Everything's just right in this charcoal grill. It's large enough for a medium-sized family but compact, and easy to clean with some other features. What's more, it's not expensive.
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Are you looking for an economic charcoal grill that has the basic features and grill well? Here, the Cuisinart CCG-290 18″ Kettle Charcoal Grill costs less than a hundred and grills well. Plus, it possesses some extra features that even some other larger grills do not have. Let’s check it out!
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Cuisinart Kettle Charcoal Grill: Compact but Efficient
The Cuisinart CCG-290 Kettle Charcoal Grill is 18-inch large with 150 square inches cooking area. The compact size makes it perfect for limited space such as small balconies and patios, or easy to carry.
Yet, it has enough space to grill for 4-6 people. You don’t want your family and friends to wait for a long time to have food at the happy grilling party. With the 150 sq. in. cooking room, you will grill efficiently and never disappoint them.
► Read More: 10 Best Steaks to Grill & 4 Tips for Grilling the Perfect Steaks
Heat Control
Heat control matters in grilling. And you can easily control the temperature in this Cuisinart Kettle Charcoal Grill thanks to the dual venting system. Briefly speaking, oxygen is one of the elements for fire. More oxygen means greater heat and higher temperature, vice versa.
This grill comes with top and bottom heat vents which enable you to manage the airflow by adjusting them. Open them to get a greater heat, or fully close them to extinguish the charcoal.
Moreover, there is a thermometer for you to track the temperature in real time and the cooking process.
► More Review: Weber Original Kettle Charcoal Grill (741001) | Best Overall
Easy to Clean
Cleaning after the grilling party is kind of a nightmare. But you can enjoy a hassle-free cleanup with the Cuisinart Kettle Charcoal Grill. It features a removable convenient ash catcher. The ash catcher helps collect the ashes and debris. So what you need to do is just detach the catcher with an easy-grip handle and dispose of them in a breeze.
Designs of Cuisinart Kettle Charcoal Grill
There are some glowing points about the hardware designs of this Cuisinart Kettle Charcoal Grill.
First of all, we love its folding grate very much. Normally, adding charcoal is quite annoying that you need to take the whole cooking grate off with some food on it, but not here. It has a hinged chrome plated cooking grate and thus you can open on both sides to refill and arrange coals easily. No need to remove the grate and no disturbances anymore!
Secondly, it has a bottom shelf for storage. We all know that grilling doesn’t only involve the grill but some accessories and seasonings. It provides you a handy location to store tongs, heat protective gloves, salt and pepper etc.
Thirdly, there are 3 lid locks that facilitate transportation. Clasping the locks can hold the lid tight and hence transport safely and securely.
Last but not least, just like many outdoor grills, the Cuisinart Grill has two wheels for easy moving.
► More Review: Weber 121020 Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill | Best Portable
Cuisinart Kettle Charcoal Grill: User Reviews
The Cuisinart CCG-290 18″ Kettle Charcoal Grill is rated 4.3 stars / 5 stars on Amazon by nearly 400 reviews at the time of writing.
There are quite a number of reviews that love the sufficient cooking space for up to 6 people.
Also, the users were satisfied with the easy heat control. They said it’s easy to light and heat up well, and just close the vent and lid to put the fire out.
In addition, the temperature gauge was a lovely feature as well which allowed the users to monitor the temp for cooking.
Besides that, the hinged grate was adorable to many of the users. It made grilling and smoking more convenient.
Aside from that, the users praised that the Cuisinart Kettle Charcoal Grill is easy to clean and tidy because of the ash collector.
However, some users reflected that it was a bit difficult to assemble since the instructions and label are not clear. Plus, some of them said the side gaps of the bottom fuel grate were too large and the charcoal fell through as it burned.
Should You Buy a Cuisinart 18″ Kettle Charcoal Grill (CCG-290)?
Yes, we love this Cuisinart CCG-290 18″ Kettle Charcoal Grill. We agree that it’s a bit hard to assemble and there’s some design flaws especially on the coal grate. Yet, the defects cannot obscure the virtues. It’s compact but large enough for 4-6 people. Plus, it’s designed attentively and featured with dual vents, ash catcher and hinged grate. What’s more, it costs less than $100!
