Hey there what is up you guys? I am
Jerry and welcome back to the channel "The Chicago Griller!" This is the show where
I share my favorite tips, tricks and recipes for the Weber Q! If you think that I can help you
out, hit the like button and subscribe! For those of you who tune in regularly, you know that I
now own three. That's right, three Weber Qs! I have this Weber Q1200, I have a Weber Q2000 that
I have modified to have a temperature gauge, and I even now have a charcoal Weber Q: the very rare
CharQ. So obviously I think very highly of the Q series. But I also will admit there is a little
bit of learning curve involved with these cookers. So today on the channel I thought I would share
five mistakes that I have personally made with these weber Qs. Now to be clear, these aren't
general grilling mistakes, such as 'remember to preheat your grill before cooking!' No no!
These are five specific mistakes that you'll make with the Weber Q series. Being aware of these
specific Weber Q mistakes and how to correct them will really help elevate your game a lot quicker.
So let's get started! The very first mistake can happen during the shopping process. The
mistake that I made was I didn't realize there was such a wide range of models available, or trim
levels available within these models. To begin there is the Q1000 and 1200 which is the smallest
of the bunch. I would say this model line is good for a household with one to two people, or
if you plan on carrying this camping a lot. Then there is the Q2000 and 2200 series,
which is the middle size in the line. This size is good for two voracious eaters
or a smaller family of four. And then there is the Q3200 aka the Family Q, which I would
recommend for a family of four very hungry humans, or someone who holds a lot of larger gatherings.
Now as I said there are also several trim levels within these models. You'll notice that the
standard model numbers are 1000 or 1200, or 2000 or 2200. The thousand series is the base
model, and it comes with a push button starter, as well as no temperature gauge on the dome.
However when you upgrade to the x200 series, you now have an electric starter, and a temperature
gauge built into the dome. I don't think the upgrade for electric starter is worth that
much, but the lid thermometer is pretty clutch. I ended up drilling a hole in the lid of my
Q 2000 and installing an aftermarket one. It really wasn't that difficult of a process, but
doing so does void your warranty, so you might as well just buy it from the start. Especially
since the price premium between the 1000 model and the x200 series is only $20 USD. So again if both
models are available to you, you might as well buy the slightly higher tier right from the get go.
The second mistake that I made with the Weber Q was, when I first got the grill, the first cook
I did with it, was I cooked with the lid open. Why did I do this? I did this because I think
when you go to like larger festivals or tailgates, you see a lot of people cooking on
open flames, with very powerful setups. So you see them cooking outside with the food on
full display. So naturally when you come back home you try to replicate it that way. Well you know
what? The Weber Q doesn't really work like that. It does have a nice burner, and it's
strong enough to really heat up the grates. However you do lose a lot of heat when this lid
is open, so always always cook with the lid shut. When you do that the heat comes on up and
because the shape of the lid, it really comes up and around your food, and cooks it thoroughly.
Not all grills work like that so it's important to know that is very specific to the Weber Q.
You may need to relearn the timings of some of the dishes that you cook regularly, but you'll
quickly get the hang of it after a few cooks, or watching some of the videos on my channel! The
third mistake that people make when they buy this barbecue, and one that I made myself was they
rely too much on these one pound gas canisters. And that's not really a surprise because out of
the box, it is pitched as a portable grill, and these canisters thread right into the back
of the grill. Now they are great for camping, but quite frankly, I don't take this out into the
woods very often. Nor do I take it out tailgating. So these one pound gas canisters, I find only last
about three to four hours on the small Weber Q. On my midsize Weber Q I only get about two to three
hours. So it's not the most economical option. So if your Q is going to be staying at home most
the time, you really should purchase the adapter hose, and hook it up to a larger tank. It'll
pay for itself in no time and as an added bonus, you no longer have the constant stress of
always trying to time how much gas you have left in one of these canisters, before your
flame goes out. So that in itself is worth it! Now speaking of gas, that segues nicely to the
fourth mistake that people make with their Weber Qs, and a mistake that I have personally made. Now
one of the biggest flaws with the Weber Q series is that there are no flavorizer bars that protect
the burner tubes. So grease and drippings and fat spill right onto the burner. And with
that, it kind of gets caked on over time, and the performance really starts to be
impacted. You may see this in the form of hot and cool zones on your grill, or sometimes
the burner tube might just outright not light up at all. You might think your grill is
broken, but it's really a pretty simple fix. I have a more detailed video on this
that you can check out in the link above. But there are three troubleshooting steps that
you go through. One, you can simply take a brush and scrape the burner tubes clean. This will knock
off any larger debris. You could also take a paper clip and poke out all the individual holes.
This will knock out some of the finer debris. And if all else fails, you could actually remove
the entire burner tube, soak in some water and give it a nice cleaning. Doing so will almost
certainly get your burner tube running like new again. And again, I think people give up on
this model of grill too quickly, because I see a lot of them available on Facebook marketplace for
cheap. I think it's simply because the burners are starting to get clogged, and people don't know or
are too lazy to fix them. Don't make that mistake! The fifth and final mistake that people including
myself have made with the Weber Q is thinking that this is just a tailgating grill, and that
it's not very versatile. For the longest time, I was only doing burgers and steaks on it, but in
reality you could cook almost anything you want by accessorizing or using a trick to set it up for
indirect grilling. You really open up this grill to a world of possibilities. For example I am now
doing whole roasts on it like chicken or duck. I can even do some cast iron skillet dishes
like deep dish pizza. And I've even made some more exotic items like Japanese pancakes
aka okonomiyaki. Really there are only two things that I have not been able to figure
out on this Weber Q, and that is how to get a beer can chicken in there. You know? There's just
not enough room for beer can chicken to stand up. And two, I've not really figured out how to
do brisket. The temperature doesn't get quite low enough to do that low and slow brisket cook.
But for everything else? You name it and I could probably figure out a method to pull it off on the
Q! So there you go guys, those are five mistakes that I have personally made with the Weber Q,
and are common mistakes that beginners may make with a Weber Q. Let me know in the comments
section down below if there are any other tips or mistakes you think I should pass along to
other folks watching this channel. Thank you very much as always for joining me today. As always if
you found this helpful, hit the like button and subscribe! Thanks again for watching, I will see
you all again next week with a new episode! Bye!
