While beginners may look for a more basic model, we’d argue that the Performer’s features make it approachable for grillers of all levels. For direct cooks where I want a low heat to slowly cook portable bbq over the coals for more than 30 minutes I use the same set up; a heat source and a fuel source. The image below on the left is the setup I used to cook the half chickens shown on the right.
Add its solid warranty and well-regarded customer service, and the Weber Kettle Premium Grill is the best value going. 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. 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. The Go-Anywhere Charcoal follows suit with its gas counterpart; the uneven heat distribution from evenly-layered charcoal gave a mixed bag of results, from overdone to pale and unimpressive. It performs with the same quality and versatility as the analog version, but this step up comes with a digital display, a remote temperature probe, and an app. I found the key to using the vents to change the temp is first making sure the temp in the kettle is stabilized.
The air acts as an insulator keeping warm air in and cold air out. It also comes with a new and innovative lid damper, that acts like all other Weber lid dampers, with the addition of a hinge, allowing it to flip open acting similar to a built in chimney starter. The legs and ash catcher slot effortlessly into built-in sockets and lock into place with idiot-proof spring pins—not a bolt or screw in sight. Weber even supplies a simple plastic tool to help you attach the thermometer without digging out a wrench. Finally, after all our tests were done, we did routine maintenance—emptying the ash catchers, brushing the grates, and washing out the grills.
Direct heat is best for relatively small, tender pieces of food that cook quickly, such as hamburgers, steaks, chops, boneless chicken pieces, fish fillets, shellfish, and sliced vegetables. Direct heat sears the surfaces of those foods, developing flavors and texture, portable bbq and it cooks relatively thin foods all the way to the center. Indirect heat is best for larger, tougher foods that require longer cooking times, such as roasts, whole chickens, and ribs. Indirect heat cooks the surfaces of food, too, but in a much more even way.
There’s the elevated ash catcher, which makes dumping the remnants easier than with the original model (see the Ease of Cleaning section). 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.
Look for options with built-in lid thermometers and silicone temperature grommets to help ensure your meats are cooked properly from start to finish. We have a lot more information about the Summit® charcoal grill on our website. We will post some incredible videos from Mike Lang showing the versatility and power of this product. I encourage you to take a few minutes and watch these and get familiar with this product. Starting with a double-walled air-insulated porcelain enamel lidand bowl.
The grill performed terrifically, turning out tender ribs with great smoky flavor. The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″ is a classic for good reason. In our tests it outperformed the other grills in cooking, ease of assembly, and user-friendly details. None of the other models performed consistently great on everything the way the Weber kettle did. We knew the classic Weber kettle would be the centerpiece of our testing; it’s durable, it’s versatile, and it’s dominated the charcoal-grilling field for decades.
It’s a portable grill with full-size performance, thanks to its enamel cast iron grates and a single, circular burner that ensures even heating across the cooking area. It stood out in multiple rounds of tests for excellent heat retention and quick recovery time after we opened the lid. There were also minimal flare-ups and no excessive charring or undercooked spots during cooking tests. The Performer also has Original’s top and bottom damper arrangement, which allows high-heat cooking and serves as an excellent smoker in low-heat applications. Its temperature fluctuated no more than 20 degrees over six and a half hours of smoking.
This grill hits the sweet spot size-wise too since it’s lightweight and fairly compact, but still has plenty of room to create both a high-heat and indirect-heat zone. The round grate has ample cooking space for an entire Thanksgiving turkey, at least 10 burgers (Weber claims you can fit 13, but nobody likes an overcrowded grill), or a few beer-can chickens. The materials—rustproof aluminum legs, porcelain-coated steel for the body, and a nickel-plated steel grill—are designed to last. And we appreciated details like convenient tool hooks on the side handles. Add to that its solid warranty and well-regarded customer service, and it’s hard to see a better value. The Original Kettle still holds a place of honor in the grill world.