Which Is the Best at-Home Charcoal Grill? The Kitchen Gadget Test Show
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Date: 2020-05-20
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Comments and reviews: 9
CDK
The Kudu reminds me of some of the public campsite bbqs in NSW Australia. Straight pole into the ground, ground level you have the wood fire, next level you have the grill, the top level you have an arm and hook for your campfire (cast iron dutch) oven. They all rotate on the single pole so it's easy to remove from flames. My old man has made a few of these over the years (got one myself, 15 years still going strong), simple to install (hammer, you can easily move/raise or lower food off the coals and simple to remove when you've fished. I will say I do like the top pan. but I think a camp oven is more versatile and easier to clean.
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The Kudu reminds me of some of the public campsite bbqs in NSW Australia. Straight pole into the ground, ground level you have the wood fire, next level you have the grill, the top level you have an arm and hook for your campfire (cast iron dutch) oven. They all rotate on the single pole so it's easy to remove from flames. My old man has made a few of these over the years (got one myself, 15 years still going strong), simple to install (hammer, you can easily move/raise or lower food off the coals and simple to remove when you've fished. I will say I do like the top pan. but I think a camp oven is more versatile and easier to clean.
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S.
In one word, the Weber wins for versatility. You can grill on darn near anything. You can grill over a campfire (just fire on the ground with a grate held over it. With the Weber you can do practically anything. It has excellent air control to keep the heat around 250 F to smoke ribs, brisket, or pork butt low and slow. Can't do that with those others and that's just one example. That Kudu is just some ridiculously overpriced one trick pony. The BioLite would probably be good for someone in an apartment with limited space, but again, all it seems to be good for is grilling.
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In one word, the Weber wins for versatility. You can grill on darn near anything. You can grill over a campfire (just fire on the ground with a grate held over it. With the Weber you can do practically anything. It has excellent air control to keep the heat around 250 F to smoke ribs, brisket, or pork butt low and slow. Can't do that with those others and that's just one example. That Kudu is just some ridiculously overpriced one trick pony. The BioLite would probably be good for someone in an apartment with limited space, but again, all it seems to be good for is grilling.
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sreyemhtes
But wait: you can't cover the Kudu or Biolite like the weber? Life is about more than just hot hot grillin'. It's also about some lower temp Chillin'. The big dome lid of the weber (w the offset air control) makes it incredibly versatile for slower cooking (BBQ) as well as smoking. What I wish I had was a BETTER MADE weber -- the legs get all wobbly, the bottom vents get all stiff and rusted and clogged. The dome lid gets bent out of shape. Oh, and definitely get one of those rings which lift the dome up 6 inches -- crucial for doing big roasts and turkeys etc.
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But wait: you can't cover the Kudu or Biolite like the weber? Life is about more than just hot hot grillin'. It's also about some lower temp Chillin'. The big dome lid of the weber (w the offset air control) makes it incredibly versatile for slower cooking (BBQ) as well as smoking. What I wish I had was a BETTER MADE weber -- the legs get all wobbly, the bottom vents get all stiff and rusted and clogged. The dome lid gets bent out of shape. Oh, and definitely get one of those rings which lift the dome up 6 inches -- crucial for doing big roasts and turkeys etc.
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Hammerdwarf
If you're out there getting sold on these Weber grills (and you should be) you should have a look on your local craigslist listings and see if you can't get one for a song. I bought a used model like they had there for 30 years ago and still as good as the day I bought it. That, and if you're even luckier you can find the 'performance' series grills with the attached work table and better ash catcher which normally go for 300 for closer to 100. Some of these even have propane starters and stainless work tables.
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If you're out there getting sold on these Weber grills (and you should be) you should have a look on your local craigslist listings and see if you can't get one for a song. I bought a used model like they had there for 30 years ago and still as good as the day I bought it. That, and if you're even luckier you can find the 'performance' series grills with the attached work table and better ash catcher which normally go for 300 for closer to 100. Some of these even have propane starters and stainless work tables.
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Fats
Folks have turned out world championship steaks and barbeque on Weber grills year after year as far back as I can remember. Also, the price point is a bit deceiving. You can spend a LOT of money accessorizing those things. For the cost of the Kudu, you can add a rotisserie, smoker, pizza oven, wok and cast iron grates to your Weber kettle, and now you have a 500 Weber that does 20 different things. There's a reason it's considered the standard by competition cooks everywhere, and it's not just because of the price.
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Folks have turned out world championship steaks and barbeque on Weber grills year after year as far back as I can remember. Also, the price point is a bit deceiving. You can spend a LOT of money accessorizing those things. For the cost of the Kudu, you can add a rotisserie, smoker, pizza oven, wok and cast iron grates to your Weber kettle, and now you have a 500 Weber that does 20 different things. There's a reason it's considered the standard by competition cooks everywhere, and it's not just because of the price.
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Mike
Very different designs, so hard to compare other than on price. but cooking area and price definitely favor the Weber. I know people will complain it's too big to be portable, but if you pack all the other stuff inside the Weber, it works out as not too big. plus you can cut down the legs to just a few inches so its not sitting on the asphalt/ground and fit everything inside, charcoal, newspaper, chimney, tools, and food. The Biolite seems like a sheet metal Hibachi, but why is it so expensive vs Weber?
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Very different designs, so hard to compare other than on price. but cooking area and price definitely favor the Weber. I know people will complain it's too big to be portable, but if you pack all the other stuff inside the Weber, it works out as not too big. plus you can cut down the legs to just a few inches so its not sitting on the asphalt/ground and fit everything inside, charcoal, newspaper, chimney, tools, and food. The Biolite seems like a sheet metal Hibachi, but why is it so expensive vs Weber?
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Jack
The big thing with the Kudu is it's price, and it's way too fiddly. I think it's great if you're a professional chef, but things like the ring for the cast iron skillet got in their way more than it provided them a cooking surface. Also, that it took two full grown men to adjust the height of the grill suggests there may be safety issues. Yeah, My vote's also for the Webber. Throw in a cast iron skillet, and it does most of what the Kudu does.
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The big thing with the Kudu is it's price, and it's way too fiddly. I think it's great if you're a professional chef, but things like the ring for the cast iron skillet got in their way more than it provided them a cooking surface. Also, that it took two full grown men to adjust the height of the grill suggests there may be safety issues. Yeah, My vote's also for the Webber. Throw in a cast iron skillet, and it does most of what the Kudu does.
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Delius
Love the video, Love the straight assessments. But the BioLite is marketed as a smokeless firepit first and being able to grill on it is a secondary function so yeah it's not designed to have a huge cooking surface or really controllable burn other than fan speed. Comparing it to two dedicated outdoor grills is like comparing a butter knife as a weapon against a dagger.
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Love the video, Love the straight assessments. But the BioLite is marketed as a smokeless firepit first and being able to grill on it is a secondary function so yeah it's not designed to have a huge cooking surface or really controllable burn other than fan speed. Comparing it to two dedicated outdoor grills is like comparing a butter knife as a weapon against a dagger.
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mackjeez
I still use a charcoal grill I bought in 2005, it's a unknown brand and paid roughly 50 for it at local hardware store, it looks like the weber grill that is shown but bigger in circumference and taller. It's always stored outdoors, the only thing I make sure is that the grills are full of grease and it's covered during winter. Still has no rust and use it often.
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I still use a charcoal grill I bought in 2005, it's a unknown brand and paid roughly 50 for it at local hardware store, it looks like the weber grill that is shown but bigger in circumference and taller. It's always stored outdoors, the only thing I make sure is that the grills are full of grease and it's covered during winter. Still has no rust and use it often.
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