AmazingRibs.com is supported by our Pitmaster Club. Also, when you buy with links on our site we may earn a finder’s fee. Click to see how we test and review products.

Modern Home Products JNR4 Gas Grill Review

Share on:
Modern Home Products JNR4 Gas Grill

The JNR4 is the smallest MHP grill. Made with cast aluminum, it is practically indestructible. It will withstand harsh weather, abuse, and never rust. MHP owners love to brag about how old their grill is, how they never clean it, and especially how they never cover it. Some may feel the JNR4 has an old fashioned appearance. Whether they’re dated or classic is in the eye of the beholder. In the 60s this cast aluminum design was the rule rather than exception. It is still made by a few other companies like PGS right here in the USA. But you won’t find these at any big box store where almost every grill is steel and, more often than not, made in China.

The JNR4 passes a lift the lid and shake test with ease. The cast aluminum housing of the cooking chamber is thick and solid. The novel “Stay Kool” handle is a perforated stainless steel tube. It rolls freely within its side mountings as you lift.

Remove the cooking grate and you’ll see notches on the front and back of the grill body which are built-in shish kabob skewer holders. Instead of metal flavor bars over the top of the burners, MHP uses “Flavor Master” porcelain briquettes which rest on a porcelain coated grate just above the burners. In the beginning, lava rocks were employed, but the smooth uniform shape of ceramic briquettes promotes even heat and allows gunk to burn off more effectively. MHP goes a step further by using kiln fired, porcelain coated briquettes. They believe this system provides more even heat, vaporizes drippings better than most flavor bars and, of course, will not rust as do most flavor bars. The bottom aluminum casting tapers toward the back to divert grease into a small stainless steel cup. However, MHP claims not much grease escapes.

All MHP grills present a variety of options. The JNR4 may be ordered with stainless steel rod cooking grates and warming racks, or “Sear Magic” grates. Sear Magic consists of two sided, reversible aluminum cooking grates. One side is ribbed for grill marks and the other is smooth. As the name indicates, they intensify heat from standard gas burners to sear while reducing moisture loss. They are similar to the popular GrillGrates, but not quite the same, and of course MHP came first. Our posted price is based on a basic JNR4 grill head mounted on a two wheel cart.

It has one large, 30,000 BTU stainless steel “H” burner that is effectively two burners fused together with two controls for zone cooking. Temperature range is 300°F to 550°F. The JNR4 has a single NuStone (faux stone) shelf or stainless steel fold down shelf. A side burner may be added. Available in natural or propane gas, it can also be retro-converted. Electronic ignition is battery powered. Most MHPs come with built in “heat indicators”. We do not like “heat indicators” and prefer you purchase a digital thermometer. They actually removed them for a period of time but then, bowing to public demand, brought them back with a higher quality device they claim to be accurate within 15 to 25°F.

MHP grill heads can be built into permanent installations or mounting on a variety of posts, columns, and carts. You can chose a 48″ aluminum post for in-ground installation or various columns and carts offered in aluminum, coated steel and stainless on wheels. Some have enclosures for a propane tank, some do not, but none have doors, shelves, condiment trays, etcetera, and none of these features are offered as extras. A stainless steel masonry enclosure for built-ins with a matching set of double doors is also available. All stainless steel carts, burners and grates are high grade 304 stainless steel.

For built-in installations, MHP offers some drawers, doors and a pull out trash compartment. BBQ tools, shish kabob skewers, a smoke box, and other accessories are available. As for parts, these guys have been around since the beginning of gas grilling and many older models are still working in the field. They got parts. They even have a “Restore a Grill” section at their website.

The warranty is exceptional and testifies to stories of indestructability MHP owners are keen to share about their grills. Limited Lifetime Warranty on housings, control panel, stainless steel burners, cooking racks and Sear Magic Grids. 5 Year Warranty on IR burners and porcelain briquettes. 1 Year Warranty on igniter, gas valves, knobs, NuStone shelves and briquette grates.

If you like both low maintenance and durability, take a look at MHP, particularly the cast aluminum models. There are reasons the MHP warranty is so good and campgrounds and parks use them. They don’t come with a lot of goodies, they aren’t cheap and some may feel they lack curb appeal. But these cookers are time-tested, rock solid, versatile, and unique.

Haven't found what you want?
Click the buttons below to search our complete database of reviews:

Product Information:

  • Model:
    JNR4 Gas Grill
  • Item Price:
    $ 1,340.00
    *Price Subject To Change
  • Where to buy (buying from this supplier supports this website):
  • Made in USA:
    yes
  • Review Method:
    Looked Closely At It
    We have seen this product up close and we have also gathered info from the manufacturer, owners, and other reliable sources.
  • Primary Function:
    Grill, Drop Ins
  • Burner Type:
    Side
  • Fuel:
    Propane Gas, Natural Gas Capable
  • BTU:
    30,000
  • Heat Flux:
    82.19
    Heat Flux is the BTU per square inch and is a more useful measure of how much heat a grill delivers than BTU alone.
  • Main Burners:
    1
  • Primary Capacity:
    365 square inches
    Mid-Size (about 18 burgers)
  • Secondary Capacity:
    130 square inches

Published On: 12/14/2012 Last Modified: 3/8/2024

  • Max Good, Full time grill tester - Max Good, AmazingRibs.com's Vice President of Product Reviews & Keeper of the Flame, is the man in charge of finding the best products for the AmazingRibs.com Equipment Reviews section. Max bottles his own barbecue sauce recipes and now sells them around the country.

 

High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, we’ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!

Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.

Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please don’t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.


Post comments and questions below

grouchy?

1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.

2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.

3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.

4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.

5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.

Moderators

  Max

Click to comment or ask a question...

Spotlight

These are not paid ads, they are a curated selection of products we love.

All of the products below have been tested and are highly recommended. Click here to read more about our review process.

Use Our Links To Help Keep Us Alive

Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our “buy now” links. This has zero impact on the price you pay but helps support the site.