We moved the remaining coals to one side of the coal grate and added half a chimney’s worth of freshly lit coals. In effect we were testing whether the grills could function as ovens—a really nice feature in the hot summer months, when you may not want to warm up your kitchen. The first bite of tender, fall-off-the-bone meat makes taking it low-and-slow worth every moment. The Smokey Mountain Cooker™ smoker has two cooking grates for smoking multiple items at once, and easily adjustable dampers for precision heat control. There’s nothing quite like the smell and taste of a charcoal grill in the summer.
The Venom Adapter from Spider Grills attaches to the air inlets at the bottom of your kettle and electronically controls the temperature of the grill by precisely regulating air flow. You can control the temperature within the kettle from the primary control panel on the venom or through an app on your phone. When grilling things like hot dogs and hamburgers, weber charcoal grill you don’t need to put the lid on. 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. A few twists of the knobs, and I can have a high-heat zone, medium-heat zone, and low-heat zone at the ready.
Despite the distance from the heat, meat still seared well on this grill because it ran so hot. It took over an hour to get this grill from 400 degrees Fahrenheit to the 300-degree range. And, yes, I totally love those few features; not having to hand-scoop the ash is a blessing, and the lid hook will save you from dents and scratches. Plus, the portable bbq size-to-weight ratio is fabulous; there’s a lot of grate space, but it’s light enough to move it around to wherever I feel like grilling. Heat control is relatively easy with both top and bottom vents. There’s a learning curve, of course, when it comes to controlling heat on a charcoal grill, but once learned, it’s plain sailing from there.
This grill has enough room for a three-zone charcoal fire—and a handful of beer-can chickens, multiple racks of ribs, or 20 burgers. It’s also a great grill for slow cooking a whole pork shoulder and weber charcoal grill then some with or without Char-Griller’s optional side fire box. Compared to gas grills, the anatomy of charcoal grills is quite simple. They’re essentially containers for coal with racks and lids.
Upon extinguishing the coal and allowing the grill to cool down, you canclean the gratesusing a scraper or wire grill brush. If needed, you can take the grates off and portable bbq soak them in soapy water for a few hours to loosen up burnt-on food and grease. Once they’re clean, make sure to oil them using a rag or paper towel to prevent rust.
After your done grilling , you should always empty your ash tray. On our favorite Weber grill, this is located right below the grill and even has a handle for ease of use. For this review, I focused on the top-rated Gold and Platinum Medal winning models from the AmazingRibs.com database of almost 600 searchable equipment reviews. The list below spans a range of features and prices, including both newer models and well-established leaders in the field. I also consider look, feel, functionality, durability, and price.