Weber Kettle Grill Review: A Hands-on Overview It has 605 square inches of cooking surface, with an adjustable-height charcoal grate that has several notched height positions to place the heat closer to or further from the cook surface. A front door allows easy access to the charcoal during cooking and the double-lined hood is a nice feature to help hold in heat. The Professional Cart Grill has an interesting rotisserie design, too, that uses a special charcoal basket across the back for a dedicated rotisserie fire. The true original Weber grill, the Weber Original Kettle Grill, can be purchased for under $100, making it our top pick for best budget grill. This grill measures 18 inches wide, which is a noticeable surface-area difference from the 22-inch grill. Cook delicious burgers, juicy steaks, game-day hot dogs and yummy veggies to perfection with a new Weber charcoal grill or Weber smoker grill from Ace Hardware. Weber has the charcoal smokers, portable charcoal grills and all the accessories you need to become a true grill master. Find charcoal barbecue grills to handle everything from grilling to smoking your favorite foods online now. This grill can hold up to nine burgers on its plated steel cooking grate, and it features an enameled porcelain lid and bowl, lid hook, and easy-to-adjust dampers. It has durable wheels for easy transport, and you can clean up quickly using the one-touch cleaning system, which sweeps ash and debris into the rust-resistant ash catcher. Grilling purists will tell you that charcoal cooking is the only way to go, and seasoned grillers I’ve spoken to maintain that a Weber kettle is the best charcoal grill you can buy. The main difference between the standard and more premium models is a home for the lid; the premium model (about $10 more expensive) has a hinge that holds the lid when not in use. Its 14-inch grill space is enough to fit about five burgers. The Performer adds a prep table, cooking timer and gas-fired charcoal starter to the standard kettle grill. For more grill content, check out our guides to the best charcoal grills, pellet grills and gas grills. Leaky grills are harder to control and get rated accordingly. To dial in my target cooking temperatures accurately, I use multi-channel digital thermometers with temperature probes clipped to the cooking surface. Charcoal grills usually don't have as many bells and whistles as gassers, but I assess whatever goodies are included, particularly ash removal systems. The premium version of the original kettle measures 22 inches wide and comes in three colors. 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. If you haven’t noticed by now, Weber is one of the top charcoal grill brands today, and it also makes the splurge-worthy Performer Deluxe 22-Inch Charcoal Grill. This model has a wide variety of useful features that any grill master would love, including things like a Touch-N-Go gas ignition system and work table for food prep. Whether you’re replacing a well-loved grill or buying your very first one, you can’t go wrong with the Weber Original Kettle Premium 22-Inch Charcoal Grill. While widely viewed as the best charcoal grill you can buy, this thoughtfully-designed grill is also quite affordable, costing hundreds less than high-end models. Plus, our reviewer said it took him less than 15 minutes to put it together. This gave birth to widespread enthusiasm for the kettle grill and the start of what would become the world’s leading barbecue brand. The Ducane Products Company began as the Ducane Brothers Metal Fabricating in 1946. It moved three years later to Little Ferry, New Jersey and manufactured warm air furnaces. In 1968, the name was changed to The Ducane Company and moved the base of operations to Barnwell, South Carolina and in 1975, they started making Ducane gas grills. Ducane filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and was partially acquired by Weber-Stephens at a bankruptcy sale in 2004 for $13.6 million. There’s nothing quite like the simple pleasure of cooking over charcoal on a nice grill like this. When it was time to cook, we filled a charcoal chimney starter with Kingsford Professional Competition Briquettes. When coals were ready we dumped the coals to cover exactly half of each grill’s charcoal grate . We replaced or unfolded the cooking grate, depending on the grill, put the lid on, and let each grill warm up for 15 minutes. 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. Is a lighter, a bag of charcoal and your favorite ingredients. In no time you'll be reaping the rewards of an easy meal with true smoky flavor. Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. In the late 1950s, Stephen bought out the Weber Brothers factory and became the sole owner, devoting all his professional time to manufacturing and selling the Weber kettle. Soon thereafter, Stephen changed the company's name to Weber-Stephen Products Co. Since then they have continued to expand their indoor showroom and outdoor patio. After your done grilling , 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. I also consider look, feel, functionality, durability, and price. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock. If you have questions related to barbecue or grilling, please post them to the comments section at the bottom of any page. Our talented team of paid moderators will be with you shortly. If you have business or tecnical issues, please contact us with this email form. Is the first propane smoker with a thermostat, making this baby foolproof. All you need to do is add wood to the tray above the burner to start smokin’.