Here at BestReviews, our goal is help you make sense of your shopping choices. We work with industry experts to identify the most important features for the products we’re evaluating, and we then test out some of the top items to see firsthand how well they work. And because we buy our own products, you can trust that our recommendations are always completely unbiased. weber bbq Efficient grill that has built-in side tables for small families or gatherings. Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product reviewer specializing in home, kitchen, and pet products. In her four years as a product tester, she’s tested hundreds of items firsthand, and her work appears in publications such as Forbes, USA Today, The Spruce, Food52, and more.
The smaller the grill, the better for camping trips, small cookouts, or beachside BBQs. Remember, charcoal needs airflow and time to get to the proper temperature. You can always make your own charcoal if you don’t have any on hand.
However, for about $200, we think a lot grillers will be happy with the Weber Original 22-Inch Kettle Grill. For five or more people, look for a grill with at least 550 square inches of cooking area. For one or two people, look for a grill with approximately 200 square inches of cooking area. It also has a rail system, letting users raise and lower its coal basket at nine different heights, and adjustable tripod legs to level it out on uneven surfaces.
While it’s on the small side with just 147 square inches of cooking area, this compact grill is an unbeatable value, especially considering its reliable performance. The kettle-style grill weighs less than 10 pounds, making it a top choice for camping or on-the-go grilling, and its porcelain-enameled lid and bowl provide impeccable heat retention. When shopping for a charcoal grill, there are numerous styles, including kettle, barrel, and kamado grills. Kettle weber portable grill grills have a relatively small circular cooking area, making them ideal for small families, but if you regularly cook for a crowd, barrel-style grills offer more space. Kamado grills have thick ceramic walls that provide excellent insulation and work well for grilling and smoking. Cooking over charcoal takes longer than cooking with a gas grill, and we typically need to add more fuel during cooking to keep our grills above 350 degrees F for the full duration.
A front door allows easy access to the charcoal during cooking and the double-lined hood is a nice feature to help hold in heat. The Professional Cart Grill has an interesting rotisserie design, too, that uses a special charcoal basket across the back for a dedicated rotisserie fire. With charcoal grills, I test for effective air control by smoking low and slow at 225°F, roasting in the mid-range around 350°F, and letting ‘er rip with a blazing, red hot fire.
Toss in some wood chunks and smoke ribs low and slow on the opposite side over smokey, indirect heat. In addition to the enhanced performance for low-and-slow smoking, Slow ‘N Sear creates a super sear zone when filled with red hot charcoal. If the burners are deprived of oxygen, the flame goes out, but the gas fuel keeps coming, building up under the hood and creating a serious fire hazard.
At $139, Weber’s original, kettle-style charcoal grill continues to stand the test of time. In our high-heat searing tests, Weber delivered the best balance of seared exterior and medium-rare interior steak. The Weber kettle grill gave us tasty chicken too, with crispy chicken skin.