Other grills we tested either ran hotter and overcooked the hamburgers, or they weren’t hot enough and barely seared or cooked the meat. The lack of a simple lid hook feels like a design oversight and removing and replacing the ash catcher isn’t as smooth as it should be because the damper handle gets caught on the legs. There’s no function for pushing the ashes into the catcher, either, so it has to be done manually with a grill brush or other tool. I also worry about longevity, mainly because the handles, ash catcher, and lid damper are identical to the same parts on the worst grill we tested. Starting a charcoal grill is definitely not as easy as starting a gas grill, so it’s important to understand how to do it correctly.
It has over 305 square inches of cooking surface—that’s big enough for a whole turkey! Plus, it’s lightweight and easy to set up if you need a portable option for outdoor parties or tailgating. Cart-style grills have a handle and wheels that make them easy to move around, and the Char-Griller Patio Pro BBQ Grill is a compact and budget-friendly option for your deck or patio. It features a modest 250 square inches of cooking space, but it has all the features you need to whip up a delicious meal.
You’ll need to purchase a bag of briquettes, and either lighter fluid or a handy charcoal starter. We filled it up to the top with briquettes and then put newspaper underneath, which we lit on fire and then allowed the coals to heat up for exactly 15 minutes. Once your briquettes are fired weber charcoal grill up and ready to go, you then dump them into the base of the kettle grill. After you pop the cooking grate over the red-hot briquettes, you’re ready to start cooking. For instance, the grill is equipped with cast iron cooking grates, as well as a convenient side drawer for adding charcoal.
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All you do is place crumpled newspaper in the bottom of the tool with charcoal on top, and after you light the bottom, your charcoal will be ready to add to the grill in around 10 minutes. From enameled steel to stainless steel to ceramic, grills are made from a wide variety of materials, and each has its pros and cons. But that’s not all—grill grates can be made from cast iron, stainless steel, or other material. Our home tester used this to cook up barbecue classics like chicken wings and ribs, and she was highly pleased with its performance. Other aspects she liked were that the grates became more nonstick as the testing went on and the warming rack proved itself to be the perfect bun warmer. We looked for charcoal grills with good heat retention, but that also allowed for easy airflow adjustments through dampers and vents or other functions like an adjustable charcoal tray.
Is there a portable grill that works as well as a full-sized one? Get easy-to-follow, delicious recipes delivered right to your inbox. Sarah Vanbuskirk is an accomplished writer who tested her grill out on her family of seven to see if it could live up to the rigors of feeding a large family. These are not paid ads, they are a curated selection of products we love. Since then Weber, like many others, has outsourced manufacturing of more product lines.
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During our testing, hamburgers cooked to medium, while it took the chicken about 32 minutes to come up to temperature. There’s a built-in lid thermometer and dampers on the lid that allow you to monitor and adjust the inner temperature. While not an amazing grill by any means, it’s easy to use and offers a better grilling experience than what you’d get with a cheap portable grill . With a price tag well below $100, this is also the kind of grill you could have shipped to a vacation destination and wouldn’t have to feel bad leaving behind. This grill is made from cast aluminum for superior heat conduction, and its unique shape and four-point venting system make it ideal for both grilling and smoking foods.
The Cuisinart Kettle Grill boasts on its box that it only takes 15 minutes to set up; it actually took us 27 minutes to complete the task. Both the Char-Griller Kettle and the Oklahoma Joe’s Kettle Grill weber charcoal grill took us 45 minutes to set up. A classic, gas Weber grills make for convenient grilling options all year long. Easy to turn on and off, gas grills make it simple to cook up delicious meats and veggies.
Plus, there’s a gravity-fed charcoal hopper on the side of the unit, and it can hold up to 10 pounds of lump charcoal or 16 pounds of briquettes, allowing you to cook all day without ever adding more fuel. This charcoal grill can hold up to 13 burgers at a time, and you can monitor the internal temperature using the built-in lid thermometer. This Performer Deluxe grill has an electronic charcoal ignition system and a removable timer that mounts to the side work table. Additionally, there’s a convenient charcoal storage bin integrated into the design, as well as the brand’s one-touch cleaning system.