How To Use a Weber Charcoal Kettle Grill
For those new to cooking outdoors, the Weber makes it easy to learn to grill over a flame; you’ll look like an old hand in no time. But even if you have a gas grill or a pellet smoker (as I do), sometimes the charcoal option is simply superior. The Weber kettle grill has been around since the early 1950s, so chances are good you’ve eaten a burger, a hotdog, or a steak cooked on one. As a kid, our family had a gas grill, while the neighbors had a Weber. Their food was always a little bit tastier, so I made the Weber Original my first grill when I got a home of my own. Essentially just a grate sitting between two pieces of metal atop a tripod, it’s hard to imagine a simpler cooker beyond just an open fire on the ground.
The Weber can also smoke low and slow at a rock-steady cooking temperature. Weber Master-Touch Charcoal Grill, 22-Inch (WEB-MTOUCH) provides the timeless experience of charcoal grilling on the design that started it all. Built from durable weber charcoal grill metal with a porcelain enamel coating for superior heat retention, this charcoal grill is built to last. It features a plated steel grate for those delicious sear marks, and a smart heat shield under the lid handle to protect your hand.
Simple construction means there aren’t too many parts to assemble or too many features to handle while cooking. A vent on the lid controls airflow and a well-designed ash tray beneath the Weber grill facilitates easy cleanup. To clean the grates, build a fire, heat up the grill, and then take a bristle-free wire brush (metal bristles can fall out and end up in your food, and you don’t want that) and scrape. Every few cooks, I like to use a Shop-Vac to remove any greasy ashes stuck in the bottom of the grill. As a preventative, you’ll want to oil the meats and veggies before they go on to prevent sticking and extra scraping.
But we also encountered a few traits on the PK Grill that we considered dealbreakers. Even before testing, we were concerned that the short distance between the grate and the top of the grill meant food could go flying. Sure enough, Sam Sifton accidentally flicked a chicken wing onto the ground. A single hinge on the grill grate makes it difficult to access all corners of the coal bed during cooking. And this grill has no ash catcher, which means anything sitting on that handy bottom shelf gets dusted with soot. All of these concerns made it difficult to justify this grill’s cost, which is double that of the Weber kettle.
At times, the inside of this grill hit temperatures as high as 400 degrees F. And sadly, the ribs it produced came out burned, charred and overdone. The Nexgrill definitely gets hot enough to create a nice sear, but you do have to work a little harder than you do with the Weber to avoid overcooking your meat. You can also raise the Nexgrill’s adjustable charcoal tray basket to its highest position. Once you factor in price, performance, and design, the Weber is the heavy hitter in the arena of charcoal grills.
Because of their design kettle grills are very versatile and can be used for much more than just grilling up burgers and dogs. They can also be used to barbecue and smoke if you know how to use them. On this page I explain how I use my kettle grill and I also have a YouTube Channel where I’ve posted videos showing how I setup my kettle grill for different types of cooks. So if you’re having trouble getting your kettle grill to do what you want it to do, read on or visit my YouTube Channel. When purchasing a new charcoal grill or smoker, understanding the different styles of weber bbqs and what each type can do is important. No matter your grilling experience, this convenient guide can help you select your Weber charcoal grill.
If you’re somewhere in the middle, a kettle or pellet grill may be a good choice for you. 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.
But once you factor in price, performance, and design, the Weber is the heavy hitter in the arena of charcoal grills. A high-end ceramic kamado grill, while a superior cooker thanks to its insulation, will run you $800 minimum. Barrel-style charcoal grills, while larger, can be more difficult to manage and harder to clean. With a price tag well below $100, this is also the kind of grill you could have shipped to a vacation destination and wouldn’t have to feel bad leaving behind. Smoking is a process in which meats are cooked at a much lower temperature for an extended period. While charcoal grilling is great for hamburgers and hot dogs, a Weber smoker is ideal for larger cuts of meats.
In 1952, George Stephen took his love for barbecue – along with his passion for the perfect grilled steak – and combined them with a revolutionary grill design inspired by the shape of a buoy. This gave birth to widespread enthusiasm for the kettle grill and the start of what would become the world’s leading barbecue brand. With the Closed Lid BBQ System, Weber Grills enables food to be cooked evenly. Irresistible smoky flavor circulates inside the grill, making food super flavorful, juicy and moist.
You open and close the lower vents with a long handle mounted above the ash box. The handle slides easily and stays cool to the touch—no need to put on gloves or use a towel. 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. 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.