Thank "Q", Weber! The balcony grill that can do it all!

This is our second season with the Q, and I have already recommended it to everyone I know in real life, so here goes my virtual recommendation!

This is a small bbq, but by no means a lightweight. The body is heavy enough, but the cast-iron grill adds about 25 lbs to the total weight (can be lugged separately, but it's so icky after you use it that you wouldn't want to take it out!).

I bought this originally because a) it was cool to have something other than the department-store cheapie bbq, b) it was tax-refund season :-), c) it's got a HUGE grilling area and d) it was affordable yet carried the reliable Weber name. Oh, yeah, and because it had its own website. :-)))

It comes with a little assembly required. I was going to wait for my husband to come home, but decided to try first on my own. Ta-da! I had the food sizzling within half an hour. You basically have to put in the part for the gas, attach the handles, and you're off to the races.

I was SO amazed at the size and performance of this deceptively little grill. It's a little bigger than I expected, but still fits on our smallish balcony with ease. We got the stand to go with it, which hasn't been as useful as I'd hoped (we don't usually take it with us when we're q'ing on the go), but it makes a nice place for the bbq to sit.

Of course, when I say "little grill" - it takes up most of the trunk of our little Hyundai. I can't imagine taking the grill AND the baby anywhere at the same time. :-)
I'd recommend an SUV or minivan if you're lugging lots of stuff along with the Q, but if you have the vehicle space, it's not too hard to get it around. And I can't imagine packing up one of those full-sized bbq's just for a party! Our old rectangular portable grill took up way less space, but on the other hand, two steaks or eight hot dogs was about its limit. :-)

Whereas the amount of food this little guy can handle is prodigious! Lots of burgers, dogs & other meat parts. We use this for family bbq's, and by cooking in "shifts" - vegetables & veggie "meat" first, then quick-cook items like steak / burgers - have served over 20 people no problem.

I was worried that owning a nice bbq would mean we started eating lots more meat, like every nice night of summertime (like today, the first day of summer!). But, while it's true that I'm a lot more likely to use this simple-to-operate bbq than my last propane-fired "hibachi" (the kind where you turn on the gas, then stick in your hand with a match!), I'm finding we're just as likely to grill veggies on it, either as a side or even a main course!

Just tonight, for instance, we had hot dogs for supper... but instead of artery-clogging fries alongside, I had enough space on the Q (with a screen so they don't fall in) to toss on some veggies coated in olive oil & seasonings. Yummy! And the kids usually fight over who gets the last portobello. Grilling and healthy eating CAN go together!

But if you're going to eat meat, the Q does it with style. Give each burger or steak a neat eighth- or quarter-turn before flipping it and you'll get classy grill marks, thanks to that back-breaking 25lb cast iron grill. That grill gets super-hot and stays that way, distributing heat evenly so there are no "cold spots".

A few minor drawbacks:
- Grilling things on sticks is fun, but the lid bumps against the sticks & doesn't quite close if a lot are on at once, or if thicker items are too close to the edge.
- Rather low-profile lid, in general, so you can't do one of those beer-can chickens, for instance. It's high enough in the middle for a whole chicken lying down, but around the edges, you couldn't even fit a mushroom. :-)
- Canister size - this only takes the rare, long & narrow size gas canister. I have circumvented this problem (and probably my warranty!) by attaching a regular "stubby" canister using - gasp! - a pipe cleaner. You know what they say about necessity...
- Small canister often runs out mid-grilling. Changing the canisters is easy (once you notice that the flame has gone out), but I'd recommend the optional connector hose to hook this up to a big tank if you're doing lots of grilling in one place (like at home). You can always disconnect it and use the 1 lb canisters when you're on the go.
- Minor gripe: the painted finish on the top of the lid scrapes off when it's bumped too hard against hard surfaces. Since it's the TOP, it gets bumped frequently on a brick wall when we open the bbq (thanks to our small balcony). Now, I know it's hard to design a finish to withstand scraping against brick, but it would be nice if they had tried, since it seems clear to me that it will get bumped sometimes.

In general, though, this grill is definitely Weber quality, for a fraction of the Weber price. I'm so happy I found this bbq, and I'm certain it will last us for many happy grilling years to come.

Thanks for reading!

*** Added: Wanted to add that this grill is also darn near windproof. Beats many full-size bbq's in this regard... I used this on our balcony all through the dead of our Canadian winter, in some mighty chilly gales, and its flame withstands all but the most direct gusts. This is perhaps its best feature; I'm surprised I forgot to mention it above!