Weber Q Barbeque

Ya' know, I had a Weber grill, the big tub kind that takes charcoal, for 25 years. Everything but the tub wore out. The handles, grates, little leaf thingies inside to scrape the ashes out, the hubs, wheels, and handles. It had a good life. A long and joyful life. A life that saw everything from the 1982 Hilltop Hot Tub and Champagne extravaganza, to the Beef Rib Bonanza in '83. I've cooked a lot of ribs, steaks and who knows what else on that baby. But when my next door neighbor had a dumpster brought in to clean his garage into, well the black beauty had finally seen the end.

I had a terrible time after that, trying to decide weather to buy a new tubby, or go gas this time. Mind you, I'm single. I come home from work with only about three hours in which to clean, feed the cat, clean the cat box, make dinner, drink wine, pass out, etc. So I have found the usefulness of the whole charcoal scene a bit difficult recently. It takes too long to heat, too long to clean, and is much too big for my one little steak. Now mind you, if making Baby Back ribs that take three hours to finish on the grill is your thing, (I decided it's easier to buy them already made) or a turkey at Thanksgiving, well there is nothing like a Weber to do it. (No that oil turkey thing is for professionals or morons. Trust me!)

So down to my local Orchard Supply Hardware to look at the offerings. Three times. So many choices. I don't have space for the big stainless jobs so that helped a bit, but the whole gas/charcoal thing was driving me a bit bonkers, if you know what I mean.

Finally, on what would become my final voyage, er... visit, the store manager stopped by and asked if he could help. (Apparently the salespeople were tired of me.) He asked how often I liked to Barbeque, what kind of room I have, how much time, etc. He said without hesitation, "Get the Weber Q!" Heats fast, easy to clean, hot iron grill surface for those oh-so-nice grill marks, and cools down and stores away in a few minutes due to the use of aluminum for the container.

Sold!

I just bought my second tank full of propane for $12.75 after more than 6 months of almost continuous use. Well, at least three times a week. It's fast, easy, hot (!), makes incredible salmon, and I don't have to worry about forest fires or the deck catching either. Don't bother with the little tanks. There are three 14 ounce tanks for the same price of five gallons in the big tank. You do the numbers.

I even went back to the store and thanked the manager.

My only regret is finding the new models on the Weber website for this article and seeing all the features that I thought were missing, now included. (Anyone want a used one?)

Also note that they have (knowledgeable) support people available 24 hours a day. Yes you read right. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All year. An 800 number too! (1-800-446-1071) And get this, they speak English. Well. I even think the support center is in this country!

Yes the Weber Q is pricier than the Long's Drugs charcoal portable grill with folding legs and charcoal included. But like all Weber grills these babies are American born and raised. They last. They have parts. They have people. They have the best grills made. And when I move to a bigger place, I'm getting a brand new Performer to make ribs on. Someday. When I retire. Soon I hope. Maybe. We all gotta' have dreams, right?

I've gotta' go fill my glass....

Weber and Weber Q are registered trademarks of the Weber-Stephen Products Co. Palatine, IL - The conversation with the store manager was a reenactment and may not accurately represent the facts. It was a long time ago...