Compare Charcoal Grills

14 ranked products · Two to 4 at a time · Updated 17 Oct 2026

Pick any two to four of the 14 ranked charcoal grills and read them side by side. This page opens on the board's top 3, Weber Original Kettle Premium 22" Charcoal Grill, Kamado Joe Classic III and Big Green Egg Classic.

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Charcoal Grills compared side by side. Each column is one product, each row is one measure taken from the same research that built the board.
Measure	Weber Weber Original Kettle Premium 22" Charcoal Grill	Kamado Joe Kamado Joe Classic III	Big Green Egg Big Green Egg Classic	Weber Weber Master-Touch Charcoal Kettle Grill	Char-Griller Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill	Weber Weber Jumbo Joe Premium	VonHaus VonHaus XL American BBQ Grill with Smoker	Nexgrill Nexgrill Charcoal Grill With Side Shelf	Nexgrill Nexgrill Cart-Style Charcoal Grill	Weber Weber Original Kettle Premium 20" Charcoal Grill	Cuisinart Cuisinart CGS-4	Char-Griller Char-Griller Classic Kettle	Char-Griller Char-Griller Econo-Kettle	Char-Griller Char-Griller Deluxe
Tier	S	S	A	B	B	C	C	D	F	F	F	F	F	F
Rank on this board	1 of 14	2 of 14	3 of 14	4 of 14	5 of 14	6 of 14	7 of 14	8 of 14	9 of 14	10 of 14	11 of 14	12 of 14	13 of 14	14 of 14
Ladder points	1655 LP	1074 LP	856 LP	622 LP	605 LP	448 LP	370 LP	237 LP	111 LP	104 LP	46 LP	0 LP	0 LP	0 LP
Our verdict	The most proven long-term ownership story in the category, with a Wirecutter pick streak running since 2017 and a parts ecosystem that keeps decades-old units cooking. Nothing else combines this service life with this ease of ownership.	The best-engineered kamado with the best included hardware and the strongest warranty story in its class. Ceramic that cannot rust, and it beats the Big Green Egg head-to-head while costing meaningfully less.	The build is genuinely excellent and the ceramic will outlast you, which is why it outranks the remaining picks despite the trap label. The trap is the ownership package around that ceramic: a large premium over the Kamado Joe Classic III for fewer included accessories and higher fuel use. Buy the Classic III.	The kettle platform with upgraded cooking hardware and full Weber parts support. A strong long-term buy, ranked just below the plain 22-inch only because its advantages are convenience rather than longevity.	The budget kamado with a real decade-plus track record and crack-resistant triple-wall steel. It cannot match ceramic longevity or Char-Griller's weak support, but at its position in the market it is the value pick that survives.	The Smokey Joe's durability with enough grate to feed a family. Same build quality, same parts network, slightly more useful.	The marketplace kettle-plus-smoker combo that beginners cross-shop because it promises two products in one. No serious testing outlet ranks it, and combo grills of this type consistently fail the do-both-well test in this category. A first-time buyer should buy the Weber Original Kettle 22-inch and add smoking technique, not hardware.	A big-box charcoal grill with zero authoritative testing coverage, which under this lens is disqualifying. The Weber kettle is the same job done right.	Cart convenience built on budget steel is the opposite of what lasts. The Weber Original Kettle Premium 22" outlives it several times over.	Identical build and parts story to the 22-inch in a smaller package. Ranked here purely for capacity, not quality.	No mentions or discussion indicate it is not a popular choice among users.	The thinnest steel of any full-size kettle here, with a 400°F ceiling that rules out proper searing. The Weber Original Kettle 22-inch is the grill this one imitates, and it does everything better for similar money.	The budget kettle big-box listings push at every charcoal search, and the one with no expert support. The Weber Original Kettle 22-inch Charcoal Grill is the buy.	Retailer and owner feedback is positive, but no major testing outlet put it through a current test cycle, so it lands at the bottom of the picks.
What reviewers rate	Porcelain-enamel steel construction that shrugs off decades outdoors One-touch ash cleanup system Deepest parts ecosystem in the category, with replacement grates, bowls, and ash catchers readily available Built-in thermometer accurate enough to retire standalone probes	Thick ceramic construction that cannot rust through Best hardware in the kamado class, with gaskets, hinges, and the divide-and-conquer system included rather than sold separately Uses measurably less charcoal than the Big Green Egg for the same cook Arrives ready to cook at a single purchase, with no required add-ons	Incredibly well-made and sturdy ceramic build Responsive dampers Ceramic heat retention that will outlast its owner Best-in-class design, craftsmanship, and versatility per long-term assessment	Kettle platform with upgraded grates and lid-mounted features Carries the same Weber parts availability and dealer support Recurring community recommendation among Weber owners Named Best Overall charcoal grill by Food Network's 2026 roundup	Triple-wall insulated steel with an air gap holds heat far better than a thin metal grill Cast iron grates; resists the crack risk of ceramic Long-time owners report over a decade of service Results comparable to far more expensive ceramic cookers	The Smokey Joe's build scaled up to 18 inches Simple one-touch-style operation Weber's replacement-part availability Genuine two-zone capability in a tailgate-friendly footprint	Large American-style barrel with huge capacity Includes offset smoking capability Named the best value barbecue money can buy by BBC Good Food Large cooking surface	Sturdy construction Side shelf for accessories Budget friendly	Portable design Solid construction	Same porcelain-coated bowl-and-lid build as the 22-inch premium kettle Identical simple construction and parts availability Compact configuration of the grill that sweeps expert guides Belongs to the Premium platform named best charcoal grill overall by multiple experts	Budget-friendly Good warranty coverage Compact Cast-iron construction	Looks like a Weber Original Kettle at a budget position in the market The basics work - the bowl holds heat and the vents meter air Charcoal efficient Capable of 8-9 hour smokes	Great value for the cost Solid charcoal grill performance	Versatile, sturdily built charcoal grill suited to both grilling and smoking Separate side fire box enables smoking Large cooking area Owners praise durability and fast heat-up across the brand's classic barrels
Where it falls short	Owners report the current finish can scratch and flake around the bowl vents early, a dip versus older kettles Finish quality on recent units has slipped; owners report the finish scratching and flaking around the vent holes	Costs substantially more than the Big Green Egg Shorter long-term ownership track record than the Big Green Egg	Essential accessories sold separately rather than included Uses measurably more charcoal than the Kamado Joe Classic III for the same cook Large premium over rivals that beat it on engineering and included equipment Harder to clean than budget kamados that now rival the experience	Same core kettle as the Original Kettle Premium with a taller lid and bolted-on grate accessory Carries a meaningful markup over the Premium for accessories Charges a premium over the Original Kettle Premium for marginal extras The hinged grate it adds is already on the cheaper Premium model	Needs a human managing dampers, fuel, and ash; not set-and-forget Holds heat well but not as well as ceramic Char-Griller support is mediocre Heat retention not quite at ceramic level	Costs more than the Smokey Joe Smaller capacity narrows what it can do across years of ownership Narrower role than the full-size kettles above it Folding legs are extra hardware that can be a worry point	No expert testing coverage Thin sheet steel construction Leaky smoker box Most failure points of anything in the category	No expert testing coverage Little to no community discussion Not a current top choice	Cart wheels, shelves, and hardware rust and seize Budget steel build trades long-term value for spec-sheet features No added durability where it counts No current expert charcoal roundup recommends any Nexgrill charcoal model	Less cooking area than the 22-inch version Shorter lifespan Weaker warranty Weaker lid seal	No community interest Not mentioned in any source Flimsy construction Limited heat control	23 lbs is light for a 22-inch kettle, indicating thinner steel Holds heat correspondingly worse than the Weber Rated to only 400°F, so it will not sear the way its rivals do Questions remain over what the smoker half of the name actually buys you	No testing recommendation anywhere in the current evidence Shares the brand's thin kettle steel and 400-degree rating shortcomings Stripped-down bowl coating thickness, vent hardware, and ash handling determine its shorter lifespan Outclassed by the brand's own Classic Kettle	No current expert test support; the strongest backing is a brand-page anecdote about a 25-year-old barrel Current expert charcoal roundups pass over the barrel line entirely Inferior build quality Early failures
Evidence behind it	8 sources across 7 outlets	7 sources across 7 outlets	3 sources across 3 outlets	1 source across 1 outlet Thin sourcing, read it as provisional	3 sources across 3 outlets	2 sources across 2 outlets	2 sources across 2 outlets	2 sources across 2 outlets	2 sources across 2 outlets	4 sources across 4 outlets	5 sources across 5 outlets	7 sources across 7 outlets	7 sources across 6 outlets	4 sources across 4 outlets
Flagged as one to avoid	Not flagged	Not flagged	6 of 21 research runs	2 of 11 research runs	1 of 12 research runs	Not flagged	3 of 13 research runs	2 of 3 research runs	4 of 5 research runs	4 of 10 research runs	8 of 9 research runs	10 of 19 research runs	11 of 12 research runs	6 of 11 research runs
Announced	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded	Not recorded
Where to buy	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it	Check it

Every column is the same research that built the board. Nothing here is a specification sheet copied from a maker. Read how we rank for what a tier and a ladder point mean.