For most people the answer is a 22 inch Weber kettle, at around $180 to $230. It sears at 315°C (600°F) and holds 120°C (250°F) for ribs, a range no gas grill at four times the price matches. Spend the difference on a chimney starter, a thermometer and better charcoal.
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| Grill | Best for | Cooking area | Heat range | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weber Original Kettle Premium 22" | Best overall charcoal grill | 363 sq in | 105 to 345°C (225 to 650°F) | See shop |
| Weber Master-Touch 22" | Best kettle upgrade | 363 sq in | 105 to 345°C (225 to 650°F) | See shop |
| SnS Grills Slow 'N Sear Kettle | Best for two zone cooking | 363 sq in | 105 to 370°C (225 to 700°F) | See shop |
| PK Grills PK300 Original | Best built to last | 300 sq in | 95 to 370°C (200 to 700°F) | See shop |
| Kamado Joe Classic Joe III 18" | Best kamado | 254 sq in main, 510 sq in with tiers | 105 to 400°C (225 to 750°F) | See shop |
| Big Green Egg Large | Best kamado ecosystem | 262 sq in | 105 to 400°C (225 to 750°F) | See shop |
| Char-Griller Akorn Kamado | Best budget kamado | 314 sq in | 95 to 370°C (200 to 700°F) | See shop |
| Weber Smokey Mountain 18" | Best charcoal smoker | 481 sq in across two grates | 95 to 175°C (200 to 350°F) | See shop |
| Pit Barrel Cooker Classic | Best set and forget | 8 hanging rods plus a grate | 125 to 160°C (260 to 320°F) | See shop |
| Oklahoma Joe's Highland Offset | Best entry offset | 619 sq in main, 281 sq in firebox | 105 to 205°C (225 to 400°F) | See shop |
| Weber Jumbo Joe 18" | Best portable charcoal grill | 240 sq in | 120 to 315°C (250 to 600°F) | See shop |
| Weber Go-Anywhere | Best for tailgating and camping | 160 sq in | 150 to 315°C (300 to 600°F) | See shop |
Weber Original Kettle Premium 22"
The default answer for almost everybody, and it has been for seventy years. A 22 inch kettle will sear a steak at 315°C (600°F) and hold 120°C (250°F) for a rack of ribs, which is a range no gas grill in this price bracket touches.
- Enormous accessory and parts ecosystem
- One-Touch ash sweep genuinely works
- Hinged grate for mid-cook coal top-ups
- Parts still available decades later
- No lid gasket, so it leaks at low temperatures
- Dome thermometer is not grate temperature
- No work surface
Weber Master-Touch 22"
The same kettle with the three accessories you were going to buy anyway already included. If the price gap to the Premium is under fifty dollars, take the Master-Touch.
- Gourmet BBQ System grate takes inserts
- Char-baskets included, better two zone fires
- Lid hook saves the lid-on-the-grass problem
- Cooking performance identical to the cheaper kettle
- Still no gasket, still no shelf
SnS Grills Slow 'N Sear Kettle
A kettle engineered around the two zone fire instead of merely tolerating it. The Slow 'N Sear insert walls the coals into one quarter of the bowl and puts a water reservoir between them and the food, which makes long cooks genuinely hands off.
- Best low and slow control of any kettle
- Water reservoir stabilises temperature
- Sears harder than a standard spread bed
- Insert is available separately for existing kettles
- Roughly double the price of a plain kettle
- Insert takes up bowl space, less room for a big spread bed
PK Grills PK300 Original
Cast aluminium instead of steel, so it will not rust, ever. The capsule shape and four vents, one at each corner, give finer airflow control than a two vent kettle.
- Cast aluminium will not rust
- Four vents, true independent zone control
- Rectangular grate wastes less space than a circle
- Genuinely lifetime hardware
- Smaller cooking area than a 22 inch kettle
- Less heat retention than ceramic in cold weather
- Thin lid, so no gasket seal
Kamado Joe Classic Joe III 18"
The most complete ceramic cooker you can buy without going commercial. Ceramic walls hold 120°C (250°F) overnight on one load of lump, and the same cooker will hit 400°C (750°F) for pizza.
- Holds temperature overnight on one fuel load
- 105°C (225°F) to 400°C (750°F) in a single cooker
- Divide and Conquer multi-level grates
- Very low charcoal consumption
- Heavy and expensive
- Slow to lower temperature once overshot
- Ceramic is vulnerable to thermal shock
- Lump only, briquette ash clogs the base
Big Green Egg Large
The kamado that built the category. Performance is close to a Kamado Joe; the difference is that the Egg's accessories, dealers and secondhand market are everywhere.
- Lifetime warranty on ceramic parts
- Largest accessory ecosystem in kamado
- Strong resale value
- Dealer network stocks spares
- Heat deflector and stand cost extra
- Single fixed grate level as standard
- Spring hinge is heavier to lift than an air lift
Char-Griller Akorn Kamado
Kamado behaviour at a quarter of the price, achieved with insulated steel instead of ceramic. It gives up thermal mass and longevity, and keeps most of the fuel efficiency.
- A fraction of ceramic kamado money
- Light enough to actually move
- Cannot crack from thermal shock
- Holds low temperatures for eight hours plus
- Less stable than ceramic in wind and cold
- Gasket and vent hardware wear out
- Will eventually rust where coating chips
Weber Smokey Mountain 18"
The most forgiving way into real barbecue. A water pan sits between the fire and the food, and water cannot exceed 100°C (212°F), so the cooker is physically damped against running away from you.
- Water pan makes temperature very forgiving
- Holds within a tight window for hours unattended
- Two grates, real capacity for the footprint
- Huge community knowledge base
- It is a smoker, it will not sear
- Water pan is a messy cleanup
- Access to the lower grate means moving the upper one
Pit Barrel Cooker Classic
A 30 gallon drum that hangs meat vertically over the coals and self-regulates near 135°C (275°F) to 150°C (300°F). You set one vent by altitude on day one and essentially never adjust it again.
- Genuinely close to set and forget
- Hanging gives large capacity in a small footprint
- Distinctive drum flavour from drippings
- Very hard to get a bad result
- Effectively one temperature band
- Not a searing cooker
- Fixed vent means limited fine control
Oklahoma Joe's Highland Offset
A real offset at an entry price, with the compromises that implies. If you want to cook with wood splits and learn to run a fire, this is where most people start.
- Burns real wood splits
- Large cooking area for the money
- Firebox doubles as a grill
- Well supported by aftermarket mod kits
- Thin steel, significant temperature swings
- Uneven heat without tuning plates
- Needs constant fire tending
- Usually needs a gasket kit to seal properly
Weber Jumbo Joe 18"
A proper kettle shrunk to 18 inches with a lid lock that turns the lid into a carry handle. It cooks like a kettle because it is one, which is not true of most portables.
- Real kettle geometry, real lid, real damper
- Lid lock becomes a carry handle
- Enough area for a genuine cook
- Very cheap
- Single bottom vent, coarser control
- No ash catcher
- Short legs, needs a heatproof surface
Weber Go-Anywhere
A rectangular firebox with legs that fold up and clamp the lid shut. It packs flat, survives being thrown in a car, and its rectangle suits sausages and skewers better than a circle.
- Packs completely flat, legs clamp the lid
- Rectangular grate suits skewers and sausages
- Nearly indestructible
- Cheap enough to keep permanently in the car
- Small capacity
- Shallow body limits two zone cooking
- Not suited to long low temperature cooks
How we chose
This site does not run a test kitchen, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. What follows is where these recommendations come from.
Every pick is built from manufacturer specifications, the published findings of outlets that do run structured testing, long-running owner communities, and a working knowledge of what each format is physically capable of. Where a cooker has a known weakness it is listed in the Against column, including on the models we recommend most.
Nothing is ranked by a score out of ten, because a portable grill and a ceramic kamado are not competing at the same task. Prices are indicative bands from public listings, checked July 2026, and they move constantly, which is why every one is paired with a live link rather than a hard figure.