Light the charcoal with a Rapidfire® Chimney Starter, watch as the coals transform into a glowing heat source, practice controlling the temperature, and enjoy the process as the food cooks. This is pure meditation after a busy week – and precisely what the charcoal grill provides. The original PK kettle grill hit the market the same year that the Weber did, and it is among the most efficient and durable small charcoal grills we’ve tested to date. The new (and we’ll definitely say improved) PK300 comes with an impressive 20-year warranty. We love this grill, and it always appears highly in our roundup of the best charcoal grills available. Although it’s not a purpose-built smoker, it is certainly possible to do some smoking on your charcoal grill with the help of the charcoal snake method and some good temp control via the vents.
The goal was a steady hold at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and we adjusted the vents to get as close to that as we could. After 45 minutes, we flipped the chicken parts, slathered on a coating of barbecue sauce, and closed the lid for another five minutes. We repeated this step twice more, rounding out the cook time at an hour flat. Then we had a taste, paying special attention to the breast meat—a long cook weber q can dry it out. For the high-heat, whole-grate burger test, we lit a chimney’s worth of briquets—the equivalent of six quarts, or about 90 coals of a former runner-up from our extensive briquet tests. We poured the lit coals into the grills, spread them in an even layer, and then heated the grills with the lids down and all vents fully open for 15 minutes (a standard manufacturer’s recommendation).
Finally, after all our tests were done, we did routine maintenance, emptying the ash catchers, brushing the grates, and washing out the grills. Over the course of two days, we put three charcoal grills through a battery of tests. On balance, gas is probably the better choice if you portable bbq favor no-fuss cooking or grill often (and especially if you grill on weeknights, when time is at a premium). If you’re an occasional griller or you enjoy getting hands-on with your cooking, charcoal is an economical choice that, with a bit of practice, produces superb results.
As we tested this over the course of two weeks, it rarely had any faults. The 513 square inches of cooking space was consistently even in heat, with some slightly hotter temperatures observed directly over the burners. The sear zone produced delicious steak, though you might want an additional burner like we did. It’s even great for beginners since the app includes everything you need to know for grilling and maintaining a gas grill. There’s a reason Weber is nearly synonymous with classic, quality grills. The brand has been around since the ’50s when the founder first invented the kettle grill.
Built to Last- Charcoal Weber Grills feature a tried and true design and solid engineering. 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. This grill ran red-hot and was nearly impossible to slow down the temperature on no matter what we did to make airflow adjustments.
That said, this Weber takes under 10 minutes to set up and requires no hardware. Like the Weber Original Premium grill, hamburgers tested on this grill cooked up to a perfect medium rare. The chicken we grilled took four minutes of sear time and 25 additional minutes on indirect heat to come up to a safe internal temperature.
While the Weber is nearly perfect in its simplicity, I do wish they had given this premium model bigger, better wheels. As is, it requires some effort to roll the grill through the grass into storage or when the kids need the yard for a soccer game or water fight. A minor complaint for sure, but I think it is an easy and obvious fix. Our R&D department develops high-quality, fairly priced grilling equipment. Outstanding Customer Service- Weber is well known in the BBQ industry for having excellent customer service.
The Smokey Mountain Cooker™ smoker has two cooking grates to smoke two large items at once or plenty of ribs. The fuel door is removable so that adding charcoal and wood is easy, and the dampers allow you to be in control of the heat for tender, fall-off-the-bone meat. The ritual of charcoal grilling meets the convenient features and the wow factor of the Master-Touch®. Equipped with a hinged Gourmet BBQ System cooking grate, you’re also able to purchase additional inserts, like the wok or griddle, to cook smoky chili or breakfast outside on the grill.