If you want to get some extra gear to have even more fun with your kettle then you have come to the right place! Keep on scrolling and you will find 18 great Weber charcoal grill accessories to choose from!
Tools for Charcoal Management
Sure, you can just dump a bunch of charcoal into your grill and start cooking but there are some nice tools out there that make it easy to be strategic in how you arrange your coals.
Stainless Steel Charcoal BasketsÂ
Charcoal baskets are used to place your charcoal exactly where you want it. You can place the baskets on the sides of the grill to create a multi-temperature zone setup, you can just use a single basket for slow indirect cooking or you can place them together for a central high heat zone.
The stock charcoal baskets that Weber sells are crap. Get the heavy duty ones made from stainless steel.
Slow N Sear 2.0
The Slow N Sear is an oversized charcoal basket with a built in water reservoir. The Slow N Sear 2.0 is designed to allow long smoking sessions (~8 hours at 250F) with a single load of charcoal. The water reservoir lets you maintain a moist cooking environment and will need to be refilled every few hours.
You can also use this to create an ultra high heat environment that is great for searing steaks. Here is a little “unboxing video” for you!
BBQ Vortex
The Vortex is a stainless steel cone that lets you easily focus the heat from your charcoal while simultaneously creating a circular indirect heating zone. Many folks swear that the Vortex is the ultimate tool for grilling the perfect chicken wing.
There are several ways of using the Vortex. The video below does a nice job showing multiple techniques for playing with this thing.
Get a Better Grate
The standard grate that comes with a Weber kettle doesn’t last very long and is nothing to get excited about. Luckily there are some wonderful alternatives than using the standard grate!
Gourmet BBQ System
The Gourmet BBQ System is a Weber product that adds some pretty cool functionality to your grill. This is a hinged grate with a removable center insert. The center insert can be replaced with a bunch of different accessories like a wok, sear panel, griddle, poultry roaster etc.
All of the accessories are sold separately.
Here is a look at the Gourmet BBQ System and the accessories that you can use.
Craycort Cast Iron Grates
If you want to get a little cast iron action going on your kettle then you can always upgrade and buy a set of Craycort grates. The Craycort system consists of four modular cast iron inserts that can be swapped out for other optional inserts like a griddle.
There is something special about cooking on cast iron…just makes me feel happy! Here is a video from the BBQ Pit Boys showing you how much they like the Craycort system!
You can also purchase a stainless steel grate for your kettle directly from SnS Grills!
GrillGrate Panels
Of every accessory on this list the GrillGrate panels are my absolute favorite!
These panels sit on top of the existing cooking grate and transforms your kettle into an infrared cooker that will have almost zero flare-ups and gives the world’s greatest grill marks.
Seriously…GrillGrate panels will fundamentally change how and what you grill.Â
Take a look at this short video from Chef Tom at All Things BBQ. About a minute into the video he starts grilling burgers made from ground brisket which have a pretty high fat content. You can really start to appreciate the absence of flare ups compared to traditional grilling.
And let’s talk about grill marks. If you are serious about getting grill marks then there simply is no substitute for GrillGrate panels. Check out the full video review below to see how easy it was to make this perfect steak.
Add a Rotisserie!
At some point in your grilling career you have to spend some time learning how to use a rotisserie. There is something magical about standing around a kettle while a big piece of meat is spinning over the coals.
Rotisserie Ring
Weber offers a rotisserie ring for the 22.5 inch kettle, including the Master Touch and Performer models, and a few manufactures make them for the 18.5 inch kettle as well.
There are different ways to configure your charcoal when using a rotisserie but I like to use an indirect setup with a foil drip pan directly under the meat. Here is a fun video from Weber showing you how to use a kettle rotisserie to make a pretty amazing Prime Rib!
RiboLater
The Ribolater is an amazing, goofy and FUN invention that lets you grill so much more with a rotisserie than you ever thought possible.
The Ribolater is a four tray Ferris Wheel that attaches to the spit rod of the kettle rotisserie. You can fit a slab of baby back rib onto each tray or load up the trays with chicken wings, meatballs, hamburgers….just about anything!
Here is a short film showing the RiboLater in action for chicken wings!
Rotisserie Basket
If you don’t feel like shelling out the cash for a RibOlater then at least take a look at getting a rotisserie basket.  A rotisserie basket lets the food tumble as the rotisserie turns for even cooking.
I wouldn’t recommend using the basket for ribs but you can sure use them to cook some great chicken wings!
Accessories to Add Space
Sometimes when you are using a Weber kettle things seem to get a little cramped and you just need a little more space. These tools can help with that problem!
Grill Side Table
You need some place to put your platter of burgers when you are grilling. Someplace to put your meat thermometer and a roll of paper towels. Unless you already have a Performer Series, what your kettle needs is a side table!
The folks at BBQ Dragon make a side table that clips onto the side of your kettle. You should keep the load on the table to under 10 pounds to make sure the kettle doesn’t tip over.
Here is the video to give you a closer look.
Slide A Side Lid Holder
The other major headache with a standard kettle is that you need some place to put the lid when you take it off to flip your burgers or turn your steak. Yes, there is a hook underneath the lid that you can use to hang it on the side of the kettle but it sucks and no one uses it.
The answer to this problem is to get the Slide Aside lid holder! This gadget slips onto the side of your kettle and provides a handy place to hold the lid!
Elevated Grate
Sometimes you need a little more space INSIDE your kettle. If you keep finding yourself wishing you had a place to keep your toasted buns warm or maybe you just need a place to stash some bratwurst then you should look into getting the grilling expansion rack!
The expansion rack sits on top of the regular grate and has just enough room to get the job done!
Gadgets to Light Your Charcoal
Getting the charcoal lit is one of the biggest frustrations people have when using their Weber kettles. There is a reason that lighter fluid is so popular despite the harsh chemicals and unpleasant smell and after taste. Here are a few tools that make lighting the charcoal EASY!
Looftlighter
The Looftlighter is a super heated hot air gun that can light your charcoal in one minute. By “super heated” I am talking about an air stream that is heated to 1,100 F!  There is an outer safety casing around the main heating chamber that cools quickly after use to reduce the chance of an accidental burn.
Here is the video of the Looftlighter in action. The video only takes a minute and is impressive!
Propane Grill Torch
Another option for quickly lighting your charcoal is to use a propane torch! The concept is pretty simple with this guy. Use a specially adapted torch body on a disposable propane bottle and fire those coals up!
The torch works about as fast as the Looftlighter. Here is the video of the torch in action.
Chimney of Insanity
You can use a regular chimney to light your coals or you can have a little fun and use the Chimney of Insanity! I have to admit that one of the reasons I like this thing is that it sounds like something that would have been used in The Princess Bride 🙂
The Chimney of Insanity gets your charcoal lit FAST by using a blower fan to accelerate the process. The folks over at BBQ Dragon say they can get the coals lit and ready to grill in about three minutes. Please note that the blower and chimney are sold separately.
Here is a look at the chimney in action!
Three More Great Kettle Accessories!
Here are three more fun ideas that I couldn’t fit into a particular category so I just lumped them together here. Hey…that happens sometimes!
Kettle Pizza
The Kettle Pizza insert is designed to turn your kettle into a wood fired pizza oven. There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to figuring out how to cook pizza at such high temperatures but once you figure out that you need to go light on the toppings and how often to rotate the pie you will be good to go!
Arteflame Kettle Insert
The Arteflame kettle insert is a 1/4 inch thick steel plate that converts your kettle into a monster griddle. The insert has an optional center sear grate if you want to put sear marks onto a steak.Â
The griddle is amazing for cooking breakfast staples (pancakes, bacon, eggs, etc) as well as putting an amazing crust on smashburgers or even cooking up fried rice!
BBQ Dragon Smoking Stone
The Smoking Stone from BBQ Dragon is a 1/4 inch ceramic plate that can be used as a heat deflector for low and slow barbecue or as a high heat baking surface for making the perfect pizza.
Here is how to use the Smoking Stone for Low and Slow barbecue.
Here is how to use the Smoking Stone at High Heat for pizza.
