kingdarb, Cograts on your new Weber Summit! Give us your impression of how user friendly it will be after your first cook! Thanks!
Eat Well and Prosper! From Fargo ND, Dan
Eat Well and Prosper! From Fargo ND, Dan
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So I've been complaining a bit about the rain and not wanting to put the Weber together in the crappy weather. I happened to be at Home Depot today for something else and noticed that they had a BBQ gazebo on sale for 200 bucks. Of course it isn't the cadillac of these things but I figured it would do the trick so I picked it up and brought it home. Spent a couple of hours putting it together, drinking beer, putting it together some more, and finally got it into place. It isn't huge, but it allowed me to get the kamado out of the weather and would also let me get the new Weber out of the weather.
After I got the gazebo in place, I started putting the Weber together. As I unboxed the cooker, I couldn't help but notice that the components were packaged better than any product I have ever bought. Assembly was straightforward, and the directions were clear and easy to follow. Whoever draws up the directions for Weber should start doing some for Ikea - it would make life easier. It took about an hour to get the Weber together, working at a fairly relaxed place. All the tools required were included in the package. Everything lined up and fit together well.
I should note that I did notice one scratch in the enamel on the inside of the firebowl. I called the store that I bought it from and the owner (awesome guy) contacted his Weber rep. An hour later the Weber rep was at my house, looking at the issue himself. Great guy and super helpful. Long story short, Weber will be shipping a new firebowl to me. I am impressed by good products, but moreso I value great service. Weber did right by me here. No questions asked, problem solved and personal attention by the Territory Manager. Tough to beat that.
I am doing a test run right now with some briquettes. Tomorrow I am going to try some lump, just to see how holding at low and slow temps go as well as what is involved in getting the cooker hot and bringing it back down again. This cooker is extremely well thought out and I very impressed by the attention to detail that Weber has put into it. I will continue to update this thread as I learn more about the cooker, but here are some pics in the meantime:
This was my helper. He did not come in the box - he is a separately purchased item.
My family of cookers hanging out together.
Just putting my hand in the centre of the grate to give an idea of the size of the cooking area. The centre of the grate is removable so that various cooking vessels can be inserted there.
The grill is hinged at either side to allow more charcoal to be added or a rake to be used.
The diffuser plate is also hinged at both sides for the same reason.
The charcoal grill can be located low in the cooker for low to medium temperatures. Note the propane starter in the right side.
It can also be raised up to this height, which would put the coals about 4" below the grill for searing.
...and here is a pic of it running, so that I can burn any shipping crap out of it and get a bit of a handle on the temp control. I am looking forward to putting this thing through its paces and updating about that.
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Very cool, and that's the spirit! Git 'er done.Comment
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Awesome man let's see some food!Comment
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Nice pics. Thanks!Comment
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Thanks for posting the photos and giving us the update, kingdarb. Cute dog too. Can't wait to hear more from you as you put that Weber Summit through its paces.
KathrynComment
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That's a pretty stellar review for the Weber's customer service and the rep you bought it from! I've never heard of such a thing, someone coming out to your house. The cooker looks slick, I can't wait to see more pics of it's meat offerings as you put it through it's paces. Also, nice score on the shelter, I've got a 10x10 collapsible Coleman shelter I use when it rains, but that seems like a much nicer permanent solution.Comment
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She's a beauty!!Comment
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So I put four scoops of Kingsford briquettes in this thing around 7PM last night and used the on-board lighter to get em started. This basically amounted to two layers of charcoal. I wanted to see how long I could go around 225. I likely should have started the coals a different way, as about ten minutes over the burner got too many briquettes going to keep it that low right off the back. Next time I am going to try just starting a few briquettes similar to starting lump in the kamado for low and slow cooking.
Temp went up to about 300 for the first few hours, and settled down after that. Dampers barely open. From about 11PM to about 6AM, it chugged along between 225-250, and right now (9AM) is seems to be holding just below 200. So it looks like the cooker can do pretty well as far as fuel consumption goes. I am pretty confident that once I figure out how to light the coals properly for the purpose, that I will be able to hold low and slow temps for at least 12 hours in this thing.Comment
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If you had put on a Boston Butt it should have been done with no wrapping. It looks like it will cook like your Joe.Comment
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Our first Pit member review, coming straight at you from a Kamado owner with side by side pics for an extra bonus.
How perfect. I suppose you told the Weber rep about your play by play updates on AR Pit? He was probably standing there staring at the Kamado Joe, darn glad he showed up to resolve your issue.
Keep it coming.Comment
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Voodoo ​LOL yup I did tell him heh. He is actually also a BGE owner going on several years, so he has some experience with ceramic cookers. He told me he still loves his BGE. I wouldn't even consider getting rid of the KJ at this point (who also have stellar service BTW), but there are some things about the Weber that I already love. Will see how it works when I actually cook something. First I want to get my temp control down. I am finding briquettes to work a bit differently than the lump I am used to.Comment
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