Weber Jumbo Joe vs Smokey Joe
The Jumbo Joe Premium carries a full 363 square inch kettle grate that still travels. The Smokey Joe's 147 square inches is for two people and one hand.
Every figure was read off weber.com on 26 July 2026, from the specification panels for part 1321001 and part 1501695. Weber measures assembled dimensions with the lid closed, and publishes no weight for either grill, so no weight appears here.
| Specification | Weber Jumbo Joe Premium 22"Winner | Weber Smokey Joe 14" |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | Charcoal | Charcoal |
| Primary cooking area | 363 sq in | 147 sq in |
| Total cooking areaSee footnote 1 | 363 sq in | 147 sq in |
| Bowl diameterSee footnote 2 | 22 in | 14 in |
| Grate materialSee footnote 3 | Plated steel cooking grate | Plated steel cooking grate |
| Bowl and lid materialSee footnote 4 | Not published | Porcelain-enamel finish |
| Ash catcher | Yes | Yes |
| Wheels | 2 | Not published |
| DampersSee footnote 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Lid hook | Lid hook to hang lid on bowl while cooking | Not published |
| Lid lock | Not published | Tuck-N-Carry Lid Lock doubles as lid holder |
| Handles | 2 | 1 |
| Assembled widthSee footnote 6 | 22 in | 14.2 in |
| Assembled depthSee footnote 7 | 24.8 in | 16.5 in |
| Assembled heightSee footnote 8 | 38.6 in | 17 in |
| Warranty | Bowl and lid 10 years, no rust through or burn through. One-Touch cleaning system 5 years. Plastic components 5 years, excluding fading or discoloration. All remaining parts 2 years. | Bowl and lid 10 years, no rust through or burn through. One-Touch cleaning system 5 years. Plastic components 5 years, excluding fading or discoloration. All remaining parts 2 years. |
| Color | Black | Black |
| Where to buy | $98 at Amazon.com, checked Check latest price at Amazon.com | $54.99 at Amazon.com, checked Check latest price at Amazon.com |
- Weber publishes primary and total as the same 147 sq in figure; there is no warming rack
- Published spec row is labeled simply 'Diameter (inches)'
- Body copy also describes it as 'Rust-resistant plated-steel cooking grate'
- Weber describes the finish, not the substrate, on this page
- Count of rust-resistant aluminum dampers; body copy also states 'Lid and bowl dampers for precise heat control'
- Lid closed (Weber's published basis); W component of the single published dimension row
- Lid closed (Weber's published basis); D component of the single published dimension row
- Lid closed (Weber's published basis); H component of the single published dimension row
Which one, in one line
One grill has to cover the tailgate and the patio. The Jumbo Joe Premium. It carries the full 22 inch kettle grate, 363 square inches, on a frame sized to travel.
The grill rides in a trunk and cooks for two. The Smokey Joe. Lid closed it stands 17 inches tall, and the lid lock means it carries in one hand.
The grill will never leave the patio. Neither. Portability is the whole reason this pair exists. Start at the charcoal grills page instead.
How much bigger is the Jumbo Joe?
The Jumbo Joe Premium gives you 363 square inches of cooking area in a published 22 inch diameter. The Smokey Joe gives you 147 square inches in a 14 inch diameter. Weber publishes primary and total as the same figure for both, because neither grill has a warming rack.
That 363 is the same cooking area as Weber's full size 22 inch kettle. Nothing about the cooking surface shrank to make it portable. If you cook for four or more away from home, this is the number doing the work in this comparison.
The Smokey Joe's 147 square inches reads small because it is. It covers dinner for one or two. A 14 inch bowl also leaves little room to push coals to one side and keep food off the direct heat, so plan on cooking over the fire rather than beside it.
Which one fits in a car trunk?
Both can, but only the Smokey Joe fits without planning. It measures 17 inches tall, 14.2 wide and 16.5 deep with the lid closed. The Jumbo Joe Premium measures 38.6 inches tall, 22 wide and 24.8 deep, lid closed, which means a folded rear seat in many cars.
Weber publishes no weight for either grill. Retail listings carry numbers, but they disagree with each other and cannot be checked against the manufacturer, so there is no weight row on this page.
Moving them is different work. Weber lists two wheels and two handles for the Jumbo Joe Premium, so it rolls to the car and loads with both hands. The Smokey Joe has one handle, and with the lid locked down it travels like a bucket.
What do the lid hook and the lid lock actually do?
The Smokey Joe's Tuck-N-Carry lid lock holds the lid to the bowl, so the grill carries as one closed unit, and the same lock doubles as a lid holder during the cook. Weber's page for the Jumbo Joe Premium lists a lid hook instead, which hangs the open lid on the bowl.
This sounds minor and is not. A kettle lid with nowhere to go ends up on the grass, enamel side down, every time you check the food. Both grills solve that. Only the Smokey Joe also solves the transport problem, because a hooked lid is a parked lid, not a locked one. If your picture of ownership is one hand on the grill and the other on a cooler, that is the Smokey Joe's argument in a sentence.
Are they built the same underneath?
Closer than the size gap suggests. Both use a plated steel cooking grate. Both have two rust-resistant aluminum dampers, one in the lid and one in the bowl. Both have an ash catcher underneath. The warranty text is the same on both pages, all four clauses of it.
The four clauses match the full size kettles word for word: 10 years on bowl and lid rust-through, 5 on the One-Touch system, 5 on plastics with fading excluded, 2 on the rest.
One gap in the published record. Weber describes the Smokey Joe's bowl as a porcelain-enamel finish, and describes the finish rather than the metal under it. The Jumbo Joe Premium's page does not name a bowl material at all. The ten year rust through clause on both is the durability answer Weber is willing to put in writing.
What do they cost?
Weber lists the Jumbo Joe Premium at $99 and the Smokey Joe at $54.99, both list price, read from weber.com on 26 July 2026. Retail numbers drift, so check the live price on this page before you buy. At Weber's own numbers, money is not the deciding axis here.
Size and carrying are. Both prices sit low enough that buying the wrong size to save the difference is a bad trade. A grill that is too small for your table gets replaced. A grill that is too bulky to load stays home.
Who should buy which one?
Get the Jumbo Joe Premium if:
- One grill has to work at home all week and travel on weekends
- You cook for four or more people away from the house
- A folded rear seat is a price you will pay for a full size grate
Get the Smokey Joe if:
- You cook for one or two
- The grill carries in one hand: beach, campsite, a balcony that allows charcoal
- Storage space is tight at home too
Common questions
Is the Jumbo Joe Premium just a portable Original Kettle? The cooking area is. Weber lists 363 square inches and a 22 inch diameter for both grills. If yours will never travel, that decision is covered in the Original Kettle comparison.
Can the Smokey Joe smoke? It has the same lid and bowl damper setup as the bigger grill, so it can hold a lid temperature. But a 14 inch bowl leaves almost no room to bank coals away from the food, and a small fire needs refueling often on a long cook. Treat it as a direct heat grill.
Why is there no weight listed? Weber publishes no weight for either grill. Retailers print numbers, but they disagree with each other and cannot be verified against the manufacturer, so this page leaves the cell empty.
Does either have a warming rack? No. Weber publishes primary and total cooking area as the same figure on both pages. 363 and 147 square inches are the whole of it.
When the other one is the better buy
The Smokey Joe is the right buy when the grill travels more than it cooks at home. It stands 17 inches tall with the lid closed, the lid lock lets it carry in one hand, and 147 square inches covers dinner for two. If most of your cooking is for one or two people, the smaller grill is the honest choice as well as the cheaper one.