Finish mixing salad on the side table while grates heat in preparation for the main course. Once all is done, and the timer sounds, take in the warm feeling of serving company amazing food. Charcoal grilling weber portable grill meets everyday life with the Performer Premium charcoal grill. USA-made Weber grills cost more than many of their competitors (although they’re by no means the priciest girls on the market).
They’re simpler to use and master, and have a wider temperature range, making them ideal for smoking, moderately hot cooking, and ripping hot searing. But even within the category of charcoal grills, the price varies widely. We performed a variety of tests on popular models, including smoking baby back ribs and cooking T-bone steaks, to determine which charcoal grills hit the mark in five key categories. With more than 800 square inches of cooking space, a stainless steel smokestack, and a heavy-duty matte-black body, the Char-Griller Classic will make you feel like a true grillmaster at your next cookout. Under the lid it looks more like a gas grill than a charcoal grill thanks to 549 square inches of porcelain-coated cast-iron grates plus a secondary steel rack for warming or indirect cooking. This grill has enough room for a three-zone charcoal fire—and a handful of beer-can chickens, multiple racks of ribs, or (at least) 20 burgers.
Once you factor in price, performance, and design, the Weber is the heavy hitter in the arena of charcoal grills. A heat shield just beneath the heat-resistant glass-reinforced nylon lid handle prevents you from burning yourself. The enclosed ash catcher below the grill body is a major upgrade in this version and makes cleanup much easier (more on that later).
Stack your charcoal briquettes in two rows of two deep along the inner wall of the grill. CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. The Weber Original Kettle Premium 22-Inch Charcoal Grill is a classic backyard cooker that’s inexpensive, versatile, and nearly impossible to break.
The refund issued will be for the total amount of the order minus original outbound shipping and any return shipping costs incurred by Spotix Inc. If your return is due to an error made by us, you will not be responsible for shipping costs. All in all it’s relatively easy to use, and the price-to-value ratio is on point. Our editors felt it’s intuitive to use for both beginners and experienced grillers, and most importantly, it maintains heat very well. Our highly trained team is always prepared to help you with any questions you may have about grills and accessories. My video on using the vents and charcoal amounts’ explains how I use the vents (see vid at bottom of page or on YouTube).
If you’re cooking in an open grill, hibachi-style, the airflow isn’t as strong of a consideration. But for closed-lid grilling and smoking, the ideal situation is to create convection. Air enters the bottom weber bbq of the grill, feeds the fire, then the heated air travels across your food and out the top. Without an easy-to-manage venting system, your temperature will waver or, worse, never get hot enough to cook on.
If your grill has wheels, examine the material carefully, as you want hard rubber wheels and a solid construction where they attach to the grill. For open cooking, the included Flipkit turns the two-piece top and bottom into two hibachi grills that double your cooking area, should you wish. Cleanup is easy, but like the PK300, it does require you to flip the grill to empty the spent ash.
No matter what you slap on it, the Weber can cook it—hot and fast or low and slow. I’ve thrown pork, burgers, steaks, chicken, veggies, and even some pineapple on the Weber with fabulous results. You can even use the Weber to slowly smoke more traditional barbecue by adding a little wood to the fire. The Weber kettle grill has been around since the early 1950s, so chances are good you’ve eaten a burger, a hotdog, or a steak cooked on one. Their food was always a little bit tastier, so I made the Weber Original my first grill when I got a home of my own. Essentially just a grate sitting between two pieces of metal atop a tripod, it’s hard to imagine a simpler cooker beyond just an open fire on the ground.