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Best charcoal barbecue: match the cook, then skip

Updated: 23 October 2026

There is no single best charcoal barbecue in this twelve-row amazon.co.uk set, and a star rating alone will not pick one. Match a saved price, a stated grate and a review count to the cook you run, then name who should skip each pick. The saved lines include the Weber Compact 47 cm at about £49.49, the Weber Original at about £111.24, Big Smokey at about £67.99 and the CosmoGrill XL at about £159.99. The full table stays on the [charcoal barbecue comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/charcoal-barbecue). Peter F. edits DIY and tools at Products Compared. Updated 23 October 2026. We did not lab-test these grills. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

There is no single best charcoal barbecue in this twelve-row amazon.co.uk set, and a star rating alone will not pick one.

Our top picks

Weber Weber Compact kettle 47 cm

Best overall

Weber Weber Compact kettle 47 cm
9.0/10about £49.49
View offer
Weber Weber Original kettle 47 cm

Alternative

Weber Weber Original kettle 47 cm
9.0/10about £111.24
View offer
Big Smokey Big Smokey barrel barbecue

Alternative

Big Smokey Big Smokey barrel barbecue
8.8/10about £67.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Best small kettle if you can skip a thermometer
  2. 2.Best 47 cm kettle if you want a lid gauge
  3. 3.Best barrel when the grate is printed in centimetres
  4. 4.Who should skip the crowd-pleasers

Best small kettle if you can skip a thermometer

The Weber Compact kettle 47 cm at about £49.49 is the clearest small-household pick when you want a porcelain-enamelled bowl and lid, wheels, an ash catcher and a 1,548 cm² area in the bullets. It scores 4.5 from 377 amazon.co.uk reviews. Weber UK’s page for model 1502054 lists dampers, an ash catcher, wheels, room for about four to six people, and a 10-year limited warranty on the bowl and lid. That maker page has listed a higher price than the Amazon capture, so keep about £49.49 for this comparison. Special features say only Compact. There is no lid thermometer, and a UK review flags descriptions that implied one. Skip it if a built-in gauge was why you opened the Weber tab, or if you need side shelves and a long grate for six-plus adults in one layer. Some buyers still call assembly fiddly. Once you own it, lighting and two-zone cooks are on how to use a charcoal barbecue. It is best value for this grate class, not a claim it beats every barrel on capacity.

Best 47 cm kettle if you want a lid gauge

The Weber Original kettle 47 cm at about £111.24 keeps the same 1,548 cm² bullet, then adds a lid thermometer and One-Touch-style ash handling. Stars are 4.5 from 65 reviews, thinner than the Compact’s 377. Weber UK’s page for model 1502192 states 1,548 cm², about nine burgers, four to six people, a lid thermometer and about 8.9 kg, which matches the saved 8.94 kg. The maker price has sat above the Amazon line. This page uses about £111.24. UK reviews call assembly easy and describe a cook for about four to five people. Size is called too small if you would order again, and charcoal can be awkward to reach once lit. Skip the Original if the Compact already covers your grate and you do not care about the gauge, or if the crowd needs a barrel-length grate. Paying more than double the Compact only makes sense when the thermometer and ash system are the reason.
Weber Weber Compact kettle 47 cm

Testsieger

Weber Weber Compact kettle 47 cm
9.0/10about £49.49
View offer

Best barrel when the grate is printed in centimetres

Big Smokey at about £67.99 prints a 71 × 35.3 cm main grate and a 72.3 × 13.5 cm warming rack, weighs 11.9 kg, and scores 4.4 from 173 reviews. UK buyers often praise labelled-part assembly, space for about six adults, the warming rack and a sliding grill for refuelling. That is the barrel whose centimetres agree. Skip it if you only burn lump charcoal and wide charcoal-grate gaps drop lump through. Briquettes are the workaround buyers name. Skip it too if a handle welded on the wheel leg will frustrate every move. Do not crown Campfire XL at about £99.99 on the word large: the line is 3.2 from 82, and UK reviews are dominated by long assembly, poor diagrams and missing screws. Do not treat DYUEE’s large title as settled beside a 25 × 40 × 19 cm dimension line. The wider trade-off is on kettle vs barrel barbecue.

Who should skip the crowd-pleasers

The CosmoGrill Outdoor XL at about £159.99 scores 4.6 from 3,189 reviews, with side tables, a thermometer, an adjustable charcoal pan, a chimney and wheels. It is the top pick on that sample, not a lab test. Skip it if you will not spend an afternoon on assembly, if about 24 kg is too heavy, or if a 47 cm kettle feeds the household. The XXL at about £212.44 and about 33 kg, 4.5 from 550 reviews, adds a cover, with UK notes of three-hour builds and no push handle. HOMION at about £28.99 and 3.5 kg, 4.1 from 150, is a short-life starter: UK reviews mention a cracked rack, a sharp edge and a dropping ash tray. Kendane at about £79.98 has at least one UK report of melted racks after one use. KEYO’s 29 inch row at about £112.99 sits on four ratings.

Common questions

Which charcoal barbecue in this set is the one for two to four people?
The Weber Compact at about £49.49 with a 1,548 cm² bullet is the strongest match for a small household that will cook with the lid on and can live without a built-in thermometer. HOMION is cheaper and lighter, with clearer durability doubts in UK reviews.
What do I give up if I buy the Compact instead of the Original?
You give up the lid thermometer and the Original’s ash and feature set on the listing, while keeping the same stated grate class. You gain a much larger review sample and a far lower saved price.
Is the highest star rating the best grill?
No. The CosmoGrill XL’s 4.6 from 3,189 is strong evidence for that cart, not proof it fits a small patio or a kettle cook. Size clashes and thin samples still outrank a lonely high score.
When is a barrel the better pick than either Weber?
When you need a long printed grate on the order of Big Smokey’s 71 × 35.3 cm and you have the width for the drum. If the dinner fits nine burgers on a 47 cm kettle, the barrel is optional, not automatic.
Does a 10-year Weber warranty appear on the saved Amazon lines?
The 10-year bowl and lid warranty is stated on Weber UK for these model numbers. It is not a filled attribute in the saved Amazon tables, so check the live maker or seller warranty text when you buy.

Related pages

Charcoal barbecue buying guide

Charcoal barbecue

How to use a charcoal barbecue without lighter fluid

Kettle vs barrel barbecue: choose by grate and width

Charcoal barbecue safety: where you must not light

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: fire safety outdoors (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. NHS: carbon monoxide poisoning (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: smoke control areas (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. BSI: BS EN 1860-1:2024 solid-fuel barbecues (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. BSI: BS EN 1860-2:2023 barbecue charcoal (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Weber UK: how to use a charcoal barbecue (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. BBC Good Food: how to light a barbecue (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)