Strosniders Hardware Store Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill 22″

Add that to its solid warranty and well-regarded customer service, and it’s hard to see a better value. Over the course of two days, we put three charcoal grills through a battery of tests. But those judgments would have to wait until we got our hands on the things. After weeks of research, reporting, and discussion, we settled on three charcoal grills to test.

Stack your charcoal briquettes in two rows of two deep along the inner wall of the grill. To find out which are the best bets for your next backyard barbecue.

weber charcoal grill

We moved the remaining coals to one side of the coal grate and added half a chimney’s worth of freshly lit coals. In effect we were testing whether the grills could function as ovens—a really nice feature in the hot summer months, when you may not want to warm up your kitchen. “That means everything from the quantity and type of charcoal to the design of the grill can impact your final result.” The first bite of tender, fall-off-the-bone meat makes taking it low-and-slow worth every moment. The Smokey Mountain Cooker™ smoker has two cooking grates for smoking multiple items at once, and easily adjustable dampers for precision heat control.

An easy-access door makes emptying ashes quick and easy. At this price, getting these features feels like a steal. Starting weber genesis 2 a charcoal grill is definitely not as easy as starting a gas grill, so it’s important to understand how to do it correctly.

We measured charcoal in a chimney by grams, and in a ratio for that grill’s specific surface area. We lit the charcoal inside the chimney, letting it burn until the smoke dissipated and the coals began to turn grayish-white, then put the charcoal into the grill. After the grill was heated up for 10 minutes, the weber genesis 2 steaks were ready to hit the grill grate. None of the hood thermometers built into these grills mirrored the temperatures recorded by our own thermocouples and data software. “We’ve had the grill only a few weeks, but we’ve cooked delicious ribs, brisket, pork shoulder and a whole chicken,” reports one fan.