The best kettle BBQ in the UK for 2026: five charcoal kettles from £149 to £560

Published 27 May 2026 · Last updated 11 October 2026 · By Ben Austen · Affiliate disclosure

If you’re buying a charcoal kettle BBQ in the UK, you’re mostly choosing a Weber, and if you’re new to charcoal that’s where I’d start. I cooked on a Weber Master-Touch for more than twenty years, so that’s the one kettle here I know first-hand. I haven’t cooked on the other four. What I say about them comes from the makers’ own specs and from other owners, and I checked every price in October 2026. The five picks run from £149 to £560.

The five picks

Tick Compare on any two or more to see them side by side.

Key takeaways

• The Master-Touch GBS at £299 is the kettle I’d buy. I cooked on one for more than twenty years.
• The Original Kettle at £149 is the cheapest Weber. You lose the hinged grate and the Gourmet BBQ System centre.
• The Original Kettle Premium at £239 puts the hinged grate back.
• The Performer Premium Smart holds the temperature for you with a fan. It’s £560 at World of Weber. If you already own a Master-Touch GBS, the £289 Smart Ring does that job for less.
• The Slow ‘N Sear at £299.99 comes with a charcoal basket and water reservoir built in, set up for long cooks.

At a glance — the five picks

	Price (Oct 2026)	Where	Hinged grate	Best for
Weber Master-Touch GBS 57cm	£299	Weber UK	Yes	Most people
Weber Original Kettle 57cm	£149	World of Weber	No	A Weber on a budget
Weber Original Kettle Premium 57cm	£239	Weber UK	Yes	The hinged grate for less
Weber Performer Premium Smart 57cm	£560	World of Weber	Yes	App and fan control
Slow ‘N Sear Black Edition 22″	£299.99	ProSmoke	Yes	Long cooks

Best overall: Weber Master-Touch GBS 57cm, £299

The Master-Touch GBS is the kettle I’d buy. It’s £299 at Weber UK. I cooked on one for more than twenty years, until about five years ago, and it was the only kettle I had in all that time. With a chimney starter and lump charcoal it was easy to light, and once it was going it burned for a long time with a nice even heat. Mine lasted forever and didn’t really rust. If you want app control later, the £289 Kettle Smart Ring fits it. I’d buy the kettle first and add the Ring six months to a year later, once you’ve learned the vents.

The grate is hinged, so you can flip it up and add coals mid-cook, and its centre lifts out for Weber’s Gourmet BBQ System inserts, like a pizza stone or a griddle. There’s a thermometer in the lid and a Tuck-Away holder that hooks the lid onto the side of the bowl. Underneath, a One-Touch lever sweeps the ash into an enclosed catcher. Weber gives it a 10-year limited warranty.

If burgers, sausages, wings and thighs are most of what you cook, it’s all you need. You can do long cooks on a Weber kettle too. I never did them on mine, but Max Good, who tests grills full time for AmazingRibs, calls the Original Kettle “excellent for all types of cooking from searing steaks to smoking ribs”.

The downsides, from my own years with it: cleaning it out was a bit of a faff, and there’s no fan or app control unless you add the Ring. With little kids around, I also think a kettle is a bit more dangerous than a kamado.

It’s £299 at Weber UK. My Weber Master-Touch review goes into more detail.

Best budget: Weber Original Kettle 57cm, £149

The Original Kettle is the plain Weber kettle, and at £149 it’s the cheapest way into one. That’s the price at World of Weber. Weber UK lists it at £169.99.

It’s the same 57cm porcelain-enamelled bowl and lid as the Master-Touch, with a damper in the lid and one in the bowl, a thermometer in the lid, and a One-Touch lever that sweeps the ash into a catcher. Weber gives it the same 10-year limited warranty.

What you give up is the hinged grate. To add coals mid-cook you have to lift the grate off, and its centre doesn’t lift out for the Gourmet BBQ System inserts. The lid hangs on a hook rather than the Tuck-Away holder, and the legs are standard height, where the Master-Touch’s are 5cm taller.

I haven’t cooked on this one. The cheap, thin kettles you see in DIY shops heat unevenly and just break, so at this money I’d still go Weber.

Hinged grate for less: Weber Original Kettle Premium 57cm, £239

The Original Kettle Premium sits between the two. It’s £239 at Weber UK.

It has the Master-Touch’s hinged grate, which takes the Gourmet BBQ System inserts, and the same 5cm taller legs. The ash goes into an enclosed, high-capacity catcher like the Master-Touch’s. What it doesn’t have is the Tuck-Away lid holder, so the lid hangs on a hook, and it doesn’t come with the Char-Rails that Weber includes with the Master-Touch for arranging the coals. That’s most of the Master-Touch for £60 less. I haven’t cooked on it.

Don’t mix it up with the Master-Touch Premium. That’s a different kettle, with a hinged lid, at £409 at Weber UK.

Best smart kettle: Weber Performer Premium Smart 57cm, £560

The Performer Premium Smart is a 57cm Weber kettle built into a cart, with a side table, two shelves and a fan controller. You set the temperature on the controller or in the Weber Connect app, and a fan blows air into the coals to hold it there. There are two probe ports and one food probe in the box, and the app sends you alerts. You can still run it by hand on the dampers.

World of Weber had it at £560. Weber UK lists it at £719. The kettle part matches the Master-Touch, with the Tuck-Away lid holder, the hinged grate for the Gourmet BBQ System and the One-Touch ash lever. It weighs 41kg and is 121cm wide with the cart, so measure your space.

I haven’t used a smart kettle. I’d say the same here as I do about the Smart Ring: learn the vents first, then decide whether you want a fan doing it for you. If you already own a Master-Touch GBS, the £289 Kettle Smart Ring adds a fan and app control to it for less.

Best for low-and-slow: Slow ‘N Sear Black Edition 22″ kettle, £299.99

The Slow ‘N Sear started as an insert for Weber kettles, and SnS Grills now sells its own 22-inch kettle with the insert built in. The insert is a charcoal basket with a water reservoir that sits against one side of the bowl, so you get a hot side and a cool side. ProSmoke had the Black Edition at £299.99, down from £379.99.

The grate is SnS’s EasySpin, which is hinged for adding coals and spins round so you can move food off the heat. There’s a probe port for a thermometer lead and a cradle that holds the lid off the ground. The lid and bowl are porcelain enamel, with a 10-year warranty.

I haven’t cooked on one. AmazingRibs smoked ribs on the Slow ‘N Sear kettle at 107°C (225°F), said the setup “worked great” and gave it their Best Value Platinum Medal. One owner on ProSmoke’s page says he managed an 8-hour cook without topping up the charcoal. A Weber does long cooks well too, in my view. The SnS just comes set up for them.

How to spot a kettle that isn’t worth buying

• Thin metal. The cheap kettles you see in DIY shops are thin, and they heat unevenly and just break. A Weber bowl and lid are porcelain-enamelled steel.
• Dampers you can’t close. You control the heat with the vents, one in the lid and one in the bowl, so both need to open and shut properly.
• No proper ash catcher. Without one, the ash ends up on your patio.
• No way to add coals. A hinged grate lets you top up the fire without taking the food off.

How to choose

• Most of what you cook is quick stuff over hot coals: the Master-Touch GBS.
• £149 is your limit: the Original Kettle. If you’d go lower, I’d look for a secondhand Master-Touch before a cheap new kettle.
• You want the hinged grate for less: the Original Kettle Premium.
• You want app control from day one: the Performer Premium Smart. If you already own a Weber kettle, check whether the Smart Ring fits it first.
• You want a kettle set up for long cooks out of the box: the Slow ‘N Sear.
• You’re still weighing a kettle against a kamado: my guide to the best BBQ for first-time buyers covers that choice.

Common questions

Which is the best charcoal kettle BBQ?

For most people, the Weber Master-Touch GBS at £299. It’s the kettle I cooked on for more than twenty years, and the one I’d buy again.

Are kettle barbecues any good?

Yes. Mine was easy to light, burned for a long time with an even heat, and lasted more than twenty years without really rusting. I only did quick cooks on it, but in my view a Weber kettle does long cooks well too.

What is a kettle charcoal barbecue?

A round bowl with a domed lid, on legs, that you fill with charcoal. There’s a vent in the bottom of the bowl and one in the lid, and you control the heat by opening and closing them. You can cook straight over the coals, or push them to one side and cook on the other side with the lid down.

Who makes the best charcoal kettle?

In the UK, buying a kettle mostly means buying a Weber, especially if you’re new to it. The Slow ‘N Sear is the one non-Weber here, and it’s built around long cooks.

What’s the difference between the Master-Touch and the Original Kettle?

The Master-Touch has a hinged grate with a centre that lifts out for Weber’s Gourmet BBQ System inserts, a Tuck-Away lid holder, an enclosed ash catcher and legs 5cm taller. The Original Kettle has a plain grate, a lid hook and standard legs. They share the same 57cm bowl, lid and 10-year limited warranty, and the Original costs £149 against the Master-Touch’s £299.

Lump charcoal or briquettes on a kettle?

Lump, every time. That’s what I cooked on with my Master-Touch, lit in a chimney starter. Briquettes have a place, say for an Airbnb barbecue or instant-light bags, but they’re not what I’d buy for a kettle.

Sources and how I checked

• My own Weber Master-Touch, cooked on for more than twenty years until about five years ago.
• Weber UK product pages for the Master-Touch GBS, Original Kettle, Original Kettle Premium and Performer Premium Smart: specs, features and prices, October 2026.
• World of Weber (wowbbq.co.uk): prices for the Original Kettle and Performer Premium Smart, October 2026.
• ProSmoke BBQ: the Slow ‘N Sear Black Edition’s features, price and one owner’s review, October 2026.

How I got this, and what I’ve spent

My parents bought my Master-Touch around 2000, and I don’t know what they paid for it. Nobody sent me any of these kettles, and nobody at Weber, SnS Grills or the shops has seen this before you have. The photos are Weber’s and ProSmoke’s own, because I don’t have any of mine. None of the links here are affiliate links, so nothing here earns a commission.

Final verdict

For most people buying a charcoal kettle BBQ in the UK, the Weber Master-Touch GBS at £299 is the one I’d buy. It’s what I cooked on for more than twenty years. On a tighter budget, the £149 Original Kettle is still a proper Weber. If you’d rather a fan held the temperature, the Performer Premium Smart does that out of the box, or you can add the Smart Ring to a Master-Touch later. And if long cooks are what you’re after, the Slow ‘N Sear comes set up for them.