Weber Master-Touch 22-Inch Charcoal Grill Review

Weber Master-Touch is somewhere in the middle when it comes to 22-inch weber charcoal grills. It’s cheaper than the Original and Premium models but doesn’t have side table or some of the other features more expensive models like Performer or Performer Deluxe have.

Weber Master-Touch 22-Inch Charcoal Grill

Weber Master-Touch has a cooking area of 363 square inches. It cooks really well but that stands true for all Weber charcoal grills. The temperature is very easy to control with the adjustable air vent. There’s also built-in thermometer so you can track temperature and adjust air flow accordingly.

Weber Master-Touch 22-Inch charcoal grill comes with gourmet BBQ system hinged cooking grate with removable middle section that’s compatible with Weber BBQ system inserts (like cast iron pan, wok, pizza stone, sear grate and others. They are sold separately and don’t come with this grill).

Other features of Weber 14501001 Master Touch grill include One-Touch cleaning system (removable ash catcher that makes clean up easy and simple), tuck-away lid holder, warming rack and weber brick baskets.

Quality

Overall quality is really good. Weber Master-Touch is well made and sturdy, grates are nice heavy gauge metal. The only thing they might have made sturdier are the legs but it’s really nitpicking at this point.

Weber Kettle Master Touch vs Weber Kettle Premium

If you are considering to buy Weber Master-Touch it probably means you don’t need a side table making Weber Kettle Premium the closest alternative. So what are the main differences between the two and is Master Touch worth the extra money?

The first thing you notice is that Weber Kettle Master Touch is slightly taller than the Premium. Not by a huge margin but it certainly makes cooking a bit easier. Master Touch also has slightly bigger wheels which work a bit better but the difference isn’t significant.

After that you start to notice more important things. On the Master Touch the adjustable air vent on the lid has plastic handle that makes it safer (cooler) to touch whereas the Premium grill doesn’t have one. There are some differences when it comes to bottom vent too: Master Touch has markings for how wide open the vent is as well has cutouts in vent slots.

What’s a bit surprising is that grate on the Master Touch is made of heavier gauge metal than on Premium. Master Touch also has tuck-away lid holder which in my opinion is a pretty important feature as you don’t have to worry about where to place the lid all the time.

Weber Kettle Master Touch comes with brick basket and warming rack (can be used for indirect heat cooking or smoking too) whereas the Weber Kettle Premium doesn’t. If you own the Premium can buy rick basket and warming rack separately.

Is Weber Kettle Master Touch worth the extra money? I think it’s pretty obvious that it’s (for most consumers at least) but if you decide to go for Premium then you shouldn’t feel bad as it’s a great grill as well.

Colors

Weber Master-Touch 22-Inch charcoal grill is sold in 6 different colors:

• Black (Weber 14501001)
• Ivory (Weber 14505601)
• Smoke (Weber 14510601)
• Spring Green (Weber 14511601)
• Slate Blue (Weber 14513601)
• Deep Ocean Blue (Weber 14516001)

Verdict

Weber Master-Touch is the best 22-inch charcoal grill if you don’t need side table. Don’t even look at other manufacturers, if you are in market for a charcoal grill just buy Weber. Grills from other manufacturers are often cheaply made or badly engineered but that’s not the case with Weber.

Weber Master-Touch 22-Inch Charcoal Grill Specifications:

• Grill type: Charcoal
• Diameter: 22 inches
• Cooking area: 363 square inches
• Warming rack area: 80 square inches
• Dimensions with lid closed (W x D x H): 24” x 29.5” x 42” (inches)
• Color options: 6
  • Black (Weber 14501001)
  • Ivory (Weber 14505601)
  • Smoke (Weber 14510601)
  • Spring Green (Weber 14511601)
  • Slate Blue (Weber 14513601)
  • Deep Ocean Blue (Weber 14516001)