First cook on the performer, I have mixed feelings


 
D

DavidD

TVWBB Super Fan
I realize every grill can be a bit different from the other and as you can tell from my signature, I have a good amt of experience with a variety of cookers. Have used many more over the years, however, my go to grill has always been my 2000 OTP as mentioned in various posts of late. It was a Father's Day gift 16 years ago and a weekly cooker so needless to say, I was used to it but the performer is essentially the same grill but with gas assist and a taller stance...or is it? My new one is the blue 2010 deluxe and tonight was the first cook.

What did I like? At 6'3", the taller frame was great and the gas assist wonderful. The weber chimney was lit in 90 seconds and coals hot in 20-25 min. So, what did I dislike vs the OTP? The lid felt very tin-like, thin and ringy, the fit was not snug like the OTP and damn, that lid handle gets so damn hot I almost couldn't pick it up. That never happened with the OTP but now I know why the newest gen has the heat shield. I never needed it in the past. Last, I somehow burned my knuckle on the grill. I don't know how, maybe I flinched when I grabbed the hot handle and touched the lid, not sure, but this never happened to me before and I now have a blister.

Anyway, I'm not sure what all this means, maybe it is simply that after 16 years I was really used to my OTP and maybe after all those years, it was well insulated from all the seasoning but I sure hope I grow to like this new grill as much as the old or this love affair will be very short lived. I hope I don't regret selling the OTP today...
 
Hmm, not having the experiance with your OTP, I cannot comment on the thin and ringy feel of the lid or the relative snugness of the fit. Is this just a feel thing, or have you noticed degradation in performance because of this (I.e. It requires more coal to keep the same set temp)?

I can, however, concur that the handle gets hot, which I am sure is the reason for the heat shield on the new one.

All that being said, it could be a case of they don't make'em quite like they used to, or it could be an issue that you were just more comfortable with the devil you knew.

I hope you find it to be the latter, and that over time the improvements you have found become a greater advantage than the things you felt you have lost.

Keep grilling, and keep us posted!
 
WB Zipf said:
All that being said, it could be a case of they don't make'em quite like they used to, or it could be an issue that you were just more comfortable with the devil you knew.

I hope you find it to be the latter, and that over time the improvements you have found become a greater advantage than the things you felt you have lost.

Keep grilling, and keep us posted!
Click to expand...

Well put...maybe that's the biggest thing, I was simply so used to what I had that this just doesn't feel right, doesn't make it bad just different. The OTP had so much seasoning it just didn't leak, so fire and temp control was easyily controlled. This one is close to new, very little use so there is no layer of smoke or seasoning on the inside it's tin and the seal around the bowl is loosen to defective, just loose. This made it harder for me to control the flare up and heat than I'm used to but to your point, I guess I just need to get used to it.

I don't have anything to cook today but I might run a load of coals and live oak log through it today. Staying close to home, the wife had surgery so it will give me something to do and opportunity to see how I can control temps. I did a lot of low n slow on the OTP

I know before pics wo the after are a bit useless, sorry, but didn't take an after pic. Still turned out great, a little char-d from the higher heat but internally perfect.

 
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I have the same year grill as you do and the handle does get very hot. I got a new style handle from Chris as he had received a extra one somehow I made a donation and i have it installed now and it works better. it is taller than the older model and has the shield also, the height makes a big difference. once the kettle gets a few cooks on it and builds up a layer of goodness on it the lid seals better.
 
That pretty blue one has not been used nearly as much as your old green faithful. It doesn't have the build-up on the inside of the lid that your old one did. Sounds like you will have that taken care of in due time.
Good thing charcoal is a renewable resource.
 
I have a wooden handle on my well seasoned Performer and haven't had a hot handle issue.
$11 will get you one from this eBay seller, not where I got mine, but good reviews from buyers.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/White-Oak-W...hash=item33b441ab12:m:mptj8zgY49WjqjvQhGO7zNA

Here's mine:
IMGP2870.JPG
 
I have the exact same grill you have. Mine was new when I got it last year, it is a 2010 it was assembled but never used and I have about 100 or so cooks on it now. It is much more stable now then when I first stated using it. I also have a 2006 performer and I've noticed the lid feels slightly heavier than the 2010s lid. But I can't detect any difference in cooking performance between the two now.
Although I've never noticed the handle being hot and it doesn't have a heat shield.
 
Wasn't this lid thing gone over several times before and it was found that there was no differance ? One certainly needs to have more than one cook before worrying about the differances. Though I do not have one, I think those safety heat shields that started being required in europe actually add to the heating issue. Try taking it off and see how that goes.
 
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