But you’ll need a special hook-up for natural gas, or to run to the store for liquid propane. Gas-cooked foods also can lack a certain charred grilling taste preferred by some. If you know that you’ll be cooking multiple different types of food or meats, you might also need to consider multiple burners on a larger grill.
It’s the most-automated path to low-heat smoking possible while remaining perfectly capable of high-heat grilling. Functionally, it’s a turbo-charged hair dryer that speeds up lighting time significantly. It’ll get your fire going in just 10 minutes, and you can use it in a charcoal chimney, too. Once you factor in price, performance, and design, the Weber is the heavy hitter in the arena of charcoal grills. The lid sets this grill apart from a traditional Weber kettle, which features an unattached kettle top.
When it comes to BBQ-ing around here, I’ve been using a gas grill during the 10 years I’ve lived in my house. This also makes it unbelievably efficient, and you’ll be amazed to use only about half of what you normally would in a stainless-steel kettle grill. Unlike simpler, less-sealed grills, this one will allow you to cook between 225 and 750 degrees Fahrenheit, and maintain a consistent heat, as it’s basically a giant ceramic oven. As Olunloyo told us, if you have the money, a ceramic kamado grill — a design that originated about 3,000 years ago in Japan — is the best investment you can make in a charcoal grill. We also love how effortless cleaning is; the three-blade ash sweeper and removable ash catcher make disposing of ash easy as can be.
The most popular , the Original Kettle, can be found for between $100 and $450, with the differences coming in diameter, ash management, colors, and cooking grates. Superior Heating and Temperature Control- The circular shape of Weber Grills creates a convection heating system which cooks evenly and consistently. Hot and cold spots are a relic of the past with the charcoal grills Weber offers today. Their heat dampening system allows for excellent temperature control and longevity of fuel. Since Weber Grills released the iconic Weber Kettle Grill in 1952, they have become the biggest name in BBQ. For over 60 years, Weber has been a leader in the BBQ industry, and for good reason.
Then he’d empty out the old ashes into a brown paper sack and hand me the cooking grate to go clean in the laundry room. When I got back, he’d pour a big pile of charcoal into the Weber’s shiny black bowl. Then came a spray with some lighter fluid, and the strike and toss of a match. The simple, circular shape naturally gathers charcoal evenly in the basin and makes for even heat distribution. Weber makes charcoal grills for every budget, ranging from around $50 to over $2,000.
That said, charcoal (especially in briquette form) produces a lot more ash than hardwood. 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. We tested the 22-inch Weber charcoal grill in black, but Weber also offers an 18-inch version of its original kettle design. There are certainly fancier and more expensive grills to use for cooking, but for a balance of affordability and quality, you can’t go wrong with this classic.
Weber even supplies a simple plastic tool to help you attach the thermometer without digging out a wrench. All you need is a Phillips screwdriver to attach the side handles, and something dense (a hammer, or even just a chunk of firewood) to tap the end caps of the wheel axle into place. One person can have the grill up and running within minutes of opening the box. For the indirect-cooking test, we cooked a whole chicken at as close to 500 °F as we could get (emulating Barbara Kafka’s famous oven-roasting method). We moved the remaining coals to one side of the coal grate and added half a chimney’s worth of freshly lit coals.
If you’re going to purchase this grill, then we’d advise looking into having your local hardware store build and deliver it to you. Then, completely open the propane tank’s valve slowly and pause to allow time for the gas to travel through the gas line. You should hear and see each burner ignite after you’ve done that. On the other hand, gas is more convenient once you have it—you simply turn a knob to start the fire, and there’s no need to wait for coals to burn down before you begin cooking.
In 1999 they opened a second location in Easton, PA leasing a space from a nursery company. With more time and family personnel available they gradually began increasing the length of their season and daily hours. As they became known throughout the Lehigh Valley and as business increased they weber charcoal grill made the decision to stop produce farming so they could better serve the growing demand for their products. Add-ons like the above quickly take the Weber Premium kettle to roughly the same price-point; At the time of Writing this article, the SNS Deluxe kettle is $379.99 on their website.