Accessories

poor packaging
The kettle was egg shaped when it arrived having been mishandled in shipping. Not an easy item to ship. The enamel was chipped off the rim of the kettle and the lid would not sit on the kettle. Decided to buy one at Home Depot rather than go thru the aggravation after having to rebox and return this large item.

Superior taste to propane!!
The first time I saw a true Weber charcoal grill was at my future father in law's house. I asked him about it and he told me Weber was from Palantine, Illinois. We were grilling in the tiny town of Lebanon, Illinois. We told me Weber was the best, and this was 1989.

I guess I'm a little slow, so it took me until 2007 to purchase my Weber One Touch Gold (OTG) after numerous horrible gas grill experiences, so I took the plunge and bought the Weber during the summer of 2007.

Here is it, Labor Day 2008 and I have just cooked some perfect rib-eye's. Wow, the flavor is unreal! One of my other favorite items to cook on the Weber OTG is whole chicken, smoked and cooked on indirect heat. To accomplish this, pick up the Weber charcoal trays, and place one on each side of the grill (on the bottom gate). Between them in the middle of the grill, also on the bottom grate, I place my drip pan, and my box of wet smoking chips (apple). Place the seasoned bird over the drip pan, on thetop grate (treated with vegie oil) on cover with the lid. A 3 lb bird cooks in @ 60-75 mins, a 4-5 lb bird, @ 1 hr 45 mins, and for 6 lb bird I let it cook for @ 2 hrs.
The unique kettle design encourages perfect, even heat. Let the bird sit for 15 mins after removing from the grill and then enjoy!

As for the grill it's self:

The ash pan is a huge plus, allowing easy ash removal. The major bane of charcoal grills has been mitigated!

Two small "cons":

The plastic handles do get a bit warm, so I use an oven glove.

When moving the grill I did have a leg fall off once.

---It took me a while to get used to cooking with charcoal. For me there were a few keys to success:

1. Allow your charcoal to fully burn out and turn white before adding your food. This eliminates the dreaded flame ups. (you can keep a spray bottle of water near by to sqaush any flame outs)

2. Don't fill he entire grill with charcaol. Keep one side or the perimeter clear of charcoal so you have some space to place food out of direct heat.

3. Stay with your food! Don't wander around when you food is on the grill. Stay close by, and watch what is happening. I actally like to use a grill fork with a built in thermometer, so I don't over cook the food.

4. After you take the food off the grill,let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to flow back into the food.

For me, charcoal provides superior flavor and for us, using a Weber is the only way to grill, BBQ and cook outside.

Great Grill!
We love this grill! Works great and our food has been tasting great! My husband is really getting a feel for grilling and even our 3 and 4 year old ask for daddy to bbq every night now!

one touch gold charcoal grill
excellent product--love the way the food comes cooked on this grill --- the charcoal flavor is unmatched -- nice to have the collection of the coals contained

Back to charcoal
After several years of hard use, my gas grill needed more parts and work than I was willing to put into it. After reading dozens of glowing reviews for the Weber kettle grill, and looking at the prices of decent quality gas grills, I decided to go with the Weber. None of the local stores carried the Gold model, so I ordered it from Amazon. The price was right, and shipping was fast and free.

Assembly was easy for the most part. Fitting the collar that holds the ash pan to the underside of the kettle was a little tricky however. As some reviewers have pointed out, the legs are made from very thin walled aluminum and are a little shakey.

Results have been great. I get the coals started very fast with the Weber chimney starter then follow the cooking instructions in the booklet. Everything - burgers, steak, chicken, sausage, ribs, veggies - comes out juicy and flavorful. There is a distinctive taste to the food that gas cooking just doesn't provide. The kettle design makes cooking very efficient. If I am making just a few burgers, I use only a dozen or so coals and they do the job.

One peeve that takes it down a star is the ash collection system. I paid a little more for the Gold model because it was supposed to be better in that regard than the Silver model. It is difficult to remove and replace the ash pan because you have to align two index pins and a handle with corresponfing slots in the collar piece. This does not work smoothly. When you rotate the ash pan, it binds and puts force on the collar. Because the collar is secured to the leg sockets with flimsy tabs, it pops out of place with a little pressure. Aside from that, everything works great.