Weber Baby Q (Weber Q 100) is a Winner!

The Weber Q 100, formerly known as the Baby Q is a great smaller portable grill. With a 8,500 BTU rating, and 189 inches of cooking area, the grill is designed for smaller grilling chores and for portability and mobility. I had been looking for over a year, and considered many others, but I finally made the purchase ($120 at Amazon.com, free shipping) and have no regrets.

The grill arrived (via UPS from Amazon) in its own well constructed and packed box. Assembly only required attaching the handle with two screws, inserting the hinge pins for the lid and securing them with push clips and placing the cooking grid over the burner unit. Then, it was very easy to place one aluminum drip pan in its holder and slide the drip pan into place. The grill has a very nice cast aluminum body with a stainless steel burner. The control knob is large and easy to use with a very definite click setting for high heat and lighting the grill. The porcelain-enameled cast-iron grate is quite hefty. The grate is designed to maximize the effectiveness of the burner....you can see that a wider tract of cast iron is designed to be right over the gas flame. There is also a wire ring to support a propane cylinder. This brings us to the first (and only) flaw with this grill.

Weber states that 14.1 oz propane cylinders should be used. These cylinders are the smaller diameter, blue cylinders usually used with propane torches. You don't usually find them with camping or grill supplies. Why Weber does this, I don't understand. After reading through the manual, I couldn't see any reason not to use the more common cylinder...so I removed one of the clamp screws, opened up the ring a bit and installed a regular propane cylinder.
NOTE: I'm not suggesting or recommending that anyone do this! Before attempting my first grilling, I followed directions and washed the grate. Then, I allowed the grill to heat up and "burn off" for a while.

Over the past couple of days, I've cooked some boneless pork chops, Italian sausage patties, and some teriyaki steak. Did I tell you that I really like this grill? The Weber Q 100 has enough heat to sear chops and cook teriyaki steak almost as well as a good hibachi with charcoal. At the same time, you can reduce the heat and allow chops to finish cooking while applying some good sauce. The grate gets hot enough to give you those great sear lines that give food a real grilled look. The design of the grill allows any drippings and debris to go in the aluminum drip pan....no more worrying about grease dripping out on to surfaces that you don't want soiled! While cooking, the lid handle and carrying handles stay cool to the touch.

The Weber Q 100 has enough cooking surface to cook for a smaller family or gathering. Anyone buying this grill would know that it isn't the grill for large dinners/parties. This grill is great for apartment dwellers or anyone that doesn't have room for larger grills. We're using it at our lake cottage for now, and it will be used when we take the travel trailer out. With the optional cover (purchased today) the grill is protected from the elements and/or easier to transport. An optional cart can be purchased, as well as an adapter hose for using the grill with larger propane tanks.

Based upon my experience with a Weber Genesis Silver B grill, I expect the Weber Q 100 to hold up to years of use. And, if I need a part, I know that it will be available. At first, paying $120 for a small portable grill seems expensive. But, when you consider that you pay $20-$30 for cheap grills that only last one or two seasons and perform poorly, it makes more sense to buy Weber quality and enjoy it for years to come.

If you want integrated fold out work tables, look at the Weber Q 120. For a slightly larger portable grill, check out the Weber Q 200/220 grills. Pick the grill that matches your needs, and then enjoy grilling on a Weber.

As always, thanks for reading my review and commenting on it or rating it as you see fit. And, I will update this review as I spend more time grilling on the Q 100.