Weber® Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill, 22-Inch, Copper

First off, I have to tell you that this is the first grill I have ever used. As a single woman, I was never interested in grilling until I bought a house two years ago and built a deck in the backyard. With all that outdoor space to enjoy, I just knew I needed a grill for entertaining (and feeding) family and friends. I thought I might buy a grill and just let my dad or brother handle the grilling, but much to my surprise I really got into it and loved grilling hamburgers and hot dogs on this Weber kettle grill for my first backyard party just yesterday! I did a lot of research prior to purchasing this grill from Amazon. I chose a charcoal grill over propane because I didn't want to deal with propane tanks (a friend had his grill go up in flames because of a loose hose and nearly burned his house down--No thank you!), I like the taste and smell from charcoal grills more, and most importantly because of the cost. It was less expensive to get a nice charcoal grill like this one than to get an equally nice propane grill. The entry cost into grilling was more reasonable with a charcoal grill. This freed up funds to get some important accessories, which I recommend to anyone buying this grill: a chimney starter, grilling tools like tongs, fork, etc, a steel brush to clean the grates, the Weber Fire starter cubes, and some heavy duty mitts to protect your hands and forearms while grilling. I purchased all these from Amazon at the same time I purchased the grill. As for choosing a which charcoal grill to get, I chose this model over the lesser expensive model because of the ash catcher, and I'm glad I did. The grill arrived in its original box and was easy to put together on my own, with the exception of attaching the ash catcher itself. But I just kept trying (and referring to the picture-only instructions) and eventually got it. It was put together in about 40 minutes, and that was putting it together myself. One of the best things I did was lookup videos online about this grill to see how it was used and put together. I learned about closing the vents on the lid and on the bottom to reduce heat, and how to quickly get the charcoal ready for grilling by using a chimney starter and Weber Fire Starter cubes (which I highly recommend getting). As my brother and dad arrived to my house yesterday for our Memorial Day BBQ, each were skeptical about this charcoal grill because they have propane grills at home and like the convenience of them. "It will take an hour to get to coals ready," said my brother. "Those burgers are way too thick to cook through. They'll be raw in the middle," said my dad. Both were surprised when the charcoal was ready within about 20 minutes using the chimney! And after getting some nice grill marks on both sides of the burgers, I put the lid on and closed the vents to let them finish cooking the middle of the burgers in a lower heat. The burgers turned out perfectly! The best compliment was Dad and others asking me how I grilled these thick burgers so well without burning them to dust. LOL! It's all in the vents! And I think investing in an awesome grill helped, too. My brother and dad both were asking about the grill by the end of the party. I think they might be considering trading in their propane grills for their own Weber kettle grills soon. ;) Lastly, just a bit of advice to any amateur grill masters like myself out there... Do yourself a favor and start out with this grill. All of the excellent reviews tell you that it's a good grill. The fact that so many experienced backyard chefs keep returning to their Weber kettle grills is very telling. Also, be sure to look up recipes at YouTube. I searched for "hamburger on charcoal grill" and found lots of videos with great advice on getting perfect burgers. And bonus! Nearly all of the people in the videos were using a Weber kettle grill. :)

Nice upgrade from their otherwise standard grill, except for the ash catcher. Clean up is a breeze! Pretty easy to assemble.

I love this grill! Easy to assemble. Quality material. The color is beautiful!!! It’s perfect for me. I don’t grill often. I purchased a cover for it. I don’t believe I’ll ever need another one. It’s that perfect!

I was brand new to charcoal grills, but I love the taste and was ready to make the commitment. I did all the research before buying the premium and I would love to share my findings so you don't also have to dedicate hours to go back and forth between the basic and premium options! Yes, I love the premium and think it was the best investment after using it! Also, I have it down pat where we can have a warm grill ready in 10 minutes (20 if you're fighting a Midwest -5 degree winter day). This is all the information I gathered from tons of forums, grill YouTubers (also discovered that's a popular topic), books and websites: The differences between the basic and premium Weber kettle grill: 1. Price: the premium runs about $70 2. Ash catcher: the premium has an ENCLOSED ash catcher (the cylinder on the bottom). So the ash is collected into the catcher meaning the wind can't blow it around and it makes removal easier. Something to consider if you also wear your best grilling flip flops/sandals like me (probably not recommended by Weber). On the basic, the ash is dropped onto the plate lower on the grill, leaving a lot of room for a mess, ash spreading, dog licking etc. 3. Thermometer on the lid- the premium comes with this built in. we genuinely don't use this much besides eyeballing it when the kid is closed to see if the grill has any drastic temp changes; to gauge temp I watch the charcoal color and use probes in the actual meat. So this wasn't a deal breaker for me and I would not buy the upgraded version of this was the only difference, but it is a feature. 4. Hinging grate- on the premium, there are two hinges to allow you to open part of the grate while grilling to adjust/add charcoal. I actually do use this a decent amount. The grate on the basic is a full circle with no hinges so you have to remove the whole grate, which is not ideal. Additional accessories I purchased to have the most success that add to the cost of getting started: 1. **charcoal CHIMENY**- gets the charcoal started 2. A good lighter 3. Grill cover 4. Meat thermometer probes (with a wireless probe so I could keep track of the temp from inside and not have to keep opening the lid) 5. A grilling book (not necessary but I have one that taught me how to set up the zones, cooking time, etc. it was used and $5 so not a big money commitment 6. Lump charcoal- I prefer this over the brick charcoal as I think it gets hotter quicker, but is more expensive! Bricks worked fine too! 7. Metal free grill brush- a family friend ingested a metal grill brush bristle so those are officially banned. I find the 22" size to be perfect. Due to being able to spread the charcoal out or move it together, I am able to grill enough for just a meal for my family of 4 or enough to prep meat for 5 meals for 4 for the week. I was so pleasantly surprised at how attainable and quick charcoal grilling can be! My family commented on how amazed they were at how quick the grill got started and the charcoal taste. Overall the premium was worth the additional cost, especially for the ash catcher so my grilling sandals and dog's nose are protected-which might just be my top "AMERICA" sentence of the year (so far)

This thing does the job. Most people buying this will want to know what is different from other years in the Weber lineup. Well, quite a bit and mostly for the better. The handles no longer have hinges that can rust. You can hang a few appliances on them. There is a decent thermo on the top of the grill and a heat shield on the handle. The ash catcher is very nice and a solid improvement from years past. The legs are not too wobbly anymore and I had no trouble with the height of this thing being a little over six feet myself. All in all this is a very solid upgrade if you are using an older Weber. The sides of the main grill grate also flip up for easy access to charcoal. You can fit comfortably about 3.5-4 racks of ribs on here. It's definitely enough for a 3-4 person family in most cases. I prefer this model based on a few pointed observations that I will get to in a little bit. But let's compare this to the other models directly: that would be the Master Touch, which is 50 dollars more expensive, and the 26 inch version of that grill without the Gourmet BBQ centerpiece or warmer. The 26 inch is 300 dollars. It will all come down to personal taste here between the grills. There are some things that you should pay attention to though, as it is not cut and dry which model you will want just from looks or lists. The 22 inch Master Touch and the 26 inch grill are a tiny bit taller, 39.5 vs 42 inches per the Weber site. I'm not sure what adds into the height to be honest or how they make it ever so slightly taller. It could just be the wheels for all I know or possibly the legs are a touch longer. It doesn't make any difference in my experience. The MT has a center piece that is removable for "gourmet BBQ". A quick point here: I don't personally like this addition. I use a nice wooden grill scraper--chinese wire brushes are the bane of existence and a real danger at times--and the center piece would screw up the burn lines on my large and heavy duty scraper. The normal plates are already a tad off on the moveable sides. You can however purchase this version and then get a different grate if you want, but that is adding a decent cost to an already extra 50 dollars. **You must purchase a stainless steel grate for over 60 dollars with shipping from Weber directly over the phone. Part# 80728 @ 58.47 dollars--comes out to about 70 total. I advise most to actually do this. Another reason I prefer the cheaper model as I use the extra 50 for the better grate. The SS grate is heavier, larger guage steel, and in general does not rattle. I love it, though it was expensive. And it will also last a LOT longer than the mediocre plated steel grate at high heat. I'm not entirely sure what the point of the center piece is but to sell more Weber accessories. And these accessories are not super high quality either. Anything like a cast iron griddle or pan is easily placed on the 22 and 26 inch grill surface. I don't cook pizza on my grill and have no use for extra grill patterns or a wok. IDK your mileage may vary but it just seems to me they want to sell you more things. In my case it would burn awkward lines into my expensive wooden scraper. I don't want a lot of extras hanging around for the grill that need to be cleaned and preened. And without the attachments the center piece is useless. Add in the fact that all I want is a stainless steel grate and there is no point in getting this grill for this extra feature. They do however include two of the cheap charcoal holders on the MT. You can arrange your charcoal fine without these holders IMO, and when you actually need to move things around I find they become a bother more than anything else. If you want them they are an extra that costs 15 dollars otherwise. BOTH the 22's have plated nickel steel cooking grates as opposed to the stainless of the 26 inch. As noted Weber does provide the little known stainless upgrade for more cash. My grilling grate has a slight uneven rattle, though, I have not cooked on it yet. It seems fairly durable but I have to somewhat doubt its longevity. I will order the SS version soon. It is thicker and heavier. There is also the metal side holder for the lid that is engrained into the grill on the MT and 26 inch. From the pictures and videos it looks like it may actually touch the enamel lid of the grill. While pragmatic I am not sure if this will scratch the grill or not in normal practice. On the other hand the hook on this model will not be to everyone's preference, though, it lines up with the damper and is honestly pretty easy to hook onto the side with some practice. Minimal scraping of the edges of the basket will occur more than likely as opposed to the possible scraping of the top by the other method. I'm not too keen on extra holes in the heating basket from the lid holder on the upper models, but it's hard to say how well they will seal in the end. In practice I would prefer a lid holder with some rubber protection from scratching the top of the lid. I think this is something they will improve on future versions. Beware, the enamel WILL scratch easily on these models. The wheels are slightly different on the MT and 26 inch models, though I prefer the aesthetics of the originals by a decent margin. The gray hubcaps with a grill logo are kind of well not all that pleasing to my eyes and look no more useful. Neither seem much different in practice. The MT has black handles as opposed to grey. Both look nice. A secondary warming rack is also equipped on the MT. I personally have little need for something like this, but others may find it handy. The MT and 26 inch grills come with a heat grip on the top damper. This is really the only thing I wanted on the normal model. Why this could not be included on the normal 22 I have no idea, but it really isn't needed anyway. I'm usually only using the damper once or twice and have a grill glove on hand or a metal tool to slide it. It should be noted that the rib roaster fits fine in any model. I recommend the higher priced stainless steel version. The 26 inch grill is wider and heavier, for twice the price again. To me, as someone that does not cook for more than 4 people, I don't need something that large. It takes a bit more charcoal to heat up a larger grill to the proper temps and the legs seem to be the same thin design that have to accomodate more weight. For a larger family you will want this option as it is quite a bit more space. The only downside again is that it's very expensive. Per the Weber site they list stainless steel for the cooking grate vs plated steel on the cheaper model. 508 square inches of cooking area vs 363. The cooking grates are honestly the biggest deal to me about these grills. It is a nice feature of the 26 inch to include a stainless as they are expensive to buy separately. So I have spelled out the major differences here. For me it comes down to preference. I don't really care about cost, but 300 was a teensy bit more than I was willing to spend for something I am not totally sure of the long term quality. I like the MT but have absolutely no use for the center piece and the wheels and lid holder to me are very questionable. If the lid holder does not scratch I see no problem with it, but metal against metal is going to scratch a bit if it makes a lot of contact at high heat. Not a huge problem but the basket and top are easily the most expensive parts of the deal and I want to keep them looking nice. All in all the last Webers had more than a few problems that seem to have been corrected in the new models. Only time will tell. I did also get two damaged tops with this grill. I don't mark down the grill because customer service was fantastic at Amazon. Just beware you may have to take one back if you get a damaged top. Weber should invest in some better packaging. Otherwise. this thing is a beauty. Highly recommended. I do not however recommend the cheap and terrible cover for the 22 inch grills. It has a hanging bag sewn to it and only one main velcro strap. It looks cheap. It is cheap. Yet it's 30 dollars. I bet it's made in China for about a dollar. Just a warning. You might want to look elsewhere to see if you can find a better cover. I will wait until they improve it before I buy anything of such low quality. I will also update this review as I keep using the grill.

I grabbed this charcoal grill for my gym break room so coaches and members could do weekend cookouts. I skipped propane on purpose. I do not want tanks sitting around a bunch of lifters, and I watched a buddy almost lose his house from a bad hose on a gas grill. Charcoal keeps it simple and safer for us. The price helped too. For what this costs, I get a good size grill without paying gas grill money. First Sunday we fired it up, threw on burgers between sessions, and the whole place smelled like a tailgate. That made me glad I bought it.

6 years later this grill still impresses me. Easy to clean. Joy to use. I also have a gas grill of different brand and compared to that I like this by far

I purchased this kettle 2 months ago and have grilled 1-2 times per week since then. There's not too much that I can add to the hundreds of other voices on here, but I'll give a brief breakdown of my experience (and what I think might help other purchasers): 1. Out of the box, assembly maybe took about 30 minutes of half-hearted assembly mixed with conversation. Getting the legs on was the toughest part, but just be patient and they'll go one good and tight. I think I read somewhere about people moving after assembling this. You could, in theory, take it all apart again, but I'd plan on not doing that. At least I won't. 2. Get a chimney starter. And get a Weber chimney starter. I picked one up from the local supply story, and it makes lighting my lump charcoal a cinch. One or two newspapers underneath, a full chimney, and you've got at least an hour of cooking (at whatever temperature you'd like). 3. Get gloves. For a couple weeks, I used silicone mats (like the kind you put a hot plate on when you're serving it). I didn't burn my hands, but it just isn't comfortable. I picked up the US Forge 400 Welding Gloves (Blue) off of Amazon, and they've been incredible. Completely comfortable, and it makes shifting charcoal and anything else else heat-related painless. Between the two, you're looking at an extra $30 bucks or so, but it's worth it to enjoy the entire experience. 4. Cooking is great. I picked up Weber's Way to Grill, and the recipes are delicious. Executing a good cook on is as easy as can be if you're willing to follow fundamentals a pay a bit of attention to what you're doing. The food I'm pulling off of this thing is some of the best grilled food I have tasted, and that's despite my best efforts, haha. The kettle makes things easy, and following recipes and learning the science of grilling goes a long way. (I grilled quite a bit about 8 years ago but stopped until I bought this kettle. So beginners and fanatics will equally enjoy this awesome kettle.) 5. Weber customer service is outstanding. After a couple months, I noticed a couple of rust spots on the edge of the lid. I think in transport some of the enamel probably chipped off, and these are the rainy months in Virginia. It wasn't a big deal, but I didn't want it to damage the lid in the long run. So I sent an email to Weber. They responded within 3 hours or so, and let me know that a new lid was on the way. That was it. I've purchased hundreds (maybe thousands) of items from Amazon over the years. I've had poor customer service experiences with companies, and I've had a couple stand outs. This is one of the best. I already loved their product, and now I love the company. Can't recommend this kettle and this company highly enough. Give it a try. You won't regret it.

Good Kettle Charcoal Grill, easy to use and clean after use.

This was a much anticipated purchase. The colour is superb and the size of the grille is just right. Was not easy to assemble push pins in the legs - plus they are poorly made. And the height is just a bit too short for me. Overall a bit clankly but works really well.

Muito boa churrasqueira. Adorei!!!!

Como cocinero y asador inexperto, siempre tuve problemas con mi pequeño asador anterior manteniendo una temperatura apropiada y cocinando para muchas personas, no pensaba que valía la pena invertir en un asador más grande y menos aún en un Weber, hasta que me cansé de tener siempre los mismos problemas cuando hacía una reunión y compré este asador en el Buen Fin a un buen precio. Consideré algunos competidores con precio menor pero a fin de cuentas me decidí por el Premium Kettle que trae el cenicero con control de temperatura y me pareció mejor compra que el original Kettle. Estoy muy satisfecho de mi decisión porque el Premium Kettle es un excelente producto, su esmalte exterior resiste la temperatura perfecto, no hay necesidad de curarlo porque el esmalte tiene garantía de 10 años y cada asador tiene un número de serie que se registra con Weber para efecto de garantía. La rejilla es de acero inoxidable de buen grosor y tiene dos puertas laterales para cargar más carbón sin quitar toda la rejilla, eso me parece muy útil y fue uno de los factores por los que compré este modelo y que siempre me causaba problemas con mi viejo asador. Tiene termometro para temperatura interior qué funciona muy bien y los materiales en general son de excelente calidad. Ensamblar el asador es fácil excepto por las patas, donde hay que hacer algo de esfuerzo porque las ranuras donde se ensamblan tienen una especie de topes que complican el ajuste, pero con un poco de maña se pueden meter las patas, yo tuve que limar un poco los topes para no tardar tanto en el ensamble. En cuanto al uso, estoy impresionado, el diseño del asador mantiene el carbón encendido con facilidad y puede subir la temperatura hasta 300 grados si se necesita y por varias horas, así que es posible preparar cortes Premium sin mucho problema hasta para alguien sin mucha experiencia, solamente hay que aprender a controlar la temperatura con las ventilas del asador y él hará todo el trabajo. Esta es una compra super recomendable si te gusta hacer carnes asadas para una buena cantidad de personas, el asador tiene una buena superficie de parrilla y funciona de maravilla, lo compraría de nuevo sin pensar dos veces.

You get what is advertized. Prompt delivery. Sellwr coordinated from day one as soon as order was placed. Came and assembled too. Warranty is exceptional. There was a patch after one usage (some manufacturing defect i believe). Contacted seller and to my surprise entire lid was replaced within next 2 hours. Really amazwd by the professionalism and promptness. Best grilling experience too. Might seem a bit pricey but as we all know, best quality in the market comes with a price tag. Go for it without any hesitation. Seller needs additional appreciation too. Package deluvered next day. Installation done and really prompt service. Seller kept following up all this while. Would definitely buy more from him