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.
This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Greg Baker is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and food writer with four decades of experience in the food industry. His written work appears in Food & Wine, Tasting Table, Food Republic, and other publications.
Placing a disposable pan between the coals and filling it about halfway with water allows you to catch drippings and to extend the life of your grill by keeping it clean. Additionally, the water both absorbs and releases heat, so a filled pan means you will need to add charcoal less often to maintain the temperature of your grill. The charcoal baskets help to keep the coals clustered together so they burn longer. We have also launched a number of new charcoal accessories including specific covers for each model, a new charcoal rake, an expansion grilling rack, and a large rib rack.
Hinged sections on opposite sides of the grate let you access the entire charcoal bed below. The Napoleon grill we tested had hinges on opposite sides of the grate, too. But the PK Grill had a hinge on only one side, which proved inconvenient. All the grills we tested featured portable bbq simple, thin-wire grates that worked well, with no notable sticking. The Weber kettle is round, so you can spin the grate to adjust heat exposure. Without having to move your food around, you can expose burgers, chicken, or whatever else you’re cooking to higher or lower heat.
In contrast, rectangular grates (like those on the PK Grill) can’t spin around; you have to move the food or the coals to adjust the cooking. The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill’s design makes controlling the heat simple. 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.
It’s about waist level in height for almost everyone, so it’s quite comfortable to cook on. The 363-square-inch cooking area can easily handle a pair of whole chickens or about 10 to 13 burgers, depending on how large you make your patties. Any more than that and the grill can get overloaded, making it difficult to cook everything evenly and to flip the patties. Perfect for those looking to save space, Weber electric grills are compact, durable and built to last. All you need is access to a power outlet to create mouthwatering dishes that rival those cooked on gas or charcoal Weber grills. It can do many things a Kettle is capable of, in a smaller, shorter form designed for grilling on the go.
What many don’t realize is the kettle grill is also an excellent smoker! In addition, there is a solid collection of Weber Kettle Grill accessories, including rotisserie, covers, ash tools, charcoal rakes, and a wide selection of grilling tools, cookware, and utensils. With the coals piled in the center of the charcoal grate, you have a small area of direct heat, but a lot of area around the perimeter for indirect heat. This is a convenient arrangement for slow cooking or warming several small pieces of food, such as bone-in chicken pieces. You want to find a grill made of quality materials to ensure longevity, heat dispersal, and heat retention. Weber uses a variation of enamel-coated metal for the body of most grills, which is suitable for all of those factors.
If you do not have a grill, the Weber Original Kettle Premium 22” Charcoal Grill is the place to start. 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. Once you factor in price, performance, weber q and design, the Weber is the heavy hitter in the arena of charcoal grills. 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.
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. The durable cooking grate is easy to clean, retains portable bbq heat, and is hinged for easily adding charcoal while grilling. Smoking is a process in which meats are cooked at a much lower temperature for an extended period.