We're reviewing the Eminence 405 gas grill from Monument Grills, a large propane model designed for serious outdoor cooking.
This grill stands out with features like remote digital temperature monitoring, LED lighting, and a dedicated side searing burner.
While this is a sponsored review, we're providing an honest assessment that covers both the strengths of this grill and areas where we think it could be improved.
The Eminence 405 offers 680 square inches of total cooking area powered by 60,000 BTUs in the main chamber and an additional 12,000 BTUs in the side searing station.
We found the grill to be heavy-duty with good heat retention, featuring cast iron grates, a clear view lid, and a Bluetooth app for monitoring temperatures.
Assembly takes longer than typical gas grills due to the extra features, but the process is straightforward with easy-to-follow instructions.
Key Takeaways
- The Eminence 405 is a heavy-duty gas grill with 680 square inches of cooking area and features like LED lighting, Bluetooth monitoring, and a dedicated searing burner
- The grill heats up quickly to 700°F in about 10 minutes and maintains steady low temperatures with even heat distribution from side to side
- Assembly takes longer than standard gas grills due to extra features, and the LED screen uses D batteries instead of a power cord
Jump to:
Assembly
Packaging and Box Handling
The grill arrived in two separate boxes. This made it much easier to move around after delivery compared to grills that come in one gigantic heavy box.
Tools and Instruction Quality
We found the instructions fairly easy to follow. You only need one tool to assemble the entire grill: a screwdriver.
One able-bodied adult can easily assemble this grill without a second person.
Assembly Duration and Complexity
This grill takes a long time to assemble. It's not because it's difficult, but because there are a lot of steps involved.
The extended assembly time is due to the extra features on this grill, including:
- LED touchscreen
- Side searing burner
- Removable grease tray underneath
The assembly process will probably take about twice as long as a typical gas grill because of these extra features.
Build Quality and Design
Heavy-Duty Construction
One of the first things we noticed while assembling the grill, and especially once we started using it, is the heavy-duty nature of it. When you open and close the lid on this one, you notice the heaviness to it. It feels more like a Weber gas grill than one of your standard stainless steel ones you might find at a big-box store.
It has thickness to it. It's very solid, and therefore has good heat retention.
The cabinet doors are nice heavy-duty magnetic doors that hold in place. The grill also features heavy-duty locking casters on all four wheels, so it keeps the grill from moving when it's windy out or if you're on a slight incline while you're cooking.
Lid and Heat Retention
The lid has a noticeable heaviness when you open and close it. This thickness contributes to very solid construction. The heavy-duty nature of the lid provides good heat retention during cooking.
Clear View Lid Feature
Monument includes a clear view lid on this model. It's really nice for being able to look at your food while it's cooking without having to constantly open and close the lid and lose your heat.
You can get a sense of what's going on with your food through the clear view lid. You can see if you're having any flare-ups and how the cook is progressing without having to open the lid.
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Cooking Performance
Burner Arrangement and Heat Distribution
The Monument E405 gas grill has four separate burners in the main cooking chamber. When testing the heat distribution, we found that like most gas grills, the back tends to run a little hotter than the front. However, what's more important is that it's very even from side to side.
When we cooked chicken thighs, they all cooked at right about the same rate from left to right. This side-to-side consistency is valuable for ensuring your food cooks evenly across the main cooking surface.
Cast Iron Grates and Warming Rack Placement
The grill features three heavy-duty cast iron grates covering the main cooking area. Above those, there's a warming rack positioned toward the back of the grill.
We cook on a lot of different gas grills and smokers, and one thing that always bothers us is when the warming rack comes way out over the main cooking area.
This is the main area where you're doing 90% of your cooking, and it doesn't make sense for the warming rack to be covering that area up.
We like how Monument has it more set back out of the way. It's there when you need it, but it's not constantly in your way when you're trying to cook your food.
Temperature Consistency
The grill maintains temperature very well at both high and low settings.
When all four burners are left on high with the lid closed, it only takes about 10 minutes to get all the way up to about 700°. While this grill can heat up really fast on high, we found it also does a very good job maintaining a nice steady low temperature when you need it.
The side searing burner worked great for a thick cut New York strip steak we made on it. We got a very even and nice sear from one end to the other without just completely burning the meat before the steak finished cooking.
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Feature Highlights
Remote Digital Monitoring
The LED touchscreen lets you monitor the temperature of the grill and the temperature of your food by using the two included temperature probes.
The temperature probe for reading the temperature of the grill itself is located at grate level, rather than up above on the lid like on most grills. This way you get an accurate cooking temperature at the same level you're cooking your food.
The Bluetooth app allows you to monitor both your cooking temperature and your food temperature even when you're away from the grill. We found the Bluetooth app to be fairly robust compared to what you usually get from a grill company.
Key capabilities of the app:
- View your cooking temperature
- View your food temperature
- Set timers
- See a graph of your food temperature as the cook progresses
You can't control the temperature of the grill from the touchscreen panel or from the app on your phone. You still need to use the knobs to control the flow of propane just like on any other gas grill.
LED Touchscreen and Lit Knobs
The LED touchscreen on the Monument Eminence 405 uses D batteries to power it, four of them to be exact. You don't need to have an extension cord running from your grill to the house.
You can position it wherever you want. You will have to change those batteries every once in a while depending on how much you use the LED touchscreen.
The screen is a little difficult to see in direct sunlight considering it is the only way to see the cooking temperature of your grill unless you're also using the Bluetooth app on your phone. In the evening or in the shade it does look nice.
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Bluetooth App Integration
The app allows you to see your cooking temperature, your food temperature, as well as set timers, and even see a graph of your food temperature as the cook progresses. It reminded us a lot of the Meater app. While it doesn't get quite as in-depth as what the Meater app does, it provides solid functionality for remote monitoring.
App features include:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Cooking Temperature | Monitor grill temperature remotely |
| Food Temperature | Track internal temperature of your food |
| Timers | Set and manage cook timers |
| Temperature Graph | View temperature progression throughout the cook |
Grilling Area and Heating Power
Cooking Surface Dimensions
The grill provides 680 square inches of total cooking area. Inside, we found three heavy-duty cast iron grates spanning the main cooking surface, along with four separate burners underneath.
A warming rack sits up above the main cooking area. We appreciated that Monument positioned the warming rack set back and out of the way.
It doesn't extend far over the main cooking surface like on many other gas grills, which means it's there when needed but not constantly blocking access to the primary cooking area where we do 90% of our cooking.
BTU Output and Searing Station
The main cooking chamber delivers 60,000 BTUs across the four burners. The side searing station adds another 12,000 BTUs of dedicated heating power.
When we tested the grill with all four burners on high and the lid closed, it reached about 700°F in just 10 minutes. This makes burn-offs from previous cooking sessions quick to complete.
The searing burner worked great for thick cut steaks. We got a very even and nice sear from one end to the other without completely burning the meat before the steak finished cooking.
Temperature Performance:
- Heats up to 700°F in approximately 10 minutes on high
- Maintains steady low temperatures when needed
- Back runs slightly hotter than front (typical for gas grills)
- Very even heat distribution from side to side
We found the side-to-side heat evenness particularly important. When cooking chicken thighs, they all cooked at right about the same rate from left to right.
Convenience and Usability
Ignition System
The grill features a simple push-button ignition system that makes starting each burner straightforward.
To light the burners, we open the valve on the propane tank, turn one burner at a time to the light position, and push the button for instant ignition. We repeat this process for each burner down the line.
Once lit and the lid is closed, the grill reaches approximately 700°F in about 10 minutes with all four burners on high. This quick heat-up time makes burn-offs from previous cooking sessions efficient.
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The side searing burner lights using the same method. We open the searing station, turn the knob to light, and push the same ignition button. The flame on this burner is hard to see in direct sunlight, so we need to check carefully whether it's on or off when using it.
A backup ignition switch is located inside the cabinet on the left side. This provides an alternative if the main ignition system needs troubleshooting.
Side Shelves and Storage
The grill includes shelves on both sides. One side houses the dedicated searing burner, while the other features the LED touchscreen.
The LED touchscreen allows us to monitor both the grill temperature and food temperature using two included temperature probes.
The grill's temperature probe is positioned at grate level rather than on the lid, providing accurate cooking temperature readings at the same level as the food.
A Bluetooth app connects to the system for remote monitoring of cooking and food temperatures when we're away from the grill. The app is fairly robust and includes features like timers and a graph showing food temperature progression during the cook. However, we cannot control the grill temperature from either the touchscreen or the phone app—we still use the knobs to control propane flow.
LED Screen Considerations:
- Powered by four D batteries
- No electrical cord option available
- Batteries require periodic replacement based on usage
- Screen visibility is limited in direct sunlight
- Clear visibility in evening or shade conditions
The cabinet features heavy-duty magnetic doors that hold in place. Inside, we can store the propane tank, and there's space for the propane hose running to the right side.
The grease catch sits underneath the larger grease pan and accepts foil liners for easier cleaning. This catch is positioned behind some wires and close to the propane tank and hose.
Wheels and Mobility
The grill is equipped with heavy-duty locking casters on all four wheels. These locking mechanisms keep the grill stationary when it's windy or when positioned on a slight incline during cooking.
The wheels make it possible to move the grill when needed despite its substantial weight and heavy-duty construction.
Maintenance and Cleanup
Removable Drip Pan Design
The back panel on the 405 model lifts up and then down to get out of the way. The removable drip pan slides out from the back of the grill.
This design allows you to take the pan completely out and clean it or scrape it without having to remove all the grates and burners from the front side. You can do whatever you want with the pan, then replace it back in when you're done.
Grease Management
The grill has two grease collection components:
- Large grease pan - Pulls out from the back
- Grease catch - Located underneath the larger grease pan inside the cabinet
The grease catch is removable and you can put a foil liner in it to make it easier to clean and deal with. However, the grease catch is positioned right behind the wires, which is a little frustrating.
The grease catch also sits a little close to the propane tank and hose. It would be better if they positioned it more out the back or the side like they do on pellet grills, but it's pretty easy to manage overall.
Cleaning Accessibility
Access to the grease catch requires opening the cabinet doors. These are heavy-duty magnetic doors that hold in place.
The removable drip pan system from the back eliminates the need to disassemble cooking components from above. You don't have to get down in there from the front side to perform cleaning tasks.
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Areas for Improvement
Battery Usage for Touchscreen
The LED screen requires four D batteries to power it. It would be nice if there was an option to use an electrical cord to plug it in so we wouldn't have to constantly change out the batteries as they die.
On the positive side, we don't need to have an extension cord running from the grill to the house. We can position it wherever we want. We just need to be aware that we will have to change those batteries every once in a while depending on how much we use the LED touchscreen.
Display Readability
We wish they'd made the screen a little easier to see in direct sunlight. This is worth noting considering it is the only way to see the cooking temperature of the grill unless we're also using the Bluetooth app on our phone.
In the evening or in the shade, it does look really nice.
Grease Catch Placement
The grease catch is removable and we can put a foil liner in it so it's easier to clean and deal with. However, we wish they'd positioned this in a different place.
Current issues with placement:
- It's right behind the wires, which is a little frustrating
- It's a little close to the propane tank and hose for our liking
It would be nice if maybe they put it more out the back or the side like they do on pellet grills. Overall though, it's pretty easy to manage.
Final Thoughts and Resources
We found the Monument E405 Gas Grill very easy to use overall. The burners ignite simply by opening the propane tank valve, turning each burner to the light setting, and pushing the button for instant ignition. You work your way down the line one burner at a time using the same process.
Once lit with the lid closed, the grill reaches about 700°F in only 10 minutes when all four burners are on high. This makes burn-offs from previous cooking sessions really quick to do.
The searing side lights exactly the same way. You open it up, turn the knob to light, and push the same button to ignite the searing burner. Be extra careful because that flame is hard to see, especially in direct sunlight, so make sure you're checking whether it's on or off when you're using it.
While this grill heats up really fast on high, we found it also does a very good job maintaining a nice steady low temperature when needed. Like most gas grills, the back tends to run a little hotter than the front, but what we think is more important is that it's very even from side to side.
When we cooked some chicken thighs, they all cooked at right about the same rate from left to right. The side searing burner worked great for a thick cut New York strip steak we made on it. We got a very even and nice sear from one end to the other without just completely burning the meat before the steak finished cooking.
We found the Bluetooth app to be fairly robust compared to what you usually get from a grill company. It actually reminded us a lot of the Meater app that you see us use on this channel quite a bit.
While it doesn't get quite as in-depth as what the Meater app does, it does allow you to:
- See your cooking temperature
- See your food temperature
- Set timers
- See a graph of your food temperature as the cook progresses
While there's a few things we think could be improved, we think it's a good option if you're looking for a large, heavy-duty, quality gas grill that has some fun additional features.
Get an Exclusive Discount using our Promo Code: MB405
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