The Best Charcoal Grill, Reviewed by Our Experts

The best charcoal grill will turn your backyard or patio (or driveway or whatever patch of land you’re lucky enough to call your own) into a functional, if scrappy, outdoor kitchen. But the actual best grill for you depends on what you want to cook, how much you have to spend, and the size of your outdoor oasis.

We don’t want to overgeneralize, but basically anyone we have ever talked to who fancies themselves a griller says that cooking over charcoal is superior to firing up a propane grill (if less convenient). Setting up a charcoal grill is a process, almost an art, that requires getting your coals to just the right shade of gray and then properly arranging them for direct and indirect cooking.

Because they are less complicated than comparably sized gas grills (no automatic igniters, no “infrared” burners, etc.), charcoal grills generally cost a lot less than comparably sized gas grills. And while you’ll burn through a bag of charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal faster than you will a propane tank, the smoky flavor you get from charcoal isn’t replicable with even the best gas grills.

For most home cooks, the best charcoal grill—and the best value—is a premium version of the tried-and-true 22" Weber Original kettle grill. If you have a little more room and a bigger budget, you can get a deluxe model with a handful of convenient upgrades. We also have recommendations for an affordable small-space option and a game-changing ceramic kamado grill that even beginners can easily use as a smoker.

Weber’s basic kettle grill is ubiquitous for a reason. Well, for lots of reasons, including a durable porcelain-enameled body, a 22" stainless-steel cooking grate that has enough room to create both high-heat and indirect-heat zones and a top damper for easy temperature control. And the Premium model, which we’re recommending for most home cooks, has all of that and more, including a built-in lid thermometer, two hooks for hanging brushes and utensils, a hinge in the middle of the cooking grate that makes it easy to add or adjust coals while grilling, and a vented ash catcher on bottom.

With 363 square inches of cooking space, this 22" charcoal grill is roomy enough for a Thanksgiving turkey, or a couple of whole chickens, or at least 10 burgers, or twice as many hot dogs. It is also easy to clean thanks to Weber’s One-Touch cleaning system—a little lever in the bottom of the grill that helps clear ashes from the firebox and into the ash catcher.

Unlike the other three grills we’re recommending, the 22" Weber Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill doesn’t have any sort of side table or shelf, so you’ll likely need an additional surface nearby for platters and other grilling gear. Or check out the Weber grill below.

Grill grate material: Stainless steel | Cooking area shape: Round | Cooking area diameter: 22" | Primary cooking area size: 363 sq. in. | Number of wheels: 2

If you love everything about the classic 22" Weber kettle grill except for the fact that there’s no side table, let me introduce you to the Weber Performer. It’s the same grill recommended above, but instead of standing on three legs, it’s built into a mobile grill cart so it functions more like a true outdoor cooking station.

The cart features four wheels (well, two real wheels and two swivel casters), a roomy bottom shelf for storage, a lid holder, and the best feature: a fold-down side table. There are also three hooks for hanging brushes, spatulas, and tongs. Like our top pick, it also has a thermometer built into the lid and the vented ash catcher and One-Touch cleaning system on bottom for easy cleanup.

Grill grate material: Stainless steel | Cooking area shape: Round | Cooking area diameter: 22" | Primary cooking area size: 363 sq. in. | Number of wheels: 4

If you search the internet for small charcoal grills, you’ll overwhelmingly find the Weber Smokey Joe come up. But after testing both it and this petite option from Char-Griller, senior commerce editor Noah Kaufman is all in on the Patio Pro from Char-Griller.

“Its barrel shape fits comfortably in a tight corner and its slide-out ash pan makes it very easy to light without a charcoal chimney starter. Just stick a couple fire starters toward each end under the charcoal grate, light it up, and leave the main door open.” Dual vents make it easy to control and hold temperature anywhere between the high 200s all the way up to the high 600s (as measured with a laser thermometer). The cast-iron grate take a little seasoning, but they are heavy-duty and can produce nice grill marks, and the fixed side shelf is really nice to have when removing food to a plate.

Though not a portable charcoal grill, the Patio Pro is compact and lightweight and comes with two wheels, so transporting it wouldn’t be hard. Of course, its size comes with a few trade-offs. You can’t fit a ton of food on it, but if you have a tiny patio, you may not have a place big enough to host all that many people anyway. It can comfortably handle a whole chicken and about six burgers at a time, and the thing was maxed out with four ears of corn. Also because it’s so small, it doesn’t work all that well for two-zone cooking. But if space is at a premium, the Char-Griller gives big-grill performance in a little package. And for around $100, it’s a heck of a value as well.

Grill grate material: Cast iron | Cooking area shape: Rectangle | Primary cooking area size: 250 sq. in | Number of wheels: 2

Kamado grills are often categorized as smokers. That’s because these egg-shaped grills offer incredible heat retention for low-and-slow cooking. But kamado grills are actually super-versatile charcoal grills that allow you to grill over high heat, smoke meat like a pitmaster, slow-cook beans, and bake pretty much anything you want (as long as you don’t mind a little smoky flavor). These grills are also a little intimidating; the best-known names like the Big Green Egg and Char-Griller’s Akorn come with a bit of a learning curve with respect to setting up your cooking area and maintaining temperatures, which can scare newbies off of kamado cooking altogether.

That all changed in 2023, when Kamado Joe released a smart kamado grill that offers all the same versatility of other kamado grills, but also comes with an electric fire starter and an integrated temperature regulation system. The “Konnected” system (which does require access to an electrical outlet) takes the guesswork out of reaching, controlling, and adjusting the grill’s temperature. All you have to do is add charcoal, set your desired temperature on the grill or in the companion app, adjust the top vent according to the instructions that pop up on the built-in display when you do, and press the fire starter button.

Like any charcoal grill, you can get the Konnected Joe hot enough to sear a rib eye. But with the push of a button or the tap of an app (and a guided adjustment to the top vent), you can just as easily set it up for low-and-slow cooking. And because it self-regulates, you won’t have to check on your brisket or pork butt every hour—though, if you really want to, you can monitor the temperature remotely via the app.

The Konnected Joe is a heavy, high-quality ceramic kamado grill and it comes on a sturdy steel cart with four casters and two folding side tables. Unlike Kamado Joe’s manual kamado grills, the Konnected Joe is currently only available in one size. It has an 18" round grate, which is the size of the brand’s Classic Joe and a Large Big Green Egg (but smaller than the Weber grills recommended above).

Grill grate material: Stainless steel | Grill grate shape: Round | Cooking area diameter: 18" | Primary cooking area size: 363 sq. in. | Number of wheels: 4

Read my full review of the Konnected Joe.

Every grill recommended above has been tested (and assembled!) at the home of at least one of Bon Appetit’s in-house grilling experts. I extensively tested both Weber grills along with seven others and later lived with the Konnected Joe in my backyard for more than a year. The Konnected Joe has also earned a permanent spot on test kitchen director Chris Morocco’s patio, and senior commerce editor Noah Kaufman had the opportunity to see one in action too. Before testing and recommending the Char-Griller Patio Pro for small spaces, Noah extensively tested more than 30 grills, including pellet grills, portable grills, electric grills, smokers, and even gaucho-style grills.