This style of cooking requires strict temperature control over a period of multiple hours. Ideally, a quality charcoal grill will keep its fire humming along close to 225 degrees F for as long as possible. Every grill we tested had a hinged grate, a nice feature that lets you add or adjust the coals without lifting the whole grate off. We preferred the Weber and Napoleon designs, which each have portable bbq a pair of hinged sections, on opposite edges of the grate, that let you directly access the entire bed of charcoal below. We noticed no performance differences, and all worked well, with no notable sticking of the items we cooked. Measuring 39.5 x 22.5 x 27 inches, this grill takes up a minimal amount of space in your backyard or on the porch while still offering a decent-sized cooking surface.
This eliminates the temptation to put the lid on the ground, which can singe a circle in your lawn. Small hooks on the grill’s side handle are ideal for hanging tongs, spatulas, or a towel. The lightweight construction and wheels on two of the three legs made the Weber reasonably easy to move or reposition on pavement. While the Weber is nearly perfect in its simplicity, I do wish they had given this premium model bigger, better wheels. As is, it requires some effort to roll the grill through the grass into storage or when the kids need the yard for a soccer game or water fight.
For example, the SmartFire uses a motorized fan to control air flow through the Kettle. It also lets you monitor pit temperature and set a target temperature for your cook. Additionally it comes with two food probes portable bbq to keep an eye on what your cooking. You’ll do that through an app on your phone that you can use anywhere you have Wi-Fi. Start by stacking one layer of briquettes in pairs along the edge of the charcoal grate.
The Weber Kettle does have a built-in thermometer, but I always recommend just getting your own to ensure maximum accuracy and reliability for temperature reading. Shop your favorite products and we’ll find the best deal with a single click. Ribs cooked on the Napoleon grill came out tasty, though with bark that was a little dry. If the ash catcher is even slightly warm, the ash inside is still a fire hazard. Indirect grilling can produce a great roasted chicken—the Weber’s is a textbook example. Authentically grilled food shows no boundaries with the all-new Lumin electric grill from Weber.
That said, this Weber takes under 10 minutes to set up and requires no hardware. Like the Weber Original Premium grill, hamburgers tested on this grill cooked up to a perfect medium rare. The chicken we grilled took four minutes of sear time and 25 additional minutes on indirect heat to come up to a safe internal temperature. If you’re looking for the best affordable charcoal grill under $100 that will cook your meat to a perfect temperature, then this Weber is for you.
Our favorite bird from this batch was the one cooked on the Weber, though it was a tough call. The bird cooked on the Nexgrill cart-style grill came in right behind, a close second in terms of flavor and texture. The best charcoal grill for steak searing in our lineup was the Weber Classic Kettle. The steak had nice grill marks while keeping a medium doneness on the inside. The worst was our Tacklife review unit, which didn’t hold much heat and didn’t sear while cooking. The steak on that grill needed an additional five minutes to get to a temperature of 135 F, the minimum for medium rare.
Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right . The Weber grill has three legs—an inherently stable design, because having three points of contact means the legs will automatically “find their level” even on bumpy ground. That said, the Napoleon model’s four legs felt just as stable, and more stiff, on a garden-variety concrete patio—and also allowed Napoleon to install a big, square shelf underneath the grill. The Weber grill has a smaller, triangular shelf, but it’s far less useful. Sign up to receive new product news, exclusive offers, grilling tips & recipes, and more from Weber and its affiliates / subsidiaries!
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. In effect we were testing whether the grills could function as ovens—a really nice feature in the hot summer months, when you may not want to warm up your kitchen. Because of its dominance, the Weber kettle has spawned a lot of copycats.
It’s about waist level in height for almost everyone, so it’s quite comfortable to cook on. The 363-square-inch cooking area can easily handle a pair of whole chickens or about 10 to 13 burgers, depending on how large you make your patties. Any more than that and the grill can get overloaded, making it difficult to cook everything evenly and to flip the patties. The Performer adds a prep table, cooking timer and gas-fired charcoal starter to the standard kettle grill.