Q To Me

We all have our favorites, and by favorites, I mean grills. Sure, I love them all, but I call two my favs: my late-nineties Performer and my Summit Grill Center. The Performer has been with me through thick and thin. It even remembers me when I had hair. It does everything and anything.

The Summit is the aircraft carrier of my backyard. I love its heat, its grilling space, and its lines. There is, however, a third love I’ve moved into the mix and for my hardened grilling and BBQ friends, its inclusion may surprise you. It’s the Weber Q.

My first brush with the Q was last March during the filming of Weber’s Unserious Times TV commercial. In the middle of a parking lot, our Q1200 turned into a workhorse. At the time, I marveled at how much this little grill could do.

Fast forward to January. As part of the colored Q launch, I was shipped a Q1200 to photograph and film. As the winter weather raged, the rest of my grill fleet stayed under cover while I exclusively grilled on the Q. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected the Q to perform the way it did.

Power

I have a routine...or rather, a ritual. Every time I get a new grill, I prepare a bone-in ribeye. The Q was no different. The only difference, I suppose, was the below freezing weather and strong wind. Without missing a beat, the Q hit over 450 F and grilled a splendid medium rare ribeye with the all so important perfectly squared off grill marks. It floored me.

Versatility

With the addition of of grilling pan, the Q can grill indirect. While steaks, chops, and burgers are nice, the indirect grilling of larger cuts opens up a plethora of new menu options. Over the coming weeks, I had whole grilled chickens and pork roasts. Two things I never thought possible on a portable gas grill.

Portability

Perhaps the greatest strength of the Q is just that, it’s portability. While the Q can “grill,” thanks to its portability, it can grill anywhere. That’s the treat, as with the Q, I literally grilled all around the house: the backyard, side yard, front yard, driveway - everywhere. For the first time ever, I got a huge kick walking dinner in the front door.

While grilling around the house is nice, the real benefit is away from home. With the Q Portable Cart for Grilling, I had the grill loaded up in my truck ready for adventure in under 10 seconds. That’s awesome.

While the Q doesn’t have the smokiness of the Performer or the size of the Summit, it has the spunk of them both. Coming from my eyes, the Q is a great grill whether it’s your first, or sixth.

Does this mean I’m going to replace all of my grills with a Q? Of course not. However, if I did have to live with only one grill, could it be a Q? Absolutely. Now the only question would be, which color?