Wife bought me a Q1200, not sure I want to keep it

[IdahoJim]

My wife surprised me for Christmas and bought me a Weber Q1200 gas grill. This is the woman who swears she tastes the gas when things are cooked on a gas grill. We have talked about getting a small gas grill just for convenience sometimes. Something easier to use for a couple of quick steaks etc. She gets a little frustrated sometimes with the timing of searing steaks, tri-tips etc. She thinks this may simplify things...

We already have a Memphis Advantage pellet grill, a 26" Weber kettle, a Jumbo Joe and a 28" Blackstone griddle. The pellet grill does most of the work. I'm not sure I can do anything on the Q I can't really do on the pellet grill or if it would somehow be easier or simpler. Even searing steaks, the pellet grill gets up to 600 degrees and has a separate direct flame insert. Swapping the insert is a bit of a pain (have to do it after the grill is screaming hot), but heck, I think I could probably sear on the pellet grill with the normal deflector as well as on the Q1200. I could even throw a cast iron pan in there too. We have had our issues with the Memphis Advantage, but I think we've got things pretty much dialed in now.

We really don't need the portability of the Q1200, which makes me think that if we got a gasser, the little Weber E210 would be a better choice. Still, I'm not sure what I would use that for that I wouldn't just use the pellet grill for. I don't want to pay for a grill that sits around unused.

So, for those of you with pellet grills and gas grills (or if you just have an opinion on it), I'd love to hear your thoughts. Is it worth keeping the Q1200? Should I trade it in on the Spirit E210? Should I just stick with what I have and spend the money on meat

[Jfrosty27]

I have a pellet grill. In fact I have 10 outdoor cookers. The twi I use most are the Recteq pellet cooker and my Charbroil Grill2Go X200 mini gas grill. The Mini Gasser as I like to call it is indispensable. I have it on a cart for working height and moving around easily in and out of my garage. Love it for searing, quick burger or sausage cooks, quickly grill chicken parts, and many other things. Heats up in 5 minutes, used little fuel, cools down quickly for storage, easy to clean, etc., etc. I would never be without a mini gasser.

I have no knowledge of the Q1200 but I know it has good reviews.

Oh and btw I also have a Weber Genesis 3 burner and haven’t used it other than rotisserie since I got the mini.

[Panhead John]

Hurry up and put together that darn Bronco!

[ecowper]

I would ponder long and hard before I returned something my wife gave me. Based on what you write, she has thought a lot about gas grills and decided this was something you should have. So, my advice would be to spend money on meat ..... and figure out how to use this grill to supplement everything else you do and up your game.

my two cents worth

[ecowper]

oh, and now that I look at it ... my wife hates gas grills. And she wants me to buy one of these.

[Steve R.]

That was my first thought as well, but it really depends on the personalities involved. There is no doubt in my mind that I could return that grill without any hurt feelings or consequences. But my wife is not easily offended at all. YMMV

[texastweeter]

She hates gas grills that were not HER decision...

[glitchy]

I had a Memphis Pro for a while and have had a Spirit E210. I would buy a Traveler before the E210, the Spirit is just underpowered for searing well IMO and my Traveler seems to get hotter, faster and uses less fuel. If you’ve learned to like the Memphis, trade the Q1200 on a GrillGrate searing station, then you should be able to get a decent sear with the regular insert. I also had a Q1200 for a short while and I don’t remember what temps it got to, I only used it a couple times as it wasn’t big enough for what I needed.

Now I have the MAK and a Genesis and use them as a combo a lot for reverse searing. I can go straight from the MAK to the Weber without pulling the steaks, removing a flame zone cover on an already hot grill and waiting for it to get to searing temp. So, that’s the biggest advantage and if you want some quick burgers, dogs, thin steaks, you can be cooking in 10 minutes versus say 20 plus for the pellet grill.

However, more important is what ecowper says above…the Weber Q’s are nice little grills if they have enough space for your needs.

[58limited]

My BIL had one at his old house. We used it for quick cooks to feed 3-4 people (chicken, steaks, sausage), its a nice little grill.

[rickgregory]

I have one question for you?


How much do you like your couch?

Seriously, I'd just not return it. I mean...why? See if you can use it for quick stuff. If not, fine. But I wouldn't risk offending her. She knows you like stuff like this and tried to buy you a gift that reflects your interests. It seems... churlish to return it.

[ecowper]

Yeah, this is my thinking: my main person in my life invested time and effort into this gift. I need to figure out how to incorporate it into what I do.

[Attjack]

I have a Q2200 that has recently retired. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with it yet. If only it were a 2-burner I might hold on to it for camping trips but it's not. It's a 1-zone cooker.

I would say you return it and use the money for another MCS expenditure.

[McFlyfi]

The Q1200 is a great grill for camping. It's what I bring along. Not sure it's a go to, every day kind of grill. Hot dogs? Brats? Burgers? Yes. I've cooked turkey breasts an small prime ribs on it while camping to great success. So maybe it is a good every day grill.

[Jerod Broussard]

Use and use it plenty.

[SheilaAnn]

As probably the only female responding (so far):
Is your wife easily offended? Then let it ride. Don’t need the drama. If your wife is cool, then be honest.

UPDATE: I looked up the grill. Hang on to it and use it for quickie meals like stated above. Or better yet, use it for "sides" like keeping sauces warm or quick veggies. Not sure what the family set up is and volumes you cook.

[smokenoob]

She gets a little frustrated sometimes with the timing of searing steaks, tri-tips etc. She thinks this may simplify things...

keep it!
I had one for 10 years on the rv, thought it was a fine grill!

[smokenoob]

if it doesn’t work out you could always sell it on craigslist, my 10 year old one went quick when I sold the rv

[Murdy]

We have a Q1000. Meh. It works fine for burgers, dogs, or boneless skinless chicken breasts. We bought it because of limited space on a condo balcony. I now have a Broil King Signet, and if I had the room, I'd recommend something like that.

[MBMorgan]

I have (or had) a Q2000 (the 1200's bigger cousin) the we bought as a temporary grilling solution when we first moved to Colorado more than 13 years ago. Without getting into details, it is an excellent grill. It's not a smoker and can't do indirect (which isn't technically grilling until you start to sear). It's a grill/sear station and a very good one at that. It has since been replaced here at home by a small array of bigger, more flexible/capable cookers ... but is still going strong (on permanent "loan") as the main grill at SWMBO's sister's house.

Personally, I'd suggest you seriously consider just using the new Q now ... and then keeping it later as the aux sear station for whatever dream cooker you get later ... or even sooner, rather than later.

[RickyBobby]

I’d hang on to it and give it a try. The good news is that it’s size doesn’t cost you too much in the way of real estate and seems fairly simple to set up, use, cool, and put away. I have a Genesis gasser that I use a whole lot for quick cooks (burgers, dogs, chicken, pork chops, etc), but I have 3 kids and need the larger cooking surface. If it were just the wife and I, I would likely consider something like the Q1200 for the same type of cooks. I like having options for cooking.

[grantgallagher]

We need a whole new category or acronym for my significant other bought me grilling stuff i dont think i want, lol. Consider yourself lucky my man.

As other have stated, no blasphemy in a gasser. They are great for quick cooks. Im not firing up coals for chicken thighs 9 times out of 10.