This Is Still the Best Grill

SHOP $220, amazon.com

Welcome to the Esquire Endorsement. Heavily researched. Thoroughly vetted. These picks are the best way to spend your hard-earned cash.

You've been oversold. Like everything else in 2025, grills have become unnecessarily complex. Pellet grills are incredible pieces of tech, but all those digital components have a lifespan. Gas grills are quick, easy, and forever reliable, but they're limited in what they can cook. I love a Kamado Joe or Big Green Egg, but they're more than most people need. And all these grills will easily run you $1,000 or more.

So what's the answer for the average home cook? What's the answer for a someone who wants to buy for life, who wants to do the most with something simple? It's a Weber Kettle. It's always been a Weber Kettle. Simple machines are less fragile, more likely to last, and a this is an ingeniously simple machine.

Of course, a regular Weber will do the job, but for my money the Weber Kettle Premium is the best cooking tool on Earth. It's got everything you need, nothing you don't. It's a marvel of design.

SHOP $220, amazon.com

You or someone you know has owned a Weber Kettle. I'd put good money on that. Here in the U.S., I'd be more surprised if you've never seen one. But this is not the Kettle grill I grew up with. My old man used the barebones cheap version. That's fine, but this premium one has a few upgrades. First, there's a thermometer. Not the most accurate, but it helps when you're doing more complex cooks. Second, the cooking grate has a built in hinge for adding new charcoal, a must on long low-and-slow cooks. Lastly, the ash catcher is enclosed, so you can use it on a deck and not worry about ash getting all over everything if there's a breeze.

Is all of this worth almost $100 extra? Yes. A thousand times, yes. It doesn't destroy the genius simplicity of a Weber Kettle, but a few usability upgrades drastically improve your ability to cook.

SHOP $220, amazon.com

Speaking of cooking, let me talk about why I love a simple Weber. If grilling is your thing, you already know the value of one. If you're part of the regular population, know this: Nothing will carry you as far as a simple charcoal burning Weber. It's not as fool-proof as a gas grill or digital pellet smoker, but it's not as fussy as a stick burning offset smoker. It's the perfect medium that can handle all tasks. With a little redneck ingenuity and knowing how to setup your coals, you can cook anything on a Weber.

I'll throw out some scenarios. To start simple, let's say burgers, hotdogs, and veggies. You get your coals going hot and coat the entire bottom under the grates; couple minutes on each side is all you need. Let's level up to a steak. You can set up a hot zone and a cool zone for a reverse sear, or you can use a cast iron to do a butter bath and then high-flame sear it. Use the same formula for chicken wings. Rotisserie Chicken? There's an attachment for it, but I've rigged it with a beer in the cavity, medium heat, three zone split, and quarter rotations every quarter-hour. (That one is inspired by this recipe.) You can even smoke a Boston butt or a brisket on a Weber. Just barely crack the vents for low heat, setup a two-zone cook, and put the meat on the cool side. Occasionally add moisture with a spray bottle or drip tray with water and add hardwood chips every few hours, and you can get some incredible results. But the endgame for me is an Argentinian gaucho grill, classic live-fire asado. Guess what... throw down some hardwood, buy this little contraption, and you can do it on a Weber.

Is a Weber Kettle the best at any of this? No, but it can do a little bit of everything. A gas grill can't smoke as easily, and an offset smoker can't sear as easily. It's the master of none, jack-of-all-trades grill.

SHOP $220, amazon.com

Listen, I love a digital pellet grill. The fact that you can babysit a cook from anywhere on Earth is miracle tech. But let's think back to my original point about simplicity. A digital grill with an electronic fuel feeder and ignition, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a phone app works now. Will it work in 25 years? I can't say for sure, but my gut says we'll see a lot of these tossed out by then. You know what'll outlast them all? A Weber. There's so few breakable parts, that I consider these things functionally indestructible. I've seen Weber Kettles sit exposed in the elements for years and not rust all the way through. Plus if it ever did, you could patch a hole pretty easily.

So if you're looking to for a grill in summer 2025, I encourage you to think about longevity. How much are you really going to use that pellet grill over the next 20 years? My guess: not that much. But pay $230 for this Weber, and you'll never sell it. Plus, it'll make you a better cook.

Photographs by Florence Sullivan