If your favorite recipes require on-the-fly adjustments, like changing the grate height and temperature, find a charcoal grill with the features to accommodate. Next, we light each grill’s snake at one end of the chain with five lit briquettes (tumbleweed fire starters work, too). We set all air vents on each grill (top and bottom) to the halfway-open position. Lastly, we place one rack of ribs on each grill for indirect cooking, with the meat not sitting directly above the coals. Simple construction means there aren’t too many parts to assemble or too many features to handle while cooking. A vent on the lid controls airflow and a well-designed ash tray beneath the Weber grill facilitates easy cleanup.
After your done grilling (and things have cooled down), you should always empty your ash tray. On our favorite Weber grill, this is located right below the grill and even has a handle for ease of use. Many folks strongly believe charcoal produces better flavor than gas. Let’s just say different fuels have different characteristics—and we won’t even get into all the different types of charcoal available today. Kevin Cortez is a Commerce Editor for Popular Mechanics, Bicycling, and Runner’s World.
For instance, it’s equipped with a propane-powered ignition system that gets your coals lit quickly and easily, and there’s a cook timer built into the grill cart. The Nexgrill Cart-Style Charcoal Grill is a compelling alternative to the Weber, especially if you prefer a cart-style backyard cooker. That design gives you a handy side tray weber bbq and more cooking surface room. In fact, at 572 square inches, this updated larger grill has even more cooking space than the previous version, which offered 390 square inches. It’s also a lot compared with the Weber’s 363-square-inch cooking area. The air control required for charcoal grills actually makes them dang good smokers, too.
Portable charcoal grills for tailgating and camping are popular and effective. This is typically accomplished by piling or corralling your charcoal fuel on one side to create a hot direct cooking zone over the fire and a moderate indirect zone on the opposite side. A two-zone setup helps you avoid charred chicken and exploding sausage, plus it gives you the option to gently roast or sizzle and sear at the same time.
Finally, make sure to empty your ashes, and keep that grill covered when not in use. Since then, Hasty-Bake has refined weber portable grill and polished off the rough edges. The new spring-loaded hood design is a significant improvement over earlier models.
Charcoal grills can be intimidating initially, as they’re more complicated to operate than gas-powered grills. But once you get the hang of cooking with charcoal, you’ll probably fall in love with the smoky flavor and tender texture it creates. Don’t get carried away with obsessing over the most feature-heavy charcoal grill—consider what and how you’ll cook, and take it from there.
In fact, most of the time the temperature hovered between 220 degrees F and 230 degrees F. As a result, ribs cooked in the Weber came out tender, juicy and full of smoky flavor. First, we set up each grill for a low-and-slow burn, using the charcoal snake method. In the case of kettle models, we arrange coals in a semicircle around the grill’s inner wall.
If you prefer meat that’s more well done, you can extend the cooking time, or sear and finish cooking in an oven. Weber grill cooking grates are made of stainless steel, plated steel, or porcelain-enameled cast iron. An updated version of the popular Spirit series that offers state-of-the-art components, including the Infinity ignition system that’s known for reliable starts. To ensure weber bbq we included grills that are right for everyone, we broke down the grills by style—kettle, barrel, and kamado—and had portable and hybrid-fuel options. Our final picks are highly rated by grillers, and they all come from reputable brands that stand behind their products with solid customer service and warranties. More features can help with lavish fare, like seafood, steak, or brisket.
Once again, consider how many people you usually cook for to determine the number of burners you’ll need. Weber offers a line of electric grills that cook the food on heated grill plates. Electric grills tend to be very compact, so they’re an ideal option if you live in an apartment and can’t use a gas or charcoal grill on your patio or balcony.