Its main cooking grates are porcelain-enameled, which helps to retain heat as well as distribute it. This is always a key feature I look out for on modern grills as its helps to reduce uneven cooking temperatures. Due to their comparably simple construction, they tend to cost less than a similarly sized gas or pellet grill.
One other trick to note during assembly is that you will have to apply a little bit of tension to the legs when installing the wheels. I found that just pushing the leg in a little and then tapping the wheel covers on with a hammer (ball-peen, claw, or even a rubber mallet) worked. We independently research, weber q test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. BBQGuys does more than test and sell grills — we show you how to use them, too. Our experts provide the recipes and skills you need to be a grill master.
With the ability to fold flat, the Traveler is the ideal gas grill for folks who are always on the go. Despite its small size, its grilling surface can hold up to 15 burger patties weber charcoal grill at once, perfect for quick solo meals or family gatherings. Its convenience factors — like one-handed setup and automatic lid lock — make this the ultimate on-the-go grill.
The Weber can also smoke low and slow at a rock-steady cooking temperature. For our tests, we cooked hamburgers on direct heat for four minutes on each side and then compared their level of doneness. The two Weber grills both cooked our hamburgers to medium rare, while the Oklahoma Joe’s, Cuisinart and Char-Griller all ran slightly hotter and cooked our test hamburgers to medium. We cooked burgers on the Napoleon grill with the cooking grate at its highest level, which was pretty far away from the briquettes. Each grill did a great job searing the chicken leg quarters while still leaving them juicy on the inside. The Oklahoma Joe’s Kettle Grill and Weber Original Kettle Grills gave the chicken skin the deepest sear.
Those designs offer attractive versatility, but they’re also expensive—$350 at minimum, and the most popular and best-regarded styles run twice that or more. And Salvaggio weber genesis 2 noted that wood pellets simply don’t produce the searing heat you need to make perfect burgers or steaks. Our experiments ran the gamut from grilling burgers to smoking .
There’s the elevated ash catcher, which makes dumping the remnants easier than with the original model . I set up the grill in under 15 minutes, and three or four of those were spent taking it out of the box. It is an absurdly simple process that requires a hammer and a Phillips-head screwdriver. In the box, you’ll find 16 pieces including a plastic wrench only used to attach the handle to the lid. The pill-shaped Smokey Mountain drops the coalbed down a foot or two, adds a door to throw new coals on and comes with a porcelain-enameled water rack to keep things nice and humid. If you want food closer to the fire, there’s a grate beneath the top grate for charring.