather Grills are suitable for catering and events. Here’s a 35″ Pioneer Gather Grill in action.

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When you’re not busy cooking everything from pancakes to pulled pork, Gather transforms into a beautiful patio table, shown here with the optional folding Lazy Suzanne Table Center and matching chairs.

You can also remove the cooking grate and griddle and Gather Grills become fire pits.

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A word about Gather Grills price tags. In case you haven’t already guessed, Gather Grills are not cheap; in price or quality. The 28″ Gather Grill I tested currently lists for $2,999, so it’s not for everyone. Plus most people looking to buy in this price range want stainless steel gas grills. But not all. If you’re a pyro who likes to play with fire and can comfortably afford it, you are a candidate for Gather Grills.

Accessories

Gather Grills offers a variety of accessories to stoke your grilling experience. A Tailgater Accessory Bundle for $952 includes seven items: Smoking Hood, Warming Rack, Charcoal Tower, Lazy Susan Table Center, Cutting Board Wing, Ash Pan, and Branded Cover. The Bundle only saves you $50 over buying items a la carte, but I consider most of the included items essential. Here’s a run down of my favorite accessories.

Gather Grills’ Cover ($119) provides heavy-duty, all-weather protection. It is the most substantial cover I have seen and should last for years if it is properly secured to the grill. 

Smoking Hood ($199). The smoking hood allows you to smoke foods on the indirect side of the grill in a 2-zone grilling setup. Sitting on top of the open grill grate, it does not seal as well as a good, traditional charcoal and/or wood burning smoker, but it is effective in trapping heat and smoke. It also works well to keep food warm once it is grilled or griddled. The smoking hood comes with a cheap dial thermometer for monitoring the temperature under the hood. At this price point, they should have included a better dial thermometer from someone like Tel-Tru.

Warming Rack ($175). This rack sits above the cooking surface in the middle of the grill, making it a little cumbersome. But as long as I was careful, I had no issues. The rack is well-built and nice to have as a place to hold finished food.

Ash Pan ($85). The Ash Pan sits under the charcoal grate and makes cleaning out the Gather Grill a breeze. Just remove the cooking grate and griddle, shake ash from the charcoal grate into the Ash Pan, remove, and dump.

Charcoal Tower ($40). An oversized charcoal chimney, the Charcoal Tower holds more than enough charcoal to get the fire going. A small perforated area at the bottom accommodates paraffin wax cubes or newspaper to light the charcoal. Otherwise, the bottom is wide open: you just lift up the Tower and the lit coals spread out. Much easier than picking up and inverting a chimney to dump out the coals. I liked the way that it worked. Just be sure to wear gloves, as the wire handle will be very hot. I used a charcoal rake to lift the handle and to spread out the charcoal. 

Lazy Susan Table Center ($199) lets you completely cover the cooking area when not in use. This converts your Tailgater Gather Grill into an awesome patio table. I found this to be an excellent way to expand the use past cooking. The Lazy Susan Table Center is hinged at the middle and folds away easily when not in use. It is made from the same high quality polyurethane material used for the side tables.

Lighting the Tailgater Gather Grill for cooking

Any charcoal chimney works fine, but the Gather Grill Charcoal Tower ($40) has a large 8-pound capacity that gives you plenty to work with. Once the charcoal is lit, you dump the coals, spread them out or bank them to one side of the coal grate, add the grill grate and/or griddle, and start cooking. Firing up is easy and straightforward. 

Grilling

Initially, I set up the Gather Grill like I would set up any other charcoal grill: I left the griddle off for now and had only the grill grate on, with the charcoal and wood pushed to the opposite side for indirect cooking. But Gather Grill isn’t like other charcoal grills: the unique lazy susan design allows you to easily move food over the top of the fire or away from it as needed. It’s a smart and functional design upgrade that makes charcoal grilling easier—and even entertaining. While I cooked, people did gather around the grill. It was a fun experience for all of us. My lamb chops came out perfect, and the Gather Grill performed like a champ. 

One thing that’s needed for charcoal grilling, but was not provided—even in the Bundle—is a charcoal rake. I did have one on hand, but it would be nice if Gather Grills included a charcoal rake with purchase, or at least in the Bundle. They do not offer one for sale as an optional accessory either. In my opinion, a rake or similar poker is essential for operating the lazy susan as you cook because it gets ripping hot while the fire is going. A charcoal rake is also handy for lifting up the Charcoal Tower and for moving charcoal inside the grill pit. 

Griddle

The griddle for the Tailgater Gather Grill is heavy-duty 1/8-inch thick stainless steel. There is plenty of bracing in the back of the griddle to help prevent warping in high heat situations. I never had any warping issues, even with intense heat over a live oak fire. I loved the way this griddle performed when I made chicken thighs. The grease trap in the center back of the griddle has a laser cut design, a nice touch that makes it easy to scrape grease from the cooking area into the opening so it burns up in the fire. Flare-ups will add to the entertainment value.

The griddle might be a little heavy for some users, but I’ll gladly take the extra weight in exchange for the added durability. It is easy to install and rotates freely on the lazy susan. 

Smoking

Smoking on Gather Grill was a challenge, but a fun experience in the end. The meat on the cooking surface is placed indirectly from the fire. I built a wood fire and banked the embers on the grill’s far side for proper offset cooking. Then the griddle went over the fire and the hood over the food on the opposite, indirect side. This classic 2-zone setup, with the griddle and hood as a sort of lid, gave me adequate smoke and heat from the fire. The hood does not seal nearly as well as the lid or door on a dedicated smoker, but I still managed to produce good results. I maintained temperatures at the cooking grate of roughly 225°F to 275°F.

The heavy construction of the Gather Grill helps retain heat, block wind, and maintain a steady temperature. I was concerned that the fire might smolder after being covered by the griddle for so long, but the external damper at the bottom of the grill pit allows for adequate airflow to stoke the fire.

I chose to smoke a rack of pork ribs. Note: after taking this photo, I moved the Smoking Hood from the griddle on the right to sit over the ribs on the indirect grill side on the left.

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The ribs came out great and were enjoyed by all. However, for an inexperienced smoker, it could be a challenge to achieve these results in the Gather Grill. You must have a solid understanding of fire control, from how to set up a charcoal grill for smoking to using the vents on a charcoal grill to control temperature. It was a bit cumbersome to add fuel during the smoking process. I used my charcoal rake to lift the hot griddle so I could add wood directly to the fire, but it was tricky. I would recommend high quality heat-resistant gloves to do this.

This wasn’t a huge deal, but it’s always a little risky lifting a hot griddle. On future cooks, I might use briquettes or lump charcoal for a more consistent, steady-burning fire. That said, I had fun tinkering with the fire to achieve that perfect light blue smoke we outdoor cooks love when smoking. 

Packaging and assembly

The Gather Grill ships almost fully assembled on a pallet with stretch wrap to keep it secure during shipment. The grill is heavy but easy to remove from the packaging so you can fire up almost immediately. 

Conclusion

The 28″ Tailgater Gather Grill stands out as an exceptional outdoor cooking experience, especially for those who enjoy a live fire. The grill’s innovative lazy susan design helps get great results for both novice and experienced grillers. It’s also fun to use and makes it perfectly natural to socialize while cooking. Unlike traditional grills that often isolate the cook, the Gather Grill is engineered to draw people together, transforming outdoor cooking into a shared, communal event. This focus on social gathering makes it an ideal centerpiece for family barbecues, friendly get-togethers, and community events. With solid construction, smart features, and a design that lets everyone enjoy or even participate in the cooking experience, the Gather Grill easily merits our Gold Medal.

Warranty

Structural metal components and metal cooking surfaces carry a Limited Five Year Structural Integrity Warranty. Ancillary components, including thermometer, casters, ball transfers and alternative tabletops carry a Limited Two Year Warranty. Accessories purchased from Gather Grills LLC carry a Limited One Year Warranty.