The Cuisinart was also the only grill with which we experienced grease flare-ups when cooking. Though you only have to endure setup one time, build time is definitely relevant if you’re picking up a charcoal grill for a last-minute barbecue. The Weber Original Premium Grill took 15 minutes to assemble, while the Weber Original Grill took only 10 minutes.
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. 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. There’s nothing quite like the smell and taste of a charcoal grill in the summer.
In fact, most of the time the temperature hovered between 220 degrees F and 230 degrees F. As a result, ribs cooked in the Weber came out tender, juicy and full of smoky flavor. For our tests, each grill gets a full chimney of lit charcoal and a 6-pound chicken opposite the coals for indirect heat. None of the hood thermometers built into these grills mirrored the temperatures recorded by our own thermocouples and data software. The Nexgrill definitely gets hot enough to create a nice sear, but you do have to work a little harder than you do with the Weber to avoid overcooking your meat.
This grill offers a rust-resistant aluminum damper and 2 glass-reinforced nylon handles with tool hooks. This grill is made from cast aluminum for superior heat conduction, and its unique shape and four-point venting system make it ideal for both grilling and smoking foods. It has over 305 square inches of cooking surface—that’s big enough for a whole turkey! Plus, it’s lightweight and easy to set up if you need a portable option for outdoor parties or tailgating.
After you clean the grates, oil them using a paper towel dipped in oil and held in tongs. Finally, make sure to empty your ashes, and keep that grill covered when not in use. Our last test is grilling barbecued ribs, specifically baby back pork ribs. This style of cooking requires strict temperature control over a period of multiple hours. Ideally, a quality charcoal grill will keep its fire humming along close to 225 degrees F for as long as possible. If you’re looking for the fanciest kettle grill out there, this one might just be it.
The only problem I had with assembly is with the legs and getting them installed correctly. This is sort of hard to explain without you physically setting up the grill. I purchased the Weber Premium Kettle on November 21st, 2021.
That said, this Weber takes under 10 minutes to set up and requires no hardware. Like the Weber Original Premium grill, hamburgers tested on this grill cooked up to a perfect medium rare. The chicken we grilled took four minutes of sear time and 25 additional minutes on indirect heat to come up to a safe internal temperature. If you’re looking for the best affordable charcoal grill under $100 that will cook your meat to a perfect temperature, then this Weber is for you. Under the lid it looks more like a gas grill than a charcoal grill thanks to 549 square inches of porcelain-coated cast-iron grates plus a secondary steel rack for warming or indirect cooking.
The stainless dampers can swivel to close to prevent heat loss, support tabs in the kit are convenient for you to either lay on top or for your grate on the bottom. For up to two chickens, roasts and many other delicacies from the skewer at the same time. The insert attachments, which are sold separately, include weber charcoal grill a cast iron searing grate, cast iron griddle, pizza stone and poultry roaster. These panels transform the grilling experience into a thing of sheer beauty. All of these accessories are for use in the standard 22 inch Weber kettles. Karl likes to spread the charcoal so that it covers about half of the kettle.
Brian Bennett is a senior writer for the home and outdoor section at CNET. He reviews a wide range of household and smart-home products. These include everything from cordless and robot vacuum cleaners to fire pits, grills and coffee makers. An NYC native, Brian now resides in bucolic Louisville, Kentucky where he rides longboards downhill in his free time. But the biggest problem is that the instructions completely overlook what we found to be a potentially dangerous design flaw.
Assembling each grill also allowed us to assess the quality of the materials. When it was time to cook, we filled a charcoal chimney starter with Kingsford Professional Competition Briquettes. When coals were ready we dumped the coals to cover exactly half of each grill’s charcoal grate . We replaced or unfolded the cooking grate, depending on the grill, put the lid on, and let each grill warm up for 15 minutes. Simple construction means there aren’t too many parts to assemble or too many features to handle while cooking. A vent on the lid controls airflow and a well-designed ash tray beneath the Weber grill facilitates easy cleanup.