Once all is done, and the timer sounds, take in the warm feeling of serving company amazing food. Charcoal grilling meets weber charcoal grill everyday life with the Performer Premium charcoal grill. It’s a fairly large grill with lots of primary cooking space.
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. Many folks strongly believe charcoal produces better flavor than gas. Let’s just say different fuels have different characteristics—and we won’t even get into all the different types of charcoal available today. The basic kit comes with an aluminum pizza weber charcoal grill tray, but we recommend using a classic pizza stone for a crispier foundation. Sixty years ago, Weber Brothers Metal Works, later called Weber-Stephen Products, used to make mailboxes, fireplace equipment and a number of various other metal-based products. George Stephen, Sr., a salesman at the company, then decided the grills of the day weren’t up to snuff.
Assembling each grill also allowed us to assess the quality of the materials. When it was time to cook, we filled a charcoal chimney starter with Kingsford Professional Competition Briquettes. When coals were ready we dumped the coals to cover exactly half of each grill’s charcoal grate . We replaced or unfolded the cooking grate, depending on the grill, put the lid on, and let each grill warm up for 15 minutes. This particular kamado grill has triple-walled steel construction and features 314 square inches of cast-iron grill space, as well as a removable warming rack. It includes a built-in thermometer and can be used to cook at temperatures ranging from 200 to 700 degrees.
Weber Grills are the American standard by which all other brands are judged. Since 1952, Weber has been a leader in the outdoor cooking world, with innovative designs and incredible quality for the price. The Weber grilling system is designed for even cooking, consistent results and incredible flavor. Weber grill designs are created with the philosophy that nothing compares to food cooked outside in the fresh air with people you love. “With charcoal grilling, the cooking performance is largely dictated by how a fire is built and how the airflow to the flames is controlled,” says Larry Ciufo, CR’s test engineer in charge of grills.
Start by lighting your coals and letting your grill heat up for about 10 minutes. This should heat the grates enough that any crusted-on food can be easily removed with a grill brush. After you clean the grates, oil them using a paper towel dipped in oil and held in tongs. Finally, make sure to empty your ashes, and keep that grill covered when not in use. The 357 PRO wouldn’t be a Hasty-Bake without their classic adjustable-height charcoal tray that can be raised and lowered with a crank. The coals can move from 14.5 inches to 2.5 inches away from the cooking surface for serious direct infrared searing, a lot like a classic Santa Maria-style grill.
All you do is place crumpled newspaper in the bottom of the tool with charcoal on top, and after you light the bottom, your charcoal will be ready to add to the grill in around 10 minutes. From enameled steel to stainless steel to ceramic, grills are made from a wide variety of materials, and each has its pros and cons. But that’s not all—grill grates can be made from cast iron, stainless steel, or other weber q material. No choice is wrong; it just depends on how you prefer to cook. When deciding what size grill you want, think about how many people you expect to be serving on a regular basis and how much cooking space you’ll need. Also, keep in mind that smaller grills are more portable—whether you’re moving your grill across the yard or to the park—while larger grills are heavier and harder to transport.
While this grill does come with an included cart, which added to setup time, we also found the instructions hard to follow, and the amount of hardware included felt a bit overwhelming. If you’re going to purchase this grill, then we’d advise looking into having your local hardware store build and deliver it to you. We measured the temperature of the grill surface, as well as the internal temperature of the chicken, with an external thermometer to ensure that any built-in temperate gauges were accurate. For the most part, the built-in thermometers were accurate, with the exception of the Cuisinart gauge, which barely registered any temperature throughout our testing process. With grilling, the ability to cook on direct heat means that your food will be ready quickly. However, unless you’re closely watching the grill at all times, your food can easily burn or overcook.