The Weber 22-Inch Original Kettle charcoal grill is, as the name explains, a charcoal-fired grill. It’s a basic grill, as most charcoal barbecues are — no side burners, shelves, infrared, weber charcoal grill glowing temperature knobs, etc. Deanna McCormack has reviewed dozens of products for The Spruce and thoroughly tested her portable grill out in her backyard and a beach campsite.
You could readily cook half-a-dozen steaks at once or enough burgers to feed a baseball team, including the relief pitchers. Up top, you’ll find a single vent offset from the center weber charcoal grill of the lid to help you control the out-flow of smoke. Right at the peak of the dome is a nylon handle with a heat shield to keep you from burning yourself when you lift the lid.
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. For this review, I focused on the top-rated Gold and Platinum Medal winning models from the AmazingRibs.com database of almost 600 searchable equipment reviews. The list below spans a range of features and prices, including both newer models and well-established leaders in the field. I also consider look, feel, functionality, durability, and price.
The Venom Adapter from Spider Grills attaches to the air inlets at the bottom of your kettle and electronically controls the temperature of the grill by precisely regulating air flow. You can control the temperature within the kettle from the primary control panel on the venom or through an app on your phone. When grilling things like hot dogs and hamburgers, you don’t need to put the lid on. At a certain moment, Dad would decide that the charcoal was ready for cooking. On would go the grate, and an assortment of burger patties, hot dogs, and sausages were laid upon this culinary altar. A few twists of the knobs, and I can have a high-heat zone, medium-heat zone, and low-heat zone at the ready.
This brings about more smoke flavor in barbecue meat like pork ribs, pork butt and beef brisket. Our experiments ran the gamut from grilling burgers to smoking . All of our tests were designed and run by Wirecutter senior writer Lesley Stockton, who has over a decade of experience in professional kitchens, many of them spent on the grill station. Lesley conducted the testing with senior staff writer Tim Heffernan, who wrote this guide, and Michael Sullivan, a senior writer on the kitchen team.