Monday, May 23, 2011

Weber 386002 Q 100 Portable Propane Gas Grill

I've been using a Q100 / Baby Q for over 2 years now, and am still impressed by the quality of the product and what I'm able to do with it given it's small size. Here's the set up:

Q100 Grill
Weber Cart
Bulk tank adapter
5-lb. propane tank

The grill surface is large enough for a family of four. Six 1/3 lb. burgers fit well enough; more and they are hard to turn. I've also been able to do two average sized tri-tips at once. The lid isn't tall enough to allow a whole chicken. I was a bit wary of the 8K BTU rating at first, but the grill heats up just fine- it will do a wonderful sear on pretty much anything after 7-10 minutes of preheat. The heat is also very even, with the virtually whole grill surface usable. The best thing about the small burner is fuel efficiency; 5 lbs. of propane lasts all season (in SoCal!) at 1-2 uses per week. Please note that this is a single burner grill with a ring-shaped burner. Indirect cooking isn't really possible although on low heat, one can get close enough to do justice to a tri-tip.

I've only got a couple of small complaints... First, the support ring for the portable tank (at least with the Baby Q) only accepted 14 oz. propane bottles- the kind used with plumber's torches. They are more expensive than the 16 oz. bottles used for camping. I just made my own 16 oz. bottle ring out of a heavy coat hanger. Of course with the bulk tank, this is a non-issue. The 5 lb. tank (from Home Depot) is pretty small. Second, the grill is somewhat sensitive to wind. A good breeze blowing through the sides causes a definite loss of temperature above the grill surface, under the lid. Cooking is still possible but times go up about 30-40%. Last, the holes in the burner can get clogged up, especially when there's a lot of liquid pouring off the grill surface. I've had to 'unclog' parts of the burner with a push-pin a couple of times now.

Anyway, I love the product as it's about 75% of a full-size grill at 1/3 the size and 1/4 the price, within its limits (grill area). I think the only thing I'd do differently is get the version with the side tables (Q120).



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