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The 12 Best Accessories for Your Weber Kettle Charcoal Grill

The Weber Kettle Grill isn’t a grill, it’s a platform. These are the most useful upgrades for America’s favorite backyard accessory.

weber grill with spider 22 attachment Spider Grills

By Will Price, Tyler Chin, and Johnny Brayson

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Sixty years ago, Weber Brothers Metal Works, later called Weber-Stephen Products, used to make mailboxes, fireplace equipment and a number of various other metal-based products. George Stephen, Sr., a salesman at the company, then decided the grills of the day weren’t up to snuff. Now his solution is the most popular grill in America.

The Weber Kettle charcoal grill — complete with dome lid, ventilation, enameled steel and rust-resistant aluminum — is the most stable, consistent grill money can buy. “We initially considered designing a grill that could work with multiple fuel sources,” Jeff Broadrick, senior product engineer behind Spider Grills‘ wood-pellet Weber attachment, “but you are fighting an uphill battle if you set out to design a grill as simple, trusted and elegant as the Weber Kettle.”

Broadrick says that consistency has elevated the charcoal grill into something more. “At this point, the Weber Kettle is more of a platform than a stand-alone product,” he says. Out of dozens of community-driven updates and upgrades, these are the best Weber Kettle add-ons that money can buy.

Products in the Guide

Pros

  • Heavy duty and breathable
  • Cheaper than Weber-branded grill covers

Cons

  • Reviewers complain about the straps

This is a simple one. Weber’s grill covers cost close to $100, while these off-brand ones are barely a quarter of that. They’re waterproof and tear-resistant, and feature beefy velcro straps that secure below your grill, ensuring that a wind storm won’t leave your Kettle exposed. Plus, in addition to Kettle covers, Kingkong also makes covers for Weber’s Genesis and Spirit gas grills.

Pros

  • Get hot coals in an instant
  • Lights uniformly

Cons

  • Plastic handle

Charcoal chimney starters are a must-have for safely and efficiently getting your coals hot enough for cooking, and Weber’s own take on the form is tough to beat. It’s aluminized steel body is lightweight yet durable, and its ergonomic handle makes it simple and comfortable to use.

Pros

  • Made of solid stainless steel

Cons

  • Not to be used as a main grilling surface

The Hovergrill adds an additional 247 square inches of cooking with a solid stainless steel grill rack, but it really shines when you’ve got your eyes on smoking a larger cut of meat like brisket or pork butt. Lifting the meat a few inches further from the heat source makes temperature maintenance less of a pain.

Pros

  • Quick to heat
  • Clips onto a grill

Cons

  • Won't last a while

The BBQ Dragon was designed for the impatient charcoal griller. It is literally a clip on gas pedal for lighting charcoal. Functionally, it’s a turbo-charged hair dryer that speeds up lighting time significantly. It’ll get your fire going in just 10 minutes, and you can use it in a charcoal chimney, too.

Pros

  • Easy to install

Cons

  • You could live without it

The most boring product on this list may be the most necessary. Weber’s original kettle lid is either all the way off or fitted to the grill — the hinge allows you to keep the lid slightly ajar and, more helpfully, not have to find a place in your backyard for a flaming-hot lid whenever you take food off it. This one fits Weber Kettles 18.5″, 22.5″, and the 26.75″.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Backed by a 10-year warranty

Cons

  • Another product you could live without

By far the easiest way to smoke meat on your Weber. The Slow ‘N Sear splits your grill in half — one side full of hot coals, the other an open cooking area. Put food in the latter for six to eight hours and you’ve got barbeque, put it over the coals and you still have a perfectly good high-heat grill. Plus, the veteran grill gear testers at Amazing Ribs call the Slow ‘N Sear the “single best accessory for the Weber Kettle ever.”

Pros

  • Eliminates flareups
  • Evenly heats

Cons

  • You don't need grill marks for tasty barbecue

Made of anodized, rust-resistant aluminum, GrillGrates feel like a product Weber would offer themselves. The grate lines are elevated over a heavy base that’s lined with holes. As the fire heats the base, an even heat flows through the holes, creating both the ideal cross-hatch and a more consistently cooked meal. You can even flip over and use the flat side like a griddle. TL;DR: turn down hot spots while turning up the heat.

Pros

  • Eliminates the need to buy a pizza oven

Cons

  • Doesn't come with a pizza stone

The pizza-making insert lifts the lid of your Weber up, allowing greater air circulation and creating a gap large enough to slide a pizza in and out of while still maintaining temperatures requisite to making a pizza. The basic kit comes with an aluminum pizza tray, but we recommend using a classic pizza stone for a crispier foundation. Naturally, this isn’t going to give you the same results as a dedicated pizza oven, but it’s still a fun and affordable way to cook a pizza outdoors.

Pros

  • Allows you to adjust flame height

Cons

  • Annoying to store

The amount of flexibility a variable-height grate brings shouldn’t be underestimated. This contraption sits atop your kettle and permits you to, say, get a good rotiss chicken going and smoke some eggplant at the same time. Or perhaps put a pork roast on the rotisserie and a pineapple smoking (and basting the pork in turn) above it?

Pros

  • Makes it easier to know when your food is ready
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Some reviewers complain of connection problems

If you’re looking to turn your Kettle into a smart grill, this is the way. Weber’s Connect grilling hub includes two probes to monitor your meat, and once connected to the Weber app you’ll receive updates on when to flip, when to serve, when your steak reaches your desired doneness and more. It’s a lot of functionality that takes some of the pressure off of you to be an infallible pitmaster.

Pros

  • Skip the trips to Costco

Cons

  • Expensive, since it's from Weber itself

Turn your grill into a rotisserie with this $180 rotating spit from Weber. The electric motor keeps the chicken (or other poultry, ribs, etc) constantly turning for an evenly crispy and juicy piece of meat. Pro tip: Add a drip pan filled with vegetables underneath the meat to catch some of the flavorful fat.

Pros

  • Eliminates the need to get a pellet grill (though you still probably want one)

Cons

  • Takes time to learn how to use properly

Spider Grills Pella manages to make the charcoal-fueled Weber a wood-pellet grill in an elegant and easy way. It just snaps onto the side of the thing. Why would you want to grill with pellets? It’s the most-automated path to low-heat smoking possible while remaining perfectly capable of high-heat grilling. Pella’s adapter operates from 175°F to 500°F.

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