Best Charcoal Grills

Grill Picker tracks 5 charcoal grills — charcoal grills for that classic smoky flavor and a screaming-hot sear — from 4 brands, priced $229 to $1,799. The highest-rated is the Weber Master-Touch 22 at 4.7★, and the largest is the Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT at 1260 sq in of cooking area. Compare them all below.

Weber Master-Touch 22
~$289
Charcoal Grill
4.7(4,432)

The Weber Master-Touch 22 is the upgraded version of Weber's iconic charcoal kettle, adding a hinged Gourmet BBQ System grate, a built-in thermometer, and a Tuck-Away lid holder. It's a benchmark backyard charcoal grill.

Hinged GBS GrateOne-Touch Ash CleanupBuilt-In Thermometer
Charcoal363 sq inapprox 225–700°F
Best for: Versatile charcoal grilling and light smoking
See specs & owner notes
Weber Original Kettle Premium 22
~$229
Charcoal Grill

The Weber Original Kettle Premium 22 is the iconic charcoal kettle that started backyard grilling in America, upgraded with a built-in thermometer, hinged grate, and sealed One-Touch ash catcher. It's the single most-recommended first grill on Reddit.

The Iconic Charcoal KettleOne-Touch Ash CatcherBuilt-In Thermometer
Charcoal363 sq inapprox 225–700°F
Best for: The classic do-everything first charcoal grill
See specs & owner notes
Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT
~$1,799
Charcoal Grill

The Gravity XT is Masterbuilt's current gravity-fed flagship and a direct response to the #1 complaint about the original 560/800/1050 series: build quality. The XT gets dual-wall FuelSaver insulation, a porcelain-coated interior, beefier hardware, and a 3-year warranty (up from 1), while keeping the party trick that made the line famous - real charcoal flavor with pellet-grill automation, from a 225F smoke to a legitimate 700F cast-iron sear in minutes. Owners and reviewers consistently call it the best-cooking gravity smoker you can buy, with better fuel efficiency and steadier temps than the old 1050 and the Char-Griller Gravity 980. The honest caveats: at $1,799 it costs nearly triple what a Gravity 800 street-prices for, it's a 199 lb two-person assembly job, and the electronics-in-a-charcoal-grill concern hasn't vanished - fans, switches, and control boards remain the failure points owners report, though XT-generation complaints are notably rarer. The hopper's 12 lbs of lump or 18 lbs of briquettes genuinely runs an overnight brisket. If you want charcoal taste with an app and don't want a Big Green Egg's learning curve, this is the class leader.

True 225-700F range - smokes like a cabinet smoker, sears hotter than any pellet grillGravity-fed hopper runs up to 24 hours of unattended charcoal cookingXT generation fixes the original Gravity Series' build-quality complaints
Charcoal (gravity-fed)1260 sq in225-700FWiFi
Best for: Serious backyard cooks who want authentic charcoal flavor with set-and-forget digital automation and a real searing capability pellet grills can't match.
See specs & owner notes
Char-Griller Gravity Fed 980
~$799
Charcoal Grill
3.7(13)

The Char-Griller Gravity Fed 980 is a WiFi-controlled gravity charcoal grill and smoker with a 16 lb hopper, fan-driven 200-700°F range, and 980 sq in of space. It's the budget rival to Masterbuilt's Gravity Series with a triple-insulated body.

Gravity-Fed Charcoal Hopper200–700°F Fan Control980 sq in Capacity
Charcoal980 sq in200–700°FWiFi
Best for: Set-and-forget charcoal cooking on a budget
See specs & owner notes
PK Grills PK360
~$900
Charcoal Grill

The PK Grills PK360 is a cast-aluminum charcoal grill and smoker with a capsule-shaped body and 4-vent airflow control for precise two-zone cooking. PK Grills makes rustproof, heirloom-quality American charcoal cookers.

Rustproof Cast Aluminum4-Vent Airflow ControlCapsule Two-Zone Design
Charcoal360 sq inapprox 200–750°F
Best for: Charcoal purists who want grilling and smoking in one
See specs & owner notes