Weber® Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill, 22-Inch, Black: A Classic Grill That Makes You Slow Down and Enjoy the Cook

There is something different about cooking over charcoal.

You can turn on a gas grill, set a temperature, and start cooking within minutes. Charcoal asks you to participate. You light it, wait for the coals to develop, adjust the airflow, watch the temperature, and eventually place your food over a bed of glowing heat.

That process is exactly what makes a charcoal grill like the Weber® Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill, 22-Inch, Black so appealing.

The first thing I notice about the Weber Original Kettle Premium is that it doesn't try to look complicated. It has the familiar round kettle shape, a black porcelain-enameled bowl and lid, a cooking grate, vents, wheels, and an ash catcher underneath. But once you start using it, those simple-looking parts begin working together in a surprisingly practical way.

Weber lists the 22-inch model with a 363-square-inch primary cooking area and says it can accommodate food for roughly 6–8 people. The grill also includes a built-in lid thermometer, hinged cooking grate, adjustable dampers, and Weber's One-Touch cleaning system.

So rather than simply looking at the specifications, let's walk through what actually happens when you use it.

Starting With the Charcoal

I always think the real test of a charcoal grill begins before the food ever touches the grate.

You start with charcoal in the bowl and arrange it according to the type of cooking you're planning to do. For something like burgers or steaks, you can build a hotter direct-heat zone. For larger cuts of meat or foods that need more time, you can arrange the charcoal to create an indirect cooking area.

That flexibility is one of the reasons the kettle design has remained popular.

Once the charcoal is lit, the Weber's dampers become important. Instead of simply letting the charcoal burn as hot as it wants, you can adjust the airflow through the vents. More airflow generally encourages the fire, while restricting airflow can reduce the heat.

The Weber Original Kettle Premium has adjustable dampers in the lid and bowl specifically for controlling the temperature.

And this is where the built-in thermometer becomes useful.

Rather than lifting the lid every few minutes and guessing what's happening inside, I can look at the thermometer mounted in the lid. Every time I leave the lid closed, I'm keeping more of the heat inside the cooking chamber.

That sounds like a small detail.

When you're cooking charcoal, it isn't.

The 22-Inch Cooking Area Feels Like the Sweet Spot

The 22-inch kettle is large enough to make a proper family meal without becoming an enormous piece of equipment taking over the patio.

Weber specifies a 22-inch diameter cooking grate and 363 square inches of primary cooking space. The manufacturer also describes the grill as suitable for cooking for approximately six to eight people.

In practical terms, this gives you enough room to spread food across the grate while still leaving yourself some flexibility.

For example, I can put burgers over the hotter section while leaving another part of the grate available for food that needs gentler heat.

That becomes particularly useful when everyone wants something different.

One person wants a well-done burger. Someone else wants theirs cooked less. Vegetables need time to soften without burning. And perhaps there are chicken pieces that need longer cooking.

Instead of treating the entire grill as one temperature zone, the kettle lets me think of the cooking surface as different areas.

That is one of the biggest advantages of learning how to cook with charcoal.

The Hinged Grate Is One of Those Features You Appreciate Mid-Cook

One small feature that makes a big difference is the hinged cooking grate.

Weber designed the plated-steel grate so that sections can be lifted to allow charcoal or fuel to be added without removing the entire cooking grate.

Imagine you're halfway through a cook and realize your charcoal is losing heat.

With a conventional grate, you may have to move your food, remove the grate, add fuel, put everything back, and try to recover your cooking temperature.

With the hinged design, I can lift the appropriate section, add charcoal, and put the grate back into position.

The food doesn't have to leave the grill.

That is exactly the kind of practical design decision I appreciate more after actually thinking through the cooking process.

Then Comes the Lid

The kettle lid is more important than it looks.

When I'm grilling something quickly over direct heat, I can cook with the lid open or closed depending on the food and technique. But when I'm trying to turn the kettle into more of an oven-like environment, closing the lid becomes essential.

The porcelain-enameled lid helps retain heat, while the adjustable vents allow airflow and temperature to be controlled. Weber says the porcelain enamel is designed to withstand high temperatures and resist rust, peeling, and scratching.

The lid also has a hook, so instead of putting the hot lid on the ground, I can hang it from the side of the bowl while checking or turning food.

Again, it's not a flashy feature.

It's simply convenient.

Direct Grilling Is Where the Kettle Feels Most Familiar

Let's say I'm making burgers.

I get the charcoal going, establish a hot cooking zone, place the burgers on the grate, and start cooking.

The round cooking area gives me plenty of room to move the burgers around if one section becomes hotter than another. If I need to slow something down, I can move it away from the hottest charcoal.

That's the beauty of charcoal cooking.

I'm not locked into one temperature.

I'm managing the fire.

And because the Weber has adjustable vents and a lid thermometer, I have two useful tools for understanding what's happening inside the kettle rather than relying entirely on guesswork.

But the Weber Isn't Only About Burgers

This is where the Original Kettle Premium becomes more interesting.

The same grill can be used for much more than burgers, hot dogs, and steaks.

With the right charcoal arrangement, I can cook chicken using indirect heat, roast vegetables, prepare larger cuts of meat, or experiment with low-and-slow cooking.

Weber even identifies a smoke/low-and-slow vent setting for the model.

The basic technique is straightforward.

I place the charcoal toward one side of the kettle and keep the other side free from direct charcoal. Food goes over the cooler section, and the lid goes on.

Now the heat can circulate around the food instead of blasting directly underneath it.

That turns the kettle into something much more versatile than a simple open charcoal grill.

The Porcelain-Enameled Bowl Is Built for Real Outdoor Cooking

Outdoor cooking equipment has to deal with heat, weather, grease, smoke, and repeated use.

The Original Kettle Premium uses a porcelain-enameled bowl and lid. Weber says this finish helps retain heat and is resistant to rust, peeling, and scratching.

That matters because a charcoal grill isn't something I want to treat like delicate kitchen equipment.

I'm going to light fires inside it.

I'm going to get grease on it.

I'm going to cook when the weather is warm, and eventually I'm going to have to clean it.

The construction is therefore an important part of the ownership experience.

Cleaning Is Surprisingly Simple

This is probably the part of charcoal grilling that people think about before buying one.

"What am I going to do with all that ash?"

The Weber has an answer built into the design.

Its One-Touch cleaning system uses a mechanism inside the bowl to sweep ash down into an enclosed high-capacity ash catcher. Weber describes the ash catcher as enclosed and designed to help contain the ash, while the One-Touch system allows the ash to be cleared with a swipe.

After the grill has completely cooled, I can operate the cleaning system and move the remaining ash into the catcher.

That doesn't mean charcoal grilling is completely maintenance-free.

It isn't.

But it does mean I don't have to scoop loose ash out of the bottom of the kettle every time I finish cooking.

Moving the Grill Around the Patio

The Weber Original Kettle Premium also comes with two durable all-weather wheels.

That makes a difference when I'm deciding where to position the grill.

Maybe I want it closer to the outdoor table while everyone is eating. Maybe I want to move it farther away while lighting the charcoal. Or perhaps I simply want to store it somewhere else after the cook.

The wheels make that much easier than carrying or dragging a large charcoal grill.

There is also a bottom wire shelf, which gives me a convenient place to keep some grilling accessories or supplies while I'm cooking.

What About Beginners?

This is one of the most interesting questions about the Weber Original Kettle Premium.

Is a charcoal grill actually suitable for someone who has never cooked over charcoal?

I would say the learning curve is real, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The first few cooks teach you how charcoal behaves.

You learn how much fuel you need.

You learn what different vent positions do.

You learn how quickly the grill responds to additional airflow.

You learn why constantly opening the lid isn't helping.

And eventually you stop thinking about all of those things separately.

They become part of the cooking process.

The built-in thermometer and adjustable dampers make that learning process more understandable because you have something tangible to watch while experimenting.

What I Like Most About the Weber Original Kettle Premium

After breaking down the entire cooking process, several features stand out.

The 22-inch size gives me enough cooking space for family meals without making the grill excessively large.

The built-in thermometer lets me monitor the temperature without opening the lid.

The adjustable dampers give me control over airflow and therefore help me manage the charcoal fire.

The hinged grate makes adding charcoal during a cook much easier.

The porcelain-enameled bowl and lid are designed for heat retention and outdoor durability.

The One-Touch cleaning system makes ash removal much less tedious.

And perhaps most importantly, the kettle can handle both direct and indirect cooking.

That's what makes it more than a basic charcoal grill.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

The Weber Original Kettle Premium is still a charcoal grill.

That means it won't behave like a gas grill.

I have to light the charcoal.

I have to wait for it to reach the right stage.

I have to pay attention to airflow.

And cleanup still requires dealing with charcoal ash.

For someone who wants to press a button and start cooking immediately, those characteristics may feel like extra work.

But if the whole reason I'm looking at a charcoal grill is because I want the flavor, process, and control that come with cooking over charcoal, those same characteristics become part of the appeal.

Another thing worth remembering is that the grill's advertised capacity doesn't mean I should cover every inch of the grate with food. Leaving room to move food between hotter and cooler areas is often more useful than simply trying to maximize the number of burgers on the grate.

Weber Original Kettle Premium: The Bigger Picture

After going through the entire experience—from lighting charcoal to controlling airflow, cooking over direct and indirect heat, monitoring temperature, adding fuel, and finally clearing the ash—the appeal of the Weber Original Kettle Premium becomes easier to understand.

It isn't trying to automate the grilling experience.

It gives me the tools to manage it myself.

The 22-inch kettle provides a substantial cooking surface, the lid creates a controlled cooking environment, the thermometer shows what's happening inside, the dampers help manage airflow, and the hinged grate makes mid-cook adjustments easier. The One-Touch system then helps deal with one of the least enjoyable parts of charcoal cooking: the ash.

And that's ultimately what makes this style of grill so enjoyable.

I don't just put food on a machine and wait.

I build the fire.

I control it.

I move the food.

I adjust the heat.

I close the lid.

I check the temperature.

And eventually, I sit down with everyone else and eat.

For a charcoal-grilling setup, the Weber® Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill, 22-Inch, Black is designed around exactly that experience.

Final Thoughts

The Weber Original Kettle Premium 22-inch is a traditional charcoal grill with a collection of practical features that make the traditional process easier to manage.

Its 363-square-inch cooking area, hinged cooking grate, built-in thermometer, adjustable dampers, porcelain-enameled construction, wheels, and One-Touch ash-cleaning system give it considerably more versatility than its simple appearance might suggest.

Most importantly, it leaves room for the cook to actually participate.

And sometimes that's the whole point of grilling.

You light the charcoal, smell the smoke, watch the temperature climb, listen to the food begin to sizzle, and slowly turn a pile of raw ingredients into dinner.

That's the part a charcoal kettle still does better than a button ever could.