I grew up with a Weber grill.   It's the classic charcoal grill that has been around for decades.  People love them, and I had a hand me down Weber grill that finally broke down a few years back.  As a wedding gift, we got a gas grill.  It did it's job for about 2 years, before it crapped out as well.  It was time to go back the classic, so I started shopping around.  I found myself zeroing in on the Original Kettle Premium 22."  It was a good choice.

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This isn't your ordinary Weber you grew up with.   Let's start from the bottom up.  It's got a grate on the bottom that helps stabilize the legs.  It has a unique pop in locking device so the legs can't come out from the base.  That's handy as I'm sure if you used an old weber in the past, the legs fell out at least once while you were trying to move it.  Not with this premium.  Nice added touch.

Next, you have the ash catcher and draft system on the bottom.  It's nice to not have to worry about ashes and embers blowing away from the bottom.  The vent system has been improved over the years too, so all you have to do is move the handle, instead of adjusting the 4 hole butterfly vents.  Just one turn and all the vents are adjusted.

The inside of the kettle is solid, just like Weber is known for.  You pay more for a Weber, but you get more steel.  It's heavy, and that's what you want.  The nice upgrade with the premium is the 2 access points you get on the top grate.  You can flip open the slots on either side to add more charcoal, wood, or whatever you need to get under the cooking surface.  Perfect if you are using the grill as a smoker, which is very possible.

The lid is once again solid and heavy.  An added design that's really nice is a heat shield under the handle on the lid.  That was a gripe of mine about the old Weber grills.  The handle would be too hot.   Not on this one.

And next, the reason I bought the premium:  The built in thermometer.  It's an accurate thermometer that is really essential for any type of grilling beyond cooking hamburgers and hot dogs.  I plan on using the versatile Weber for smoking too, and it is possible.  A simple search on YouTube will show a hundred different videos on how people use these grills.

There's a cult following for the classic Weber, and the Premium will turn anyone into a follower.

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