Captiva Designs 4-Burner Propane Gas BBQ Grill with Side Burner & Porcelain-Enameled Cast Iron Grates, 42,000 BTU Output Barbeque Grill for Outdoor Cooking Kitchen and Patio Backyard Barbecue, Blue

A bright-blue grill showed up on my patio and immediately looked the part—clean lines, a roomy lid, and a side burner that’s actually usable instead of an afterthought. After several weekends of burgers, steaks, skewers, and a couple of low-and-slow experiments, here’s how the Captiva Designs 4-burner grill stacked up.

Setup and build

Assembly took me a little under two hours at a comfortable pace. The hardware was clearly labeled, the panels lined up without forcing, and the burner/ignition routing was straightforward. Expect the usual large-appliance packaging and a handful of screws in tight angles, but nothing that required special tools beyond a screwdriver and a nut driver.

Once built, the cart has the kind of light flex you get from mid-priced grills—thin sheet-metal panels and a tall profile can’t completely hide physics—but on level ground it felt stable in use. The lid opens smoothly, the control knobs have a predictable resistance, and the cabinet doors align well enough not to rattle. It’s easy to move around the patio thanks to the casters, and the bright blue finish has held up to a couple of surprise showers without spotting or peeling.

Materials are a mix that makes sense for the price: stainless steel burners and flame tamers, porcelain-enameled cast iron grates, and painted steel for much of the body. The grates are the standout—they’re heavy, retain heat well, and the porcelain enamel kept sticking to a minimum after an initial oiling and burn-in.

Cooking performance

From a cold start, the grill came up to searing temperature within about 10 minutes with all four main burners on high. The 42,000 BTU output is spread across those burners, and combined with the cast iron grates it delivered solid sear marks without needing to leave proteins on the grate longer than I’d like.

Heat distribution across the primary cooking area was better than I expected at this tier. A quick “toast test” (lining the grate with bread to see browning patterns) showed the typical hotter band directly above the burners and slightly cooler zones at the far corners, but no glaring hot spots or dead zones. The enameled flame tamers help diffuse burner heat and tame flare-ups; I still trim excess fat on steaks and thighs, but I didn’t have to wrestle with constant flare management.

If you live for high-heat, steakhouse-level crusts, you’ll get good results here, but not cast-iron-pan-on-a-rocketship results. For most backyard cooking—burgers, chicken, sausages, vegetables—it’s exactly the right balance of heat and control.

Side burner and capacity

The side burner is genuinely useful. It held a small saucepan at a steady simmer for glaze and warmed beans in a larger pot without struggling. Wind can make side burners fussy on some grills; on a breezy evening I still maintained a simmer by bumping the control a notch and shielding the pot briefly with the lid.

Capacity is where this grill earns its keep. The 400 sq. in. primary grate comfortably fits a family’s worth of food—think 15-ish standard burgers or a couple of flank steaks with room for asparagus. The 145 sq. in. warming rack is actually helpful, not just a place to store buns; I used it to finish bone-in chicken after a quick sear below and to keep vegetables hot without overcooking.

Temperature control and versatility

I favor two-zone cooking, and the burner layout makes that easy. Running two burners on medium and two off created a stable indirect zone for thicker cuts and reverse searing. Holding 300–325°F for ribs was straightforward once the lid thermometer settled; for lower temperatures I found it easier to crack the lid slightly or step down to a single burner on low on one side.

The ignition is consistent—single-click light-offs across all burners—and the controls track linearly enough that you can make small adjustments without overshooting. Like most lid thermometers at this level, the built-in gauge reads dome temperature and can lag or be a bit optimistic. A clip-on grate probe told the more accurate story, but that’s true on far more expensive grills as well.

Cleanup and maintenance

The full-size pullout grease tray is a quality-of-life upgrade I wish more grills nailed. It catches what it should, pulls straight out without binding, and cleans up with warm water and a degreaser. Because the flame tamers are enameled, burned-on drips scraped off with a plastic putty knife after a hot burn. The porcelain-coated cast iron grates cleaned up nicely with a nylon brush while hot, and a light oiling after each cook kept them slick and dark.

There’s enough access to do a seasonal deep clean without dismantling half the grill. The burners lift out for inspection, and the open interior doesn’t trap debris in impossible corners.

Storage and ergonomics

The bottom cabinet is spacious enough for a 20-pound propane tank and a few commonly used tools or a small bin of pellets and wood chunks for smoking flavor. It’s nice having the tank hidden and out of the elements. I would have liked a couple of built-in tool hooks near the work surface, but the side shelves are generous and sturdy; one became my prep area and the other my “done” zone.

The grill’s height is comfortable for me (average adult), and the handle stays cool enough to lift the lid without gloves during normal cooking. The side shelves don’t wobble or sag under typical loads.

Durability and weather

After multiple cooks and a couple of rainstorms (with a cover between sessions), there’s no sign of rust on the burners or grates. Painted panels are intact, and the enamel on the grates hasn’t chipped. As with any outdoor grill, a decent cover and a quick wipe-down after rain will do more for longevity than any spec sheet.

Quibbles

• The cart has a bit of flex if you push it from a corner. It’s not unstable, but you’ll want it on a flat surface.
• The far edges of the grate run cooler than the center zones. It’s easy to work around—just rotate food occasionally or use those edges for gentle cooking.
• The lid thermometer reads high compared to grate-level measurements. Not unusual, but worth noting if you’re chasing precise temps.
• Like many mid-range grills, the finish can pick up light scratches if you’re careless during assembly. Be generous with soft cloths and cardboard when laying panels down.

None of these were dealbreakers in day-to-day use, but they’re the reasons premium grills cost what they do.

Value and alternatives

The Captiva Designs 4-burner grill sits in that practical middle ground: more capacity and features than entry-level models, without the price of heavy-gauge, name-brand flagships. You get cast iron grates, an actually useful side burner, a large and even primary cooking surface, and easy maintenance. If you prize bombproof rigidity and the absolute hottest burners, you’ll still find more to love in higher-end options. If you want straightforward, family-sized grilling with a few thoughtful touches, this checks the right boxes.

Recommendation

I recommend the Captiva Designs 4-burner grill for anyone who wants a roomy, capable gas grill that heats quickly, cooks evenly, and is easy to live with. It delivers reliable performance across weeknight dinners and weekend gatherings, the cast iron grates and flame tamers do real work to improve searing and reduce flare-ups, and the pullout grease tray simplifies cleanup. You give up a bit of tank-like rigidity and ultra-precise instrumentation compared to premium models, but in return you get a well-rounded, feature-complete grill at a sensible price. If those trade-offs make sense for your patio, this blue workhorse deserves a spot on it.