The 7 Best Charcoal Grills of 2024, According to Rigorous (and Delicious) Testing

Best Overall

SNS Grills Slow 'N Sear Original Kettle Grill

View On Amazon $350

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.9/5
• Performance
  4.5/5
• Design
  5/5

There are many reasons why this model is the best charcoal grill overall. To put it simply, it’s a relatively affordable grill that works well, is easy to use, and produces great charcoal grilling and smoking results. Whether you’re a beginner looking to upgrade your cooking or you’re experienced and looking for a straightforward model, this grill delivers.

During testing, the grill’s temperature remained consistent, meaning the dampers didn’t need to be adjusted very often—though it’s easy to do so. The top vent on the lid is a rotating vent, and the bottom damper is controlled with a similar rotating vent that you open and close by moving left to right instead of around in a circle. A surprisingly useful detail: The grill has two X's on the far right sides and again on the far left side, indicating the vent is closed, and an O in the middle which means the vent is fully open.

There’s a side shelf that can hold up to 20 pounds and a lid cradle that keeps your lid tucked away when not in use. The cooking grate has a portion (around a third of the rack) that hinges back, so the coals can be easily adjusted and added. In addition to the built-in thermometer, there’s a 1/2 inch port (that can be covered) for a probe thermometer if you need a more accurate reading.

This grill performed very well as a smoker during testing. It comes with a removable insert that holds the coals for the indirect cooking method and still gives plenty of space to have a 9 x 13-inch pan of water, opposite the coals. (There’s also a larger, porcelain coated grate when the insert isn’t being used.) The ribs appeared glossy, deep red, and well caramelized; the BBQ sauce was sticky and the meat was tender and moist.

Cleaning is simple and self explanatory, and the manual walks through the process in a clear and effective way. That said, the manual does not give specific instructions on how to remove the ash bucket, which we found tricky to figure out. 

We also found that the charcoal grate was difficult to remove with coals still on it, so we dumped them into the basin of the grill and scraped the remaining bits of coal and ashes through the vent/damper at the base of the inside of the grill.

Product Details: Dimensions: 41.75 x 41.66 x 31.5 inches | Material: Stainless steel | Cooking Surface Capacity: 380 square inches | Grill Grate Capacity: Not listed

Best Budget

Expert Grill Superior Kettle Charcoal Grill

View On Amazon View On Walmart $97 View On Bed Bath & Beyond

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.8/5
• Performance
  4.8/5
• Design
  4.6/5

Retailing for under $100, this kettle grill offers a fantastic performance at a fantastic price. It’s ideal for mid-sized households and apartment dwellers, with a capacity of 335 square inches (or about 16 burgers).

The stainless steel grate is hinged, allowing you to add more coals if need be. Moving the briquets around the bottom of the grill isn't an issue with the grate off, and it takes just a little more maneuvering with the grates on. Because of the extra deep kettle (designed to accommodate a variety of fuel sources), we noticed there’s a lot of space between the grates and the coals, even when piling the coals up in the middle of the grill.

We also discovered that the grill gets extremely hot, which is great for creating good sear and grill marks. That said, we only used one of the charcoal baskets, and despite closing both the intake and exhaust dampers, it was still too hot to smoke for the first hour. We recommend watching the amount of coals and wood you put in, as the temperature can spike quickly and will stay that way for a while. The good news: Once the grill is at an acceptable temperature, the dampers are very good at helping maintain it. (You can keep track with the attached temperature gauge.) 

We found this to be one of the better models for smoking despite the low price, making it the obvious budget choice for the best charcoal grill. The forced air coming from the intake helps to move copious amounts of smoke and air over the ribs quickly. This resulted in great ribs with a dark, glossy finish and tacky sauce. The smokey smell was obvious and its flavor was more present in the meat versus the sauce. Plus, the rib meat pulled away from the bone easily without falling apart.

When it comes to cleaning, the instructions include removing the ashes and old charcoal (the former is effortless thanks to the ash catcher), and brushing away carbonized grease. After that, you have to wipe down the inside of the lid with a paper towel while the grill is still warm, wash the grates with warm soapy water, and finally wipe down the interior with a damp cloth before applying a light coat of vegetable oil to prevent interior rusting.

Product Details: Dimensions: 22.24 x 26.26 x 42.20 inches | Material: Stainless steel | Cooking Surface Capacity: 335 square inches | Grill Grate Capacity: 16 burgers

Best Splurge

Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill

View On Amazon $549 View On Wayfair $549 View On Home Depot $549

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.9/5
• Performance
  4.9/5
• Design
  5/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  4.5/5
• Value
  5/5

Features like the automatic starter, briquette trays, a lid holder, and a charcoal container make this porcelain-enameled grill very beginner friendly. They also add to the experience for avid grillers and professionals, making this the best charcoal grill worth the splurge. With a capacity of 363 square inches, or 13 burgers, it’s the perfect size for a medium-sized family.

When it came to smoking, we found it to be incredibly versatile. You’re able to rotate the lid, putting the damper wherever you need it to be for optimal airflow when smoking. The charcoal grate is large enough to fit the pan of water plus the two charcoal bins that come with the grill. 

The grill produces a good amount of smoke off just one wood chunk and funnels that smoke quickly over the meat and out the damper. 

We noticed that the charcoal and wood burn very quickly, so monitoring is necessary. The resulting ribs had a dark sheen and tacky caramelization of the BBQ sauce. The insides were juicy with a penetrating smokey flavor, though we thought they were a touch tougher than preferred.

There’s a removable middle to the grill grate and it’s also hinged on each side. This makes it a breeze to add briquets whenever you need to, but in order to really move them around, you need to remove the grate so you don’t risk getting burned. 

The cleaning instructions were fairly thorough, covering everything from removing the ashes (simple, thanks to the ash catcher) to wiping the inside with a paper towel to prevent grease buildup. The interior overall was very easy to take care of, and it was just as easy to pull pieces out to clean them.

Product Details: Dimensions: 30 x 48 x 44.1 inches | Material: Steel | Cooking Surface Capacity: 363 square inches | Grill Grate Capacity: 13 burgers

Best with Smoker

PK Grills Original PK300 Grill and Smoker

View On Amazon $525 View On Walmart $525 View On Home Depot $525

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.8/5
• Performance
  4.5/5
• Design
  4.9/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  5/5
• Value
  4.5/5

What makes this the best charcoal grill with a smoker is the heat retention. There are four dampers (two on the top and two on the bottom), plus a mini damper on the back for the ultimate temperature control. This makes it incredibly versatile whether you want to cook low and slow or hot and fast. Managing all of these dampers can be complex, so we think this grill is best for someone who does this kind of cooking regularly and knows how to control heat with them. The proprietary shape is fantastic for two-zone cooking. There’s a temperature probe access door, or you can install a Tel-Tru thermometer for indirect monitoring. 

Assembly requires hex keys, which are included, and a Phillips head screwdriver, which is not. While it did take us 28 minutes and 19 seconds, it wasn’t actually difficult to put together. The instructions are not only picture based but explain what tools and pieces you'll need to make assembly as hassle-free as possible. There are a few very particular pieces, so pay attention to the instructions or you’ll have to take pieces apart as you’re putting the grill together. 

Made of heavy duty cast aluminum, which helps promote even heat, this cart grill is a bit heavier than others. It’s a little cumbersome to pull, but that didn’t detract from easily rolling over various surfaces with two wheels on the non-table side of the grill. There are rubberized legs on the table side that keep the grill from rolling when resting. According to our tests, the grill is back heavy and a little unbalanced when pulling, but it was still pretty even across the ground with no pull to either direction. 

The best thing about this grill is that it can hinge open but you can also pull the entire lid off if necessary without any hardware changes. The lid hinges back a little more than 90º and, when closed, has a tight seal to it. The grates are made of steel, with the charcoal grate four inches below the grill. The grill grate is hinged, which makes adding coals very easy. It’s also completely removable so you can move and arrange the coals as needed.

We struggled with cooking the steak, realizing too late that we shouldn’t have closed the lid to sear with this particular grill (no instructions were included). The result was a dry, over-charred steak. There were also minimal cleaning instructions—just a note to make sure the coals are completely cool before cleaning out the ash.

Product Details: Dimensions: 16.21 x 42.75 x 37.35 inches | Material: Aluminum and steel | Cooking Surface Capacity: 360 square inches | Grill Grate Capacity: Not listed

Best for Beginners

Char-Griller Classic Charcoal Grill

View On Home Depot $299

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  4.6/5
• Performance
  4.8/5
• Design
  5/5

With 810 square inches of capacity across two levels, able to cook up to 40 burgers at a time, this is certainly one of the best charcoal grills for large families in addition to beginners. There are plenty of useful features as well, including perforated side shelves, a perforated bottom shelf, a built-in thermometer, and a smokestack for temperature control.

It took 28 minutes and 17 seconds to put together the grill. All you need is a Phillips head screwdriver, which isn’t included. The barrel grill is relatively light with two large wheels and two lockable casters, making it easy to move with a stable base. It has a large handle and a hinged lid that creates a solid seal on the grill when closed.

The two sturdy grill grates are made of porcelain coated cast iron. They sit as close to the edges of the grill as possible, with only a void on one side that’s the size of the void between grates. There’s one more grate for coals, with a safety handle that can be turned to adjust it up and down between 3.5 and 8 inches distance from the others. None of the grates are hinged, but there is an access door in the front so you can easily add more charcoal and wood.

Now, for the results: we noticed definitive grill lines on both sides (one darker, the other more faint) with slight charring on the fat of the steak. There was no acrid flavor and the middle was a perfect medium throughout the steak. We did think the front damper in the door could be a little smaller to really force air into the flame.

Though it takes a minute to get used to the height of the charcoal and where you need it to be in order for the temperature to be correct, the ease of use and solid construction make it great for beginners. Plus, as you become a more avid griller, we think you’ll come to truly appreciate the quality and efficiency as well. 

Cleaning involves just a few simple steps. Scrape the grates before lightly coating them in vegetable or flaxseed oil, then dump out the ash tray at the bottom. The tray that holds the coals doesn’t come out, so if you want to clean the grill out completely, you have to shovel the coals.

Product Details: Dimensions: 27 x 57.35 x 51.7 inches | Material: Steel and cast iron | Cooking Surface Capacity: 810 square inches | Grill Grate Capacity: 40 burgers

Best Kettle

Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill

View On Amazon $219 View On Walmart $219 View On Lowe's $219

Our Ratings

• Ease of Use
  3.9/5
• Performance
  4.8/5
• Design
  5/5
• Ease of Cleaning
  4.5/5
• Value
  4.5/5

Weber is one of the most popular names in the grilling industry, with this classic, porcelain-enameled model specifically known as one of the best charcoal grills on the market. The 363 square inch cooking surface fits up to 13 burgers, and we felt that the size and shape of the grill provided consistent temperatures and predictable cook times during testing. The lid has a built-in thermometer and there are aluminum dampers to help fuel the fire with oxygen.

It took us 12 minutes and 30 seconds to assemble the kettle grill, using only the Phillips head screwdriver and bolt tightening tool included. The grill was pretty easy to roll over a variety of surfaces, thanks to the size of the wheels. That said, the lid was not very sturdy and the legs’ button connections made the grill unstable. 

Later on, this instability impacted our ability to clean the grates, rendering the one-touch cleaning system with an ash catcher impractical. We also discovered that the lid ended up melting the plastic handle it’s supposed to hang off of when not in use.

The distance between the grill and the coal grates is not adjustable, but there is a crossbar to help hold heavy food. While the coated wire grill grate is technically hinged, we found it to be too small to comfortably pour in more charcoal. We also noticed that the coal grate didn’t sit flush on the prongs, which made it less sturdy.

When cooking, the steak was easy to flip. It came out with solid char and a caramelized color. The grill marks were faint, but this didn’t take away from the appearance of the steak. Though the end of the steak and bone were overcooked, in general it was medium well, tender, and flavorful.

Product Details: Dimensions: 39 x 22.5 x 27 inches | Material: Porcelain and aluminum | Cooking Surface Capacity: 363 square inches | Grill Grate Capacity: 13 burgers