This compact but mighty electric grill delivers great flavor and doesn’t require propane or charcoal. Instead, plug the unit into an electrical outlet, adjust the temperature setting, and then get ready to grill. This grill’s open cart design provides additional storage space for your favorite tools, and it has integrated hooks on the side tables, as well.
For grilling, the two important rules to follow are that you’ll need about a pound of meat per person and that you’ll need 72 square inches for each of those servings. For a family of four, 400 to 500 square inches is sufficient—that allows enough room for sides, extras, or the occasionally dinner guest without being too big a grill for everyday use. The SmokeFire EX4 has a 20-pound pellet hopper, as well as a DC-powered engine designed to prevent auger jams. It can even walk you through the grilling process, letting you know when it’s time to flip food—a handy option for novice grillers. For the more fearless among us, they’ll use this as is, but if you want to be a little more careful, it’s easier to take the whole grate off. Another feature that makes the Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill great is its one-touch cleaning system, which sweeps ash into a removable high-capacity container for easy disposal.
You’ll want to make sure you have a second thermometer on-hand and be prepared for a small learning curve. The Spruce Eats Editor Siobhan Wallace compiled testing data from our official Lab as well as insights from our home testers’ full product reviews to compile this roundup. Jason Horn, The Spruce Eats commerce writer, also contributed to this roundup. Raised in Chicago, he knows that hot dogs should never be topped with ketchup. Beginners will quickly be able to learn the correct damper positions in order to achieve a consistent temperature, as we did. One thing to note is the inaccurate temperature on the built-in dial.
During our smoking test, we were able to keep the grill within a range of 10 degrees for several hours, making this a great option for cooking with indirect heat. USA-made Weber grills cost more than many of their competitors (although they’re by no means the priciest girls on the market). This is in part due to the relatively high labor costs for onshore manufacturing. They’re also made from premium materials, guaranteed to last a long time.
If you’re experiencing issues with your food sticking to your Weber grill, oil the food, not the grill grates. Stainless-steel grates are inexpensive and lightweight, but you’ll need to clean them weber charcoal grill with a great grill brush after every session. Porcelain-coated grates can last a long time if taken care of properly. Don’t use metal tools or brushes on them to avoid the coating chipping off.
We experienced even heating and few flare-ups during our testing, with our home tester claiming that it’s “worth the splurge.” We’ve long recommended Weber’s charcoal kettle grill to anyone looking for a phenomenal cooker at a reasonable price point. But our recent gas grill testing proved Weber is a powerhouse in that department, too (four out of six of our winners in our gas grill test were Webers). If you’re looking to buy on a budget, and/or favor a smoky flavor and scent while grilling, consider Weber’s charcoal grill options. If efficiency is on your list of grilling must-haves, consider a gas grill, which takes less time to heat up.