It’s compact yet big enough to cook an entire elaborate meal for a family, a simple spread for a party, or even a whole Thanksgiving turkey. Sign up to receive new product news, exclusive offers, grilling tips & recipes, and more from Weber and its affiliates / subsidiaries! To learn how we use your information, see our privacy policy.
Out of dozens of community-driven updates and upgrades, these are the best Weber Kettle add-ons that money can buy. Smaller than most of the other models we tested, and with fewer bells and whistles, the SNS Original Charcoal Grill is a solid performer that can hold its own in both grilling and smoking. Our rib experience with a few of the other grills was far from ideal. At times, the inside of this grill hit temperatures as high as 400 degrees F. And sadly, the ribs it produced came out burned, charred and overdone.
The world of the charcoal grill is essentially back to basics – returning to the original experience of cooking over an open fire. Light the charcoal with a Rapidfire® Chimney Starter, watch as the coals transform into a glowing heat source, practice controlling the temperature, and enjoy the process as the food cooks. This is pure meditation after a busy week – and precisely what the charcoal grill provides.
In terms of basic design, charcoal grills can have round or oval kettles (an oval or oblong design is better for smoking, as it can accommodate a water tray and large cuts of meat). Charcoal grills are great for beginner grillers, thanks to their relatively low price point (gas grills can cost double or triple their charcoal competitors). They’re simpler to use and master, and have a wider temperature range, making them ideal for smoking, moderately hot cooking, and ripping hot searing.
Once the victuals were hot and sizzling, they were eagerly placed inside soft Wonder Bread buns, slathered with ketchup and all the other fixins, and devoured with gusto. At a certain moment, Dad would decide that the charcoal was ready for cooking. On would go the grate, and an assortment of burger patties, hot dogs, and sausages were laid upon this culinary altar. When it comes to BBQ-ing around here, I’ve been using a gas grill during the 10 years I’ve lived in my house.
This grill has enough room for a three-zone charcoal fire—and a handful of beer-can chickens, multiple racks of ribs, or (at least) 20 burgers. It’s also a great grill for slow cooking a whole pork shoulder and then some with or without Char-Griller’s optional side fire box. The Char-Griller Super Pro is a versatile steel barrel charcoal grill with a whopping 850 square inches of total cooking area, if you count the top warming rack. The main grates are made of heavy-duty cast iron and resemble the grates of some of the best gas grills we tested this year.
After 45 minutes, we flipped the chicken parts and applied barbecue sauce every five minutes until the cook time reached an hour flat. Then we had a taste, paying special attention to moisture in the breast meat. The durable, dual-walled insulated steel and unlimited potential of the Summit® Kamado S6 Charcoal Grill Center lands it in a class of its own. It quickly reaches desired temperatures, maintains heat for all-day smoking, and the gas ignition makes lighting charcoal as easy as pushing a button.
We only recommend products we genuinely like, and purchases made through our links support our mission and the free content we publish here on AoM. And, if you already know charcoal, but you’re looking for a better experience than what weber portable grill you’ve got now, you can’t go wrong with a Weber. What you will have to do after each use is remove unused charcoal and ash that falls to the bottom. That’s just one of the questions I’ll answer in this review of the OG of Weber grills.