Kettle, Kamado or Barrel? How to Pick the Best Charcoal Grill

Carne asada is the center of a Mexican cookout, and it is at its best over charcoal. Thin skirt or flap steak needs a fire hot enough to brown the outside before the middle overcooks, and live coals do that while adding the smoky edge that a gas burner cannot. Around the steak go whole green onions, jalapeños, halved tomatoes and onions for salsa, and a stack of tortillas warming at the cooler edge. A good charcoal grill lets you run all of that at once.

This guide covers the main kinds of charcoal grill a home cook will meet: the classic kettle, the insulated kamado, the barrel grill with an offset firebox, the gravity-fed grill with a digital fan, a rotisserie grill with electric ignition, and two small grills you can carry. For each we list the cooking area, grates, vents, ash system, weight and warranty as the maker or the Amazon listing states them, and we write “Not stated” when neither gives a figure.

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Quick verdict: which charcoal grill to buy

The table below shows our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook. All eight grills are reviewed in full after it.

Five charcoal grills side by side

Type, cooking area and ash handling for our five standout picks, as each maker or Amazon listing states them.

Product images from Amazon. Specifications as stated by each maker or Amazon listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best charcoal grill

These eight grills cover every common shape of charcoal cooking, from an 18-inch portable kettle to a 54-inch rotisserie grill. Each review explains who the grill suits, what its vents and ash system are like, and one honest reason to skip it. If you mainly want to spend less, our guide to the best value charcoal grill covers the budget end in more depth.

How to choose a charcoal grill

The brand matters less than how the grill moves air and handles ash. These six points decide whether a grill suits the way you cook.

1. The shape of the grill

Kettles are round, light and quick to learn, and they cook a wide range of food well. Kamados, ceramic or insulated steel, hold heat with very little charcoal and go from low smoking to very high searing, but they are heavy and smaller inside. Barrel grills give the most grate for the money and often add an offset firebox. Gravity-fed grills like the Masterbuilt trade simplicity for a fan and a controller that hold the temperature for you. For most households cooking carne asada, chicken and vegetables, a 22-inch kettle is the right first grill.

2. Cooking area

Look at the primary grate figure, not the total. Totals often include warming racks, smoker boxes or griddle inserts that you cannot sear on. A 22-inch kettle’s 363 square inches feeds six to eight, by Weber’s estimate. Plan on one side of the grill being cooler than the other, so you are really searing on about half of it.

3. Vents and airflow

Charcoal burns hotter with more air. Every grill here has some way to control that: a bottom vent lets air in, a top vent or chimney lets it out. Open both for searing; close them partway for roasting. Indexed dampers, such as the AKORN’s, help you return to a setting that worked. When you finish, closing the vents starves the fire, and Royal Gourmet’s listing for its CC1830 barrel grill says to close the air vent fully to put the coals out.

4. Ash management

This is the feature you notice every time you grill. Weber’s One-Touch sweeps ash into a catcher under the bowl, and the Premium and Master-Touch enclose it so wind cannot scatter it. Char-Griller’s EasyDump pan lets you empty ash without taking the grill apart. Barrel grills often have a side door instead. However the ash comes out, the fire safety agencies are clear about where it goes next: see the safety section below.

5. Grates

Plated steel, the Weber standard, is light and easy to clean. Cast iron, on the AKORN, the Masterbuilt and the Rambler, holds more heat and leaves deeper grill marks but rusts if left wet. Stainless steel resists rust. A hinged grate, or a grate you can lift in sections, lets you add charcoal during a long cook.

6. Build, weight and warranty

Warranties vary widely here, from one year on several grills to ten years on Weber’s kettle bowls. A long warranty on the bowl and lid is a good sign the maker expects the grill to last outdoors. Weight tells you whether you can move the grill: the steel kettles and barrels here that publish a weight come in at around 50 pounds or less, while the steel AKORN kamado is 88.2 pounds, per Char-Griller.

How we picked these eight grills

We started from what a restaurant kitchen needs from a charcoal fire: enough heat to sear thin meat fast, a way to build a hot side and a cooler side, vents that respond, and an ash system that does not make cleanup a chore. We then looked for charcoal grills of each common type sold on Amazon in the United States and showing as in stock when we checked, and confirmed each specification on the maker’s own page or the brand’s Amazon listing. Where the two disagree, as with the AKORN’s cooking area and warranty or the Royal Gourmet’s square inches, we say so in the review. We left out models that were out of stock or showing very low stock when we checked, including the Weber Performer, Napoleon’s 18- and 22-inch kettles, PK Grills’ aluminum grills, Oklahoma Joe’s Blackjack kettle, Weber’s 26-inch Master-Touch and Summit Kamado, and the Big Green Egg, for which we found only charcoal and accessories from the maker on Amazon. We have not cooked on these grills for this guide, and we did not read or rely on outside reviews such as Consumer Reports or Wirecutter for it, so everything here comes from the makers, the listings and our own kitchen’s view of what a charcoal grill has to do.

Charcoal safety before the first fire

Follow the manual that comes with your grill first. On top of that, these points come from the National Fire Protection Association’s grilling safety tip sheet, the U.S. Fire Administration’s outdoor fire safety page and the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s charcoal grill safety tips:

• Outdoors only. The CPSC warns that burning charcoal gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell and which can kill. Never burn charcoal inside homes, vehicles, tents or garages, and do not use a charcoal grill for heat.
• Give it space. NFPA says to place the grill well away from the home and deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches. USFA adds not to store or use a grill on a porch or balcony.
• Keep a safe zone. Keep children and pets at least three feet from the grill, and never leave a lit grill unattended.
• Lighting. NFPA notes that a chimney starter lets you light charcoal with newspaper, and electric starters use no flame. If you use starter fluid, use only charcoal starter fluid, never add it or any other flammable liquid to a fire that is already lit, and keep it away from children and heat.
• Ashes. Let the coals cool completely, then put them in a metal can with a lid, as NFPA and USFA both advise. The CPSC says coals are out when they are cool to the touch, and that coals take a long time to burn out, so never bring a warm grill into a camper.
• Keep it clean. USFA advises cleaning the grill after each use to remove grease that can start a fire.

Cooking carne asada on a charcoal grill

Here is how a kitchen would use a new charcoal grill for a Mexican cookout.

• Build two zones. Pile lit coals on one side and leave the other side empty. Sear on the hot side; move meat to the cool side to finish or rest, and warm tortillas there.
• Carne asada: marinated skirt or flap steak goes over the hottest coals with the lid open, a few minutes a side, then rests before slicing across the grain. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s safe minimum internal temperature chart lists 145°F for beef steaks, followed by a rest of at least three minutes; use a thermometer to check.
• Chicken and burgers: FSIS lists 165°F for poultry and 160°F for ground meats, so pollo asado and burgers need the cooler side and the lid closed to finish through.
• Salsa and vegetables: char tomatoes, onions, garlic and chiles over the coals, then grind them for a smoky salsa roja; our salsa roja vs salsa verde guide explains the difference, and the best molcajete is the traditional tool for grinding them.
• Fajitas: sear the meat on the grate, then finish peppers and onions in a cast iron pan set over the coals. Our best cast iron skillet and best fajita skillet guides cover the pans, and how to eat fajitas explains the build at the table.
• Tortillas: warm them at the edge of the cool side, or indoors on a comal; see the best comal for tortillas.

Charcoal grill questions, answered

What is the best charcoal grill for home use?

For most homes, a 22-inch kettle such as the Weber Original Kettle Premium. It feeds six to eight people, is easy to learn, has a hinged grate, an enclosed ash catcher and a 10-year limited warranty. Choose a kamado if you plan to smoke often, and a barrel grill if you regularly cook for a crowd.

Which charcoal grill brands are worth looking at?

Weber for kettles; Kamado Joe and Char-Griller for kamados; Masterbuilt for gravity-fed grills; Royal Gourmet and Dyna-Glo for barrel grills; Oklahoma Joe’s for smokers and heavy tabletop grills. Napoleon and PK Grills also make charcoal grills, but their models were scarce on Amazon when we checked.

What is the best charcoal for a grill?

Briquettes are uniform pressed pieces; lump charcoal is irregular pieces of carbonized wood, and the two burn differently. Use what your grill’s maker recommends: Masterbuilt, for example, gives different hopper capacities for lump and briquettes. Whichever you use, light it with a chimney or electric starter, or with charcoal starter fluid only, as NFPA advises.

What is the best charcoal grill for the money?

The standard Weber 22-inch Original Kettle gives you the same bowl and grate size as the Premium for less. Our guide to the best value charcoal grill compares it with budget kettles, barrel grills and small kamados.

Is a kamado better than a kettle?

For long, low smoking and for fuel efficiency, generally yes, because the thick walls hold heat. For quick weeknight grilling, a kettle is lighter, cheaper, bigger inside and easier to learn. Many cooks start with a kettle and add a kamado later.

Did you use Consumer Reports or Wirecutter for this guide?

No. We did not read or rely on their reviews for this page. Our picks come from maker specifications, Amazon listings and what a restaurant kitchen needs from a charcoal fire, and we say where sources disagree.

Our final pick for the backyard

Buy the Weber 22-inch Original Kettle Premium if you want one charcoal grill that does carne asada, chicken and charred salsa vegetables well for years, with easy ash cleanup and a long warranty. Choose the Char-Griller AKORN kamado if you also want to smoke, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 if you would rather a fan held the temperature, the Royal Gourmet barrel for big gatherings, and the Jumbo Joe to cook away from home. Whatever you buy, light it outdoors, keep the three-foot safe zone and put cold ashes in a lidded metal can.

Taking the fire on the road? See the best camping charcoal grill, and for chimneys, gloves and thermometers, the best charcoal grill accessories.

First charcoal grill? See our guide to the best charcoal grills for beginners.

Short on space? See our guide to the best small charcoal grills.

Want an adjustable grate over live fire? See our guide to the best Argentine grills.

Related guide: Best kettle grill.

Related guide: Best charcoal briquettes.

Related guide: Cast iron vs stainless steel grill grates.

On a tighter budget, see the best value charcoal grill. If a flat top suits your cooking better than grates, our best outdoor griddle guide covers propane planchas, and Mexican cooking methods explained shows where grilling fits in. Or let us do the cooking: see the menu or call to order.