When it comes to flavor, experts say it’s hard to beat a charcoal-fired grill. Karl likes to spread the charcoal so that it covers about half of the kettle. We didn’t have a charcoal starter on hand this time around, so we used some firestarter gel from Hasty-Bake. It doesn’t evaporate quickly like traditional lighter fluid and doesn’t give your meat that gross lighter fluid taste. Once the victuals were hot and sizzling, they were eagerly placed inside soft Wonder Bread buns, slathered with ketchup and all the other fixins, and devoured with gusto. Since then they have continued to expand their indoor showroom and outdoor patio.
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 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.
Tim Heffernan is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter and a former writer-editor for The Atlantic, Esquire, and others. He has anchored our unequaled coverage of air purifiers and water filters since 2015. In 2018, he established Wirecutter’s ongoing collaboration with The New York Times’s Smarter Living. Add the extra money you weber genesis 2 pay for the Napoleon grill over the Weber kettle that it emulates, and the Weber model’s superiority is even starker. We also interviewed senior product managers from almost every major grill maker at the 2017 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo in Atlanta in early March 2017, including representatives from Weber and Napoleon.
The grill grate on a Napoleon is made of a thicker and flatter cast iron, which is an upgrade from the usual lightweight, stainless steel grates you see on most charcoal grills. However, it takes longer to heat up and is a weber q different cooking experience from traditional charcoal grills. During our tests, we were only able to get our hamburgers to cook to rare, and our chicken did not sear and crisp up as well as it did on all the other grills.
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. 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. Featuring the biggest selection of sauces, rubs and accessories! The Weber Original Kettle dots the backyard of millions of American homes, making it practically synonymous with summer grilling.
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 grill has a crank that you can use to move the coals closer or further away from your food to control the temperature and speed of your cooking. The testers at Consumer Reports say that there aren’t as many variations between charcoal grills compared to gas or pellet grills, but there are some heat control features worth noting. The air control required for charcoal grills actually makes them dang good smokers, too. This gives smoke plenty of time to leisurely caress foods and impart that magic, smoky goodness. Many condo and apartment dwellers want a small grill that fits on their modest patio, but they often encounter restrictions on using charcoal and likely need to look at alternative fuels.