Weber Slate Blue Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill + Reviews

If you want a massive charcoal grill then this is a grill you need to consider. The 14 inch Smokey Joe grills have been loved by many people who want a small grill for their patio or a portable charcoal grill for camping and tailgating. The reason why this lovely small grill is on the “Worst List” is because when the 18 inch Weber Jumbo Joe was introduced a few years ago it made the Smokey Joe grills completely irrelevant.

Grilling for a large family or a crowd of guests is no problem. We love this grill, and it always appears highly in our roundup of the best charcoal grills available. Although it’s not a purpose-built smoker, it is certainly possible portable bbq to do some smoking on your charcoal grill with the help of the charcoal snake method and some good temp control via the vents. Although the Weber name comes with a higher price point than other grill brands, it’s for good reason.

weber charcoal grill

The Super Pro can also be used as a Texas-style smoker when boughtwith the side fire box attachment. The rounded shape of the kettle also means the charcoal grate can be kept a significant distance away from the cooking weber charcoal grill grate. The exact distance varies between the different sized kettles but is usually about five inches. This helps greatly with temperature control since the hot coals are not immediately below the cooking grate.

It prepared a tender and juicy rack in just four hours, 30 minutes. In our chicken test it held a high temperature for longer than any other grill in the lineup. The Napoleon Freestanding Charcoal Kettle Grill took the longest to set up, clocking in at an hour and five minutes of build time.

“Our favorite Weber has little doors that open on both ends of the grate for this,” she said. Cooking over charcoal takes longer than cooking with a gas grill, and we typically need to add more fuel during cooking to keep our grills above 300 F for the full duration. Our favorite bird from this batch was the one cooked on the Weber, though it was a tough call. The bird cooked on the Nexgrill cart-style grill came in right behind, a close second in terms of flavor and texture. If you’re looking for the fanciest kettle grill out there, this one might just be it. Simple construction means there aren’t too many parts to assemble or too many features to handle while cooking.