The Best Charcoal Grill to Buy in 2022: Tested and Reviewed

Our helpful staff can also provide expert tips and advice on how to make your Weber grill the focal point of your backyard BBQs. Find a selection of patio furniture including patio sets and umbrellas, as well as coolers, outdoor portable bbq lighting and outdoor décor for a truly transformative experience. If you haven’t noticed by now, Weber is one of the top charcoal grill brands today, and it also makes the splurge-worthy Performer Deluxe 22-Inch Charcoal Grill.

This Weber grill features a porcelain-enameled lid and bowl for optimal heat retention, and the cooking grate can hold up to 13 burgers at once. Our reviewer tested this model by cooking everything from pork to pineapple and found that it’s consistently a great choice for beginners and seasoned pros. The Weber Original Kettle 22″ Charcoal Grill has 363 square inches of cooking surface and sells for around $100. It is the basic unadorned low price Kettle, and a perfectly fine cooking tool just the same. Ash is swept through the vent holes in the bottom under the grill by a lever beneath the bowl and it drops into an aluminum pan.

This grill ran red-hot and was nearly impossible to slow down the temperature on no matter what we did to make airflow adjustments. The Char-Griller has a noticeably deeper kettle — the deepest of the entire pool we tested. Despite the distance from the heat, meat still seared well on this grill because it ran so hot. It took over an hour to get this grill from 400 degrees Fahrenheit to the 300-degree range. The Napoleon Freestanding Charcoal Kettle Grill took the longest to set up, clocking in at an hour and five minutes of build time.

It even has a built-in wooden side shelf where you can keep tools and serving dishes. The handle on the lid stays cool to the touch, and there’s an adjustable air vent on the side of the unit to help you regulate temperature. The whole grill is powder-coated for durability, and when it’s time to clean up, simply remove and dump the ash pan. This portable charcoal grill can hold weber charcoal grill up to five hamburgers at a time, and the lid’s glass-reinforced nylon handle stays cool during use. Reviewers say this product is an unbeatable value, as it’s easy to tote around to various events and delivers the same caliber of high-quality food as full-size Weber grills. Looking for a charcoal grill that you can bring to the big game or on your next outdoor adventure?

weber charcoal grill

A charcoal grill is a great addition to your weekend BBQ or camping trip. The grill runs on lumps of charcoal or charcoal briquettes so that the food has that classic smokey flavor. This is also really good for searing meat and veggies as you can choose the way you want it cooked, whether it is low-and-slow or with high heat.

Then you should consider the Weber Smokey Joe portable charcoal grill. Just like full-size models from the brand, this 14-inch grill has a porcelain-enameled lid and bowl, as well as steel grates and an ash catcher down below. The premium version of the original kettle measures 22 inches wide and comes in three colors. The premium version also includes Weber’s One-Touch cleaning system, meaning that it comes with a large enclosed ash pan for easy cleanup, and it also boasts a built-in thermometer and lid hook. While we found both Weber grills to cook flawlessly, the upgrades on the premium model make the Weber Original Premium Kettle Grill our top charcoal grill of 2022. Cleaning this grill is easy thanks to Weber’s One-Touch cleaning system—a lever-controlled tool that forces ashes down into the ash pan or catcher for easy cleanup—and the enclosed ash catcher.