- Type: Premium 57 cm charcoal kettle BBQ with lid
- Best for: People who want one grill that can do weeknight burgers, low‑and‑slow cooks and occasional “project” cooks (pizza, roasts, etc.)
- Price bracket: ~ £220 – £260 Upper end of kettle grills – you pay a noticeable premium over a basic Weber Original, but still far below ceramic kamados.
Build quality and design
This is my favourite BBQ and most long‑term owners say the Master‑Touch feels like a refined version of the classic Weber kettle rather than a different beast.
- The bowl and lid use Weber’s familiar porcelain‑enamel coating and heavy‑gauge steel, and mine has stood up to years of rough weather and accidental knocks without rusting.
- Compared with cheaper kettles, you get a taller stance, larger wheels and a sturdier, better‑shaped lid with a rear cradle so you can park it securely instead of balancing it on a hook or dumping it on the patio.
- A built‑in lid thermometer, improved heat‑shielded handle and a “cool‑touch” top vent knob all address niggles people had with older Weber kettles where metal parts simply got too hot to touch.
Overall, the consensus is that it feels like a proper long‑term investment appliance rather than a disposable BBQ, which matches Weber’s 10‑year warranty positioning.
Cooking performance
The key for BBQ’s like this is that you need to learn how to use the vents. Learn that and the Master‑Touch is extremely capable for both direct and indirect grilling.
- I have tested with whole birds and larger cuts which have had even cooking and excellent heat retention with various types of briquettes.
- Classic two‑zone cooking is easy to setup: charcoal to the sides, food in the middle, lid on – effectively turning it into an outdoor oven for roasts, ribs and indirect cooks rather than just burgers over flames.
- The taller lid, better grate and charcoal baskets make it noticeably easier to manage longer cooks and basic smoking than on entry‑level units.
It will still happily smash out sausages and burgers, but you really notice the extra control when you start doing joints of meat, reverse‑seared steaks or “low and slow” cooks.
Versatility and the GBS system
Where the Master‑Touch really sets itself apart is the Gourmet BBQ System (GBS) cooking grate and how it opens up different cooking styles.
- The standard 57 cm grate is heavier‑duty than on cheaper Webers and has hinged sides so you can easily top up fuel or wood chunks mid‑cook without lifting the whole thing off.
- The removable central insert lets you drop in accessories like a sear grate, pizza stone, wok, poultry roaster, Dutch oven, griddle or waffle iron, effectively turning the kettle into a modular outdoor cooker.
- It can be used it for curries, risottos, chillies and bread as well as standard BBQ fare, describing it as “an outdoor oven but more versatile.”
The accessories are all extra cost, so the Master‑Touch becomes genuinely “do‑it‑all” only if you’re willing to invest further in the ecosystem.
Ease of use and cleaning
For day‑to‑day ownership, the Master‑Touch’s convenience upgrades are what many buyers end up valuing most.
- Ash management: The One‑Touch cleaning system with a fully enclosed ash catcher is repeatedly called out as a game‑changer versus open trays or cheap kettles. You just work the lever to scrape ash down, then lift out the canister when cool – far less mess and less ash blowing around the patio.
- Vent control: The bottom vents are shaped and linked to the cleaning lever, making it easier to adjust airflow and see roughly how open you are, which helps hold steady temperatures for longer cooks.
- Assembly and mobility: Its easy to install and comes with clear instructions, and once built the larger wheels and taller stance make it easier to wheel around uneven patios and lawns.
Verdict: who the Master‑Touch is (and isn’t) for
If you want a single, do‑almost‑everything charcoal BBQ for a UK garden – from quick weeknight grills to weekend roasts and the odd “BBQ project” – the Weber Master‑Touch 57 cm is one of the strongest all‑rounders you can buy.
It’s probably not the right choice if:
- You only ever plan to cook burgers and sausages a few times each summer.
- You don’t care about indirect cooking, smoking or accessories and just want the cheapest thing that burns charcoal.
But if you’re building an outdoor kitchen or know you’ll actually use the lid, vents and accessories properly, the combination of build quality, versatility, easy cleaning and a huge ecosystem of add‑ons is why so many say they’re “glad they spent the extra.”
