Weber Performer Deluxe Slate Blue Charcoal Outdoor Grill + Reviews

You may be wondering, why not just use a pellet grill that regulates heat much better? As much as we at Insider Reviews adore pellet grills and the flavor they offer, they just don’t stack up to good old-fashioned charcoal. 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.

It’s relatively inexpensive as far as grills/smokers go and it will essentially last a decade or longer. The dampers are made of aluminum and the hinged grill grates are made of heavy-duty plated steel. When grilling things like hot dogs and hamburgers, you don’t need to put the lid on. When he’s firing up his charcoal, Karl likes to shove all of it to one side of the kettle. You can spread the briquettes out across the bottom once they’ve transformed into hot coals.

That doesn’t mean all charcoal grills are created equal, however. This is a superior grill to most on the market — it’s built to function and to last, and it’s worth every penny. First, you’ll find ample space on the steel cooking great for a whole lotta food. You could readily cook half-a-dozen steaks at once or enough burgers to feed a baseball team, including the relief pitchers. Retailing at around $200, this grill is well-priced considering the upgrades from the original.

weber charcoal grill

A cover will protect your grill from getting stained by rain and rusting. Ribs cooked on the Nexgrill had lots of bark but were juicy and tender inside. We dismissed the many cheaper knockoffs of the Weber kettle, including models by (or branded as) Kingsford, Char-Broil, PizzaQue, and Grill Zone. They’re not much cheaper than the Weber, and the quality just isn’t there. If the ash catcher is even slightly warm, the ash inside is still a fire hazard. We backed this reporting up with comprehensive research—the in-depth, professional reviews at AmazingRibs.com being a standout source—and hands-on time with grills at the big hardware chains.

The enclosed ash catcher below the grill body is a major upgrade in this version and makes cleanup much easier (more on that later). Great Value for the Price- Weber offers a charcoal grill for everyone. Weber grill sizes range from weber genesis 2 the 14 inch Smokey Joe Portable to the 37 inch Ranch Kettle. The Weber Summit is widely considered to be the best charcoal grill Weber has ever produced. With nine collections of charcoal grills, there’s a Weber to meet your needs.

The first bite of tender, fall-off-the-bone meat makes taking it low-and-slow worth every moment. The Smokey Mountain Cooker™ smoker has two cooking grates for smoking multiple items at once, and easily adjustable dampers for precision heat control. Wake up and light the smoker, because succulent pulled pork and fall-off-the-bone ribs come to those who wait. The Smokey Mountain Cooker™ smoker has two cooking grates for smoking multiple items at once, and dampers that adjust easily so that you’re always in control of the heat—and your feast. The Master-Touch Premium grill can sear the perfect steak, and then easily transform into a smoker for smoking low-and-slow ribs or pork shoulder. With new features such as a convenient hinged lid and charcoal ring for efficient fuel consumption, the Master-Touch Premium is your answer to grilling.

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. At the end of each hour-long test, we noted the depth and evenness of browning, and finally we did a taste test, again paying special attention to the breasts—ideally, they’d be fully cooked but still weber q juicy. Because of its dominance, the Weber kettle has spawned a lot of copycats. In our research, most proved to be cheap knockoffs that weren’t worth the minor savings. We resolved instead to find a kettle that could compete with the Weber on performance, price, and value. But we also opened our search to include charcoal grills of different designs.