22″ Weber Original Kettle Premium Grill
A charcoal grill is one of those products where you end up paying more in the long run when you go cheap. A no-name charcoal grill that costs $50 from a big box or dollar store will rust out after a couple of years because the cheap alloys cannot handle the heat cycles. The Weber brand is known for performance and longevity, while still being reasonably affordable. Weber has more or less kept the same design for more than 60 years. Simply put, this is America’s grill.
Just like their line of Smokey Mountain charcoal smokers, Weber offers this grill in three sizes: 18″, 22″, and 26″. The 22″ is probably the best choice for most people. I have two of the premium 22″ grills and have grilled 12 burger patties at once on mine with ample space left in between to flip them. The 22″ version is large enough to set up separate heat zones with your briquets to cook burgers on high heat on one side and slowly warm up hot dogs on the other. This would be a little harder to do with the 18″ unless you are only cooking a couple things at a time.
There is a premium and standard version of their kettle grill – the premium Weber 22″ kettle grill includes an ash catcher for hassle-free cleanup and a temperature gauge in the lid. The convenience of the ash catcher alone is worth the approximate $50 added cost over the standard grill.
The porcelain-enameled lid is fairly scratch resistant and won’t peel over time if you keep it out of the weather. My two Weber kettles are 15 and 8 years-old respectively and they both still look almost like they did when they were new. This grill is currently available on Amazon in three colors: black (original), copper, and green.
The hinged cooking grate is one of my favorite features and an added benefit of opting for the premium version of their original kettle grill. If you don’t have the premium model, you can order the hinged grate by itself. This lets you add charcoal while you’re cooking by simply flipping up the hinge with tongs. I use it for tossing in a few mesquite wood chips when I cook burgers or steaks to give them a hint of wood smoke.
This grill is a perfect gift for newlyweds and first-time homeowners. Anything that makes it easier for someone to prepare delicious food at home is always money well spent and is sure to be appreciated. Unless they keep it out in the rain, there is no reason why they couldn’t be using your gift 20 years from now.