One thing to note is the inaccurate temperature on the built-in dial. We observed off readings and ended up relying on a secondary thermometer. Two aspects we didn’t like are the smaller hood can translate to too-high heat when kept closed, and the built-in thermometer was consistently inaccurate. You’ll want to make sure you have a second thermometer on-hand and be prepared for a small learning curve.
Spark your passion for charcoal grilling with the Kettle that started it all. For our tests, we cooked hamburgers on direct heat for four minutes on each side and then compared their level of doneness. The two Weber grills both cooked our hamburgers to medium rare, while the Oklahoma Joe’s, Cuisinart and Char-Griller all ran slightly hotter and cooked our test hamburgers to medium. We cooked burgers on the Napoleon grill with the cooking grate at its highest level, which was pretty far away from the briquettes. Each grill did a great job searing the chicken leg quarters while still leaving them juicy on the inside. The Oklahoma Joe’s Kettle Grill and Weber Original Kettle Grills gave the chicken skin the deepest sear.
I’ll continue to use my gas grill for weeknight dinners, but turn to the Weber when hosting things that I want to feel more like an event. In doing so, hopefully my kids will absorb the same Dad-imbued, charcoal-infused summertime impressions that waft through one’s memory weber q for a lifetime. The other day as I was cooking burgers in a far more antiseptic fashion on my gas grill, I started waxing nostalgic about these Weber Grill-related memories of mine. I decided I wanted to try cooking on one myself, to see if it was as good as I recalled.
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. This also makes it unbelievably efficient, and you’ll be amazed to use only about half of what you normally would in a stainless-steel kettle grill. Unlike simpler, less-sealed grills, this one will allow you to cook between 225 and 750 degrees Fahrenheit, and maintain a consistent heat, as it’s basically a giant ceramic oven. As Olunloyo told us, if you have the money, a ceramic kamado grill — a design that originated about 3,000 years ago in Japan — is the best investment you can make in a charcoal grill. We also love how effortless cleaning is; the three-blade ash sweeper and removable ash catcher make disposing of ash easy as can be.
To get reacquainted with the Weber Kettle Grill as a grown man, I first went down to my local Home Depot and bought the classic model for myself. The Weber Original Kettle grill comes in three sizes — 18, 22, and 26 inches in diameter. We like the 22-inch model because it allows you to roast a whole brisket or pork shoulder, but you may want to portable bbq size up or down depending on your needs. Buy a cheaper grill as you like, but the difference of about $20 (give or take) isn’t worth the loss of several, if not more, years of the good use you’ll get out of a Weber. Save for grills made with painted galvanized steel (which, again, aren’t built to last), you’re not going to find a cheaper grill.
These vents are also useful when extinguishing the fire, as closing them cuts off oxygen. The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″ is our pick weber genesis 2 as the best charcoal grill for most people. In our tests it outperformed the other grills in cooking, ease of assembly, and user-friendly details.
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 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.
When it came to assembly, the only direct comparison we could make was between the Weber and the Napoleon. Both models shared a similar overall design, but the Weber model was comprehensively superior. With simple instructions and a minimal need for tools or acrobatics, Weber has clearly refined its engineering to maximize simplicity. The legs and ash catcher slot effortlessly into built-in sockets and lock into place with idiot-proof spring pins—not a bolt or screw in sight.
The Cuisinart was also the only grill with which we experienced grease flare-ups when cooking. No other grill in this group could match the rock-solid temperature control of this iconic cooker. Readings from our own thermocouples, plus a digital pit thermometer, confirmed this.