Toast to the authenticity of charcoal grilling, classic design, and taste loved around the world—the Original Kettle. Its ultra-durable, porcelain-enameled lid and bowl retain heat, while the dampers can be easily adjusted for precise temperature control. Grilling purists will tell weber genesis 2 you that charcoal cooking is the only way to go, and seasoned grillers I’ve spoken to maintain that a Weber kettle is the best charcoal grill you can buy. It’s hard to argue with the first part because propane simply won’t give you the same smoky flavor you get from charcoal.
Attaching the vent, ash catcher, and legs to the Weber is dead easy—everything simply snaps into place. Throughout, we also tested our “necessities”—accessories such as spatulas, tongs, grill brushes, and sheet pans. We learned a lot about them , but they also helped us identify a few design strengths and flaws of the grills. The lightweight yet durable Premium Grill Cover makes it easy to pull on and off your grill. Its fastening straps keep it from blowing into your neighbor’s yard, and water-resistant material helps maintain a clean, sleek surface. (cheese, fish, etc.) where the grill is used as a smoking chamber not for cooking.
First, you’ll find ample space on the steel cooking great for a whole lotta food. You could readily cook half-a-dozen steaks at once or enough burgers to feed a baseball team, including the relief pitchers. The Weber 22-Inch Original Kettle charcoal grill is, as the name explains, a charcoal-fired grill. It’s a basic grill, as most charcoal barbecues are — no side burners, shelves, infrared, glowing temperature knobs, etc.
We noted similar temperature performance from the Nexgrill, along with similar rib results. Cooking ribs low and slow on the Nexgrill required weber charcoal grill just 4 hours, 30 minutes. Its rack came out well too, though like the Napoleon, its bark was more pronounced than what the Weber produced.
A vent on the lid controls airflow and a well-designed ash tray beneath the Weber grill facilitates easy cleanup. Its construction is simple and solid, and the materials—rust-proof aluminum legs, porcelain-coated steel for the body, and a nickel-plated steel grill—are designed to last. And while the basic design has barely changed since 1952, Weber has added helpful new details over the years—this latest iteration has convenient tool hooks on the side handles, for example.
However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Sarah Vanbuskirk is an accomplished writer who tested her grill out on her family of seven to see if it could live up to the rigors of feeding a large family. In the wake of World War II, the suburban rush took off and people began moving en masse away from the cities.
To dial in my target cooking temperatures accurately, I use multi-channel digital thermometers with temperature probes clipped to the cooking surface. Charcoal grills usually don’t have as many bells and whistles as gassers, but I assess whatever goodies are included, particularly ash removal systems. They’re easy to start up and you weber q can start cooking on them in minutes with little effort. Although cooking on charcoal requires a little more skill and labor, you don’t need a PhD to start the fire. Yes, you do have to remove ash but, unlike with gas grills, most of the grease that drips off food will burn up on the hot coals, rather than collect at the bottom.
Reviewers say the quality of this product is great and that the grill will undoubtedly serve you well for years to come. Consumer Reports described this grill from Char-Broil as “a modestly priced kettle grill with some nice features,” rating it “Very Good”. This kettle grill has a 360-square-inch cooking space, hinged lid, ashtray and what Consumer Reports calls a “large” damper.