The Best Charcoal Grills of 2026

If you’re shopping for a new backyard grill, you’re probably asking yourself an age-old question: gas or charcoal?

Gas grills are convenient, boasting instant, even heat, and precise temperature control, but you can’t beat a charcoal grill when it comes to taste. The briquettes that fuel a charcoal grill infuse everything you cook with a smoky flavor. Plus, that high heat achieves a better sear on delicious foods like steak and burgers.

That might be a simplified answer to the gas versus charcoal debate. Things get more complicated when it comes to choosing a specific charcoal grill. Other than the obvious choice of design style, the classic kettle-style grill—like our favorite Napoleon NK22L-LEG-2 Charcoal Kettle Grill (available at BBQGuys) —you may wonder what really sets one charcoal grill apart from another.

After all, by arranging the briquettes into a mound, ring, two-zone or three-zone fire, you’re in full control of the amount of heat applied to your food.

To find the top charcoal grill, we put eight of the best-rated grills through a grueling set of tests. While every grill was successful at producing smoke-infused, delicious-tasting burgers and chicken, the design and layout of each grill are huge factors in our ratings.

Based on what we learned, here is our charcoal grills review to help you find your top pick.

Other Charcoal Grills We Tested

How Charcoal Grills Work

While gas grills have a BTU—British Thermal Units—rating to measure the amount of heat each grill can produce, you get full control of how much heat your charcoal grill produces.

It takes a little practice to get the hang of it. It’s all about controlling the airflow, the coal patterns, and the food’s proximity to the hot coals. You’ll learn to allow oxygen in by opening up the bottom vents, fueling the coals and creating intense heat. Close ‘em up to choke off the oxygen and lower the temps.

The top vents give you some control of the heat. They also change the flavor of the food by venting the hot exhaust or keeping the smoke inside the dome. You can also control heat by managing your coal bed and rearranging their placement inside the grill.

Some grills allow you to raise and lower the coal bed itself. Most grills have a set location that determines how close the grates are to the coals. It’s important to learn how to make a two-zone fire. This way, you can move the food off the flames to a cooler area for indirect cooking.

The other thing you’ll notice about charcoal grills is that most of them have flimsy wire grates as opposed to gas grill’s heavy cast iron grates. Before you bemoan the loss of grill marks, know that they’re entirely overrated.

Sure, they look great. But wire grates give your food better overall browning, crusting your burgers and steaks with extra caramelized flavor. Plus, the wire grates are lightweight and easy to move around when you want to rearrange the coals underneath.

How to Start a Charcoal Grill

There are several ways to start a charcoal fire, but using lighter fluid should be last on the list. I don’t know about you, but I can totally taste the lighter fluid in the finished product. No, thank you! You can stack your coals in a pyramid, but it’s easier to use a chimney starter, like the Weber 7429.

To use it, simply place some wadded up newspaper underneath the chimney, add your coals, and light the newspaper on fire. They’re ready to dump into the grill base about 15 to 20 minutes. Add them when coals in the middle glow bright red and the ones on top become white and ashy.

Using a chimney is also a good way to know how many briquettes you need. A full chimney will produce temperatures in excess of 550°F. For cooler grilling temps, fire a half chimney (about 400°F) or a quarter chimney (about 300°F).

Kettle or Barrel: Know Your Charcoal Grill Shapes

When it comes to the best charcoal grills, there are two iconic shapes: round or oval kettle-style grills and barrel-shaped grills. The former was invented by Weber back in the 1950s when Weber’s founder, George Stephen, cut a buoy in half. It creates a grill with a half circle on the bottom to hold the coals and a circular. Its removable lid seals in the barbecue flavor and protects the food from the elements.

Today, you’ll find round- and oval-shaped kettle grills made from porcelain-enameled steel, stainless steel, or heavy ceramic. These types of grills are generally lightweight and easy to transport, but they have a smaller grilling area than barrel grills.

The original barrel grill starts life as an oil drum. Then they’re cut in half and welded together to create long, hinged-lid grills. These grills are usually heavy and difficult to transport. They do pack a larger grilling surface area, making them ideal for cooking for a crowd. Many barrel grills also have add-on features, like adjustable coal beds or side-mounted charcoal boxes.

Gas or Charcoal—How Do You Choose?

In the eternal debate over whether a gas grill or a charcoal grill is better for outdoor cooking, there is no wrong answer. If you’re cooking your food on the grill instead of inside, it captures that beautiful charred essence and smoky flavor from cooking over open flames. You likely already have strong opinions on the topic of gas versus charcoal and we’re not here to change your mind. If you’re still on the fence on the subject, however, here are the pros and cons of using each type of grill to help you choose the right one for you. Let’s talk gas grills, first.

Gas grills are more convenient than even the best charcoal grills. That they don’t use charcoal as fuel not only makes them easier to clean a charcoal grill (no ash!). It also cuts down on heating time. Gas grills also come equipped with electric starters to ignite its gas burner. This helps to get you cooking faster than charcoal users can manage, as well.

It's easier to control the heat while you’re grilling with gas than it is when using charcoal. To adjust the heat up and down, simply twist a knob instead of fiddling around with hot coals. It is a bummer when you run out of propane, though, so we love these newer grills that have a handy meter right on the side of the grill.

Charcoal grills, on the other hand, are significantly less expensive than their gas counterparts. Many people prefer the flavor of cooking over a charcoal grill. The briquettes they use for fuel infuse smoky elements into the food.

The coals created by burning those briquettes can burn hotter than propane or natural gas. This can be a pro or a con. You’ll get a serious sear on your food if that’s what you’re going for. However, it’s also easy to burn your food over 700° F temperatures.

What About Pellet Grills?

We eliminated pellet grills from our testing group because they’re more akin to smokers than grills. They cook over indirect heat instead of exposing your food directly to the flames. Those types of grills are in a category of their own, so we saved them for another roundup.

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