Weber 40020 Smokey Joe Gold Charcoal Grill

Much longer cooking time than Smokey Joe Silver
We love Weber grills and have been using a Smokey Joe Silver and larger Weber grills for 30 years. We like to camp and always bring our Smokey Joe with us so I purchased the Smokey Joe Gold becasue of the locking top and carrying handle. However, this grill has vents on the side, not on the bottom, so the air flow does not circulate through the coals as Weber grills are usually designed. It took twice as long to cook our food in the Gold as opposed to the Silver. It is good for transporting but not as good as the Silver for cooking.
Great Little Grill for Home or Travel
This is the third little Weber I've had in the past 20 years - I've never worn one out; the first two were stolen! I like the locking handle on the new model. One great feature of these grills is that when you are done cooking, you can close all the vents and the fire will go out in about 15-20 minutes, saving whatever's left of your charcoal for the next time. With the handle locked, it won't spill in the back of your pickup on the way home.

It really does do a great job of cooking, as good as the larger Webers, just for a smaller crowd. We had a Mulberry tree trimmed in our yard and I saved all the chipped up wood to use for smoke flavoring. You still need a charcoal fire for heat; just throw in a handful of chips before you put the meat & corn on the cob in and close the top vent down to make it smoke. Mmmmm, Mmmmm!

You can eat like a gourmet anywhere you tote this to! Just add a cooler full of longnecks.....
20+ years old and going strong!
I got this grill on the advice of a friend when we were in grad school. She'd been trying to save money, and bought a similar type grill from a different manufacturer. It didn't vent right at all, and she was right, this one does. Brand matters.

I've lugged it with me through something like 5 moves, and it's still fine. The grill has eventually accumulated rust, but it's nothing you can't scrape off at the beginning of the season, and besides they're always telling us we need more iron in our diets, right?

If I hadn't left it outside for a couple of winters the rust might not have happened. It doesn't look like it's going to wear out in my lifetime, so I guess I'll never have a chance to find out on a new one!

I like using the charcoal made of real wood chunks more than the compressed bricquettes (they don't last as long, but they taste WAY better).

Couple it with the Weber chimney starter, and you have a way of getting rid of junk...
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