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Weber 841001 22 1/2-Inch Performer Charcoal Grill with Touch-N-Go Propane Ignition, Black

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Brand: Weber
Category: Lawn & Patio

List Price: ~~$429.00~~
Buy New: $299.00
You Save: $130.00 (30%)

New (9) from $299.00

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

157 reviews
Sales Rank: 809

Color: Black
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 100
Dimensions (in): 29.8 x 28.4 x 20

MPN: 841001
Model: 841001
UPC: 077924057007
EAN: 0077924057007
ASIN: B000659KDM

Availability: Usually ships in 1-3 weeks

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 21-25 of 157

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Best grill I ever bought! April 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I've made a few dumb purchases in my life... This was absolutely NOT one of them. I love cooking on this thing. If you already love Weber Kettle grills, then this is a must have. It has everything that the Kettle was lacking to be perfect. The counter top, the lid holder, the gas igniter, and the charcoal bin are all welcomed additions to an already amazing grill. Do yourself a favor and buy this thing. It costs a little more but if you love grilling, what's a couple hundred dollars.

5 out of 5 stars

Cave Man Meets the Jet Set April 8, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

When my tired old gas grill suffered yet another element burn-through, I gutted its plumbing and made an improvised charcoal fire in it just to get by while I looked for a replacement. This workaround reminded me why I never should have left charcoal in the first place. I just never got used to blue flames and stainless steel, regardless of the pickup in time savings I was getting. I decided that I needed to go back to charcoal.

The Weber Performer is a hybrid. It gets the coals going with a propane igniter. Looks like a Rube Goldberg approach at first, but now it seems like the only logical way to go. The frame integrates into the sides of the kettle with 4 substantial screws (all screws are stainless, as far as I can tell). That, plus a crossmember at each end of the frame make it a solid unit. Besides gas ignition via a small, non-refillable lantern-sized propane tank, this thing has every available upgrade; hinged cooking grate, moveable charcoal fire bins for indirect cooking, temp gauge, lid side-holder, ash-swiper, onboard 30-lb charcoal storage, and a huge table on the side; you name it, it's there. Assembly is easy; 45 minutes.

Startup is flawless. 5 minutes of torch-time, then turn off the gas and let the coals take over. I was amazed to see the temp gauge move nearly in realtime between 350 and 550 degrees as I opened and closed top and bottom vents (lump charcoal burns hot!). I could literally cover 200 degrees of range in just a minute or so. Unbelievable. But having owned the Stone-Age version of the Weber Kettle Grill before, I already knew this to be true. Still, it is pretty cool to watch.

To be fair, there are some negatives, but not many. The clear plastic door over the igniter switch and control knob feels a bit flimsy. And it sounds like I'm scratching the finish on the kettle lid every time I set it in the side-holder, though I see no signs of "trading paint" yet. The rear wheels may be plenty solid, but they look like someone swiped them from my kid's old toy chest, while the other two could've been from someone's office chair. I'll probably take all four wheels off and come up with some type of permanent mount, because this thing is staying right where it is---for good.

Perhaps the biggest negative may actually be a positive in disguise. Since it takes roughly 20 minutes to be grillin and chillin, it means you'll have about double the wait of a typical gas grill; maybe more. But for me, half the fun of cooking out is the wait itself. While I'm keeping a casual eye on the coals, I can hang out for awhile by the pool, watch the clouds roll by, try to get a peek at the corn snake coiled under the junipers without getting nailed, and maybe even take in an adult beverage or two at the same time.

This is the only civilized way to be a caveman.

5 out of 5 stars

Charcoal with gas convenience April 6, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I barbeque frequently. I had a pair of gas BBQs in this price range, and both times, I got wasps in the venturis. It's a real pain to go out and check your meal, and find flames shooting out on the gas tank. I also got sick of running out of propane, which really is only one step up from swamp gas.

More important, I missed the charcoal flavor from my labor-intensive classic Weber.

The Weber performer is easier than gas. Period. I leave the vents open when I'm done, and when I want to use it, I flip a lever, dumping the ashes into a convenient pot-like removeable receptacle. I only need to dump the receptacle about every fifth use. I remove the grate, put charcoal in the handy charcoal holders, put them in the middle, replace the grate, and turn on the propane starter for 5 minutes. I turn off the propane, wait another 10 minutes, then scrub the grate a bit with a ball of aluminum foil, and finish with a paper towel. I put the charcoal where I want it, and I'm ready to cook. The lid thermometer (removeable to stick in the meat) works, and is still readable after 2 years of frequent use.

I've had a lot of practice, and I'm a student of BBQ, but I swear that I have not cooked anything on this BBQ that isn't great. We're talking turkeys, briskets, and ribs.

Smoking is easy. It's the oak smoke that give a BBQ its flavor. You can enhance this with soaked (20 minutes, hot water) wood chips. Just put them on the coals, and cover for 20 minutes. Oak gives that charcoal barbeque taste, alder is great for fish and teryaki, mesquite does chicken, pork, shrimp, or practically anything, and I reserve hickory, the classic smoke flavor, for ribs. The folks in Lynchburg sell chips of Jack Daniels' kegs, and they are wonderful too.

You'll find that the only maintainance you have to do is to knock ashes off the lid every few uses so that they don't fall on the food, and scrape ashes off the propane nozzle and charcoal grate every 8 uses or so.

I usually cook for 2-4 people, who eat like pigs, and the size is just right for that. For a crowd, a more traditional smoker servers better, but the labor maintaining the cast iron and cleaning up the ashes is much more painful.

Did I mention the charcoal bin that holds a 20# bag of charcoal with room for what's left of the old bag? It swings out, and keeps the charcoal dry in a monsoon. The finish on a Weber will last until you tire of it, and even the plastic work surface, much larger than anything you'll find on a gas grill, cleans easily with detergent and water. More powerful cleaners are less effective. I don't know why.

I suppose I should state a negative, or you'll think I work for Weber. The grate height isn't adjustable, so fast-cooking steak is a challenge. I move the charcoal holders under the meat, use a lot of charcoal, and watch it close for the six minutes it takes. You can deal with flare-ups using the lid and lid vents. A spray bottle of water helps too. The grate height works well for longer cooking items or items that don't need so much heat, and there's plenty of room and the appropriate lid to use indirect heat, great for poultry, fish, and longer cooking large beef and pork cuts.

So if you want the taste of charcoal, easy smoking, and the convenience of gas, this is the product to buy. Fact is, gas is much more work. I team my Performer with a Weber wireless thermometer, and I only check a turkey about once every 45 minutes.

Amazing, until you consider who makes it.

I really want the rotisserie option.

5 out of 5 stars

The grill for people that know grilling is for taste, not a status symbol. March 31, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

If you have ever gone to a grilling championship or BBQ championship, you'll wonder where all the gas grills are. The answer? There aren't any. This is because people that know grilling know it is about the quality and taste of what you cook.

This grill is probably one of the most expensive charcoal grills for consumers, and you'll have to answer for yourself if you think the extra money is worth paying for the igniter and nice cart. I think it is. These grills will last a long time, and if you grill a lot, might as get one that is convenient.

Weber quality is there, fit and finish is great. And remember if you have any problems, Weber has a great customer service department. Just call them up with your serial number and they'll be glad to help you out. I had an igniter malfunction once, and called them up, spoke to a real human, and five minutes later I had a new igniter kit on its way via Fedex. This is the kind of support you will get from Weber.

So while your friends and loved ones may still be after that "status symbol" of grills... you know the ones... the ones that go out and buy a monster $2000 grill, you'll know deep inside that, in fact, YOU have the superior grill, and they have a shiny piece of metal that cost a lot of money. They will try and convince themselves that it "grills a great steak", but once they leave your house, consuming that ribeye you just cooked over Kingford charcoal on your Weber Performer, they will be silently second-guessing themselves.

If you want a REAL grill, and have a few minutes to spare for things done right, I'd recommend this grill with no reservations. It is a great standard 22" Weber grill, the cart is easy to roll around, and the gas igniter works great. I'd also recommend buying a Weber chimney starter. Throw the charcoal into the chimney and place it over the gas flame for 7 minutes, shut the gas off, and let the chimney do the rest. This thing is great, and anyone who appreciates a good meal will appreciate this grill. You'll be able to produce steakhouse quality steaks every time, with that taste that only charcoal can provide.

5 out of 5 stars

Very Nice BBQ! March 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I was kind of hesitant in buying this bbq....I actually put it off for several weeks trying to decide if spending an additional $150 (compared to Weber's One-Touch Gold) was worth it. After several weeks, I can say that this is most definitely worth the extra money.

The unit needs some assembly once you bring it home. Honestly, it take about 20 minutes and all you need are the basic tools that you probably already have. The cart itself is mobile but still feels very sturdy and can easily be moved from one part of my backyard to the other. The charcoal bin is a lot more useful than I thought it would be. It has a piece of wire hooked up to it so that it can't tip over and spill out the charcoal. The bin can only hold 30 lbs. of charcoal and is completely stored underneath the side table, after several light rains this past week, the charcoal was nice and dry for bbq'ing today.

The kettle itself, is pretty much a Weber One-Touch Gold but with a Performer slide-away lid holder and a black ash catcher (as opposed to the silver one). I think that this slide-away lid is better than Weber's add-on version because the performer's lid holder is actually drilled into the side of the kettle; The add-on version is hooked onto the rim and some people complain that this allows smoke and heat to escape (I don't really know if that is true, but it seems logical).

As for the black ash catcher, I like it better than the stainless version. The stainless ash catcher, although just as good, just looks a little grungy to me after several bbq's, maybe the black just hides it better.

Another huge upgrade is the kettle top with a built-in thermometer. I absolutely love the thermometer and wish that it was on all of their grills. On my previous Weber, I had to buy the candy thermometer and put it inside one of the top vents, totally usable, but looked as though it did not belong.

Oh yeah, the performer also has one more thing, the Burner! The burner is controlled through the front faceplate. It's just a small knob (pretty much turns the gas on and off) and then the ignitor; The knob and ignitor are protected from the elements by a plastic cover. The small adjustment knob turns counter clockwise for a while, but I have yet to see much difference in the amount of flame. The burner itself is directly placed on the bottom half of the kettle and it ignites the coals located above it. After about 10 minutes, I can turn off the gas and let the charcoal continue to ash over. Don't worry about assembling the burner, it's already pre-attached to the bowl and all you have to do is connect the fuel line and the ignitor wires to the faceplate.

I was concerned about the fuel consumption but after these past several weeks and bbq's almost every night, I still have a pretty full propane canister. Some might say to use the Bernzomatic fuel canister (to get that hotter flame) but I just use cheap green canisters from the local Walmart, it's worked without a problem and cost about 1/4 of the price.

Another thing about the performer is that Weber included a hinged cooking grate (also included with the one-touch gold) and comes with a set of Charcoal baskets, makes indirect grilling easy.

Only thing that I wished that this Weber included is a cover. I mean, this is Weber's top-of-the-line charcoal grill after all, but maybe now I'm just being greedy.

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