Mike Mc
TVWBB Member
A little back story...
I have lurked here for many years and enjoyed reading all of the posts (thank you fellow BBQ Geeks). I have learned quite a few things as well. In 2009 – 2012 my wife and I captained a KCBS team. Our best finishes came off the WSM using a Rocks Stoker, even when we had access to a Southern Pride. But I digress…
A year ago we moved to Atlanta, Ga. from Savannah, Ga. In the process we had to downsize square footage considerably. My patio is now a paltry 20x10. I have a WSM and Performer. Been cooking on them for many years. I am a big Weber fan. They make a well made product at a reasonable price. My experience with their customer service has been exceptional. But… they take up a lot of space. So along comes this Weber marketing email about “Grill of a Lifetime”. It peaked my interest of course. Once it was revealed to be smoke/grill it really had my interest. Could I really combine both devices in to one? Well yesterday we drove down the road to the local ACE and checked it out. It was huge when comparing to our performer. Fit and finish were good. I liked the size a lot. And I noticed an extra plugged hole near the gas tube where my 5CFM blower would fit nicely. I practically tore it apart while my wife talked with the rep. But in the end I couldn’t justify the price. After shopping a little while longer I found my wife and said I was ready to go. She said “Happy Anniversary” and handed me the receipt for the new beast. Lots of sappy comments could go here. I will skip them.
We drove around back to pick up the new beast. Things did not go well. It was on a pallet. Not a box sitting on a pallet. It is all attached to a long nonstandard sized pallet and the box drops over it and attaches to said pallet. After asking one of the stock room workers for a tape measure we determined that it would fit – on its side. So with enthusiasm the three young men lifted and starter shoving the pallet in the SUV (2015 Toyota Highlander for size reference). Things went well until they had a foot or so left to go then it stopped suddenly with a sickening ripping and crunching sound. The headliner drops down an inch or so going forward. It now has a small rip where the pallet met the headliner. Not good. I immediately said to take it out. After a little discussion I asked if they could deliver and they said yes, for $40. But then my wife said “Why don’t we just unpack it here and load it up”. She was right. Once unpacked it easily fit and we didn’t have to dispose of the pallet and 25 pounds of cardboard.
So, its untested. Is it a smoker or a grill? Will it be good at both? Time will tell. What do we nickname it? The ‘Groker’? The ‘Smill’? I kid, I kid.
So from this point I will address the “Obscure Details” I mentioned in the thread subject line. Little things I discovered while assembling. Good and bad (mostly good) and large pictures. My goal is to help those that might not have them available near you and you have the same mental disorder I have for detail. There is no way I would have ordered this thing without hands on.
Assembly was very ‘Performer-esque’. Straight forward and easy. A 7/16 socket will speed things up considerably and get in to the channel support bracket easier than the supplied tool. All of the parts fit extremely well. Very high quality piece of kit. Stainless throughout, black metal oxide coating on the bolts. I gave the lower bowl and upper lid a thorough inspection. I found no gaps or holes in the in the coating. There were only a couple of rough spots around the lower vent but coverage was complete.
The parts scattered across my patio.
Bottom Bowl
Wheel Covers
Miscellaneous parts.
Table top as shipped. Very nice brushed stainless (covered with protective plastic).
The Weber product label.
Left side lower bowl support.
Nothing new here.
Looks like a new home for my blower!
Hole in relation to the gas tube. Not a tight fit around the tube. If I get in to crazy smoker mode I might have to do something about this.
I have lurked here for many years and enjoyed reading all of the posts (thank you fellow BBQ Geeks). I have learned quite a few things as well. In 2009 – 2012 my wife and I captained a KCBS team. Our best finishes came off the WSM using a Rocks Stoker, even when we had access to a Southern Pride. But I digress…
A year ago we moved to Atlanta, Ga. from Savannah, Ga. In the process we had to downsize square footage considerably. My patio is now a paltry 20x10. I have a WSM and Performer. Been cooking on them for many years. I am a big Weber fan. They make a well made product at a reasonable price. My experience with their customer service has been exceptional. But… they take up a lot of space. So along comes this Weber marketing email about “Grill of a Lifetime”. It peaked my interest of course. Once it was revealed to be smoke/grill it really had my interest. Could I really combine both devices in to one? Well yesterday we drove down the road to the local ACE and checked it out. It was huge when comparing to our performer. Fit and finish were good. I liked the size a lot. And I noticed an extra plugged hole near the gas tube where my 5CFM blower would fit nicely. I practically tore it apart while my wife talked with the rep. But in the end I couldn’t justify the price. After shopping a little while longer I found my wife and said I was ready to go. She said “Happy Anniversary” and handed me the receipt for the new beast. Lots of sappy comments could go here. I will skip them.
We drove around back to pick up the new beast. Things did not go well. It was on a pallet. Not a box sitting on a pallet. It is all attached to a long nonstandard sized pallet and the box drops over it and attaches to said pallet. After asking one of the stock room workers for a tape measure we determined that it would fit – on its side. So with enthusiasm the three young men lifted and starter shoving the pallet in the SUV (2015 Toyota Highlander for size reference). Things went well until they had a foot or so left to go then it stopped suddenly with a sickening ripping and crunching sound. The headliner drops down an inch or so going forward. It now has a small rip where the pallet met the headliner. Not good. I immediately said to take it out. After a little discussion I asked if they could deliver and they said yes, for $40. But then my wife said “Why don’t we just unpack it here and load it up”. She was right. Once unpacked it easily fit and we didn’t have to dispose of the pallet and 25 pounds of cardboard.
So, its untested. Is it a smoker or a grill? Will it be good at both? Time will tell. What do we nickname it? The ‘Groker’? The ‘Smill’? I kid, I kid.
So from this point I will address the “Obscure Details” I mentioned in the thread subject line. Little things I discovered while assembling. Good and bad (mostly good) and large pictures. My goal is to help those that might not have them available near you and you have the same mental disorder I have for detail. There is no way I would have ordered this thing without hands on.
Assembly was very ‘Performer-esque’. Straight forward and easy. A 7/16 socket will speed things up considerably and get in to the channel support bracket easier than the supplied tool. All of the parts fit extremely well. Very high quality piece of kit. Stainless throughout, black metal oxide coating on the bolts. I gave the lower bowl and upper lid a thorough inspection. I found no gaps or holes in the in the coating. There were only a couple of rough spots around the lower vent but coverage was complete.
The parts scattered across my patio.
Bottom Bowl
Wheel Covers
Miscellaneous parts.
Table top as shipped. Very nice brushed stainless (covered with protective plastic).
The Weber product label.
Left side lower bowl support.
Nothing new here.
Looks like a new home for my blower!
Hole in relation to the gas tube. Not a tight fit around the tube. If I get in to crazy smoker mode I might have to do something about this.
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