The classic Weber Kettle grill treated racks of ribs right.
Brian Bennett/CNET
The Weber was the undisputed king in this test. No other grill in this group could match the rock-solid temperature control of this iconic cooker. Readings from our own thermocouples, plus a digital pit thermometer, confirmed this. Throughout the Weber's 6-hour, 32-minute cook time, the grill's internal heat levels never strayed beyond 25 degrees of our target, 225 degrees F. In fact, most of the time the temperature hovered between 220 degrees and 230 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, ribs cooked in the Weber came out tender, juicy and full of smoky flavor.
The Napoleon grill was the second best in this test. Interior temperatures had a greater swing, jumping up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit during periods of cooking. Its rack of ribs was ready in a short 4 hours, 30 minutes. While its ribs came out tender and juicy overall, the exterior bark had a few burnt spots.
We noted similar temperature performance from the Nexgrill, along with similar rib results. Cooking ribs low and slow on the Nexgrill required just 4 hours, 30 minutes. Its rack came out well too, though like the Napoleon, its bark was more pronounced than what the Weber produced.
Our rib experience with a few of the other grills was far from ideal. The Tacklife was particularly bad. At times, the inside of this grill hit temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit. And sadly, the ribs it produced came out burned, charred and overdone.
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