Ace Hardware has everything you need to become a grilling pro. 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 portable bbq 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. Finally, we roasted whole chickens indirectly to see if the grills could create browned skin and perfectly cook meat without charring.
It felt like an important, manly task because in my home, like I’m sure in many homes across America, my dad was in charge of it. Then he’d empty out the old ashes into a brown paper sack and hand me the cooking grate to go clean in the laundry room. When I got back, he’d pour a big pile of charcoal into the Weber’s shiny black bowl. Then came a spray with some lighter fluid, and the strike and toss of a match. We tested six kettle-style charcoal grills because when it comes to grilling, simpler is just better. After a handful of cookouts over the last few weeks, there were two clear winners.
A charcoal grill is a great addition to your weekend BBQ or camping trip. The grill runs on lumps of charcoal or charcoal briquettes so that the food has that classic smokey flavor. This is also really good for searing meat and veggies as you can choose the way you want it cooked, whether it is low-and-slow or with high heat.
They answer the phones 7 days a week between 7 am and 8 pm Central Time. Weber has a lot of confidence in its products, and they back it up with an exceptional warranty. There are many appealing, well-thought-out features, despite it being a basic grill. What you will have to do after each use is remove unused charcoal and ash that falls to the bottom. Buy a wireless digital meat thermometer, you’ll be much happier over the long run. One feature you also don’t get with the Original Kettle is a thermometer in the lid.
The Egg has inspired a cultlike following and many copycat cookers. Our highly trained team is always prepared to help you with any questions you may have about grills and accessories. There’s a hook inside the lid for hanging on the bowl which helps prevent damage to it, and a special handle just for rolling the grill around. From an aesthetic standpoint, it’s hard not to like this classic-looking grill.
Our favorite bird from this batch was the one cooked on the Weber, though it was a tough call. The bird cooked on the Nexgrill cart-style grill came in right behind, a close second in terms of flavor and texture. Every grill we tested had a hinged grate, a nice feature that lets you add or adjust the coals without lifting the whole grate off.
Under the lid it looks more like a gas grill than a charcoal grill thanks to 549 square inches of porcelain-coated cast-iron grates plus a secondary steel rack for warming or indirect cooking. This grill has enough room for a three-zone portable bbq charcoal fire—and a handful of beer-can chickens, multiple racks of ribs, or 20 burgers. 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.