When purchasing a new charcoal grill or smoker, understanding the different styles of weber charcoal grills and what each type can do is important. No matter your grilling experience, this convenient guide can help you select your Weber charcoal grill. In smaller form factors, a 22-inch grill like the SnS or Weber Performer should be sufficient cooking space for two to four people. That said, kettle grills offer plenty of usable cooking space for smoking, as most can hold a large brisket or one or two pork shoulders. How you intend to grill should be a guiding factor in selecting the size for you.
The ritual of charcoal grilling meets the convenient features and the wow factor of the Master-Touch®. Equipped with a hinged Gourmet BBQ System cooking grate, you’re also able to purchase additional inserts, like the wok or griddle, to cook smoky chili or breakfast outside on the grill. Equipped with a Tuck-Away™ lid holder for convenient lid placement, taller legs, and Char-Basket™ fuel holders. Our last test is grilling barbecued ribs, specifically baby back pork ribs. This style of cooking requires strict temperature control over a period of multiple hours.
You can also raise the Nexgrill’s adjustable charcoal tray basket to its highest position. In our medium, indirect-heat chicken tests, the Nexgrill delivered flavorful, juicy meat as a close second to the Weber. And this updated model, when we used the charcoal snake method, demonstrated temperature control almost as good as the Weber. Simple construction means there aren’t too many parts to assemble or too many features to handle while cooking. A vent on the lid controls airflow and a well-designed ash tray beneath the Weber grill facilitates easy cleanup.
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 charcoal as fuel. Cooking over charcoal takes longer than cooking with a gas grill, and we typically need to add more fuel during cooking to keep our grills above 350 degrees F for the full duration. Our favorite bird from this batch was the one cooked on the Weber, though it was a tough call. The bird cooked on the Nexgrill cart-style grill came in right behind, a close second in terms of flavor and texture.
Aside from that, give the grates a scrape, wipe the body down, and call the job done. The two-grate design makes adding charcoal easier, as you only have to lift half the grate area to make that happen. As a portable grill, it’s a bit heavy at 40 pounds, but with the ability to slow cook, sear, or open cook, it’s got versatility that outweighs the heft. It left an excellent sear during our high-heat test with no distinctive grill marks on the food. The dampers make the Weber a strong performer when smoking, as the grill maintained low temperatures with little fooling around. We’ve long recommended Weber’s charcoal kettle grill to anyone looking for a phenomenal cooker at a reasonable price point.