That’s a reflection of the Weber’s excellent ability to control how much heat your charcoal briquets are putting out, which you manage by adjusting the vents underneath the grill and on top of the lid. While not an amazing grill by any means, it’s easy to use and offers a better grilling experience than what you’d get with a cheap portable grill . With a price tag well below $100, this is also the kind of grill you could have shipped to a vacation destination and wouldn’t have to feel bad leaving behind.
The grill has two convenient folding side shelves and utensil hooks. For a while, Weber-Stephens Products claimed the original kettle grill’s round body was superior to other grills on the market. “The unique dome shape reflects the heat evenly all around, just like a kitchen oven,” according to a Weber ad from the weber charcoal grill 1970s. “It reflects heat well, but we haven’t been able to prove it reflects heat any better than a square or a rectangle,” says Kempster, noting that the interior of kitchen ovens are rectangular. Grill efficiency lies in other design details, he explains, such as the positioning of the grates and air dampers.
The grills work similarly to a gas stove, with knobs that allow you to adjust the heat and cooking temperature. But these grills don’t impart smoky barbecue flavors to your food portable bbq like pellet and charcoal grills can. A smaller version of the 22-inch Weber Original kettle, Horsman highlighted the Weber Smokey Joe grills as a more affordable option.
The appliance was composed of a metal box or tray to hold the coals with a grid iron resting above. But the open-top design of these devices left the meat vulnerable to weather. Big winds could kick up ash or set the precious meat ablaze, and rain would fill the grills with water.
To see how differences in cooking temperature would play out in the real world, we seared 1½-inch-thick sirloin steaks on both grills over 3 pounds of coal. As you would expect given weber genesis 2 the laws of physics, both fires burned at similar temperatures and produced similar steaks. When we filled the Egg to its capacity, however, things looked a little different.
The grill’s main cooking area is 604 square inches and it comes with side shelves, wheels and a space for firing coles with an electric starter. It also has two dampers, whereas most kamado grills have just one, according to Consumer Reports. To my childhood mind, firing up a Weber charcoal grill had existential significance.
It does not include a lid hook or thermometer, and the ash catcher is not enclosed. That said, this Weber takes under 10 minutes to set up and requires no hardware. Like the Weber Original Premium grill, hamburgers tested on this grill cooked up to a perfect medium rare. The chicken we grilled took four minutes of sear time and 25 additional minutes on indirect heat to come up to a safe internal temperature. If you’re looking for the best affordable charcoal grill under $100 that will cook your meat to a perfect temperature, then this Weber is for you. 18 inches in diameter, it’s larger than the Smokey Joe, but smaller than the classic Weber 22-inch kettles.
Charcoal briquettes and lump charcoal are easier to ignite and keep lit than ordinary firewood. And if you plan to cook low and slow we suggest adding a few chunks of hardwood to your charcoal pile. This brings about more smoke flavor in barbecue meat like pork ribs, pork butt and beef brisket. Simple construction means there aren’t too many parts to assemble or too many features to handle while cooking.
The round grate has ample cooking space for an entire Thanksgiving turkey, at least 10 burgers , or a few beer-can chickens. The new grill design resolved all the pain points for consumers back in the 1950s, Kempster explains. The enclosed dome shape sealed in the smoky barbecue flavors and gave backyard chefs better heat control while cooking their meals. The lid also allowed backyard cooks to easily snuff out the coals when they were done cooking and prevented the barbecues from filling up with water. At the time, the popular design was an open charcoal brazier.