Weber Original Kettle 22 review
Buy it if you want one grill to learn charcoal on. 363 square inches, a four-clause warranty, one damper. Coverage built from Weber's published specs.
Verdict8 out of 10
Pros
- Porcelain enameled bowl and lid, covered for 10 years against rust through and burn through
- 363 square inches with no warming rack padding: primary and total are the same number
- One damper, and no igniter or battery anywhere in Weber's listing, so there is very little on it to fail
Cons
- Weber lists the Premium's grate as hinged and this one's as plated steel only, so adding charcoal mid-cook means lifting a loaded grate
- No lid thermometer in Weber's spec table for this part
- Weber publishes no assembled weight
Who this is for
- You are buying a first charcoal grill and want the model everything else gets compared to
- You cook over direct heat most of the time, and a long smoke is the exception
Who should skip it
- Charcoal, for you, means ribs and pork shoulder. The Premium's hinged grate earns its extra cost every time you add fuel mid-cook.
- You cook for big groups on one grate. 363 square inches feeds a family, not a party.
| Primary cooking areaSee footnote 1 | 363 sq in |
|---|---|
| Total cooking areaSee footnote 1 | 363 sq in |
| Bowl diameter | 22 in |
| Grate material | Plated steel |
| Bowl and lid material | Porcelain enameled |
| Lid thermometerSee footnote 2 | Not listed |
| Wheels | 2 |
| Dampers | 1 |
| Assembled widthSee footnote 3 | 22.5 in |
| Assembled depthSee footnote 3 | 25 in |
| Assembled heightSee footnote 3 | 39.5 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. |
| Color | Black |
- Weber publishes the same figure for primary and total cooking area on both kettles. Neither has a warming rack.
- Weber's specification table for part 741001 has no thermometer row and its feature list does not mention one. Recorded as published rather than as a measured absence.
- Weber measures with the lid closed.
Specifications from the manufacturer and named third parties. Last read 2026-07-25.
The Original Kettle is the grill the rest of the charcoal grills category gets measured against. If you want one grill to learn charcoal on, this is the answer, and the only real question left is whether the Premium's extras are worth paying for.
What 363 square inches gets you
Weber publishes 363 square inches of primary cooking area and 363 square inches of total cooking area. The two numbers are the same because there is no warming rack. Plenty of grills pad the total with a rack that will not take a burger. This one has nothing to pad with, so the number you compare is the number you cook on.
The bowl is 22 inches across. Assembled, Weber measures it at 22.5 inches wide, 25 inches deep and 39.5 inches tall, all with the lid closed.
The warranty, clause by clause
Weber publishes four clauses, not one number. The bowl and lid carry 10 years against rust through and burn through. The One-Touch cleaning system carries 5 years. Plastic components carry 5 years, excluding fading or discoloration. Everything else carries 2 years.
Retail listings flatten this into a single line, usually the 10 year figure, which reads like the whole grill is covered for a decade. Only the bowl and lid are. The One-Touch system gets half that, and most of the rest gets 2 years. Read the clauses, not the headline number.
What Weber does not publish
Two absences worth knowing before you order.
Weber's specification table for part 741001 has no thermometer row, and the feature list does not mention one. That is how Weber publishes this grill, and it is recorded here as published. If you want to know what is happening under the lid, budget for an instant read probe, which answers a better question than a lid dial does anyway.
Weber also publishes no assembled weight for this part. If the grill has to go up stairs or into a car trunk, the spec sheet will not tell you what you are lifting.
One damper, two wheels, one lever
The hardware list is short. Weber lists one damper, two wheels, a plated steel grate, and a porcelain enameled bowl and lid. The One-Touch cleaning system carries its own warranty clause, at 5 years.
Short is the point. One damper is the entire airflow control Weber lists. The page shows no battery, no igniter and no regulator, so almost nothing on this grill can fail in a way a new part will not fix.
Should you buy the Premium instead?
The Premium shares the bowl, the 363 square inches, and the warranty, clause for clause. It adds a hinged grate and a built-in lid thermometer, and Weber lists its ash catcher as enclosed and high capacity, a description this kettle's page does not carry. Weber lists this kettle's grate as plated steel and the Premium's as plated steel, hinged. That one word is the real decision, because a hinged grate lets you drop in charcoal partway through a cook without lifting a grate full of food.
If ribs and pork shoulder are the reason you are buying charcoal, buy the Premium and stop reading. The full breakdown, including which of the three extras are worth paying for, is in the kettle vs Premium comparison.