Charcoal grill suggestions

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Schneidogg

Found some matches.
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I'm in the market for a new charcoal grill and would love to hear some suggestions. I've got a char-griller now which I like because the grates are 36" above the floor and it has a large grilling area which allows for easy direct and indirect cooking. I've got a 22" Kettle and it's too small and too low to the ground to use regularly.

I'm interested in the OJ Judge grill and would appreciate any specific feedback on it from others. I have a OJ Highland offset smoker and appreciate the heavy duty metal design. Thanks in advance!
 
I have owned a few different charcoal grills and I haven't liked any of them better than the char griller. Every time I buy a different one, I end up buying another char griller. That might sound weird, but I really like all the features of it. I had one and got rid of it when I bought a Weber summit charcoal grill. I recently got rid of the summit, for multiple reasons, and went back to the char griller. My advice is to stay with the char griller. They function very well. I really like the ability to have adjustable grilling heights. This was the biggest reason I didn't like the summit, and other things. The grass isn't always greener
 
Thanks for the tip and the quick response. The OJ Judge grill is made with thicker metal and it has a charcoal tray that slides out which allows you to remove 100% of the charcoal. I like the Char Griller's charcoal tray which is adjustable. OJ Judge has an adjustable one as well. Honestly, it's only a matter of time before the Char Griller rusts (and I do use the Char Griller cover religiously). I'm learning more and more about the avoidance of moisture and charcoal which both reduce the life of any grill.
 
Schneidogg said:
Thanks for the tip and the quick response. The OJ Judge grill is made with thicker metal and it has a charcoal tray that slides out which allows you to remove 100% of the charcoal. I like the Char Griller's charcoal tray which is adjustable. OJ Judge has an adjustable one as well. Honestly, it's only a matter of time before the Char Griller rusts (and I do use the Char Griller cover religiously). I'm learning more and more about the avoidance of moisture and charcoal which both reduce the life of any grill.
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I have had a grill similar to the judge before and the cleanup is not that easy with that big tray. That tray will runst out pretty fast. I bought a small galvanized trash can and dump the coals into it right after I am done cooking. The char griller should last for a few years with simple maintenance. I got my last one on mark down from walmart for around $90. You can buy a lot of char grillers for $400 and their customer service is good if you register your grill.
 
Only thing I ever liked about my (two) Chargrillers was the cast iron grates. Now they have even made those porcelain coated (I think). Not a fan. I also didn't like the fact that I had near zero control over the airflow. I spent years trying to cook well on a grill that pretty much did what it wanted.

Weber has it all going on in my opinion. No more Chargrillers in my world.
 
If you really want an upgrade, check out the Assassin line. The 36” model weighs almost double what the OJ Judge weighs, so you know it is heavily built. Brethren member BBQ Freak had a 48” model that he has made several YouTube videos on if you to check it out.

The options you mention, it has all. Sits high above the floor, pull out charcoal grates, indirect and direct heating. Different charcoal cooking height option. It also has two standard cooking racks instead of one, and they are on slides.

They work well as both a grill and smoker. They are hand made in Macon Georgia, not in some Chinese factory across the pond. They do cost more than what you are looking at, but for what you are getting, they are one of the best bang for your buck around.
 
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I was also going to suggest an Assassin. I haven't owned one but have researched them plenty and e-mailed back and forth with the owners. There's been a guy on Facebook Messenger in Ohio that has had a lightly used Assassin 48 for sale for a couple months now. His price started up around $1000 (he added several upgrades to the base model), but he was down to $800 as of Thanksgiving weekend and was pretty motivated to get it sold, FWIW.
 
Having cooked on quite a few charcoal grills over the years, some being pretty nice, my all time fave has been the 26 Weber kettle. Simple, affordable, porcelain finish, roomy, easy to clean and just flat out cooks. KISS :)
 
Not sure what your budget is but i bought a PK a few months ago and love it. It's a steak cooking machine!



I do also own a Weber kettle and keep that for using my vortex and santa maria attachments.
 
Well I was looking for more space from a 22" kettle. Was leaning towards a 26" to use along side the 22" but still worried that I would not have enough space. As I was saving up for a 48" Assassin, a lightly used 36" came up for sale close enough to go get (at a considerable savings). I have completed filled it up many of times and it works perfect for my needs. 48" would have given a little more wiggle room, but for the price, I am very satisfied.
 
blake said:
Well I was looking for more space from a 22" kettle. Was leaning towards a 26" to use along side the 22" but still worried that I would not have enough space. As I was saving up for a 48" Assassin, a lightly used 36" came up for sale close enough to go get (at a considerable savings). I have completed filled it up many of times and it works perfect for my needs. 48" would have given a little more wiggle room, but for the price, I am very satisfied.
Click to expand...

You got a great grill/smoker. Awesome.
 
I’m in the club against Assassin grills. Nothing but issues and warped doors. Bought two at once, one for me and one for work. Both doors were extremely warped after just a couple of cooks. The one at work doesn’t even get used anymore because we need to add another latch on the door just to be able to control the air flow. When I called Assassin they blamed it on one guy that no longer worked there. In hindsight I should have taken them up on the offer to send it back and get my money back, but who wants to send back a new grill. I sold my personal grill at a loss a few months later because I hated it. I’ll stick to my 26” Weber or Santa Maria for grilling.
 
I found a Hasty Bake on Craigslist a couple years back. I really like the versatility, to raise and lower the charcoal. Think a santa maria grill in reverse.
 
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