Written by
The 8 Best Charcoal Grills
Kettles, a kamado, barrels and carry grills compared on heat control, cleanup and rust. The Weber Original Kettle Premium leads for beginners and steaks. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Weber Original Kettle Premium
2. Weber Original Kettle
3. Char-Griller Akorn Kamado
Editor's Notes
October 23, 2026:
The Weber Original Kettle Premium takes the top spot. It was the top overall pick in all three independent charcoal grill tests we read, and its hinged grate, lid thermometer and pull-off ash bin make it the kindest place for a beginner to start.
Seven earlier picks had to go. The Dyna-Glo Signature Series, Expert Grill Heavy Duty, PK Grills SSB-X and Char-Broil Kettleman have disappeared from stores, while the Weber Performer Deluxe and Weber Go-Anywhere couldn't be ordered. We also dropped the American Gourmet Portable, which is closer to a tabletop firebox than a full grill. The Weber Jumbo Joe and Char-Griller Patio Pro stay.
The new picks follow what readers search for. The Weber Original Kettle covers a lower budget, the Char-Griller Akorn Kamado handles searing and long smokes, the Royal Gourmet CC1830S feeds a crowd, the Weber Master-Touch suits people who grill every week, and the Weber Smokey Joe is the cheap carry grill. We lined up the results from America's Test Kitchen, TechGearLab and Bob Vila against each maker's specs and warranty, read owner reports about rust and ash pans, and checked every brand against federal recall records.
April 16, 2021:
The only recent alteration to the Wiki was the replacement of a tabletop Char-Broil model with the extremely similar and slightly less expensive American Gourmet Portable. As you'll notice, we still recommend a number of Weber grills, like the Weber Jumbo Joe and Weber Original Kettle Premium. We highly recommend them for all barrel-type charcoal grills, while for upright grills and those with side-mounted fire boxes, the Dyna-Glo Signature Series remains the most versatile choice, as long as you have the room for it.
We strongly recommend getting a grill mat to place underneath whichever you get, in order to protect the floor it's on and minimize fire risks.
March 25, 2020:
Whether you're talking about briquettes or natural charcoal, you're talking about lots of flavor. Of course, using charcoal is considerably more work than propane, but it's no doubt that you can taste the difference. The Weber Original Kettle Premium and Char-Broil Kettleman both follow a pretty classic style, and while they don't have a ton of real estate, they're both very well made and should last for quite a while with proper care. The Weber Jumbo Joe is similar, but it's much more portable. The Weber Go-Anywhere is even smaller and easier to take with you on an outdoors trip, although it's only really suitable for 2 or 3 people. The Char-Broil American Gourmet is technically portable, although it is pretty heavy, but if you have a truck it shouldn't be a problem at all, because it's not very large.
If you don't plan on moving it around much (although you should never just leave your grill outside all the time), the Char-Griller Patio Pro is a compact and reasonably priced yet high-performing unit. The Expert Grill Heavy Duty is similarly affordable but notably bigger, and it's surprisingly well priced for its overall quality and rugged construction.
If you're okay with spending considerably more, the Weber Performer Deluxe is an advanced model with a built-in gas ignition system, which can take quite a bit of hassle and danger out of the process by minimizing the amount it takes to get the coals going. About as expensive but quite a bit different, the PK Grills SSB-X seems simple but is actually quite highly refined; it's a very nice grill to have, although it does have its idiosyncrasies, such as the lack of a built-in ash receptacle.
Overall, though, it's awfully hard to top the Dyna-Glo Signature Series. Its rectangular shape is easier than a round one for many cooks to deal with, its two available sizes offer plenty of versatility, and it's set up like a high-quality smoker but without the fire box, which you can buy separately and install on your own. Of course, you could also keep an eye out for a standalone propane electric smoker that uses highly efficient pellets or, honestly, you could just toss some tasty wood chips into your charcoal grill and shut the lid, and that does a passable job of imparting that tasty smoky flavor.
We also strongly recommend that you get a good grill scraper that won't leave bristles in the grill, as well as a can of high-temp paint for coating the outside of your grill.
Special Honors
SnS Grills SnS Grills makes the Slow 'N Sear, a crescent-shaped charcoal basket that sets up a two-zone fire inside a standard kettle, along with its own kettle grill built around the same idea. America's Test Kitchen recommended the SnS kettle. It's worth a look if you plan to smoke as much as you grill. snsgrills.com
Belson Outdoors Equipment Belson, based in Illinois, builds commercial charcoal grills for parks, caterers and fundraisers, including large towable models. They're far bigger and costlier than a backyard grill, but they're the kind of equipment to look at if you regularly cook for a hundred people or more. belson.com
4. Weber Jumbo Joe
5. Royal Gourmet CC1830S
6. Weber Master-Touch
7. Char-Griller Patio Pro
8. Weber Smokey Joe
Kettle, Kamado, Barrel Or Portable
A kettle is the round grill with a domed lid and vents top and bottom.
A kettle is the round grill with a domed lid and vents top and bottom. It's the shape most testers recommend for a first charcoal grill: America's Test Kitchen picked the Weber Original Kettle Premium as its winner and the plain Weber Original Kettle as its best buy, and TechGearLab gave the Premium its Editors' Choice. A full-size 22-inch kettle has about 363 square inches of grate, enough for a family. The 18-inch size has about 240.
A kamado is egg-shaped and insulated, so it holds heat on very little charcoal. That makes it good at both a hard sear and an all-day smoke, but the heat climbs fast and takes practice to control. Ceramic kamados cost several times more than steel ones like the Char-Griller Akorn.
Barrel grills lay the coals in a long trough, which gives the most grate space for the money. Some add a side firebox for offset smoking. Cheap barrels are usually made of thin painted steel, so they lose heat around the lid and can rust; Bob Vila flagged thin metal on a budget barrel, and America's Test Kitchen saw a barrel rust after a few uses. Portable kettles of 14 to 18 inches lock their lids for carrying and suit two to four people.
How To Get Steakhouse Heat And Slow-Cooked Ribs From One Grill
Charcoal heat is controlled by air. Open the bottom vent and the fire gets more oxygen and burns hotter; close it partway and it settles down. The lid vent pulls smoke and heat through the grill, so keep it at least partly open. Bob Vila's testers pushed a Weber kettle past 600 degrees, which is plenty for searing steaks.
The most useful trick is a two-zone fire. Pile all the lit coals on one side and leave the other side empty. Sear over the coals, then slide the food to the empty side, close the lid, and let it finish with indirect heat. Thick steaks, chicken pieces and ribs all cook more evenly this way. Charcoal baskets or a hinged grate make it easier to add fuel during a long cook.
A chimney starter is the simplest way to light charcoal without lighter fluid. If you do use fluid, the National Fire Protection Association says to use only charcoal starter fluid and never add it to coals that are already lit. Briquettes burn steady and long, which suits low-and-slow cooking; lump charcoal lights faster and burns hotter but less evenly.
Rust, Ash And Safety
The finish decides how long a charcoal grill lasts. Porcelain enamel, the glassy coating on Weber kettles, resists rust far better than painted steel. Weber's warranty covers the bowl and lid of its charcoal grills for 10 years against rust-through and burn-through, the cleaning system for 5 years and the remaining parts for 2. Whatever you buy, keep it covered and empty the ash after every cook, because wet ash eats through steel. Ash pans are the usual weak spot on steel kamados, a pattern owners report in forums such as AmazingRibs.
Never use a charcoal grill indoors, in a garage or in a tent, even with a door open. Burning charcoal gives off carbon monoxide, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned about deaths from it for decades. The NFPA says to set the grill well away from the house, deck railings, eaves and branches, and to keep children and pets about three feet back. When you're done, let the coals cool completely, then put them in a metal can with a tight lid, never in a trash can. Some apartments and HOAs ban charcoal on balconies, so check your lease first.
Related Wikis
Building PCs, remodeling, and cooking since he was young, quasi-renowned trumpeter Christopher Thomas traveled the USA performing at and organizing shows from an early age. His work experiences led him to open a catering company, eventually becoming a sous chef in several fine LA restaurants. He enjoys all sorts of barely necessary gadgets, specialty computing, cutting-edge video games, and modern social policy. He has given talks on debunking pseudoscience, the Dunning-Kruger effect, culinary technique, and traveling. After two decades of product and market research, Chris has a keen sense of what people want to know and how to explain it clearly. He delights in parsing complex subjects for anyone who will listen -- because teaching is the best way to ensure that you understand things yourself.