The Weber Griddle can hit temperatures over 500 degrees in a hurry and is capable of everything from searing steak to preparing eggs and pancakes. And with four burners heating four different zones, you can cook your entire meal at different temperatures at the same time. The Performer adds a prep table, cooking timer and gas-fired charcoal starter to the standard kettle grill. If you’re like me, you might also prefer a reverse sear, especially if you’re cooking thick cuts of steak, or pork chops.
The main grates are made of heavy-duty cast iron and resemble the grates of some of the best gas grills we tested this year. Like the Char-Griller Classic, the Super Pro can also be converted to a proper smoker by attaching an optional side fire box, and the enameled steel body does a great job of retaining heat. Overall, this is a good basic barrel grill, but assembly was frustrating and it lacks many of the features that made the Classic our pick for best upgrade. Under the lid it looks more like a gas grill than a charcoal grill thanks to 549 square inches of porcelain-coated cast-iron grates plus a secondary steel rack for warming or indirect cooking. This grill has enough room for a three-zone charcoal fire—and a handful of beer-can chickens, multiple racks of ribs, or (at least) 20 burgers. It’s also a great grill for slow cooking a whole pork shoulder and then some with or without Char-Griller’s optional side fire box.
The Smokey Mountain Cooker™ smoker has two cooking grates for smoking multiple items at once, and dampers that adjust easily so that you’re always in control of the heat—and your feast. The limited-edition 70th Anniversary Kettle is a high-quality Weber kettle you’ve come to expect combined with nostalgic and modern features. Nods to different eras of Weber’s history can be found throughout its thoughtfully detailed exterior. The hand-enameled Hollywood Gray finish is reminiscent of classic films from the 1950s era when the kettle originated.
Barrel-style charcoal grills, while larger, can be more difficult to manage and harder to clean. 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.
Called the fuse method, or “the charcoal snake,” this trick involves stacking briquettes in a specific way inside the grill. Do it correctly and the charcoal snake will burn at barbecue temperatures and with minimum supervision. Unfortunately, the Napoleon grill’s assembly was overly complex and potentially dangerous. The legs were also difficult to attach, exposing us to sharp edges that shaved the skin off our knuckles. When you consider that the Napoleon grill costs about $50 more than the Weber kettle that it emulates, the Weber model’s superiority is even starker.
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. Our highly trained weber portable grill team is always prepared to help you with any questions you may have about grills and accessories. We were remodeling our outdoor kitchen and needed help finding the right grill.
MELISSA COOKSTON can still remember her parents trying to cook over “a towering inferno” of fire in their Weber Kettle Grill in the 1970s. This Weber’s plated steel cooking grate is hinged so that it’s easier to load charcoal, even while cooking, onto the heavy-gauge steel weber portable grill grate below. With this method, the coals take about 10 minutes to light and another 10 for the grill to get hot. 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.