The 8 Best Charcoal Grills Perfect for Any Get-Together

Weber's iconic 22-inch Kettle grill has been around for more than 70 years and this premium variant adds a few upgrades to make it even better. For starters, there are hooks on its side handles for hanging your tongs and spatula, and it's equipped with a hinged heavy-gauge steel grill grate to add coal.

But the biggest upgrade is its ash catch, which is an enclosed receptacle at its bottom that captures and holds ash so it won't blow around — eliminating any concern you may have about stray embers. It also makes cleanup much less messy and a lot easier.

Setup for this charcoal grill takes less than 15 minutes and although its construction is simple, the materials are durable and are built to last. The Weber's porcelain-enameled lid measures in at 7.5 inches tall — giving grillers plenty of room to cook tall items such as beer-can chicken, tomahawk steaks, or even a turkey. The seal between the lid and body is strong and tight, so we're confident it can consistently maintain temperatures and keep smoke in.

Testers at Wirecutter said the Weber was “the best and most hassle-free grill” they’ve used. “From burgers to chicken to slow-smoked ribs, this Weber model’s time-tested design produces great results—at a terrific price," said senior staff writer Tim Heffernan.

The Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill is available in black, copper, crimson, or green.

The Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill will help any grill master take their grilling to the next level. It’s a more feature-filled take on Weber’s 22-inch Original Kettle grill, but rather than being atop a tripod, it’s built on a wheeled cart and offers grillers a convenient workstation and hooks to hang their favorite tools. There’s even a cook timer built right into the cart, too.

Even better, the grill is equipped with a “Touch-N-Go” gas ignition for instantly lighting charcoal using a small burner located under the coal grate.

This charcoal grill provides 363 square inches of cooking space (enough room to cook for a family of 6 or roughly 13 burgers). Its hinged grate allows for easy access to replenish charcoal, and there are two charcoal baskets to allow you to utilize direct or indirect heat with ease.

Our favorite thing about the Weber is its versatility. There's a wide array of accessories from a pizza stone to a wok, a steamer, a griddle, and more you can purchase to make the most of the Weber.

Despite the grill's steep price, if you're looking for a cart-style grill, the Performer Deluxe can't be beat. It's durable, easy to clean, and offers a great warranty that covers the bowl and lid for a decade, the cleaning system for five years, and all other parts for two years.

The Joe Classic II is a premium ceramic egg-shaped cooker. In case you’re unfamiliar, kamado grills originated about 3,000 years ago in Japan and they’re similar in concept to Indian tandoors. They deliver outstanding insulation, so they retain heat incredibly well, lock in moisture, and don’t need a lot of charcoal or oxygen.

The Classic II, which also doubles as a smoker, comes with a robust and sturdy frame with locking wheels, twin side tables, an ash tool to aid in the cleanup process, and multiple grates.

The grill heats up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 10 minutes. It offers users incredible temperature control and is an outstanding choice for people who want to invest in a grill that can sear, smoke, bake, and roast food. Since it reaches temperatures above 600 degrees, we can’t recommend it enough for making pizza.

It has an easy-to-read thermometer on its front, a rust-resistant aluminum top vent, and a useful spring-loaded hinge that makes it easy to lift and close the lid. Besides its steep price, our biggest complaint about the Joe Classic II is its smaller-than-average cooking surface. It’s also worth mentioning that it weighs approximately 250 pounds when fully assembled. As long as you don’t drop it, the Joe Classic II will last for years.

For those on a limited budget, this 22-inch charcoal grill is made with the same enameled steel as the Premium version we previously mentioned, and offers the same 363-inch cooking space, but it costs about $80 less.

The biggest difference between the two is this one lacks the convenient detachable ash catcher, meaning ash is more likely to blow around while you're cooking. Even so, the Original Kettle Charcoal Grill is an impressive grill that may be simple in design, but delivers even heat distribution and a one-touch cleaning system that sweeps the ash from inside the bottom of the kettle.

We think the Original Kettle grill from Weber offers the best balance between affordability, durability, and performance. And although you can save even more dough by opting for a smaller 18-inch model, we think you should opt for the 22-incher so you can grill larger cuts of meat such as pork shoulder or brisket.

The Weber Jumbo Joe is essentially what you'd get if you'd take a shrink ray to the Weber Kettle Charcoal Grill we previously mentioned.

At 18 inches wide, the Jumbo Joe is a tad larger than the 14-inch wide Smokey Joe and it comes equipped with two adjustable vents in the lid and firebox — which you'll definitely want to adjust the temperature and keep your coals lit. The Smokey Joe has just one, so it's easier for the coals to extinguish while you're grilling.

We appreciated the inclusion of an aluminum dish under its bottom that serves as an ash catcher. It also has a unique lid lock system that lets you lock down its lid while moving the grill from place to place. The grill takes less than 5 minutes to install, it is solidly constructed and we're confident it will withstand accidental drops during transport.

Whether you want to take it to the beach or tailgating, the Jumbo Joe has your back. With its generously sized 240-square-inch cooking surface, it's large enough to cook a whole chicken or a full rack of baby back ribs, but it weighs just 20 pounds and can easily be stowed in the trunk of a vehicle.

For those in search of a no-frills grill that's affordable, convenient, and easy to use you can't go wrong with the Nexgrill Cart Grill.

Although it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of other more expensive charcoal grills, it’s sturdy, comes with a convenient side shelf, and packs cast-iron grates that are perfect for searing and retaining heat. Since they’re coated with porcelain enamel, you don’t have to spend time seasoning them, either!

"It’s got all the features needed for good grilling and entry-level smoking," said Johnny Brayson, the associate home editor at Best Products’ sister site Gear Patrol.

Case in point? The charcoal tray's rack provides the ash with someplace to fall to keep messes and pesky ash down to a minimum. You can also easily move the coals closer to or further from the food thanks to its adjustable grates, which is another nice touch.

The full-sized cart-style grill from Masterbuilt is the grill to buy if you’re feeding a crowd. There’s an 800-square-inch cooking surface with enough space to grill six racks of ribs, 57 sausages, or three dozen burgers. It’s a good choice for folks looking for a “set-and-forget it” design since it cooks more like a pellet smoker with its electronic temperature controls and coal hopper. Since the grill has Wi-Fi, you can monitor and regulate temperature remotely in real time.

We would have liked to see a higher peak temperature — this one has a range of just 150 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, but our tester had no trouble smoking a small brisket to perfection, grilling burgers, and cooking a good-sized chicken on the racks above the grill grates away from the heat.

It's worth mentioning that testers at both Gear Patrol and CNET remarked that the overall construction of the Gravity Series grills is questionable with its plastic parts and lack of weather resistance, but our tester said the convenience makes it worth it.

“Due to the vertical hopper, the charcoal flows down as it burns, with the ash simply falling into a bucket at the bottom. Just open a door and empty the bucket — it’s that easy,” said Popular Mechanics test editor Bradley Ford.

The Original PK grill and smoker is a compact cart-style grill perfect for any patio or small backyard. Although it has a smaller cooking surface than other charcoal grills on the market, its compact design makes it easy to store or take traveling with you.

The grill is equipped with four adjustable vents, it has a unique hinged lid that opens from the left (rather than the back like most propane-powered grills, and it offers outstanding heat retention and weather resistance.

Testers at Gear Patrol and Insider sang praises of the grill's thick, cast-aluminum build, cast-aluminum lugs and legs, and nickel-plated steel grates. The grill is rustproof and PK Grills backs it by a 20-year warranty. So, you can be confident it will last for years to come.

“The Original PK grill helped grilling-rookie me create dishes that you’d expect from a pro,” said tester Caitlyn Shaw from Gear Patrol, a sister site to Best Products. "It's compact, easy to use, heats up quickly, and has plenty of vents to offer control over cooking temperature and time. Even if it does take a little more time than expected to set up, that time is well worth the grilled and smoked meats and veggies the grill can create."