Ribs cooked on the Napoleon grill came out tasty, though with bark that was a little dry. Stack your charcoal briquettes in two rows of two deep along the inner wall of the grill. It’s compact yet big enough to cook an entire elaborate meal for a family, a simple spread for a party, or even a whole Thanksgiving turkey. Thank you for making it to then end of this Weber Original Kettle review.
The enclosed ash catcher below the grill body is a major upgrade in this version and makes cleanup much easier (more on that later). Weber makes charcoal grills for every budget, ranging from around $50 to over $2,000. The most popular Weber charcoal grill, the Original Kettle, can be found for between $100 and $450, with the differences coming in diameter, ash management, colors, and cooking grates. With the ultimate grilling machine, mastering the art of grilling for special occasions and creating delicious, everyday meals is as simple as lighting a fire on your charcoal grill.
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. Cook delicious burgers, juicy steaks, game-day hot dogs and yummy veggies to perfection with a new or Weber smoker grill from Ace Hardware. Weber has the charcoal smokers, portable charcoal grills and all the accessories you need to become a true grill master. Find charcoal barbecue grills to handle everything from grilling to smoking your favorite foods online now. Brand-new grillers may struggle with maintaining an ideal temperature, but the efficiency and quality of the design will please experts and those looking to make the switch from gas grilling.
If you prefer meat that’s more well done, you can extend the cooking time, or sear and finish cooking in an oven. 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. Unfortunately, the Napoleon grill’s assembly was overly complex and potentially dangerous.
I found that just pushing the leg in a little and then tapping the wheel covers on with a hammer (ball-peen, claw, or even a rubber mallet) worked. There are many seasoned grillers weber genesis 2 who will only use lump charcoal no matter what kind of grill they’re using. Our experts lean toward lump charcoal due to the lack of additives often found in briquettes.
Throughout, we also tested accessories such as spatulas, tongs, grill brushes, and sheet pans, and picked our favorites. Doing so also helped us identify a few design strengths and flaws of the grills. We also spoke with more than a dozen experts, backing up our reporting with comprehensive research and hands-on time with the grills. All of our tests were designed and ran by Wirecutter senior staff 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, one of the original writers of this guide, and Michael Sullivan, a senior staff writer on the kitchen team. Sam Sifton, founding editor of New York Times Cooking, joined us for testing.
From burgers to chicken to slow-smoked ribs, this Weber model’s time-tested design produces great results—at a terrific price. After spending two days cooking 40 pounds of burgers, BBQ, and whole chickens, we recommend the Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″. Thanks to more than seven decades of continuous refinement, it’s the most versatile, most user-friendly, and best-performing charcoal grill we’ve tested. I love cooking outdoors over live fire and smoke whatever the weather, using various grills, smokers, and wood-fired ovens to produce epic food. My goal with this site is to help as many people as possible enjoy and be good at doing the same.
And, yes, I totally love those few features; not having to hand-scoop the ash is a blessing, and the lid hook will save you from dents and scratches. Plus, the size-to-weight ratio is fabulous; there’s a lot of grate space, but it’s light enough to move it around to wherever I feel like grilling. We looked for charcoal grills with good heat retention, but that also allowed for easy airflow adjustments through dampers and vents or other functions like an adjustable charcoal tray. Functionally, it’s a turbo-charged hair dryer that speeds up lighting time significantly.
Read on to see how well the Weber Original Kettle Premium 22-Inch Charcoal Grill performed under fire. At $139, Weber’s original, kettle-style charcoal grill continues to stand the test of time. In our high-heat searing tests, Weber delivered the best balance of seared exterior and medium-rare interior steak. The Weber kettle grill gave us tasty chicken too, with crispy chicken skin. The Weber can also smoke low and slow at a rock-steady cooking temperature.
If you have any questions, or any words of advice to give others concerning the original kettle, please do drop them in the comments section below, I’ll be sure to answer every comment. And, if you already know charcoal, but you’re looking for a better experience than what you’ve got now, you can’t go wrong with a Weber. What you will have to do after each use is remove unused charcoal and ash that falls to the bottom. You may receive promotional offers, advance sale notices, and new product alerts. 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.