Weber 1211001 Jumbo Joe Gold Charcoal Grill, 18-Inch

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Price: $59.99 $46.50   

Product Feature

• Porcelain-enameled bowl and lid with a cooking area of 240 square inch
• 18.5-inch diameter plated steel cooking grate
• Rust-resistant aluminum dampers and ash catcher
• One glass-reinforced nylon handle
• Assembled dimensions 19.75-inch by 20.5-inch by 19.75-inch

Product Description

Need a larger cooking surface from a portable grill? Tailgaters, campers and all grillers on-the-go will appreciate the Jumbo Joe Gold – an extra large, but still very portable, charcoal grill.

Weber 1211001 Jumbo Joe Gold Charcoal Grill, 18-Inch Review

Ah, the fun of getting to the cabin or campsite that "...has it's own grill!". If I'm lucky it's one of the $29 clamshell, self-corroding ones with non-functional ventilation, but those will at least trap the heat and more or less prevent flameups. If I'm unlucky it's one of the 3-sided open ones that are safety hazards and require a squirtgun in hand at all times. Then there are those dark looks and whispers from the relatives and friends as they cut into their charred yet undercooked food: "...I thought he was the one that knew how to bbq...".

I've been wanting a portable for some time, but the 14" Webers just seemed too small, and the Platinum had been discontinued. Also, the Platinum apparently had some problems with the vents. So I was delighted to see the new Jumbo Joe available at Amazon. I had a few questions, primarily about room under the kind of squatty looking lid, but I wasn't able to find answers online, so I ordered it.

First, here are the dimensions that I wasn't able to find online:

Distance between lid and grill: 4.5" throughout about a 15" diameter area
Distance between grill and grate: about 3.5" over the 13" grate diameter
Air space under grate: Varies up to about 2.75"
Bottom vents: 3, symmetric on kettle axis, 1.5" x 1"

Yes, it's tight vertically. I wish they'd domed the lid about another inch--that'd get it into bone-in turkey breast or whole chicken range. Plenty of headroom for chops, burgers and roasts, though, and the 18" grill provides multi-item capacity and the room to do indirect cooking or reverse searing. A spatchcocked chicken would fit, but I'd want a drip pan large enough to control the grease, and I'm not sure there's enough room for a pan that large.

Packaging and Shipping:

It was shipped in the retail box. No shipping damage on mine. Packing looks good except that the top of the lid is up against 1 layer of cardboard that is directly against the top of the outer package. Since the lid is flat there's quite a bit of it up against the top of the box, potentially a ding risk. Everything else was separated and padded by cardboard and the only wear/dings I saw were a couple of light scratches on the aluminum ash catcher, probably from the legs packed underneath it. Documentation is a picture book assembly manual (inaccurate, see below) and the obligatory multi-language liability disclaimer booklet (has a little info about the number of briquettes and cook temps but basically: don't use it in the bathtub). Packing is all recyclable except for 2 small plastic bags.

Assembly:

Assembly time was about 15 minutes. Would have been faster, but the instructions make a *huge* deal about not confusing the phillips head screws with the slotted head screws. There are no phillips head screws. Nada. All 6 screws are slotted and are the same thread, but 4 of them have larger diameter heads. The 2 with smaller heads are for the vents. The only other potential gotchas are the ash pan--it goes under, not above, the clips and is completely secured, and making sure the bottom vent and lid holder arm are oriented correctly. The assembly instructions are pretty good other than the phillips-head confusion. Weber provides a nice t-wrench to use on the springnuts used for the handle and vents, as well as on the other nuts. Only a largish flat screwdriver and the provided wrench are required for assembly.

Fit and Finish:

Up to Weber standards. The material and finish on the kettle appear identical to that on my Performer. It feels solid, no sway on the legs, not tippy, and the vents can be adjusted to whatever tension wanted, particularly nice when transporting it. The combo lid retainer / lid holder works very well and the unit is totally secure when the lid is clipped down. My only concern is that the lid retainer rod is hinged by just running it into the kettle through some holes. The holes are porcelain covered, but the rod puts pressure on the porcelain covered edges, potentially a rust problem. Wish they'd provided a way to grommet the holes or something. They do provide washers to protect against wear from the rod against the side of the kettle. The ash catcher is a shallow bowl and it looks like a strong wind might be able to blow live coals out of it. Not really any more of a problem than the big kettles, though.

Cooking:

Great. Ventilation is as good as my 22" Performer, thanks to the large, centered bottom vents. Even heat across the grate: multiples of corn and steaks are no problem. I underestimated the number of briquettes required on the first cook--it's actually got a lot of area. Haven't tried indirect yet, but there appears to be room and the ventilation appears to be good on the sides. One nice touch is that the bottom vent has a positive stop when fully open / closed. The bottom vent only has an uninsulated tab for adjustment, but it's no problem to just tap it with the tongs. The ashcatcher works, but I haven't tried to see if it can be gracefully removed for dumping yet--it's in there pretty securely. I've just been dumping the whole unit. No swing up sides on the grill--have to raise it up to drop in wood chunks. No thermometer, and, really, there's just no room for it under the lid anyway.

Misc.:

- WAF: "It's cute."
- No travel bag/cover available yet. Note to Weber: I'll buy one as soon as it's out.
- Note to readers: Amazon may recommend a cover/carrier--as of November 2012 it's the one for the 14" series and won't fit.

Pros:

- It's definitely a Weber
- It's a real, usable 18" grill that fits in a 20" cube
- Ventilation and temp control are excellent
- Stable and safe
- The lid lock is very secure
- The lid holder is clever and actually useful
- The joy of owning and using a well-designed, quality product

Cons:

- Clearance under lid is tight and, IMHO, could have been improved with a little more of a dome

Nits:

- Concern about wear on kettle porcelain from lid retainer rod hinging
- Wish they had a carry case available

Summary:

Almost perfect feature set, great performance and Weber quality in this form factor at this price. It's a winner, and now I can actually enjoy grilling while on the road.

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