When we filled the Egg to its capacity, however, things looked a little different. Stephen and his growing family, which eventually included 12 children, frequently gathered to enjoy food cooked on the grill. “My father knew that one of the best ways to bring families together was through a shared meal enjoyed in the great outdoors,” his son Jim Stephen, now chairman of Weber-Stephen Products, once said. Our highly trained team is always prepared to help you with any questions you may have about grills and accessories. If you don’t install the three-leg assembly supporting the kettle correctly the first time, there’s no going back. Removing and reassembling certain parts will cause them to loosen, and sooner or later when you try to move the grill around your backyard, it will start to fall apart or even collapse.
In the mid-1950s, his father told him that he had to make a choice, says Kempster, either he sells grills or he works at the metal company; he couldn’t do both. So without much financial backing, Stephen took a chance, struck out on his own and began to grow his burgeoning business. Stephen marketed this first grill as “George’s Barbecue Kettle.” It sold for $29.95—the equivalent of around $270 today. He used the grill frequently to cook for family and friends and sold a few of them, but it took several years and many grill iterations later for the business to take off. At the time, Weber Brothers Metal Works was filling orders for metal buoys for both the Coast Guard and the Chicago Yacht Club. So Stephen took two of the half spheres for the buoys and created a grill.
A high quality grill made from heavy duty, weather-resistant stainless steel will provide years of tasty burgers, juicy bratwurst, and cherished memories. Portable charcoal grill options allow you to prepare your steaks and burgers on the deck, at the poolside, or in the driveway for a neighborhood BBQ party. Choose a small Weber Kettle grill or a large charcoal grill from Char-Broil. Let Blain’s Farm & Fleet set you up with the best charcoal grill to fit your outdoor entertaining lifestyle. Wake up and light the smoker, because succulent pulled pork and fall-off-the-bone ribs come to those who wait.
The premium version also includes Weber’s One-Touch cleaning system, meaning that it comes with a large enclosed ash pan for easy cleanup, and it also boasts a built-in thermometer and lid hook. While we found both Weber grills to cook flawlessly, the upgrades on the premium model make the Weber Original Premium Kettle Grill our top charcoal grill of 2022. While Weber pellet grills and Weber gas grills have a variety of advantages, if you appreciate a classic, flame-broiled flavor, a Weber charcoal grill is simply the way to go. Control the heat, enjoy the crackle of the fire and focus on the entire cooking process as you create foods with delicious, mouthwatering flavors. Cooking on a charcoal grill may take a bit more effort than other types of grills, but it may be well worth the extra time to add that smoky flavor to your favorite meats. For the indirect-cooking test, we cooked a whole chicken at as close to 500 °F as we could get (emulating Barbara Kafka’s famous oven-roasting method).
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. Although the Big Green Egg is at a higher price point than other traditional charcoal grills, “these ceramic cookers are almost a must for any backyard kitchen,” Jonathan Fox of Fox Bros. This versatile ceramic kamado-style charcoal grill might be worth the investment for you, given its ability to grill, roast, smoke, bake and sear. We tested the 22-inch Weber charcoal grill in black, but Weber also offers an 18-inch version of its original kettle design.
Then came a spray with some lighter fluid, and the strike and toss of a match. There’s nothing quite like the smell and taste of a charcoal grill in the summer. Charcoal grilling takes a bit more time and attention to get things just right, so when you choose to use a charcoal grill for a barbecue, everyone knows you mean business. Smoking is a process in which meats are cooked at a much lower temperature for an extended period. In cooking performance, the Weber was the best and most hassle-free grill in our tests.
Weber charcoal grills are tough, built to withstand years of outdoor cooking. The original circular design of the Weber Kettle Grill has been adopted by many other charcoal grill brands due to its superior heating ability. When it comes to charcoal grills, Weber offers a cooking experience that is unmatched by any other brand. For more than 50 years, Weber charcoal grills have been one of the top sellers in the BBQ industry. Their kettle style grills are one of the most popular charcoal grills of all time, and this is due to Weber’s solid performance and dependable quality. Weber charcoal grills are portable, lightweight, and our huge selection includes all the sizes and colors available from Weber.
In doing so, hopefully my kids will absorb the same Dad-imbued, charcoal-infused summertime impressions that waft through one’s memory for a lifetime. One thing that I noticed while putting the grill together was that the materials just seemed chintzier and more flimsy than those on the Weber weber genesis 2 Kettle Grill my dad owned. (Weber grills are still assembled in America, but with some imported components.) The metal in the legs seems to bend pretty easily. The most significant difference that stood out to me was that all the handles on the new models have plastic instead of wood.
Due to their comparably simple construction, they tend to cost less than a similarly sized gas or pellet grill. Another powerful draw of these grills is the intense smoky flavor they create in the food they cook. They’re versatile too since they can use either traditional charcoal briquettes or lump weber charcoal grill charcoal as fuel. Next, we tested each grill’s medium heat cooking capability by roasting whole chickens. The trick here is to keep the grills at a hot enough temperature to cook a chicken for upwards of two hours. The best charcoal grill for steak searing in our lineup was the Weber Classic Kettle.