Summary: Easy to assemble, easy to start, great grill marks, easy to clean, size is medium (4 steaks or 12 thighs) seems small till you open the lid.
Assembly: Simple: Attach lid w/2 pins, screw handle on lid, slide cap on regulator, then slide in grease pan.
Tip: I really urge you to buy a hose adapter and hook up to a larger tank, but if you have to use smaller tanks it uses the long 14oz tanks sold in the hardware department, or remove the outside screw to the tank holder ring and bend it out so you can use the regular 16.4 oz tanks from the camping department.
StartUp: I am still amazed, turn regulator knob to start and push the ignitor and it lights up!
Break in: None..but the grill is NOT nonstick, Just wash the grill before the first use. (It is coated to prevent rust, not to be non-stick), so use oil on the food. Heat up the grill first for 10 or 15 minutes to get hot and oil grate to prevent sticking. I talked at length with Weber about the cooking grate and you do not season this grate!
Cooking: Anything you want to cook fast, GO HIGH...burgers, steaks, shrimp...great grill marks. (I just couldn't make a good steak on a portable gas grill until now). Great taste! Anything else, GO LOW...dogs, brats, potato wedges, corn on the cob. Always cook chicken on low or skins will burn and stick. You can also just mix the oil in with a marinade.
Flare up: Almost none. I intentionally cooked very fatty thighs and got very little flare up, but did get lots of splatter making the chicken turn dark, but it cooked off. Just trim a little...
Clean up: Just scrape, burn, and scrape grate again with brass bristles. If that doesn't work don't be scared to just wash it. For the inside I just scrape down towards the bottom with a piece of cardboard so everything falls out the bottom hole into the grease pan. This is very handy.
It stays cool underneath! BBQ on any surface!!!
Hello again, it's been 18 months since I did this review and after being abused all summer and winter and another summer it still works the same as the first day! I've used mine 2 or 3 times a week in the summer and at least once a week for football and NASCAR. I heat my grate for 10 minutes, brush it, take it off and spray it with a garden hose (every time), heat again for 5 minutes then spray with oil and still not one speck of rust. How you clean yours is up to you, all I'm saying is it's virtually rustproof.
TIPS: I put it in a plastic storage container with all the stuff that goes with it, then put it on the pontoon boat, take it back out and bbq right on top of the plastic container! Who needs expensive carriers when you can buy a wheeled plastic storage container and use it as a bbq table too. I also put a little thermometer on the front top, drill one hole and it screws right on. Oh, and one last thing, I only used $27.00 of propane the whole time (3 tanks)..how bout that!
Three years and still goin strong. I haven't replaced anything!
My other BIG Charbroil Gas grill has since rusted away and needs new grills and drip plates.
Four years and I still haven't had to replace anything. It still works as good as the day I bought it and the cast iron porcelain-enameled cooking grate still has NO RUST!
Five years and I still haven't had to replace anything. It still works as good as the day I bought it and the cast iron porcelain-enameled cooking grate still has NO RUST!
Seven years and still works great. Even the electronic starter still works. I bought another one on clearance from a lumber store because the box had a hole in it for $129.00. I took my seven year old one out to the back yard and washed it and sprayed it with Krud-Kutter all over and got most of the grease off. Took a brass brush and cleaned the burner good opening all the holes back up and spent about 25 minutes really scraping and brushing the grate and it still heats up to 500 degrees in about 15-20 minutes. I finally got some rust on the grate by leaving it out in the winter for a week with no cover and one of the few times it snowed here the grill was open. Just clean it and oil it back up. It works as good as the new one. I have thermometers on the front top of both of them and they work identically. I may take a video of both of them for you.
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If small spur of the moment gatherings are your thing then this is the perfect grill for you.
Here's why:
1) Its small size makes it a very portable grill thus allowing you and your peeps to escape to the beach or hang out in the alley behind your flat to enjoy some "flame kissed" cow product.
2) Its small size makes it perfect for burgers and dogs for 4-6 friends but if you are cooking for a backyard full of friends and family you may want to consider a larger grill.
3) I own this grill as well as Thermos' "Grill-2-go". The "flame kissed" burgers that this "baby-q" churns out are much tastier than the G2G's greasy rendition of the all american beef patty treat.
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First of all, gotta give Amazon their just creditordered on Feb 2nd, and received grill on the 6th using Super Saver shipping. Can't beat that.
I'm a former professional chef and I wanted a grill that would work well, but didn't need a larger(and much more expensive) gas grill. I have a commercial smoker, a deep fryer, and a 4 burner cooktop that I use more often than I grill, so a big monster of a grill would just take up space and use more gas for the 10-12 times a year I would use it. The portable grills I had tried in the past were all cheaply made and suffered from poor design which led to flare ups and burning. I was hesitant to go with the Weber, but took the chance based on user reviews I saw here and elsewhere. I'm glad I did.
I opened the box to find a very nicely constructed grill made out of quality materials. Assembly took all of 3 minutes(just attach handle with 2 screws and lid with two cotter pins, then drop grill into place). Heavy cast iron grill for good grill marks over well designed burner system. Very nice so far. I attached grill to 20# tank using adapter I also ordered which lets me supply the Weber from the same tanks I use for the other cooking equipment. Adapter dosen't require removal of anything from grill so you maintain total portability if you need it.
Grill fired on first push of starter button, and after about 5 minutes of pre heating I threw on a couple of burgers. Cooking went well with minimal flaring, and the cast iron grill gave great marks just like in the pretty pictures you see in magazines. It has only seen the one test cook, but this grill is well worth the money IMO, and I believe it has a great future on my deck. The size is ample for 4-5 ribeyes or 2 large T-bones or maybe 8+ burgers. This is fine for me as my grilling is usually limited to 2-4 people. The Weber Q is the Baby Q's larger sibling and it is slightly larger if you need the extra space.
Only possible concern you might have is your need for a side burner, smoker, or rotisseree attachment if you don't have these needs otherwise covered. But for pure grilling, I see nothing to complain about with the Baby Q.
Honest reviews on Weber Baby Q (Q 100) Portable Gas Grill
I had one problem when my grill arrived that I'd like to share. After unpacking and attaching a 16oz propane tank, I attempted to fire up the grill. A note on the grill said it could take several pushes of the igniter to actually get the grill going but after about 10 pushes, I still couldn't see a flame. I read how the flame was hard to see in bright daylight but the smell of propane was getting stronger so I turned off the grill immediately. Weber recommends you wait 5 minutes to let the gas disperse from the burner before attempting to light the grill again so I did just that. 5 minutes later, I try my 2nd attempt and nothing happened.. again. I used a lighter to force the grill to lite and that worked like a charm. But I was still bothered by the igniter not working initially.
I decided to call up Weber's customer service number and spoke to a very kind lady. She told me that she can guarantee that the problem involves a piece of the igniter unit not being lined up correctly with the burner. I thought it was a faulty igniter but since the unit was brand new, that was highly unlikely. Anyway, I got off the phone only after registering my grill with them. 24/7 customer service is a great idea although for a company that primarily makes grills, I thought it was pretty much overkill; oh well, more power to the consumer. After the grill had cooled down, I removed the grate and scrutinized the alignment of the igniter piece with the burner. Right away I could see things weren't lined up correctly so I got a wrench, loosened the burner and fixed everything accordingly. I replaced the grate, turned on the propane and on the first click, the flames came on.
Compared to my previous grill which was a Coleman Roadtrip Party grill, this grill is a vast improvement. There are no hot spots and food appears to cook evenly just like everyone else says. I now wish I can use it everyday to prepare my meals; who says I can't.
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I have now used my Weber Baby Q for about a month and find it to be the best grill that I have used in a long time. It is small enough that I can easily use it as a tail gate or camping grill, and yet big enough that I can cook a lot of food at one time.
Two features worth mentioning are that the grill drippings, which typically on small grills cause flare-ups, are directed by the cast grill away from the flame to prevent any flare-ups.
The second feature worth mentioning is that the grill cooks a little faster and more evenly than smaller stamped steel type portable grills.
One last feature that I will mention is that the grill cleans up easily as the body is cast aluminum and the grill surface has some sort of coating on it to prevent stickage.
Don't hesitate to buy this grill--you will be very happy with your purchase.
