Saveur’s Guide to the Best Charcoal Grills

If you’re looking to cook up cookout classics—burgers, hot dogs, grilled vegetables—a kettle-style charcoal grill is a good place to start. It’s a relatively modest investment that gets the basics done right, and you can often buy accessories to make anything from rotisserie chicken to grilled pizza. 22-inch diameter grills are standard, but there are models with much smaller and larger cooking surfaces to suit any setting, whether it be a wide open backyard patio or a small balcony.

If you’re looking to really experiment with charcoal cooking, consider a kamado. This egg-shaped grill is outfitted with a thick ceramic interior, creating a long lasting indirect heat source that can be used to grill, roast, smoke, stir-fry, and even bake bread. Kamado grills are more expensive and extremely heavy, but are capable of reaching temperatures far higher than the average kettle charcoal grills—some go up to 1,000 degrees F— making bubbling and crispy grilled pizzas a summer staple.

Charcoal briquettes produce a lot of ash residue. If you grill often, make sure to purchase a model with an ash catcher and receptacle underneath. Kamado-style grills can also use charcoal briquettes, but are optimized for natural lump charcoal, which produces one-third the ash of traditional briquettes and makes for an easier clean up. Whatever model you choose, investing in a grill cover will extend the life of your backyard cooking companion by years.

Weber is practically as synonymous with backyard barbecues as corn on the cob. Their Deluxe model upgrades the classic kettle design with a few extra bells and whistles to combine the convenience of a gas grill with the incomparable flavor of charcoal. The 22-inch diameter grill has enough space to fit 13 burgers at once, and a spacious work top allows for easy al fresco food prep. Best yet, the grill starts up with a push button ignition to get charcoal properly white-hot—no messy chimney starter required. Ash clean up is nearly as easy. Just swipe the lever to send the spent remnants down into a handled receptacle for easy disposal. A weather-proof charcoal storage container attachment and built-in backlit LCD timer complete this all-in-one grilling setup.

You can never go wrong with Weber’s most popular charcoal grill. The backyard burger mainstay is beloved for its dependability and affordability. Weber updated this classic with the same One-Touch cleaning system and high-capacity ash catcher as its premium Performer Deluxe sibling. There’s no work top, but it also has the same “up to 13 burgers” grilling capacity, hinged grate, and thermometer built into its shiny porcelain-enameled lid top as that fancier counterpart.

A compact portable grill with a nesting bento box design, the CUBE is ready for camping, picnics, and beach days. It’s also a compelling option for anyone with a balcony or patio, thanks to a contemporary design that riffs on a Japanese hibachi grill. The powder-coated steel exterior, chrome handles, and porcelain enamel firebox interior keep heat safely in check, and the entire setup is covered by a 10 year warranty.

Remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare? Grilling uses hot temperatures to sear foods like hot dogs, drumsticks and burgers quickly, while barbecue applies indirect, low and slow heat to impart flavor and break down tougher cuts like brisket into succulent and soft bites. You can use both techniques with most charcoal grills, but larger size models are better suited for barbecuing/smoking. The extra space can be used to create multiple “cooking zones” to apply both direct and indirect heat .

“If you own a simple kettle grill, you own a smoker,” says barbecue and grilling cookbook author Steven Raichlen. “You don't have to spend an enormous amount of money or even buy an extra piece of equipment. If you have that kettle grill, the whole secret to getting a lower temperature is to set up your grill for indirect grilling and use only half as much charcoal.”

Many charcoal grills have an ash and debris catcher at the bottom; clean this section out regularly to maintain optimal airflow and to prevent ash from dusting whatever you’re cooking with the ghost of grilling past. Cleaning grates requires a little more elbow grease, but the process can be simplified by preheating the grill to a high temperature before using a stainless steel bristle brush (or a ball of aluminum foil with tongs) to scrape away any charred remains sticking to the grill. And don’t forget to invest in a cover to keep your grill protected from the elements.

While professional grill and pit masters can determine the doneness of whatever they’re cooking up with a passing peek or a fleeting touch, you’re likely going to need the accurate aid of an instant-read or probe thermometer to get things right. Not only will using a thermometer ensure those chicken thighs, steak or burgers are at a safe temperature, you’ll also avoid overcooking them too.