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 steaks were ready to hit the grill grate. Napoleon delivered excellent cooking results in our ribs test. In our chicken test it held a high temperature for longer than any other grill in the lineup.
Other than a couple of convenience features, this is just straight-up grilling. Nicholas McClelland is an expert on all the topics that will help you have a great summer, from grills to whiskey to golf. He graduated from The Missouri School of Journalism and has been testing products and writing for The Spruce portable bbq Eats since April 2019. Sixty years ago, Weber Brothers Metal Works, later called Weber-Stephen Products, used to make mailboxes, fireplace equipment and a number of various other metal-based products. George Stephen, Sr., a salesman at the company, then decided the grills of the day weren’t up to snuff.
Many condo and apartment dwellers want a small grill that fits on their modest patio, but they often encounter restrictions on using charcoal and likely need to look at alternative fuels. Portable charcoal grills for tailgating and camping are popular and effective. This is typically accomplished by piling or corralling your charcoal fuel on one side to create a hot direct cooking zone over the fire and a moderate indirect zone on the opposite side. A two-zone setup helps you avoid charred chicken and exploding sausage, plus it gives you the option to gently roast or sizzle and sear at the same time. For a long while, charcoal grills were the primary tool of backyard grillers.
I’ve used the charcoal snake to smoke on my kettle many times. It’s a fun rewarding experience, though to be perfectly honest I now never smoke on this grill because I tend to always smoke on my Kamado Joes. However, weber q you can smoke on it, and many people do very often. It’s a relatively large grill, which means it’s a versatile grill. You can arrange your coals for two-zone cooking, roasting, searing — anything you like!
We noticed no performance differences, and all worked well, with no notable sticking of the items we cooked. Because of its dominance, the Weber kettle has spawned a lot of copycats. In our research, most proved to be cheap knockoffs that weren’t worth the minor savings. We resolved instead to find a kettle that could compete with the Weber on performance, price, and value.
We also found the built-in temperature gauge to be accurate. This grill gave both our burgers and chicken a really nice sear. During our testing, hamburgers cooked to medium, while it took the chicken about 32 minutes to come up to temperature.