The enormous capacity of the Ranch® kettle charcoal grill sets the tone for a party that lasts until tomorrow. With more than 1,000 square inches of grilling space and a stainless steel hinged cooking grate for easily adding charcoal, you’re set up to grill for the masses. The 26-inch Original Kettle® Premium is the charcoal grill you want at your next party. It’s large enough to grill an entire dinner during weber charcoal grill the week, or a bunch of burgers at your next barbecue. With premium features, such as a hinged cooking grate for easily adding charcoal while grilling, and the One-Touch™ cleaning system with high-capacity ash catcher. 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 handle slides easily and stays cool to the touch—no need to put on gloves or use a towel. What really sets the Premium version apart from the standard 22-inch kettle is the enclosed ash catcher, weber gas grill which eliminates concerns about stray embers and makes cleanup easy. If you don’t install the three-leg assembly supporting the kettle correctly the first time, there’s no going back.
The Weber 22-Inch Original Kettle charcoal grill is, as the name explains, a charcoal-fired grill. It’s a basic grill, as most charcoal barbecues are — no side burners, shelves, infrared, glowing temperature knobs, etc. The thick wire handle of the ash catcher can be a little hard to move at first, but it does loosen up with use.
In that case, I’d put the lid on and open up its vents,” Karl told me. First, you’ll find ample space on the steel cooking great for a whole lotta food. You could readily cook half-a-dozen steaks at once or enough burgers to feed a baseball team, including the relief pitchers.
And its unique heat-diffusing plate—a shallow metal dome that sits in the middle of the coal bed—was less effective than we’d hoped. However, its grates sit a full 7 inches higher than the Weber model’s, so it was less tiring to work on. The Napoleon grill’s four legs, versus the Weber grill’s three, make this grill more stable and allow for a nice, big shelf underneath. Dump the handy ash catcher and scrub the grates each time you cook. The materials—rustproof aluminum legs, porcelain-coated steel for the body, and a nickel-plated steel grill—are designed to last. And we appreciated details like convenient tool hooks on the side handles.
Weber believes in the quality and craftsmanship of their grills, and offer the warranty to back it up. If you want a charcoal grill to last decades, then this is the brand for you. Spider Grills Pella manages to make the charcoal-fueled Weber a wood-pellet grill in an elegant and easy way. It’s the most-automated path to low-heat smoking possible while remaining perfectly capable of high-heat grilling. The most boring product on this list may be the most necessary.
Like the Char-Griller Classic, the Super Pro can also be converted to a proper smoker by attaching an optional side fire box, and the enameled steel body does a great job of retaining heat. Overall, this is a good basic barrel grill, but assembly weber gas grill was frustrating and it lacks many of the features that made the Classic our pick for best upgrade. Spark your passion for charcoal grilling with the Kettle that started it all. Here’s where grill manufacturers can let their creativity show.
I found that just pushing the leg in a little and then tapping the wheel covers on with a hammer (ball-peen, claw, or even a rubber mallet) worked. Our R&D department develops high-quality, fairly priced grilling equipment. The basic kit comes with an aluminum pizza tray, but we recommend using a classic pizza stone for a crispier foundation. Naturally, this isn’t going to give you the same results as a dedicated pizza oven, but it’s still a fun and affordable way to cook a pizza outdoors. Broadrick says that consistency has elevated the charcoal grill into something more. “At this point, the Weber Kettle is more of a platform than a stand-alone product,” he says.
Still, keeping an eye on the thermometer will help you determine if you need to add more coal, wood, or even adjust the airflow using the rust-resistant aluminum dampers. These vents are also useful when extinguishing the fire, as closing them cuts off oxygen. Although it’s priced higher than most basic, entry-level grills, we feel it’s worth the upgrade for the XL size and included prep area. Also of note are its beginner-friendly features, like the propane starter. It’s easy to clean, too, with a push-button to empty ash into a catch below the kettle. Neither the coal grates nor cooking grates are adjustable, but that’s a check in the “pro” list for this not-too-complicated, high-performing grill.
If you’ve never cooked with charcoal before, the Original Kettle is an excellent grill for discovering this style of barbecue. Some of the ash will fall through to the ash catcher a few inches below the bowl. For the rest, Weber has equipped the Original Kettle with its “One-touch” ash removal system. It’s a rotating group of three blades you turn with a handle projecting from near the bottom of the bowl. 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!