Crate & Barrell Weber Blue Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill


 
ChadRex

ChadRex

TVWBB Super Fan
Hello Grill mates:
I am in the market for a new grill.
Having Fun with my new Smokey Joe Mini Mini WSM

I am in need for a new full size kettle:
I have been using an 1980's 22" Kettle ( actually a "Happy Cooker" re-branded as a Sears Kenmore) It was passed on to me by my father. This has the cast iron grate with built in ash catcher/diffuser, holes in the bowl for the lid to hook in. It is really an amazing grill. Well After replacing the legs numerous times. constantly placing the vents back on the bottom.., 10 + years of smoking Thanksgiving Turkeys. I am ready to upgrade to a Weber performer series.

I have been looking for a Performer in Blue color and the only one I can find in stock is at Crate & Barrel.


Weber-blue-performer-deluxe-charcoal-gril $399

I really wasn't looking to get a 26 inch and am not really sold on the whole gas ignition assist, as a chimney and a paraffin cube or votive candle are IMHO the best quickest way to get my fire glowing...
I also don't think i need the big table i thought the Performer with the fold down table would be a nice upgrade with all i would need. I would not store coals in the Charbin as outdoor moisture would ruin coals, so that extra bucket is a waste of space to me. Not sure of any other features on the higher end performer series are worth the jump in price..

I have a couple of questions:

1) Does anyone here have a 26 inch grill? does it perform any better than 22 other than cooking area?
2) Crate & Barrel seems to exclusively carry seasonal color variants that are not available anywhere else.. is the 26" version worth the extra $$ ( I want a blue one! )
3) Gas ignition .Yes or no?

If the upgrade in space + the gas assist justifies spending an extra $50.00 then I am all in.. seems as though I can only get the blue one from Crate & Barrel..

Cheers for the replies..


****Update** Pre-build pictures of Performer Deluxe dark blue sold exclusvly by crate & Barrel***
I have finally unboxed my new performer it has not been assembled yet as I promised my 8 year old son he could help build "our new grill"

here are some intial photos . as you can tell the color is not as vibrant as the previously released Blue, ( which is the one I wanted) however, I saw this on C/B and thought it still looked nice.. here are the pics pre-assembly..I will upload new photos after assembled.
My photo bucket page created for the purpose of posting on this forum wil have all the pics.

Photo bucket : ChadRex












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You might want to check the size of the kettle. My Performer from Crate and Barrel is a 22 inch kettle (the older green model) and it is about 26 inch wide with the cart but the kettle is the standard 22 inch. I looked at the link you provided and the overall 26 inch dimension is the same as mine. It would be nice if Weber would make a 26 inch Performer but I don't think that will happen. The thing I don't like about the link from C&B is that it does not specifically state the size of the kettle itself. When you look at there specs, they show a 363 square inch cooking surface and that is the same cooking surface as a 22" Weber grill.
As for that Performer, I love my older version and I am sure you would love that one as well.

As for the gas assist, I use both that and the Weber cubes depending on what I am doing. I have been very happy with the gas assist.
 
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Bob-
Thanks for the reply, I agree the CB site is vague on exact specs.. it does state the overall cooking area to be the same as 22" When I called CB they stated it was a 26" so I am assuming they really are not sure..

I will see today when I go to look at it.
 
The general opinion on this board is that the 26.75" kettle grills are wonderful for indirect cooking and large cookouts. Many of us are still waiting to see if Weber will offer a 26.75" Performer, as they never have yet and claim they are not planning to. All Performers thus far have been the standard 22.5" models.

Yes, Crate & Barrel does get special colors that others don't, as evidenced by the beautiful lime green Performer in my screen room.

Many of us on here (myself included) really like the gas assist. Nothing is easier than setting the chimney or charcoal baskets over the pipe and hitting the button.

Also, I live in a VERY humid area, and have never had any issues with storing charcoal in my Performer's bin. I do leave it in the bag to keep the bin clean and I do cover the grill when not in use and it does live in the screen room, so it doesn't get direct rain. But it DOES get humidity.
 
I went into Crate& Barrel & actually looked at the Performer Deluxe they had on display. It is a nice looking grill . I would say the color is almost an indigo not as dark as the previous blue.
The one issue with Weber/ Crate & Barrel & most retailers is that Usually discounted coupons do not work with Weber products, I had a 20% coupon and Weber was listed in the exclusions, so I went and signed up for e-mail on the Crate & Barrel website to hopefully get a 10% off and same thing : Weber was listed in the exlcuded products.. Major Bummer..
Anyway I used part of our Tax refund to purchase it anyway as I really wanted the Blue.. I also liked the Crimson color out there but ultimately Blue is the one I wanted. I will be picking it up tonight and if weather permits will assemble and fire it up ...
 
Congrates on your new blue performer! I have an older performer and after using it I don't know how I survived without the gas assist and table, really makes it super easy to use.
I use the bin to store all my smoking woods, which works out well.
Enjoy your new grill and lets see some action shots of it.
 
Just to clarify ChadRex, I am assuming that the base kettle was in fact a 22 inch? Would love for Weber to do a true 26 inch Performer.

And Rich, I love your idea to use the bin for your smoking woods. I think I will change my setup to reflect that approach. Thanks for the idea.
 
Bob Ivey said:
Just to clarify ChadRex, I am assuming that the base kettle was in fact a 22 inch? Would love for Weber to do a true 26 inch Performer.

And Rich, I love your idea to use the bin for your smoking woods. I think I will change my setup to reflect that approach. Thanks for the idea.
Click to expand...

Yes Bob as you mentioned it is standard 22". another nugget I learned form the CB store manager :
Apparantly a Weber rep assembled the display model and informed the CB manager the the vent control lever on the top lid is also designed top be somewhat of a hook for the lid to rest on the back holder. Apparently people were complaining that the Hot lid would burn the plastic rollers on the side of the lid holder so the larger grip tab on top vent was intended for dual purpose.

This may also hold the lid further back and allow for a little more access to cooking area ( some reviews complained that the loss of the internal lid hook causes the lid to sit a little closer and interfere with available room to access cooking area..

My old Weber ( Sears /Kenmore Weber has the internal hook plus the bars that hook inside the kettle to swing it well out of the way.. I am curious how much the performer lid holder really interferes with the access to cooking area..

I am still going to be hesitant to give up my old grill and will likely still use it often. hopefully keep it maintained to pass on to my son..
 
I don't think that is interferes that much with the cooking area. Every so often it is a little tight but not normally. Since I have to build a new cooking area in the back yard (SWMBO has decided that the smoke from the WSM gets in the house since I cook on the back porch), I will build a large table so if the lid is in the way, I will just set it on that counter.
 
Greg,
My old black kettle actually is not a Weber after researching it s origin, apparently is an old Happy Cooker, Re-branded as Sears Kenmore..
The Company came out with a grill almost identical to a Weber Kettle with some distinct differences/cool features.
1) an integrated internal ash pan with vent holes.
2) integrated holes in the kettle where metal rods hinged on the inside of the lid would allow the lid to swing/pivot open
3)an integrated hook welded on the inside of the lid for hooking the lid to side of the kettle, well out of the way of cook surface.
4) plastic handles ( some had wood handles) mine has black plastic handles with Kenmore stamped on the front one.
5) the leg holes were designed slightly different which explains why the Weber replacement legs I bought fit but not as tight as originals.

My father always referred to it as a Weber, he thought it was a Weber sold under Sears/Kenmore

I will upload pictures when time allows
 
Congratulations on your new performer purchase! Me thinks you will soon be eating your words:
ChadRex said:
not really sold on the whole gas ignition assist, as a chimney and a paraffin cube or votive candle are IMHO the best quickest way to get my fire glowing...
Click to expand...

No disrespect - I was the same way :-). Since most of the time it's just the two of us, I always cooked on a smokey Joe & lit with a chimney. After getting a performer, the smokey Joe & chimney sit unused. It's way too easy to light up the performer & cook for just the two of us. After I'm done, I close the vents & reuse the charcoal next time.

Pics please!
 
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