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

One person can have the grill up and running within minutes of opening the box. Every grill we tested had a hinged grate, a nice feature that lets you add or adjust the coals without lifting the whole weber genesis 2 grate off. We preferred the Weber and Napoleon designs, which each have a pair of hinged sections, on opposite edges of the grate, that let you directly access the entire bed of charcoal below.

A few improvements have been made over the years, but the grill has always stayed true to its roots. The Weber parts listed here are Genuine weber q Weber Parts sourced directly from the manufacturer. Thank you for making it to then end of this Weber Original Kettle review.

weber charcoal grill

Brian Bennett is a senior writer for the home and outdoor section at CNET. He reviews a wide range of household and smart-home products. These include everything from cordless and robot vacuum cleaners to fire pits, grills and coffee makers. An NYC native, Brian now resides in bucolic Louisville, Kentucky where he rides longboards downhill in his free time. But the biggest problem is that the instructions completely overlook what we found to be a potentially dangerous design flaw.

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, 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.

I’d say it’s too large, not really portable, doesn’t break down too well and because of its shape isn’t the easiest to pack too. As with all charcoal grills, your briquettes or lumps rest near the bottom of the bowl on a grate that keeps them off the base of the pit to allow airflow. Cooking on a charcoal grill is a bit more complicated than using a gas-powered model. First, you’ll need to measure out an appropriate amount of charcoal briquettes—this will depend on the size of your grill, what you’re cooking, and how hot you want the grill to get. Next, you have to light the charcoal using a chimney starter or other tool. Some grills are equipped with a variety of special features.