Ariane Resnick, who also updated this article, is a special diet chef, certified nutritionist, and bestselling author. She has more than 20 years experience in the food and writing spaces and believes in a joy-filled approach to health and wellness. Stainless-steel grates are inexpensive and lightweight, but you’ll need to clean them with a great grill brush after every session.
We got good results in one or another respect with the other models, but they didn’t perform consistently great on everything the way the Weber did. 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. Over the course of two days, we put three charcoal grills through a battery weber genesis 2 of tests designed to demonstrate their qualities and highlight their differences. We cooked burgers on high heat to see how well the grills seared meat and how even and intense a heat they could generate across the whole grate surface. Then we slow-grilled cut-up chickens to see if our contenders could hold a low temperature evenly across the whole grate.
Simple construction means there aren’t too many parts to assemble or too many features to handle while cooking. A vent on the lid controls airflow and a well-designed ash tray beneath the Weber grill facilitates easy cleanup. The innovative design and unlimited potential of the Summit® Charcoal Grill lands it in a class of its own. Sear the perfect steak, grill a whole chicken, or transform your grill into a smoker, creating mouthwatering ribs. The gas ignition makes lighting coal as easy as pushing a button.
First, we set up each grill for a low-and-slow burn, using the charcoal snake method. In the case of kettle models, we arrange coals in a semicircle around the grill’s inner weber charcoal grill wall. The charcoal briquettes (Kingsford Blue) form a line two coals wide and two coals deep. We also drop a few chunks of smokewood on top of the snake (aka fuse).
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. It’s intuitive to use, and any ash it misses can quickly be brushed away. Weber has improved its iconic kettle grill through the decades and its latest version is nearly perfect.
We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Ribs cooked on the Napoleon grill came out tasty, though with bark that was a little dry. Stack your charcoal briquettes in two rows of two deep along the inner wall of the grill. Add the extra money you pay for the Napoleon grill over the Weber kettle that it emulates, and the Weber model’s superiority is even starker. We also interviewed senior product managers from almost every major grill maker at the 2017 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo in Atlanta in early March 2017, including representatives from Weber and Napoleon. However, if you’re someone who is interested in smoking meat, it’s definitely worthy of consideration.
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. Up top, you’ll find a single vent offset from the center of the lid to help you control the out-flow of smoke. Right at the peak of the dome is a nylon handle with a heat shield to keep you from burning yourself when you lift the lid. The Weber 22-Inch Original Kettle charcoal grill is, as the name explains, a charcoal-fired grill.
Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series charcoal grills work similarly to how an electric-powered pellet grill works, minus the auger that pulverizes the fuel ahead of it hitting the firebox. The grates are made of cast iron, but they are coated in porcelain. The porcelain coating prevents food from sticking, so the grates don’t need seasoning.
In December of 2006, they purchased an additional property along Rt. 33 in Easton, PA, to meet the growing demand for their products, as well as facilitating significantly larger indoor and outdoor showroom. Since then they have continued to expand their indoor showroom and outdoor patio. Co-founder Matt Van Horn is the president of June while weber charcoal grill the company’s other co-founder, Nikhil Bhogal, is the senior vice president, technology and connected devices of Weber. Van Horn continued to focus on the June Oven while Bhogal works with Weber R&D programs and new products. Our highly trained team is always prepared to help you with any questions you may have about grills and accessories.