Not Kingsford Or Kenmore: The Best Charcoal Grill Brand, Per Consumer Reports

If you want to become a master of backyard barbecue, you need to find yourself the best charcoal grill you can, and Consumer Reports is here to help you. There are a lot of options available these days, and while pellet smokers and gas grills have their place, if you're looking to impart the best flavor in your favorite barbecue recipes, you going to want charcoal. The combination of high heat, smokiness, and open flames simply cannot be beat, and are more than worth the extra effort and skill curve that charcoal grilling entails. The right charcoal grill can also make the whole experience so much easier and more rewarding, and for that Consumer Reports recommends the Char-Griller Gravity 980.

Consumer Reports' diligent testers ranked dozens of charcoal grill brands — both barrel and kettle options — and determined that the Char-Griller Gravity 980 stood head and shoulders above the rest. This large barrel grill scored highly against other charcoal grills in all the major performance categories tested. The four major areas evaluated included convenience of operating the grill, how easy it is to clean, the evenness of heat distribution, and how effectively the grill uses indirect heat. The Char-Griller Gravity 980 received excellent scores for both uniform heat distribution and indirect cooking, as well as ease of cleaning. Though ease of operation didn't score quite as well, the model still ranked fairly high. Moreover, it was the only charcoal grill in any category to score good or great in categories across the board.

The Char-Griller Gravity 980 features some bells and whistles that also make it a great recommendation. It has a gravity-fed hopper (hence the name) that feeds charcoal into the grill as needed, a precise digital thermometer, and a fan for even heat distribution. Using that combo, you can set it at the exact temperature you want, and the grill will automatically maintain it for hours, much like a pellet smoker. It also has Wi-Fi enabled controls, so you can adjust the temperature remotely. Finally, Consumer Reports also highlighted that it has a huge cooking surface area of 620 square inches, well above competitors.

There is one downside to consider: the Char-Griller's Gravity 980's cost. In this case, you really are paying for all that technology and the performance, as the normal retail price is a whopping $799. No other top-scoring charcoal grill on Consumer Reports' list was more than $330, and many were within the $200 range. If you are a devoted and consistent barbecue cook, that high cost could certainly be worth it, but it is quite the premium.

If you want a more budget-friendly alternative, Consumer Reports' other recommended charcoal grill is the Captiva Designs 34" Barrel Charcoal BBQ. It scored well in convenience and ease of cleaning, and had a strong score for evenness of heating, as well. It ranked just average for its indirect cooking capability, but it still placed better than most other charcoal grills. While it didn't perform as superbly as the Char-Griller, it "only" costs $300, and for a lot of people those savings are probably worth going for second best.