By: Melvin

Melvin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:12:21 +0000

I bought this grill (online) to replace the latest in a series of disappointing (and increasingly expensive) backyard BBQ’s that were costing me $100 worth of repair parts and considerable grief every year. Having had a single Weber charcoal grill for 25 years I knew they knew BBQ and quality. Reviewing the features of the Q series, it appeared to me ( as an engineer and discriminating BBQ’r,) that they had “a better idea. ”That said, the Weber web site is disappointing and tells you very little about the size and differences between the various Q series grills.Ok, here goes.My grill arrived standing on end in an apparent “rough delivery”. Opening the box I saw that it was packed SUPER securely with multiple layers of form fit HD card/ fiber board. Impressive packaging. . No damage. From there it took all of 5 minutes to assemble. Two pins for the cover, two screws for the handle , a nut for the thermometer . ANYBODY could do this in 10 min (with no more than a screwdriver.) I got the Q 220 model which is their, higher end, mid sized portable. Overall closed size is 31″ long x 16″ wide (with the cover handle and hinges sticking out a few more inch’s on each side . ). Closed height is approx 16″ off the table/ground. Grill surface area is slightly football shaped and has a max dimension of 15″wx 21″ long. The grill /grate itself is a 1 piece, massively heavy, ceramic coated cast iron with solid sections that protect the burner below from drippings (Very smart feature!) The cover of the Q220 is approx 7″ tall in the center and includes a thermometer. (BTW, that similar in height as a 22″ charcoal Weber and 1″ taller than the 200) IMHO, the grill size is “just right” for a home grill that can still double for the occasional trip to the park or grandma’s. It’s still light enough for one person to carry @ 36# (w cyl) and small enough to get into your truck but big enough to grill for a extended family. ( It will hold about 12 ¼ # burgers (or 9 and 8 dogs) at one time. Just as important, the mass of the cast iron allows you to cook predictably fast and rotate food through with a decent rate/speed. The extra cover height makes it adequate to grill a whole chicken, ½ turkey or family sized roast.As for performance, I was initially worried about the 12,500 BTU rating (which was 1/3 of my large grill.) However, with the combination of smaller cooking area , cast aluminum body and heavy grill, I’ll tell you that this grill can bury the thermometer needle @ 600deg F in just 15 min after hitting the ( upgraded/more reliable) igniter . I.e. She gets HOT ! Cooking steaks seems to take ½ the time of even my stainless behemoth 42,000BTU BBQ.! Best of all when it’s time to flip them, you still get that satisfying Sizzle that tells you the grill has enough reserve heat to sear the other side. ( Nothing worse than a baked $10 steak IMHO) The design is that good! One last note: The shape of the grill funnels all drippings to the easily removable /disposable waste pan. This makes the possibility of a flash fire (and /or dumping old grease everywhere ) much less likely.
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Comments on: The Weber Q220 Grill – What You Need To Know Before You Buy

By: Melvin