Our readers turned up the heat in the comments in this week’s grill Co-Op, but there’s no need to grill you all a second time, because two options clearly had more sizzle than the rest; one charcoal grill, and one gas.
Weber Kettle
I was going to say the Weber 22" but I love me Weber 22" Performer. it gives you some prep space. - tobeistobex
The greatest thing about the Weber 22" is the secondary accessory market. The Slow-N-Sear is a must-have; it allows you to set up the Weber as a very capable smoker.
The KettlePizza is a really cool add-on that turns your grill into a 900-degree pizza oven.
The top-of-the-line Performer has a gas ignition, OR if you don’t need that, a set of perfectly-placed holes for the BBQ Guru temp-controlled fan system. Modded that way, my 22" works as well as any smoker out there (besides a smaller cooking area and some heat loss).
And for actually grilling meat, it’s the best there is. - eyevandy
I’ve used a Performer for about 9 years. Prior to that I had a Weber 22" Kettle. The Performer wins because of the side table.
The only grill you will ever need is a Weber Kettle. You can cook anything that will fit inside it. There are various setups and many aftermarket attachments you can get so that you can grill, stir fry, pizza oven, air fry, Santa Maria style cooking, and you can smoke with them. Basically, it can do pretty much anything you ask of it.
Some like gas assist. Personally, I use a weed burner to light my cookers. It’s more fun and I can use it on all of them. - Bubblehead
Seconding this. I’ve got the deluxe (gas starter) model for about eight years now and other than replacing the bottom vents due to corrosion (about $20 in parts) the grill works perfectly.
Another bonus on the weber grills (Be it the 22" or the 26") is that it has plenty of customization options. My grill currently sports a Slow n Sear, a Drip n Griddle (These two provide awesome airflow control and temperature control), a Fireboard with a Pit Viper Fan (Giving you automatic control based on grill temp for long cooks). I’ve done basically anything that comes to mind (smoked turkey, roast chicken, smash burgers, smoked bacon, ribs, salmon, etc) and it delivers. - HunterChef
I echo this vote but recommend going up to the 26". They don’t offer it with the prep area but the increased cooking space is amazing. You can easily do two beer can chickens at once, four racks of ribs or 20 burgers. It’s big, but if you’re a charcoal diehard, and like to have friends over, it’s the way to go. - BaginaFace
Weber Spirit II E-310
For a propane grill, I’ll take the Weber Spirit E-310.
Runs about $450 retail.
- Big enough for most families / small get-togethers
- Weber construction is SOLID.
- Cast-iron grates
- Costs more than some, but will EASILY outlast them.
I do prefer the previous generation that had the propane tank enclosed behind a door, though. - PhilMills_Forgot_His_Burner_Key
I live in a city and have limited outdoor space, it’s the best option in the mid sized grill market. - crayoneater
This is the grill I have my eye on. One of the kinja sites here (maybe Lifehacker) did a whole grill review on a bunch of models and this one performed pretty well and had good even heating from what I remember. Once spring rolls around I’ll probably ditch my old one and get this one. - RobNYC
The two grills above are generally considered excellent, and you can’t go wrong with either of them. If you’re interested in meat smoking though (though the Kettle can do it, with a little work), I’d take a look at Traeger. It uses compressed wood pellets and a heating element to generate smoke, and you can select the exact temperature you want with an electric dial. If the grill needs to heat up, it’ll feed more wood pellets into the heater. If it’s getting too hot, it’ll slow down. It’s dead simple, and the results can be truly delicious.