Weber Performer Deluxe Slate Blue Charcoal Outdoor Grill + Reviews

While Weber pellet grills and Weber gas grills have a variety of advantages, if you appreciate a classic, flame-broiled flavor, a weber charcoal grill is simply the way to go. Control the heat, enjoy the crackle of the fire and focus on the entire cooking process as you create foods with delicious, mouthwatering flavors. Cooking on a charcoal grill may take a bit more effort than other types of grills, but it may be well worth the extra time to add that smoky flavor to your favorite meats. It comes with 363 square inches of cooking space across its porcelain coated grates, as well as an aluminum ash catcher for easy clean-up. Testing charcoal grills requires a lot of hands-on cooking, and your results will obviously vary based on your technique and ingredients, among other factors. Depending on the season and how your charcoal grill is set up, your experience cooking and grilling will likely be very different from ours.

Cook delicious burgers, juicy steaks, game-day hot dogs and yummy veggies to perfection with a new Weber charcoal grill or Weber smoker grill from Ace Hardware. Weber has the charcoal smokers, portable charcoal grills and all the accessories you need to become a true grill master. Find charcoal barbecue grills to handle everything from grilling to smoking your favorite foods online now. For the high-heat, whole-grate burger test, we lit a chimney’s worth of briquets—the equivalent of six quarts, or about 90 coals of a former runner-up from our extensive briquet tests. We poured the lit coals into the grills, spread them in an even layer, and then heated the grills with the lids down and all vents fully open for 15 minutes (a standard manufacturer’s recommendation).

For the low-and-slow, whole-grate test, we let the same batch of coals burn down to the white-ash stage with the lid open, which took about 20 minutes. We then reoiled the grates and distributed a whole cut-up chicken—two each portable bbq of breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings—skin side down. Then we closed the lids for 45 minutes, occasionally checking for charring and redistributing the pieces as necessary (ideally, it wouldn’t be necessary at all).

weber charcoal grill

It’s a great performer and has a large enough chamber and grate area to take on a lot of food. Without the need for heavy-duty burners or propane tanks, a charcoal unit just needs to have a strong build and large enough chamber to build a roaring fire within. Ribs cooked on the Nexgrill had lots of bark but were juicy and tender inside.

Another powerful draw of these grills is the intense smoky flavor they create in the food they cook. They’re versatile too since they can use weber genesis 2 either traditional charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal as fuel. Our last test is grilling barbecued ribs, specifically baby back pork ribs.