Charcoal Grill Review

Charcoal vs. gas grills

This ConsumerSearch report covers charcoal grills. Gas BBQ grills and smokers are covered in separate reports.

According to the March 2011 Weber GrillWatch survey, grill purchases were up half a percent in 2010 compared to 2009, which isn't much of an increase. However, people were using their current grills more often -- plus charcoal fuel sales were higher in 2010 than in the previous two years. Charcoal grilling's popularity has actually climbed in the last three to four years. Conversely, reviewer interest in charcoal grills has been inexplicably lacking over the same period. Since charcoal grill designs don't change much over time (some models have gone virtually unchanged for decades) even well-respected reviewers only occasionally survey the charcoal grill field.

Among reviews of charcoal grills, the best comes from Men's Journal, where an expert barbeque chef evaluates six grills and rates each one. In the absence of other recent expert reviews, user feedback is very helpful, especially since owner reviews often indicate how grills have performed over time, speaking to their durability (or lack thereof). We found valuable ratings and reviews by grill owners at Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Buzzillions.com and Epinions.com.

About.com's Derrick Riches might be the most prolific grill reviewer of all, covering a wide range of both charcoal and gas models in different sizes. Riches provides detailed pros and cons for each grill, and produces an annual top-10 ranking of his favorite charcoal grills. The downside is that Riches doesn't conduct hands-on tests of most grills. His ratings are based on physical examinations of grill build quality and features, with the manufacturer's reputation factored in.

There are some older, yet still valuable, expert reviews as well. Cook's Illustrated's 2006 review of six full-size charcoal grills is an exhaustive hands-on comparison that includes the "turkey test," during which editors attempt to cook a 12-pound turkey on each charcoal grill. In a more casual comparison, Slate.com gives readers a nicely written guide to portable grills, including three charcoal models. Grills are tested with different types of food and assigned scores for taste, convenience and performance. Other personal reviews for grills can be found at a variety of blogs, including the amusingly named AmazingRibs.com.