Charcoal grills also tend to be less expensive than gas or pellet grills, so you can cook outdoors, even if you’re on a budget. This grill hits the sweet spot size-wise too since it’s lightweight and fairly compact, but still has plenty of room to create both a high-heat and indirect-heat zone. The round grate has ample cooking space for an entire Thanksgiving turkey, at least 10 burgers , or a few beer-can chickens.
Pile up coal on one side to sear steaks or set up 2-zone roasting, Build a nice even bed of coal for general cooking. The tight seal between the lid and body makes the dampers very effective and provides excellent heat control. Now they are secured to the body with spring loaded pins, which also enable them to be easily removed.
If you’ve ever found starting a grill to be a hassle, and even if you haven’t, this will make grilling so much easier. Meet the Kudu Open-Fire Grill, which allows for all the romance of this kind of cooking, with none of the hassle. All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Reviewers say the quality of this product is great and that the grill will undoubtedly serve you well for years to come. 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. It’s hard to argue with the first part because propane simply won’t give you the same smoky flavor you get from charcoal. It’s a bold claim, even given Weber’s reputation for manufacturing high-quality charcoal and gas grills. To see for myself, I filled my yard with highly rated grills and enlisted the help of a year-round charcoal grillmaster who also happens to be a Weber enthusiast . With open minds and lots of raw meat, we tested seven promising charcoal grills under $500.
Though you only have to endure setup one time, build time is definitely relevant if you’re picking up a charcoal grill for a last-minute barbecue. The Weber Original Premium Grill took 15 minutes to assemble, while the Weber Original Grill took only 10 minutes. The Weber grills were the only grills that didn’t come with a hardware pack. You can easily set up either Weber grill by yourself and it only requires you to use a hammer or screwdriver for attaching the handle and wheels. The rest ranged in setup time from 27 minutes to over an hour, with varying levels of difficulty and number of persons needed to complete the task.
They spent weeks cooking outside to properly test a grill’s temperature control, heat retention, and post-dinner cleanup. They also assessed how easy it is to set up out of the box, and if any features help or hinder getting your barbecue experience. In our testing, the Weber Premium was hands down the weber genesis 2 easiest grill to control temperature on, with the flames inside the kettle responding expertly to any tap of the vents. During our cooking tests on the Weber Original Premium Kettle Grill, hamburgers cooked to a medium rare temperature and our chicken ended up juicy, with a solid sear on the outside.