Nothing beats a classic

I am currently in college, and a computer science major, so there are many things that I believe technology does better. Cooking, for the most part, is not one of those things. Sure a new Viking stove, or all clad pans are all very nice, but there is just something about the tried and true methods of cooking that just make things taste better. No amount of spice, or money spent on an expensive gas grill, can make a steak with the same deep flavor as a steak grilled on a good old fashioned charcoal grill. Weber has been a trusted name for many years, and the traditional kettle grill is the one that I grew up with.

What this grill does well.
The kettle grill has been around for years, and there is good reason.

This grill gives food great flavor. If you are used to grilling food on a gas grill, controlling the heat of charcoal could be a little daunting at first, but it gets easier and easier. The food you get off a charcoal grill just tastes that much better than food that comes off a gas grill. The slight loss in temperature control is more than compensated by the great flavor you get with charcoal. I have used charcoal all my life, and will never use a gas grill.

This grill is large. I have never had any fitting anything on this grill. This has enough space to grill hamburgers hotdogs and bratwurst for about 10 people (assuming that you do not have a family full of big eaters). This grill is also high enough to hold a turkey standing upright. This grill is a great size for a small to large family.

This grill is very affordable. This grill is a huge value for its price. Compared to any gas grill, this grill is dirt cheap, and compared to other charcoal grills this grill is very reasonable.

The grill is very easy to clean. That is this grill is very easy to clean as long as you clean it every time you use it. If you forget to clean it once or twice, it will not be destroyed, but if you let this grill go for a year or two without cleaning, the grill will be so caked in crud that it will be nearly uncleanable. If this does happen you can just buy a replacement grill for 10 to 20 dollars. My way to clean this grill is, before you use it, take a ball of aluminum foil, and scrub the grill with it. This should remove any crud that was left from the last time you cooked, and if you do this each time your grills will remain nicely debris free. Some people recommend buying a nice wire grill scraper and scraping it right after you use the grill, but I find that the aluminum foil works just fine.

This grill can be easily moved. Two of the feet have wheels, and the third has a stopper to keep the grill from sliding around when you are cooking with it. The frame is sturdy, but when you are moving it you do need to be a little careful not to knock one of the legs out of place. The legs snap right back into place, but it is a little annoying.

The body of the grill is porcelain coated steel. This prevents the body from rusting out. If your grill gets dented badly, the porcelain can crack and allow some water to get to the steel and start it rusting, but the steel is thick enough that it will take a long time for the rust to eat all the way through.

What this grill does not do well.
This grill does have a few quirks, but with practice you can become a charcoal grilling pro.

You need to remember that the grill can take 20 or 30 minutes to get going. I use a chimney, not lighter fluid. If you are going to go through the trouble to use charcoal, why ruin it by giving your food the flavor of lighter fluid. The chimney can be a bit finicky, but you will get the hang of it after a few tries.

You will not be able to get an exact heat source unless you purchase a thermometer, and tend to the vents very often. For most of your grilling needs, though, this is not a problem. When you grill, most of the time you want to use as high heat as possible to sear the food. The times I have made a chicken on the grill, I have never had a problem with burning the outside before the inside is cooked, you just need to have a good feel for your grill, and that comes with practice. I am sure your family will have no problem eating grilled food while you get a feel for this grill.

How I use my grill.
I am no professional when it comes to grilling, but here are a few tips to make your grilling experience easier.

1. First clean off the grill before you start the coals. Next you need to start the coals 20 or 30 minutes before you want to start cooking. I use a chimney, just crumple up three pieces of newspaper, put it in the bottom of the chimney, fill the top with coal, put the chimney in the grill, and light the newspaper. Make sure that the newspaper is burning well, and let it sit there for 20 minutes or so.
2. The coals are ready when you can not hold your hand 5 inches above the top of the coals for more than a few seconds. If the newspaper is no longer burning, and the coals are not hot, just put more newspaper into the bottom and try again.
3. Once the coals are started you need to pour the coals into the grill. If you are cooking something that you want to sear, like a steak or chicken beasts, you should pile more coals on one side than the other, so you can move the meat to higher or lower heat. If you are cooking something that will need to grill for a long time, like a whole chicken, pile the coals around the edges of the grill, leaving the center of the grill coal free, this will allow indirect cooking, so your chicken will not burn.
4. With grilling you will need to check the temperature or redness of the meat carefully, as the heat is not as exact as it would be in an oven. Once you get your meat to the desired amount of doneness, just take the meat off, shut the vents (with tongs as they will be hot), and let the coals burn out.

Conclusions.
I could not imagine living somewhere where I did not have access to a charcoal grill. They are very affordable and make great tasting food. Weber is the name most associated to grills. If you love grilled food, and need a grill, this is a great one.