Best Charcoal Grills of 2024- Weber Premium Kettle 22″

We may earn an affiliate commission from any company linked to in this post.

1. Weber Original 22” Kettle- $200+ Charcoal-Lit Grill

Lets cut to the chase. You might be unimpressed from its appearance alone without ever lighting it up. Lacking a lid hinge, zero side tables, small in comparison to other options in a similar price range and limited to one level. However, their kettle in the Performer series has a side table. Aftermarket hinges can be tracked down, while on the interior there’s a hook where the lid can hang on the kettle’s side.

Despite it looking “small”, for a charcoal grill under $250, it can usually cook for family (upwards of six), it wouldn’t be surprising to see this lasting as long as your liver lasts, and it can cook pretty much anything you throw at it.

The original is not far off from today’s design, and it scores far higher in popularity than any other backyard grill on the market.  Since it’s a low priced Kettle, it comes unembellished and basic.

Business Insider in April 2019 published a “best charcoal grills” article which crowned the Original Kettle ($109 version) their (overall) best pick for a charcoal grill.  It made point to its “tried and true design” and how it perfectly grills vegetables and meats.

One Touch Gold vs Premium- What Weber Updated

If the Weber One-Touch Gold 22.5” Charcoal Grill hadn’t been discontinued by the manufacturer, it would arguably be considered the best pick for a charcoal grill. Is it great? The price of a One-Touch Gold shouldn’t be different from the Original Kettle Premium, and if you find it available for under $150, jump on it. There’s almost no difference in features between it and Weber’s newer kettle premium.

A FEW TWEAKS WERE MADE TO THE WEBER 14401001 IN 2015 INCLUDING THE NAME CHANGE TO ORIGINAL KETTLE PREMIUM 22” FROM THE PREVIOUS ONE-TOUCH GOLD (SILVER) 22.5”.

WEBER MAINTAINS THAT WHAT HASN’T CHANGED IS THE ACTUAL SIZE OF THE GRILL, AND THE COOKING SURFACE OF THE GRATE STILL PROVIDES A SURFACE OF 363 SQUARE INCHES.

➡ One thing you can’t frown at is a new handle on the lid of the Original Kettle Premium. It’s made with nylon and serves as a protective shield against the heat between the lid and your fingers, which wasn’t yet integrated on the previous kettle.

➡ The legs were previously just inserted into brackets. Now spring loaded pins help secure the legs to the body, which also makes removing them easy.

There’s a lever tucked under the bowl that initiates a set of vent holes to sweep through ash under the Kettle grill in the bottom where you’ll find an aluminum pan to catch them. Cooking of all types- from smoking ribs to searing steaks- is excellent with this Weber grill.

Foods like turkey and roasts aren’t too much for the arched lid to accommodate within its large proportions, but the heat indicator built in can be disregarded (it can be way inaccurate!). Instead, bank on a digital thermometer of quality.

Compared to most other backyard-oriented gas grills, the Weber Kettles put them to shame. Look into updating your Weber with a Smokenator, turning it into a real good smoker for pork, ribs, fish and brisket. USA made.

4. Dancook 1900- $450 Grill Made in Denmark

Dec 2023 update- If you go to Dancook’s website, a popup now shows stating “We regret to inform you that we have discontinued the manufacture of Dancook products.” Looks like you’ll have to resort to ebay or craigslist if you want this in your backyard.

This Flying Saucer Grill looks sharp, and its size is near identical to the proportions of a 22.5” Weber Kettle. Rather than Weber’s charcoal grate within a single wall bowl, Dancook uses a double wall instead. A “liner” of stainless steel floats inside the aluminum bowl (coated with gray powder). The inner liner is removed after cooking to remove the ash.

Dancook was bought by Char-Broil in 2011 and placed their Saber division to look after their care. Dancook’s great performance, durable construction, and a fit and finish that are quite appealing is a heavenly combination for Saber’s line of premium grills.

6. Weber Performer 22” Deluxe– $500+ USA Made Charcoal Grill

From 2015 to 2023, the price for one of these has slowly risen from $399 to 500-$600. The kettle you get with the Weber Performer Series compared to the cart-mounted Original 22” Kettle Premium is one and the same, and great ones at that. Deluxe is the most sophisticated and biggest Performer, incorporating a cart large enough that provides a surface of adequate size to work on, an LCD removable timer and lower shelf.

The timer’s a decent extra, but a digital thermometer should be used as opposed to a clock to check the internal temperature of food for doneness.

Some changes were made by Weber in 2015 to their charcoal-heated classic kettle line.

The Gourmet Barbecue System (name Weber appointed to the hinged grate that allows inserts like pizza stones and woks) became a standard feature in all Performers.

The charcoal grate over a small propane-powered burner allows the Deluxe to be fired up with almost as much ease as getting a gas grill to start.

7. Meadow Creek PR36- USA Made Grill for $1400+

It appears inflation and/or scarcity has driven the price up for one of these as the MSRP was $935 in 2020, but now on their site it’s showing a $1,435.00 MSRP. With high tier design and construction, Meadow Creek Smokers and Grills have been made by the hands of Amish craftsmen in New Holland, PA dating back to 1980. These bad boys will last you a lifetime, a grill that’s solidly built with steel of heavy gauge. Competitive BBQ teams favor Meadow Creek for its reasonable price and high standard of quality.

Meadow Creek makes a variety of smokers mounted in big trailers, borrowing from some of the pro model’s features you’ll find in this backyard grill. A PR36 provides plenty of surface to cook on with a grate measuring 525 square inches of stainless steel. You can also double the capacity with a second grate that comes with it (positioned over the main grate).

Sources

The best charcoal grills