Experience the evolution of the iconic Kettle where charcoal grilling meets low-and-slow smoking. With a push of a button, coals are lit and the smell of barbecue will soon embrace the neighborhood. Whether smoking, grilling, or even baking, the Summit® Charcoal Grilling Center is the answer to any craving and the ultimate backyard kitchen. Though you only have to endure setup one time, build time is definitely relevant if you’re picking up a charcoal grill for a last-minute barbecue. The Weber Original Premium Grill took 15 minutes to assemble, while the Weber Original Grill took only 10 minutes. The Weber grills were the only grills that didn’t come with a hardware pack.
We learned a lot about them , but they also helped us identify a few design strengths and flaws of the grills. Our rib experience with a few of the other grills was far from ideal. At times, the inside of this grill hit temperatures as high as 400 degrees F.
You can easily set up either Weber grill by yourself and it only requires you to use a hammer or screwdriver for attaching the handle and wheels. The rest ranged in setup time from 27 minutes to over an hour, with varying levels of difficulty and number of persons needed to complete the task. 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 took us 45 minutes to set up. The Everdure grill by Heston Blumenthal is a great tagalong for the beach, lake or picnic, Shoults explained. “The small, 17-inch ‘Cube’ is lightweight and offers a ton of grilling possibilities,” he said.
It’s also a lot compared with the Weber’s 363-square-inch cooking area. The Weber® Summit®, Genesis®, Q®, and charcoal grills are assembled in America using internationally sourced components. The Weber® Spirit® series gas grill and Compact charcoal grills are assembled in China. “Grilling is all about high heat and using direct heat to cook each side of the meat, so you don’t need to use the lid. If I were grilling steaks, I might use the lid to get some oven-like cooking while I’m grilling the meat. In that case, I’d put the lid on and open up its vents,” Karl told me.
There’s nothing as relaxing as time in the yard casually tending burgers and veggies while loved ones talk, laugh and hang. Don’t doubt this premium grill’s ability to live up to the price tag until you’ve tried it. “As the story goes,” Kempster says, “he took it home, he fired it up with charcoal, and it didn’t work. The fire went out.” One of his neighbors was watching the spectacle and chimed in saying, “George, you gotta let some air in that thing,” according to Kempster. So the pair grabbed a pick from his tools and punched some holes in the lid. The Weber One-Touch Gold 22.5-Inch Charcoal Grill is our favorite kettle grill, but it has a flaw…
This is by far the most expensive option on our list, but the top-shelf components and features make it an exceptional pick for those who demand the best. This classic charcoal grill from Weber is a mainstay at backyard parties and gameday get-togethers for a reason. The 18-inch grate is capable of serving small groups and small enough that making a meal for yourself wouldn’t be a waste of charcoal. There’s no shortage of knockoffs trying to imitate this grill, but the difference is in the details. Rather than paint, Weber uses porcelain enamel that won’t flake or chip, so the metal is protected from rust. The cooking grate uses plated steel that wipes clean and resists corrosion.
With warm weather officially in effect, our thoughts turn to easy outdoor meals with friends and family. There’s nothing as relaxing as time in the yard casually tending burgers and veggies while loved ones talk, laugh and hang. A griller’s dream, this beauty imparts excellent flavor using wood pellets. You don’t need to buy the priciest grill out there, says Fox, but more expensive grills do tend to last longer. Find your favorite, and spring into this beautiful weather with easy, breezy meals — and no mess in the kitchen.
The Napoleon Freestanding Charcoal Kettle Grill took the longest to set up, clocking in at an hour and five minutes of build time. While this grill does come with an included cart, which added to setup time, we also found the instructions hard to follow, and the amount of hardware included felt a bit overwhelming. If you’re going to purchase this grill, then we’d advise looking into having your local hardware store build and deliver it to you. We measured the temperature of the grill surface, as well as the internal temperature of the chicken, with an external thermometer to ensure that any built-in temperate gauges were accurate.
And never, ever use your charcoal grill in an enclosed space. Burning charcoal produces carbon monoxide, an odorless, deadly gas. Indoors, it can overwhelm and kill in minutes, without warning. Finally, after all our tests were done, we did routine maintenance, emptying the ash catchers, portable bbq brushing the grates, and washing out the grills. Throughout the Weber’s 6-hour, 32-minute cook time, the grill’s internal heat levels never strayed beyond 25 degrees of our target, 225 degrees F. In fact, most of the time the temperature hovered between 220 degrees F and 230 degrees F.