Which states in America grill the most?

Touching someone else’s grill (32%), skipping the resting period for meat (31%) and constantly lifting the lid (30%) are among the biggest grilling sins, according to new research. A survey of 5,000 Americans, evenly split by state, explored how respondents spend time around the grill, or why they may be avoiding it.

Grilling remains a deeply social ritual: Nearly half of respondents (48%) say “the food” is the No. 1 thing that brings people together at a summer cookout — outranking music, conversation and even being outdoors. Forty-seven percent claim to be “regular” grillers, especially respondents from Oregon (61%), Michigan (59%) and New Hampshire (58%). Averaging 17 grill days a year (four above the national average), respondents from Wyoming prove to be the most frequent grillers.

Only 18% declared themselves “rare” grillers, with those from Hawaii (31%), Mississippi (24%) and Vermont (24%) most averse to cooking out. The survey commissioned by Perdue (https://www.perdue.com/) and conducted by Talker Research for National Grilling Month found that half of Americans still find grilling to be intimidating (49%), with a third saying they get especially nervous cooking chicken (32%).

Grilling a whole chicken tops the list as both the riskiest food (21%) and the most difficult food (27%) to grill. Other risky items included mac and cheese (17%), watermelon (16%) and pizzas (16%). Nearly half (49%) of Americans have even avoided grilling whole chicken entirely — the highest avoidance rate of any protein asked about. A third of Americans have avoided grilling chicken breasts, thighs or wings as well.

Some of this fear stems from previous grilling disasters: 41% say they’ve dropped meat through the grates, while a quarter have run out of propane midway through cooking. Another 25% admit to having burnt the outside of the meat while the inside remained completely raw.

As a result, six in 10 have defaulted to “safer” grilling foods for guests, like hot dogs or hamburgers, because they were too nervous about cooking other meats properly (57%). “Grilled chicken, whether it’s wings, breasts, thighs or the whole bird, is the quintessential American food,” said Chris Perdue, senior vice president of marketing of digital and e-commerce at Perdue. “We want people to feel confident prepping, grilling and serving chicken — because when it’s done well, it’s almost always the star of the cookout.”

Despite their experiences with “grill-timidation,” 84% of Americans would grill more if they had more opportunities to. Aside from their grilling fears, factors like the weather (40%) and limited space (13%) restrict their time at the grill. And all that effort is worth it, as 47% agree that food just tastes better off the grill.

“The data show that 35% of Americans believe that grill mastery comes with time, so take that time to practice your chicken prep, grilling and serving skills to set yourself apart this summer with a signature dish like beer can chicken, jerk chicken or pollo asado,” said Perdue.

TOP “UNSPOKEN GRILL RULES”

• You don’t touch another person’s grill without permission — 32%
• Always let the meat rest before serving — 31%
• Don’t open the lid unnecessarily — 30%
• No “backseat grilling” — 25%
• Never press down on a burger with a spatula — 22%

Survey methodology

Talker Research surveyed 5,000 Americans who have ever grilled, evenly split by state, who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Perdue and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between June 8 and June 19, 2026. A link to the questionnaire can be found here.