When purchasing a high-tech device like a smartphone or DSLR camera, you understand the importance of picking out and comparing the slight nuances between these devices. After all, it’s those minuscule differences that set apart these complex devices.

When purchasing a low-tech device like a charcoal grill, though, you may be tempted to just pick any model. After all, even the best charcoal grills don’t have computer chips or touchscreens. Heck, the concept of grilling dates back over many thousands of years ago. We can duplicate that process with just any old grill, right?

Sure, any grill can cook meat, but there are significant differences between charcoal grills that clearly set them apart from each other. And, charcoal grilling is different from other types of outdoor cooking, like gas grilling and smoking (more on this below). Your grill plays a key role in just how you can cook your meat and vegetables. Precise grilling requires the right grill or your expensive steaks will just end up looking like they were grilled by a caveman. That’s why we’ve done the research to find the best charcoal grills you can buy.

Here are the best charcoal grills of 2020:

Prices and links are current as of 8/21/2020. Our original pick for the best portable charcoal grill was the Lodge Cast Iron Sportsman, but it’s no longer available. And while we lament the loss, we realize that it was a heavy, somewhat cumbersome contraption and there are plenty of affordable alternatives. Instead, we’re recommending Weber’s Smokey Joe, which is a miniature version of the Original Kettle grill that’s our main pick. It’s simple, most people are familiar with it, and the enamel-coated lid and bowl will keep it going for years just like the original.

The best overall

Weber’s Original Kettle Grill has a tried-and-true design that grills meat and vegetables perfectly, and it costs just over $100.

We love the round design of the Weber Original Kettle 22-inch charcoal grill and so did our parents and grandparents. Why? Because this design has been around for decades with no significant changes. When you think of a charcoal grill, the Weber Original is almost certainly the one you picture in your head.

The circular shape works so well because it creates a convection heating system. The round kettle also can grill with direct heat and smoke vegetables or meat, although larger grills tend to perform better when smoking than this Weber model. The grill is available in three sizes - 18, 22, and 26 inches in diameter - so you can pick the perfect size for your needs. The 22-inch model offers 363 square inches of grilling space, which is ideal.

The Weber Original Kettle is easy to move from location to location, as it has two wheels and one peg leg in its tripod design. However, this unit is too large to be considered a portable charcoal grill.

Plus, the Weber Original is easy to clean, thanks to its three-blade ash sweeper and its removable ash catcher. We can personally attest to that, having used the Weber Original Kettle grill in the courtyard of our apartment building. It's easy to pop out the ash catcher and safely dispose of the ashes without creating a huge mess.

Finally, this is the best overall charcoal grill because of its reasonable price.

Pros: Classic round design works great for distributing heat, strong price point, easy to clean ash, works well for all types of grilling, large grilling space, optional rotisserie kit available

Cons: Not meant as a portable grill, other units are better at smoking

The best with a smoker

Foto: Source: Char-Griller

The Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Kooker Charcoal Barbecue Grill and Smoker features a teardrop design, which allows it to double as an effective smoker.

The Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Kooker charcoal grill is definitely a head-turner. It looks a bit like an upside-down teardrop or, if you want to relive your college days, it looks a bit like a beer keg.

Char-Griller based this grill's design on the Kamado cooking technique, which originated in Japan roughly 3,000 years ago. The Char-Griller Akorn Kamado grill's design allows it to work equally well as both a smoker and a direct heat grill. While it offers good value for its high performance level, its narrow bottom doesn't allow for using the indirect grilling technique.

The Char-Griller Kamado grill has 314 square inches of primary cooking space with another 133 square inches on a warming rack (447 square inches of cooking space in total), so this charcoal grill is a nice option for those who need to grill a lot of meat for parties. Its tripod design has two wheels with a third peg leg for stability.

One of the best aspects of this Char-Griller unit is its ability to retain heat for a long time. However, the quality of the construction of the Akorn Kamado grill may not hold up over long-term use.

Pros: Versatile grill for both smoking and grilling, cool looking design, retains heat over the long term, large cooking space, reasonable price point versus similarly designed grills

Cons: Long-term construction is questionable, doesn't work for indirect grilling

The best high-end

Foto: Source: Broil King

The top-notch construction of the impressive Broil King Keg 5000 means it's a good investment that'll last many years.

As we mentioned with the Akorn Kamado Kooker grill, the keg-shaped design for a grilling device has been a popular option for centuries, offering the ability to smoke meat, as well as cook it over direct heat. This design shape has made its way to the top of the list of modern charcoal grills, and the best high-end unit we've found is the Broil King Keg 5000 charcoal grill.

The construction of the Keg 5000 is impressive, offering double-walled steel with an insulation layer in between. This design keeps the heat inside the grill more efficiently than other designs, while allowing the exterior of the unit to remain cool to the touch.

Even though the Keg 5000 has a price point that's near the top of the charcoal grill market, this unit is a good value versus some other keg-shaped designs.

We appreciate the total of 480 square inches of cooking surface available with the Broil King Keg 5000. Some 280 square inches are in the primary cooking grate and 200 square inches are in the secondary cooking grate. This Broil King model's base is sturdy with two wheels on one side and a two-legged base on the other side. With a little reconfiguring, you can mount this unit to your vehicle's trailer hitch and tow it anywhere.

Pros: Holds heat inside efficiently, insulation keeps the exterior cool to the touch, uses less charcoal than other grills because of efficient design, mounts to a trailer hitch for towing, large grilling surface

Cons: High price point, maintaining consistent smoking temperature can be tricky

The best portable

Foto: Source: Amazon

Weber's 14-inch Smokey Joe charcoal grill is everything that our main pick, the Original Kettle grill is, only sized down to be dropped in your trunk for a weekend of tailgating or car camping.

If you want a portable charcoal grill, know this: they're messy. Make sure you have a storage bin, or a big, sealed bag to contain all of the inevitable residual ash, grease, and grit.

And if you're after the most basic portable grill you can find that will work as conveniently as your charcoal grill at home, there's no need to stray too far from the tried and true three-legged Weber we all know and love: the brand makes a 14-inch version of the timeless classic called the Smokey Joe.

It's a scaled-down version of the full-size, and it'll handle about five burgers on the grill grate - the dimensions with the lid closed are 17" high, 14.2" wide, and 14.5 inches deep. You're not going to take this thing backpacking, and it is going to take up a lot of space in the car, but if you've got room and you're car camping or tailgating, it's just right. You also can't argue with the price.

That said, there are all sorts of fancy folding portable charcoal grills, and if you want to spend a few hundred dollars on something extra compact, we really like Snow Peak's. If you're looking for a fire pit and charcoal grill in one, check out Picnic Time's X-Grill, which folds and comes with a pouch to contain the mess.

Still, overall, there's something comforting about the familiarity of the Smokey Joe. You probably already know exactly how to pile charcoal briquettes into it to achieve the right size fire and the right temperature, and you know it's going to last a good many years. For the price, the Webber Smokey Joe 14-inch can't be beaten (note, you can also buy this grill in an 18" version).

Pros: Lightweight, Everything you know and love about the classic Weber grill, only smaller

Cons: Bulky (if lightweight), not packable

The best charcoal and gas combo

Foto: Source: Char-Griller

With the Char-Griller Double Play 3 Burner Gas and Charcoal Grill, you don't have to answer that hardest of questions: "Gas or charcoal?" You can have both.

I was a charcoal man for many a year. In fact, it wasn't until we had kids and there were simply fewer hours in the day that I made the switch to gas because the extra twenty or thirty minutes of getting the coals to the perfect heat just weren't worth spending. Within a few months of switching to gas, I was glad I did, the difference in flavor being so much less pronounced than ever I expected.

But I still love cooking with charcoal now and then, an itch I scratch with a tiny little half-dome Weber grill. Before I got my current gas grill, I used a big old Char-Griller charcoal grill, and I still think of it fondly from time to time. Having used that Char-Griller for the better part of a decade, I can tell you that it was one damn fine piece of hardware.

But seeing as I'm now semi-converted to gas grilling, the next Char-Griller grill I own will be this one, the Char-Griller Double Play 3 Burner Gas and Charcoal Grill, a unit that gives you the best of both worlds. For indeed, neither the charcoal nor the gas side of this grill is an afterthought. Both are large, well-made, fully functional grills.

The charcoal half has ample room for briquettes and it can even be fixed up with an added smoker box. The gas side has three powerful primary burners and a side burner that can be used for pots and pans. Each half has its own built-in thermometer and controllable ventilation chimneys, and all together, this grill gives you a whopping 1,260 square inches of cooking space.

Pros: Gas and charcoal cooking with one grill, great low price, huge cooking surface

Cons: Thin metal housing prone to rust

The best single-use, disposable grill

Foto: Source: Casusgrill

CasusGrill Instant Biodegradable Grill is small, lightweight, neatly packaged, sturdy, and it won't break the bank or the environment.

CasusGrill Instant Biodegradable Grill is small, sturdy, easy to use, and costs little (if any) more than a bag of charcoal. Forget those flimsy reusable tin foil grills with their bird-wire-like mesh and toxic fumes, this grill - ironically built out of cardboard and repurposed chopsticks - is sturdy and clean as can be.

The CasusGrill is definitely designed with mother nature in mind, and when you're all done, you can either toss it into the bonfire or find a nice, safe, out-of-the-way grave for it. All you'll be burying is lava stone, cardboard, and bamboo because even the charcoal itself is made from bamboo.

You'll get just enough time to cook for about 60-80 minutes, and you can probably still sneak a couple of rounds of s'mores after that, which is just right for a party of four, and at 2.2 pounds, the CasusGrill won't break your back on your way to the beach. You can read our full review of the grill here.

Pros: Affordable, tidy, easy to set up, sturdy, eco-friendly, and an interesting conversation piece

Cons: Coals only stay hot for 60-80 minutes (though there's still time to slow-cook something light afterward, especially s'mores)

Everything you need to know about charcoal grills

Foto: Source: Shutterstock

How charcoal grills work

A charcoal grill is a metal/ceramic container that can hold burning charcoal in the bottom. You'll place the food you want to be cooked on a metal grate in the center of the container, above the charcoal. This is the cooking surface. Closing the metal container's lid when cooking will hold in the heat. The direct heat from the charcoal sears the bottom of the food, while the indirect heat circulating throughout the grill cooks the food. Leave the lid off the grill if you only want to use direct heat.

When it comes to techniques for lighting charcoal and for understanding how charcoal works, Kingsford is the expert. Charcoal is a great fuel for grilling because it burns hot for searing, but it also burns for a long time, creating plenty of indirect heat for slow cooking. You can add smoking flavors with charcoal grilling, too.

Charcoal grills differ from propane or gas grills in that charcoal doesn't produce a continuous flame. Cooking on a propane grill involves an actual, continuous flame. Charcoal leaves a gray ash after the flame consumes it, while a propane grill leaves no ash.

Key differences in charcoal grills

Here are some of the biggest differences to consider when shopping for the best charcoal grills:

  • Grilling versus smoking: Some charcoal grills can double as smokers, meaning they cook meat very slowly, using more indirect heat than direct heat. You'll need a charcoal grill with an especially large interior to smoke meat.
  • Large versus small: A large charcoal grill will offer a big cooking surface, making it good for someone who wants to cook for several people at once. If you want more of a portable grill to take to tailgates or camping, though, you'll have to sacrifice cooking surface for portability.
  • Using indirect grilling: If you are looking to cook meat slowly without searing, but you don't have the time for smoking, indirect grilling is the technique to use. You'll place the lit charcoal on one side of the charcoal grill and the meat on the opposite side. You need a large charcoal grill to make use of this method, though.
  • Controlling cooking temperatures: Achieving precise temperatures with a charcoal grill is difficult. However, if you want a bit more control over the temperature inside the charcoal grill, the unit should have air vents on both the top and bottom. Additionally, you should be able to adjust the height of the grate over the charcoal.
  • Head room: If you plan to cook poultry or beef roasts - any food with some height to it - make sure the charcoal grill is tall enough to accommodate the food with the lid attached.

Check out our other great grilling gear guides

Foto: Source: Shutterstock

The best charcoal for grilling

Although you may think that one bag of charcoal is almost identical to another, there are actually many different types and styles of charcoal to choose from. Here are our top picks for the best grilling charcoal you can buy.

The best gas grills

The gas grill is the centerpiece of your backyard during summertime barbecues, so you should invest in a great one. Here are our top picks for the best gas grills you can buy.

The best grill brush and cleaning tools

There's nothing like food cooked up al fresco and served hot off the grill. But only a thoroughly cleaned grill can properly cook smoky, savory meats and veggies that diners will devour. Check out our picks for the best brush and cleaning tools.