Weber Charcoal Grill Original Kettle Premium Review

weber original premium kettle charcoal grill

The Weber Charcoal Grill 14401001 Original Kettle Premium is a tried and tested product which is still a big seller for the company. When looking for this type of grill, there are two things that are important to look out for. They are, stability and durability, so you know that it is both safe to use and long lasting.

 

Weber has been around since the 1950’s, they are an American company with a worldwide reputation. The kettle grill was their idea and this model has been around for long enough to become a popular choice. It’s the original American classic kettle grill and you can read more about it at Wikipedia.org.

 

Weber Charcoal Grill 14401001 Features

 

  • Large 22 inch cooking area
  • Plated steel hinged cooking grate
  • Porcelain enameled lid and bowl
  • Angled lid hooks
  • Rust proof aluminum damper
  • Handles are glass-reinforced nylon
  • Lid handle has a heat shield
  • Built in thermometer
  • One touch ash collection system
  • Spring loaded pins for the legs
  • All weather wheels
  • Built to last a long time

 

As you can see, there’s a lot going for this Weber charcoal grill. It’s not the smallest in the Original Kettle Series, it has a 22” cooking area which gives 363 square inches of space to cook. There are 18″, 26″ and 37” versions available, but depending on your requirements, the 22″ is a good size for a family.

 

Being the Premium model, the steel plate cooking grid is hinged on both sides which means you can easily move the charcoal around for better cooking or add more, without having to lift the grid off. This will make your cooking experience much easier, without the hassle of having to completely remove the grill.

 

Both the lid and bowl are porcelain enamelled for durability on the Webber Grill. The enamel is baked on at about 1500°f which actually fuses it to the steel. This is the sign of a quality product because doing this will help to prevent rust and damage through burning, meaning your charcoal grill should last for many years.

 

The angled lid hooks are a good safety feature. They’re positioned inside the lid so when you remove it you can use the hooks to hang the lid on the side of the bowl. This keeps it out of the way and stored ready for when you want to replace it. The handles are made from glass-reinforced nylon and the one on the lid has a heat shield for added safety, so it doesn’t get too hot.

 

With the rust proof aluminium dampers you can easily control the heat in your grill. You just need to rotate it to alter the amount of oxygen that’s let in, this adjusts the heat and helps to get better results. There’s also a thermometer built into the lid so you know the temperature inside and you can also tell when more charcoal needs adding.

 

Ash won’t sit in the bottom of the bowl because of the one touch ash collection system. It a very simple yet effective system, there’s a handle at the bottom which you move from side to side. This operates a three pronged ash sweeper which clears the ash into the ash catcher. You then pull the handle out and it lets the ash fall into a heatproof aluminum bowl which you remove and dispose of the waste.

 

The legs of this Weber charcoal grill have been improved as they are now held firmly in place with spring loaded pins. This makes the whole unit more stable and that means safer too. Two of the legs are fitted with all-weather wheels so the grill can easily be moved around and stored away.

 

Dimensions and Specifications

 

  • Size: 38.5 x 22.5 x 27 inches
  • Weight: 32.3 pounds
  • Cooking area: 363 square inches
  • Limited Warranty: 10 years on lid, bowl and grate

 

Pros:

 

  • Extremely well made
  • Easy to assemble
  • Hinged cooking grate
  • Ash collection system
  • Sturdy legs
  • Heat shield on lid handle

 

Cons:

 

  • Some assembly required
  • Plastic tires on wheels
  • Thermometer a little difficult to understand

 

Conclusion

 

If you’re looking for this type of charcoal grill Weber is a good bet. Why not go for the original because the quality which was there in the beginning is still there today, in fact its better. That’s probably to be expected with a grill which has been around for a long time, improvements need to be made as time goes on.

 

The legs used to just push into place, which was fine, but improvements have been made to make it more stable and easier to remove by using spring loaded pins. There’s also been an improvement to the lid handle by adding a heat shield so there’s less chance of getting burned when lifting it and the ash collector is better too.

 

There is some assembly required for this charcoal Webber Grill, but it really isn’t difficult and at least you know that it’s done properly if you do it yourself! The wheels are made from plastic, but they are described as “all weather” and plastic is virtually that, so it will last a long time. Having a thermometer in the lid is a great idea if you want to keep control over the temperature inside, but you will need to know how hot it needs to be and get used to controlling it.

 

The way in which the ash is dealt with is almost genius! We’ve all seen grills with ash left in the bottom and how messy it can become, especially if there’s been some rain. Well not with the Weber grill charcoal ash, the way in which the collection system works, means there’s virtually no mess at all.

 

The company has a very good reputation and it’s good to know they’re living up to it by continuing to produce high quality grills. The infusing of the enamel onto the bottom and the lid speaks for itself, it means it will last a very long time.

 

It’s always good to have a choice of sizes, but with a 22″ bowl and 363 square inches to cook on, this is a good choice for a fairly large gathering, but if you’d prefer something bigger, check our Weber Performer Review. Remember, this Weber charcoal grill, is the 14401001 Original Kettle Premium version.

weber original kettle premium grill

Weber Original

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