If you are looking for good charcoal grills for summer time barbequing, then the Weber Performer grill is one for you to highly consider. You get the taste of charcoal cooking without the aftertaste that is left by lighting the briquettes with lighter fluid. The Weber Performer grill is a combination grill of charcoal and gas. The grill starts with gas and cooks with charcoal, and consumers who have used this grill enjoy the fact that there are no dangerous flare ups during use.
While gas grills are usually faster to prepare for cooking, this combination charcoal grill offers users the one think a gas grill cannot provide: that distinctive flavor. It is very easy to cook on these grills and the food that you cook with the Weber Performer grill comes out moister because of the quicker cooking speed. These charcoal grills also have an easy to use ash collector that allows you to simply dump the ash into a collection pan for easy disposal.
Priced around $375, the Weber Performer grill comes with a gas starter tank that holds 5 pounds of gas. Depending on how much you use these charcoal grills, one tank of the gasoline grilling 1 to 3 times a week could last you around ten months. The starter on the grill is, according to consumers, touchy and that a tight connection on the starter button is key to getting it to work right every time. The charcoal bin holds around 25 pounds of briquettes which makes it heavy to move to the spot you want to grill in as there are no handles on the Weber Performer grill. It is recommended to move the frill and then add the charcoal. The bin is large enough to also store a grill tool so you can move the briquettes around when hot.
While most gas grills take only 10 minutes to get ready to cook on, the Weber Performer grill does take about 20 to 30 minutes to get ready. This is one of the largest downsides of charcoal grills. Additionally, the ash pan does require multiple emptying during cooking and tar deposits do build up on the inside. It is cleanable, but it takes some elbow grease. It is a good idea to keep the bottom as clean and free of deposits in order for the charcoal sweeper to keep from jamming.
The Weber Performer grill is large enough to cook a large amount of food on or even just a small amount of food depending on how you arranged the charcoal briquettes on the bottom grate. Users of these charcoal grills can leave the briquettes in the bins when not in use, making it easier to light and get ready the next time you want to use it. Charcoal grills like this can also be used to cook indirectly and it simply requires placing the charcoal on the outside of the bottom grate with a drip pan in the center. The top grill has two folding wings that allow you to replenish the charcoal when cooking for a long time.
The Weber Performer grill cooks in direct and indirect modes and there are additional attachments – such as a rotisserie – available for it. Overall, it is one of the best charcoal grills available on the market if you are looking for this type of grill.
