Kettle Grill vs. Charcoal Grill

There is a lot of debate from both the advocates of Kettle grills and Charcoal grills. In this comparison of Kettle grill vs. Charcoal grill, we will decide once and for all who turns out to be the winner. The truth is, they vary in taste and have their own pros and cons.

There is a reason why people are still not decisive when it comes to choosing between these two types of grills. In the end, everything depends upon what flavors you prefer in BBQ. Some people like that traditional old charred flavor in the meat while others prefer different subtleties of smoky essence.

But there are some other properties these grills have, and you need to consider them if you truly want to enjoy your backyard cookouts. Let’s dive and see which grill is better than the other and which one is suitable for whom.

To understand how they differ from each other, we need to know about the individual stance and working of both grills.

A wood kettle grill works just like a regular grill. The dome-shaped body can hold quite a lot of content based on the size. You need to place charcoal briquettes at the bottom of the dome. It works like a traditional Weber kettle grill. And you need to place your food on the grates right above the charcoal. Some of these grills also come with a separate box where you can place small wood pellets to add some smoky flavors to your food. Even if the model doesn’t have this box, you can place the wood pellets inside the grill on one side in an aluminum foil sheet.

So, not only charcoal grill is used for cooking your food, there are gas grill models available as well. Most of these grills come with control knobs that make temperature maintenance a bit easier. So even if you are new to barbecuing, you won’t have much trouble using the grill to cook your food.

Charcoal grills are bigger, and you can cook food in larger quantities based on the size and shape of your grill. They only run on charcoal and are more traditional in their approach of cooking food.

You place the charcoal at the bottom and cook your food on the grates that are right above. As we mentioned these grills are traditional, therefore, you won’t have access to any control knobs. You will have to control the temperatures on your own which require expertise and patience. These grills are not made for the newcomers.

To begin with, you might notice there is not a significant amount of difference between the taste they produce. Kettle grills are better at producing conventional smoky flavor with the help of wood pellets.

Charcoal grills are better in producing that cherry flavor, mostly expected from BBQ items. If you can’t imagine your BBQ without that cherry flavor, you need to go for Charcoal grills. If you want the subtleties of smoky flavors of different types of wood pellets, you eventually need to go for a Kettle grill.

There is not much difference between a Kettle grill and a Charcoal grill when it comes to health effects. They are using charcoal as their fuel source unless you are using wood or gas kettle grill.

But in the end, your food will cook on charcoal briquettes so all goes the same. However, some modern-day kettle grills are coming with grease trays that can gather the fat from food and allow you to discard it without any infusion to the food.

Charcoal grills are also getting a revamp; it takes some of the taste from your food. However, if you don’t consume BBQ too frequently, it shouldn’t affect you much. However, it will be a concern if you host frequent BBQ parties.

Kettle grills are new in terms of design and structure so they are expensive as well. Contrarily, charcoal grills have been around for so many years and you can buy a cheaper version to get things done as well.

But Kettle grills are more durable because they are made of high-quality materials to ensure their robustness. Charcoal grills are also quite durable, but you can find different kinds of them on the market that vary in price. A Kettle grill is usually an expensive piece of equipment and is geared towards making temperature control easier for you.

Both use charcoal briquettes but Kettle grills consume less charcoal than Charcoal grills because you have the option of controlling the temperature precisely according to your cooking requirements. This facility is not there in charcoal grills.

As you can see there’s not much difference when you compare a Kettle grill and a Charcoal grill. The primary difference between the two is the shape and amount of food they can cook. Apart from that, the Kettle grill is more versatile. It is better in terms of flavors if you use different types of wood pellets to smoke your food.

Charcoal grills are the classics of the BBQ world. And they are well known for producing that cherry flavor, no one can seem to get enough. They are more conventional, and you will need some expertise to use them for the tastiest BBQ food. Kettle grills are slightly easier to handle because they come with their control knobs. Plus, Charcoal grills also take up more space than Kettle grills. And with more space, you have a better option in terms of hosting a huge BBQ party. Because you can cater to more guests.

We will conclude that a kettle grill is more suitable for smaller crowds. They are a good choice for less experienced cooks and more frequent BBQs. On the other hand, a charcoal grill is for larger crowds. Proficient cooks will like to use them for less frequent BBQs. But one thing is for sure; they are made for the true fans of barbeque.