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, 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.
They go the extra mile to ensure that every purchaser of a Weber charcoal grill finds a solution to any problem they encounter, and always feels satisfied with their grill. These systems are especially useful if you’d like to limit the headaches of low and slow barbecue babysitting. Even with fancy hardware, if you add too much lit fuel at once, your pit temperature will run away from you.
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 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.
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 charcoal grill 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 .
The most-premium of the kettles adds Gourmet BBQ System grates , a warming rack and char-baskets. Built to Last- Charcoal Weber Grills feature a tried and true design and solid engineering. Weber believes in the quality and craftsmanship of their grills, and offer the warranty to back it up.
This style of cooking requires strict temperature control over a period of multiple hours. Ideally, a quality charcoal grill will keep its fire humming along close to 225 degrees F for as long as possible. Every grill we tested had a hinged grate, a nice feature that lets you add or adjust the coals without lifting the whole grate off. We preferred the Weber and Napoleon designs, which each have weber charcoal grill a pair of hinged sections, on opposite edges of the grate, that let you directly access the entire bed of charcoal below. We noticed no performance differences, and all worked well, with no notable sticking of the items we cooked. Measuring 39.5 x 22.5 x 27 inches, this grill takes up a minimal amount of space in your backyard or on the porch while still offering a decent-sized cooking surface.
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.
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.