As a kid, our family had a gas grill, while the neighbors had a Weber. Their food was always a little bit tastier, so I made the Weber Original my first grill when I got a home of my own. Essentially just a grate sitting between two pieces of metal atop a tripod, it’s hard to imagine a simpler cooker beyond just an open fire on the ground. For our tests, we cooked hamburgers on direct heat for four minutes on each side and then compared their level of doneness. The two Weber grills both cooked our hamburgers to medium rare, while the Oklahoma Joe’s, Cuisinart and Char-Griller all ran slightly hotter and cooked our test hamburgers to medium.
The smoke stack can also be adjusted for further temperature and smoke control. While most of Weber’s larger grills have wheels, that doesn’t make them portable. The wheels on these larger grills are designed for transporting them over short distances, such as from one side of a patio to the other. Weber does have a line of portable grills, which includes its smaller Smokey Joe and Jumbo Joe charcoal grills, Go Anywhere collapsible charcoal grill, and Weber Traveler small gas grill.
All of our tests were designed and run by Wirecutter senior writer Lesley Stockton, who has over a decade of experience in professional kitchens, many of them spent on the grill station. Sam Sifton, food editor of The New York Times , joined in the testing and added his extensive knowledge. First, you’ll find ample space on the steel cooking great for a whole lotta food.
The first time you try to smoke a couple of slabs of ribs or a full packer brisket on an 18 inch kettle you will understand why size matters. You will eventually have to replace the grates and legs for your kettle but the heart of the grill lasts forever. Compare that to the thin metal $40 grills at Wal Mart that you are going to be throwing away every year or two.
Lidless charcoal grills may be good for simple grilling, like cooking burgers and shrimp over direct heat, but you need a lid to successfully roast turkeys and smoke ribs. But once you factor in price, performance, and design, the Weber is the heavy weber genesis 2 hitter in the arena of charcoal grills. A high-end ceramic kamado grill, while a superior cooker thanks to its insulation, will run you $800 minimum. Barrel-style charcoal grills, while larger, can be more difficult to manage and harder to clean.
With an extra-large 24” cooking area, Summit® Kamado is ready to handle any size feast. The Weber Go-Anywhere charcoal grill brings to the table the same durability and quality construction as the company’s other grill selections. But this offering comes in a compact, transportable package that can be easily set up on tables — or the ground — anywhere. If open weber q pit-cooking over charcoal isn’t your thing, Weber offers essentially the same grill in a gas version. Both grills are outfitted with a built-in lid thermometer to help grillers keep an eye on the internal temperature as they cook. This is a benefit that many kettle-style grills lack, and it comes in especially handy during indirect cooking applications.
We’re not sure if this is due to the increase in size or a simple design flaw. At any rate, the 22-inch grill is easier to put together than the larger one. On the other hand, if you need a grill with plenty of cooking space, you can’t go wrong with the 26-inch model.
“Last year , I picked up a ‘C’ WSM from Craigslist and finally got around to cleaning it up and getting some pics. The “C” Club was established as a fun way to recognize the proud owners of these first-year Weber smokers. Unfortunately, the club was named many years before we understood that there were some “B” smokers out there!