Grilling with charcoal takes a little more time and attention than grilling with gas, but the payoff is that delicious smoky flavor you just can’t get from a propane flame.
After spending two days cooking 40 pounds of burgers, BBQ, and whole chickens, we recommend the Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″. Thanks to more than six decades of continuous refinement, it’s the most versatile, most user-friendly, and best-performing charcoal grill we’ve tested.
Our pick
The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″ is a classic for good reason. It’s compact yet big enough to cook an entire elaborate meal for a family, a simple spread for a party, or even a whole Thanksgiving turkey.
From 12 well-seared burgers to an entire cut-up barbecue chicken to a perfectly cooked whole chicken and a killer rack of wood-smoked baby-back ribs, it produced beautiful meals in our test—and needed no expertise or fussing on our part to do so.
Though the basic design has barely changed since 1952, Weber has added helpful details over the years, like hooks on the side handles for hanging your spatula, tongs, or other tools.
What really sets the Premium version apart from the standard 22-inch kettle is the enclosed ash catcher, which eliminates concerns about stray embers and makes cleanup easy.
Assembly is dead simple, and the construction and materials are sturdy. Add its solid warranty and well-regarded customer service, and the Weber Kettle Premium Grill is the best value going.
