Here at Pro Tool Reviews, we’ll use just about any excuse to fire up a grill and gather around the table for a team lunch. Over the last few years, we’ve used and reviewed several of Monument Grill’s products, and the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Now, Monument is kicking up the heat with a brand-new line of premium grills with an advanced feature set and electronics packages. A few weeks back, we got our hands on the Monument Grills Eminence 405 gas grill, and that meant it was time for a cookout. So, we stopped by our local Publix Supermarket for supplies and got to work.
Monument Grills Eminence 405 Grill Basics
Cooking Areas, Burners, and BTUs
The Monument Grills Eminence 405 includes four burners and 510 square inches of cooking space on the porcelain-enameled cast iron grates. You also have an upper stainless steel cooking area that provides an extra 170 square inches of cooking space. Unlike the Eminence 605, this grill is not equipped with a rotisserie burner, but it is compatible with Monument’s electric rotisserie system (sold separately).
To the left of the main cooking area, you’ll find an infrared side burner with a stainless steel grate. This is perfect for heating sauces, preparing side dishes, or putting a hard sear on your steak after an indirect cook. Collectively, this brings the total BTUs up to 60,000. During our testing, I found that keeping the heat on medium-low provided more than enough BTUs to maintain my temps without too many flare-ups.
Counting the main and upper cooking areas, the Monument Grills Eminence 405 provides a total of 680 square inches of cooking space, excluding the side burner. That gives you plenty of room to prepare multiple dishes simultaneously.
LCD Display Panel and 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.
There’s also a USB-C charging port, so you can keep your phone topped off and monitor the grill simultaneously.
LED Knobs
One innovative feature on this grill is the 3-mode LED knobs. The knobs glow white when the burner is off, orange when on low heat, and red when the burner is set to high heat. It provides a nice visual cue so you don’t have to second-guess your burner settings.
Build Quality
After getting some hands-on experience with this grill, it’s clear that Monument built the 405 to last. It features thicker, soft-close doors and a dual-layer reinforced lid that adds some rigidity and helps trap heat. Additionally, it sports locking casters that allow it to glide smoothly on concrete.
Thanks to Monument’s clear instruction manual, the assembly only took about 1-1/2 hours. This might seem like a minor detail, but it makes all the difference in the world.
More Features
- Electronic Ignition: Turn on the burner and press the button—you’re ready to cook
- Robust Cabinet Doors: Thick, quiet-close cabinet door construction offers higher durability
- 360° Locking Casters: Roll easily when it’s time to move and maintain stability while you cook
- Glass Viewing Window: Easily monitor your cook without lifting the lid
- High Temp Cooking: Achieve cooking temps up to 750°F with the lid closed
- Fast Heating: Reach 600°F in just 5 minutes and 700°F in 10 minutes
- Stainless Steel Construction: Gives this grill a classic look, and it’s easy to keep clean
- Quick-Change Grease Trap: Swap out throw-away grease trap trays in seconds
- 10-Year Limited Warranty: You read that right—your grill is covered for 10 years
Monument Grills Bluetooth App Control
Monument Grills has a handy Bluetooth app that works with this and the 605 (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.
Eminence 405 Grilling Performance
Going over a grill’s features is one thing, but how it cooks determines whether it’ll earn our recommendation. I tried it out on the Pro Tool Reviews crew with some grilled bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. This gave us the opportunity to utilize all four burners and even try some zone cooking as well.
Getting started, I kicked all four burners up to high heat, and we were up to temp in a matter of minutes. Before adding the chicken, I turned down the burners to medium heat to reduce the risk of flare-ups from the drippings.
Like the other models in Monument’s Eminence lineup, this grill is equipped with the Flame Tamer burner covers. These divert drippings away from the open flames. In the event of a flare-up, the broad V-shape design helps to shield your food to prevent scorching.
Our chicken definitely received a good kiss of flame from time to time, but overall, the heat was even across the grates and easy to control. Towards the end of the cook, I cut off two of the burners for dual-zone cooking. This technique allows the chicken to continue to cook through indirect heat once I have achieved the color I was after.
In my experience, side burners can feel like an afterthought, but the Monument Grills 405 put off some pretty good heat on the top end for searing and sautéing. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an opportunity to use it during this cook, but based on our experience with the Monument 605, it won’t disappoint!
Monument Grills Eminence Comparison
Monument Grills makes three different models in the Eminence lineup. 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 425 | Eminence 405 | Eminence 605 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Burners | 4 main burners 1 side burner | 4 main burners 1 side searing station | 6 main burners 1 rear infrared burner 1 side searing station |
| Total BTUs | 60,000 | 60,000 | 89,000 |
| Primary Cooking Area | 510 sq. in. | 510 sq. in. | 640 sq. in. |
| Secondary Cooking Area | 170 sq. in. | 170 sq. in. | 220 sq. in. |
| Total Cooking Space | 680 sq. in. | 680 sq. in. | 860 sq. in. |
| Number of Side Burners | 1 | 1 (infrared) | 1 (infrared) |
| Searing Burner | No | Yes | Yes (rear + side) |
| Grill Finish | Matte black | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Ignition Type | Electronic ignition | LED touch panel with electronic ignition | LED touch panel with electronic ignition |
| Cooking Grate Material | Porcelain-enameled cast iron | Heavy-duty porcelain-enameled cast iron | 7mm SUS304 stainless steel |
| Natural Gas Convertible | No | No | Yes |
| Price | $749 | $949 | $1,349 |
Pricing and Final Thoughts
Although the Monument Grills Eminence 405 isn’t quite as feature-heavy as the flagship 605, there’s still a lot to love about this grill. It delivers even cooking temperatures, fast pre-heating, and a premium design that’s built to last.
The 405 retails for $949 and comes with a 10-year limited warranty. While the price tag is a little higher than what you might see with your run-of-the-mill big box store propane grill, the overall build quality and feature set justify the cost.
So, if you want to elevate your backyard grilling this year (and for years to come), the Monument Grills Eminence 405 is a fantastic option.
