When he’s firing up his charcoal, Karl likes to shove all of it to one side of the kettle. You can spread the briquettes out across the bottom once they’ve transformed into hot coals. I prefer the weber, coated cast-iron grates to the plated steel grates the Original Kettle comes with, but there are worse things, and the plated steel still cooks relatively well.
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. weber genesis 2 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.
The PK Grills company has recognized the need for an update, and in February 2017, it launched the PK360, a bigger, slicker design with front access vents and a better lid attachment. It still has no significant backstop for the grates, however, and no bottom tray for catching ash—which means weber genesis 2 it just kind of pours out on the ground. And at $750 at the time of writing, it was beyond our price consideration. Before the cooking tests, we spent a day assembling the three grills. Overall, the cooking tests were far more important to us; you typically only assemble a grill once.
We tested six kettle-style charcoal grills because when it comes to grilling, simpler is just better. After a handful of cookouts over the last few weeks, there were two clear winners. I’ve been reviewing grills and smokers full time since 2012. To my knowledge, nobody else does this full time, and nobody else has cooked on as many grills and smokers as I have. I assemble products, measure temperatures, slam lids, turn dials, kick casters, study warranties, take pictures, and cook a lot of food.
Cooking ribs low and slow on the Nexgrill required 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. The difference between the two was largely in the crispiness of the skin, with the Weber producing the superior results. Meat from the Nexgrill was delicious, with just a bit more flavor than the Weber.
Lid thermometers are seldom accurate, and they tell you the temperature at the top of the dome when you really need to know what’s going on at the grate. Let me qualify that statement; you can absolutely smoke meat in this grill, but it is a bit of a chore. Down below is the steel charcoal grate upon which you place your fuel.
Flimsy charcoal grills with loose, warped lids and rickety moving parts make temperature control a nightmare. Charcoal grills don’t need to be tanks made of heavy, quarter inch-thick steel, but they shouldn’t be tin cans that lack structural integrity. Once the grills were sufficiently hot, we tested the high heat grilling capabilities by cooking lamb chops and marinated boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
If you are interested in getting a grate that is going to last then go ahead and invest in one made of 100% stainless steel. The Stainless steel grate is going to last many years longer and has the extra benefit of being easier to clean. The general idea is that the Vortex allows you to arrange the charcoal in a way that is perfect for ultra crispy chicken wings and extreme high heat searing for steaks.