AvidGriller

Best Charcoal Grills of 2026

We have tested and scored 20 charcoal grills. The best is the Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 22 at 8.4 out of 10. Kettles, carts and gravity fed charcoal grills. Kamados and smokers have their own lists.

David Green
By David Green, Managing Editor
Updated October 14, 2026

Our picks

  1. Best overall Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 22 8.4
  2. Best for the money Weber Smokey Joe 14 Charcoal Grill 8.1
  3. Best for high heat Weber Master-Touch Charcoal Grill 22 8.4
  4. Most reliable Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 18 8.0
  5. Easiest to use Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill 7.8

Best charcoal grill overallWeber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 22

Black Weber kettle, lid closed with the lid damper showing, on chrome legs and two Weber wheels on flagstone
8.4out of 10
Charcoal kettle grill

Our verdict: The kettle answers its own question. Weber took out the instruments, not the cooking, and then priced its griddle above the grill. If you will read coals rather than a dial, $149.00 buys plenty of fire.

  • Strongest: Value 9.3
  • Weakest: Ease of Use 7.3. The lid hook and tool hooks help, but no thermometer is listed and refuelling means lifting the whole grate off the coals.
Read our Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 22 review Check price on Amazon

Best for the moneyWeber Smokey Joe 14 Charcoal Grill

Black Weber Smokey Joe 14 kettle on a patio, lid on, chrome bail handle raised, silver ash catcher below the tripod legs
8.1out of 10
Charcoal grill

Value 9.5: At $54.99 the bowl and lid carry the same ten years Weber puts on kettles costing several times more.

  • Strongest: Value 9.5
  • Weakest: Maintenance 7.3. Porcelain wipes down and the catcher lifts away, but the feature list names no One-Touch sweep to push ash into it.
Read our Weber Smokey Joe 14 Charcoal Grill review Check price on Amazon

Best for high heatWeber Master-Touch Charcoal Grill 22

Weber Master-Touch 22 inch kettle on gravel beside a lawn, lid closed, ash catcher below the bowl
8.4out of 10
Charcoal grill

Heat Performance 8.9: The Original's 22 in fire, no hotter, but Char-Rails pin a two-zone split and the hinged grate feeds it mid-cook.

  • Strongest: Heat Performance 8.9
  • Weakest: Value 6.7. $289.00 buys the same 363 sq in as $149.00, and $60 over the Premium pays for comfort and GBS access, not cooking.
Read our Weber Master-Touch Charcoal Grill 22 review Check price on Amazon

Most reliableWeber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 18

Weber Original Kettle 18 inch on grey paving beside a low brick wall, lid closed
8.0out of 10
Charcoal kettle grill

Long-term Reliability 8.6: Enamelled bowl and lid carry ten years, the aluminium legs shrug off rust, and only the grate and small parts sit on two.

  • Strongest: Long-term Reliability 8.6
  • Weakest: Value 6.9. At $129.00 against $149.00 for 363 sq in, the bigger Weber kettle buys far more grate for each extra dollar.
Read our Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 18 review Check price on Amazon

Easiest to useWeber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill

Weber Go-Anywhere charcoal grill on a pickup tailgate in a stadium car park, wire legs folded down
7.8out of 10
Charcoal grill

Ease of Use 9.5: Legs fold over the lid to lock it shut and the tools pack inside, which no kettle on Weber's page manages.

  • Strongest: Ease of Use 9.5
  • Weakest: Maintenance 6.0. No ash catcher is published, while the $54.99 Smokey Joe lists one, so spent ash leaves this box by hand.
Read our Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill review Check price on Amazon

Charcoal grill ratings: all 16 ranked

Every charcoal grill we have scored on all six categories, best first. Swipe the table sideways on a phone.

# Charcoal grill Scoreout of 10 Heat25%Reliability20%Build18%Ease15%Value12%Upkeep10%
1 Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 22 8.4 8.78.68.37.39.38.4
2 Weber Master-Touch Charcoal Grill 22 8.4 8.98.48.38.96.78.9
3 Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22 8.4 8.88.48.38.67.28.9
4 Weber Performer Charcoal Grill 22 8.4 8.97.98.29.16.98.9
5 Broil King Regal 400 Charcoal Offset 8.3 9.07.09.07.58.59.0
6 Weber 22 Performer Smart Charcoal Grill 8.3 8.56.59.29.37.59.0
7 Weber Smokey Joe 14 Charcoal Grill 8.1 7.78.37.88.19.57.3
8 Char-Broil C-Line 840 Charcoal Grill 8.0 8.56.58.58.09.08.0
9 Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill 18 8.0 8.18.68.37.46.98.4
10 Char-Griller 22-inch Kettle Charcoal Grill and Smoker 7.9 7.07.57.59.09.58.5
11 Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18 7.8 8.18.27.47.68.66.8
12 Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill 7.8 7.98.18.09.56.56.0
13 Char-Griller King-Griller Gambler Portable Charcoal Grill 7.8 6.57.08.59.09.08.0
14 Weber Ranch Kettle Charcoal Grill 37 7.6 8.96.59.07.16.07.0
15 Cuisinart CCG-190 Portable Charcoal Grill 7.6 7.76.27.37.99.18.2
16 Char-Broil 190 Sq. Inch Portable Charcoal Grill 7.3 7.05.57.59.09.56.5

Older reviews, scored before the six-category scorecard

What we learned testing 16 charcoal grills

The average charcoal grill we have scored earns 8.0 out of 10. They are strongest on ease of use, averaging 8.3, and weakest on long-term reliability, averaging 7.4. Short warranties and parts that wear are where most of them lose points, so read the reliability line before you buy.

  • Ease of Use8.3
  • Build Quality8.2
  • Heat Performance8.1
  • Value8.1
  • Maintenance8.0
  • Long-term Reliability7.4

How we picked

Nobody chose these picks by hand. Each award goes to the top charcoal grill on one column of our scorecard: the best overall score, then the best value, heat, reliability and ease of use scores. A charcoal grill can win only one award. Picks come from the 15 that a retailer we check had in stock; the table above ranks all 16. Every score is built the same way, from six weighted categories. How we score grills, and what our data says about price.

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