I am a huge fan of charcoal grilling. Pretty much everything I cook on my grills is on charcoal and I don’t even own a gas grill. Gas grills definitely have their place but I am willing to trade the convenience of gas for the flavor of charcoal. I currently have 6 different charcoal grills including a 3 different 22 inch Weber grills, a Weber Performer, a giant Weber Ranch, and an old PK Grill.
A couple weeks ago I came across a new charcoal grill I wanted to try out so I reached out and the company was willing to send me a grill to review. I received this grill at no cost to me but I wasn’t paid to write this review. I will be as honest as I can with this grill, share where it shines, and also share where it falls short.
Disclosure: This post is monetized with affiliate links. If you buy something through them I earn a commission which helps support this site and lets me buy more meat so I can write about it.
The grill is the IG Charcoal BBQ. There are some great features on this grill but a couple improvements I would like to see that would make it much more useful. As I said previously I own a number of Weber charcoal grills and I am a huge fan. I don’t think there is a more versatile cooker out there than the Weber kettle and for $150 it won’t break the bank either. So for this review I will be doing a lot of comparisons between the IG grill and the Weber kettle.
The IG Charcoal grill is made of stainless steel which is easy to clean but can also stand up to the elements. I purposely left mine out in the elements for a couple weeks, let the sprinklers hit it, and I was able to pretty much just hose it off and give it a quick wipe clean. The grates of course will require a bit more scrubbing. I haven’t been able to find any rust on the grill and all the mechanical parts still worked just fine.
With a 480 sq inch cooking surface which is about 100 sq inches bigger than the standard 22 inch Weber kettle. Since the grill is rectangle shaped (16″x30″) the space can be a bit better utilized than the circular Weber kettle.
The grates easily lift out as well with some sturdy built in handles. You would have no problem cooking 20 normal sized burgers or 30-40 hot dogs and sausages if you really wanted to.
If you need a place to put a tray of food, some seasonings, or some grill tools the folding tables on the side are great. They are 13 1/2 inches long so they can hold a sheet pan. There is also a storage shelf underneath the grill to hold your grill brushes, tongs, or anything else you will need.
The slide out ash tray makes clean up very easy. No digging out the ashes with a shovel or dustpan or anything like that. Just pull out the shelf and dump it (when the coals are completely extinguished of course).
Probably the most useful feature on this grill is the adjustable charcoal tray. It can go up and down 6 inches so you easily control the temperatures. If your burgers or dogs are getting too charred or if you are getting flareups just lower the charcoal a bit. At the top the grate is just 3 inches from the cooking surface so you can get some super hot searing power from this grill or lower it down to 9 inches for a bit gentler heat. The crank can have issues from time to time which isn’t good though.
Above is about a Weber chimney and a half of charcoal. You do have a chimney to light your charcoal don’t you? And you would never use lighter fluid would you? Depending on what you are cooking just a single chimney will most likely give you enough heat but if you really want some more heat just add more charcoal.
The grill comes unassembled but it can be easily assembled in a few minutes with no tools. The legs just slide into the body of the grill, the wheels attach with some wingnuts, and the shelves have some easy bolts to screw together. BTW, the wheels are nice and heavy duty so you can easily roll this grill around your patio or deck. They aren’t heavy duty wheels so rolling on gravel or grass isn’t the easiest.
I think it took me about 15 minutes to assemble the grill which, if you have ever put together a gas grill you know that is fast.
Where the IG Grill shines:
If you want to cook directly over heat the IG Grill is excellent. With the adjustable charcoal grate you can raise and lower the charcoal so you have some control over the heat that is hitting the meat. Burgers, sausages, and hot dogs are a no brainer on this grill. I did both and think the IG Grill outperformed the Weber kettle for this purpose. Below I have some cheddar germans, bratwurst, apple bratwurst, and some regular hot dogs.
Somewhat thin cuts of meat like flank steak, skirt steak, and hanger steaks will also do great with the direct heat. Heck, you can even lose the grates and throw those cuts directly on the charcoal. Chicken breasts will also be great on this grill. You can even do some thin pork chops and pork steaks with ease on the IG grill. I would keep any steaks or chops under an inch thick so you can get proper doneness in the middle of the meat and also get a good sear on the outside.
Skewers and kabobs are also perfect on this grill. If you can get your hands on some skewers over 18 inches (like these 23 inch skewers or you can go Brazilian and get these rodizio style swords) you can take the grates off and put them over the coals. Again, since you can control the height of the charcoal you can lower it if things are cooking too quickly or lift it up if you want to get a good sear on the meat.
Pretty much anything you want to cook with direct heat will do fine on this grill. I would leave about 1/4th of the charcoal basket empty so you have somewhere to move any meat that is cooking too quickly.
The IG Grill seemed very sturdy and put together well in my limited use. It doesn’t really wobble and since it is stainless steel it should hold up for quite a few years. I haven’t seen anything yet that would make me question the quality of the grill.
Where the IG Grill falls short
The biggest complaint I have with the IG Grill is there is no lid. I love the versatility of my Weber kettle and a lot of that functionality is due to the lid. I cook everything from brisket that smokes for 20+ hours, homemade bacon, reverse seared steaks, spatchcocked chickens, turkeys, and pretty much anything else. The lid allows me to cook hot and fast or low and slow and also allows the heat to circulate all around the meat. If there was a lid on the IG Grill (and maybe some air vents) you could easily put the coals on one end and the meat on the other for some nice indirect cooking. Direct heat cooking is great for a lot of things but I think indirect cooking gives a lot more options.
Also if there were lids you could close them when you aren’t cooking and the rain wouldn’t collect in the ash pan. As it is you pretty much have to keep the grill covered in your garage or under a deck when not in use. IG Grills doesn’t yet have a cover for the grill either.
Price is also a big factor. The IG Grill runs $399 and a Weber Kettle will run $150.
Who is this grill for?
If you primarily cook on a gas grill and are looking to expand into charcoal this is a fine grill for you. Since most backyard gas grillers are only cooking with direct heat and not smoking or reverse searing their steaks it will be a pretty easy transition to charcoal. This grill will be great for probably 80% of backyard grillers but it is hard to recommend it over a $150 Weber.
The IG grill is available at Amazon with free Prime shipping for $399 and also at Wayfair for $254.13 (on sale at the time of writing, normal price $399). If you are looking to spend $400 or so on a grill I would definitely recommend a PK Grill Classic over this one.
For someone who is buying their first grill or for someone who is looking to just have one grill I would still suggest the Weber Kettle but if you are looking for a new grill to expand your arsenal be sure to give the IG Grill a look.
