We also decided to test the popular PK Grill & Smoker, acknowledging that high-quality charcoal grills of different designs may have advantages that kettle grills don’t. Because the grills we tested include gas, charcoal, and electric models, we put them through separate testing scenarios. We scored each area on a scale of one to five, with performance weighted to account for 50% of the final score, weber genesis 2 then averaged the results to arrive at our highest and lowest performers. The world of the charcoal grill is essentially back to basics – returning to the original experience of cooking over an open fire. 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.
It’s a portable grill with full-size performance, thanks to its enamel cast iron grates and a single, circular burner that ensures even heating across the cooking area. It stood out in multiple rounds of tests for excellent heat retention and quick recovery time after we opened the lid. There were also minimal flare-ups and no excessive charring or undercooked spots during cooking tests. The Performer also has Original’s top and bottom damper arrangement, which allows high-heat cooking and serves as an excellent smoker in low-heat applications. Its temperature fluctuated no more than 20 degrees over six and a half hours of smoking.
Sam Sifton, founding editor of New York Times Cooking, joined us for testing. It performed on par with competitors when it came to smoke flavor in our long-smoke tests, and weber genesis 2 it left a nice char and browning in our short-smoke experiments. It didn’t fare as well in our searing tests, however, leaving burgers looking more pan-seared than grilled.
The grill performed terrifically, turning out tender ribs with great smoky flavor. The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″ is a classic for good reason. In our tests it outperformed the other grills in cooking, ease of assembly, and user-friendly details. None of the other models performed consistently great on everything the way the Weber kettle did. We knew the classic Weber kettle would be the centerpiece of our testing; it’s durable, it’s versatile, and it’s dominated the charcoal-grilling field for decades.
It’s also a great grill for slow cooking a whole pork shoulder and then some with or without Char-Griller’s optional side fire box. The Genesis E-325s is a griller’s grill, capable of a full range of grilling tasks and techniques. It’s solidly built and has four wheels for easy rolling, with two wheels having locking mechanisms to hold it in place. We liked weber genesis 2 its sizable searing zone for high-heat cooking (it fits about 20 burgers) and how well it held low temperatures for slow-roasting foods. We found a slight variation in heat between the center and outsides of the grill, though more noticeable with the lid open. In the end, these issues were minor, as the E-325s topped our list of the best gas grills.