At Pro Tool Reviews, we love any excuse to grill our lunch. We have some experience with Monument Grills, having used and reviewed several of their products over the years. However, the Eminence 605 represents a brand-new premium offering with advanced functionality. I wanted to try out this gas grill that promised the temperature-monitoring features of a smoker. To do that, I stopped off at our local Publix Supermarket, grabbed some supplies, and started grilling…I mean, reviewing!
Notable Features of the Monument Grills Eminence 605 Grill
There’s plenty to note about the Monument Grills Eminence 605. It’s larger than any other grill they’ve made to date. It also has plenty of advanced features that you don’t often find on run-of-the-mill gas grills. I’ll work through some of the main features in-depth and summarize the less important ones.
Cooking Areas, Burners, and BTUs
The Monument Grills Eminence 605 includes six burners and 640 square inches of cooking space on the main stainless steel grates. Behind that, you have a ceramic infrared burner that works with the included electric rotisserie system.
A side searing station lets you either pre- or post-sear steaks and more. Collectively, the burners deliver a total of 89,000 BTUs. You have enough burners and options to provide rapid and consistent heating across multiple cooking surfaces.
Counting the main and upper cooking areas, the Monument Grills Eminence 605 provides 860 square inches of total cooking space (not including the side burner). That gives you ample room to prepare multiple dishes at the same time.
Stainless Steel Cooking Grates
The Eminence 605 features four 7mm 304 stainless steel grill grates plus a separate top shelf and side grate. They should hold up to the high heat and provide excellent durability and heat retention. I actually prefer stainless steel over porcelain-coated grates as they are easier to keep clean and resist corrosion.
I cleaned them with a scrubbing pad and got them near-new using only dish soap and minimal effort.
Dual-Fuel Compatibility
One nice feature of a quality gas grill is compatibility with natural gas. While Monument Grills designed the Eminence 605 for dual-fuel use, it comes configured for propane. Obviously, I recommend getting the optional conversion kit if you have a line available. It will save you lots of time and money in propane tank refills.
LCD Display Panel, Dual Probes
The Eminence 605 (also available on the 405) includes an LED display panel. It displays the temperature of the main cooking area as well as the included dual probes for more precise cooking. By hitting the Setup button and using the + and – buttons, you can set target temperatures for each probe independently (it also lets you switch between °F and °C.) When the correct temperature is reached for either probe, the system beeps at you to let you know.
You also have access to various lighting modes. Short press the button to enter the temperature-changing mode. The knob light will automatically change color with the temperature of the grill. The color progression is blue-cyan-green-yellow-orange-red. Orange means you’re ready to grill.
Tapping the color button a second time enters a multi-color rainbow light mode, and a third tap enters the single-color rainbow light mode.
An indicator icon/light monitors the propane gas tank weight using the round integrated scale. It lets you know if you have enough left to grill. The icon is Green when the tank is full or nearly full. When it turns red and flashes continuously, it means that the propane cylinder is out of gas and needs to be replaced.
More Features
- Electronic (push button) ignition
- >850°F maximum temperature (lid closed)
- Reaches 700° in 5 minutes
- Includes a motorized rotisserie kit
- Two included meat probes can handle high-temperature exposure
- Natural gas convertible with optional kit
- Full stainless finish with die-cast aluminum side panel and fully enclosed back
- Metal-covered locking wheels
- App control (iOS and Android)
- 10-year limited warranty
Monument Grills Bluetooth App Control
Monument Grills has a handy Bluetooth app that works with this and the 405 (so far) to let you monitor the grill remotely. With it, you can see the main body grill temperature, the target (and actual) probe temperatures, and you can set and monitor a timer.
Grilling Performance
Going over a grill’s advanced features is one thing, but how it cooks determines whether I’ll recommend it. I tried it out on the Pro Tool Reviews crew with some burgers and shrimp—simple but effective…and tasty! This gave me a chance to use all six burners and at least test out the timer, probe functionality, and digital temperature gauge on the touchscreen.
With six burners, it heats up quickly! The flame tamers did well for the most part—80% lean burgers present a unique challenge due to the grease. Flames definitely licked up through the burner covers, but that wasn’t surprising, and it was easily controlled. Everything seemed to heat quite evenly—which I appreciated very much, and I was able to easily stagger my burgers to get them cooked sequentially over a period of time.
I placed the shrimp on the top rack and cooked them further away from the burners. This also worked very well, and we were all quite pleased with the results.
The side searing station is perfect for high-temperature searing to lock in juices and flavors for steaks and chops. Of course, you can also easily use it for cooking sides or heating up water or oil for various dishes.
Eminence 605 vs 405 and 425
Monument Grills makes three different models in the Eminence series. To give you an idea of how they compare, I rigged up a chart to highlight the differences. Overall, the 605 represents the flagship model, with the 405 offering a bit less space and the 425 removing the Digitemp digital display and some other features:
| Feature | Eminence 605 | Eminence 405 | Eminence 425 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Burners | 6 main burners 1 rear infrared burner 1 side searing station | 4 main burners 1 rear infrared burner 1 side searing station | 4 main burners 1 side burner |
| Total BTUs | 89,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 |
| Primary Cooking Area | 640 sq. in. | 510 sq. in. | 510 sq. in. |
| Secondary Cooking Area | 220 sq. in. | 170 sq. in. | 170 sq. in. |
| Total Cooking Space | 860 sq. in. | 680 sq. in. | 680 sq. in. |
| Number of Side Burners | 1 (infrared) | 1 (infrared) | 1 |
| Searing Burner | Yes (rear + side) | Yes | No |
| Grill Finish | Stainless steel | Stainless steel | Matte black |
| Ignition Type | LED touch panel with electronic ignition | LED touch panel with electronic ignition | Electronic ignition |
| Cooking Grate Material | 7mm SUS304 stainless steel | Heavy-duty porcelain-enameled cast iron | Porcelain-enameled cast iron |
| Natural Gas Convertible | Yes | No | No |
| Price | $1,349 | $949 | $749 |
Pricing and Final Thoughts
Make no mistake, Monument Grills positions the Eminence 605 grill as its flagship product. At $1,349, it’s the most expensive model they offer. I love that it’s offered at all. Prior to this series, Monument Grills’ most expensive product (the Denali 605Pro) ran around $999 and lacked any of the technology features of the Eminence series grills. If you want a “Cadillac” gas grill that should last a good long time, the Eminence 605 is a solid option.
