Customer Reviews

Weber 121020 Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My first "Go-Anywhere Weber Grill," purchased in 1984, sold me on design and efficiency. After cooking my dinner, I'd shut the side and top air vents thus suffocating the fire. I found I could get two, three, and sometimes four meals from a single load of charcoal (depending on cooking times). And, on picnics, the fire would be out and the grill "touchable" after about 15 minutes. The grill is large enough to handle most meals for say 6 to 8 persons and even small (4-6 lb) chickens, but if you're cooking turkey, this isn't the grill for you. I'm now on my second "G-A" grill, as the first bounced around the world with me in Korea, Yemen, China, and the U.S. until the movers crushed it in 1993. Ended up contacting Weber directly when I couldn't find a replacement locally, and number 2 is in good shape after 8 years of rigorous use.

Hi there, I've just recently purchased this grill and have used it 2 times already. I can honestly say that this grill has exceeded my expectations! It is well built, and folds up very compactly for storage. It (like all Weber products) cooks very evenly, and refuses to flare up. The air dampers are easy to operate, and the porcelin coating will ensure many years of use. You will also be suprised at how much food you can cook on it. (I have 5 kids, and the grill is still hot when we've eaten our full) We enjoy it, and I'm sure you will too!

This is a well-designed small scale charcoal grill. I generally use it when I only want to cook for one or two people or when portability matters.

I've had my Go-Anywhere charcoal grill for about three years, and it has held up extremely well. The durable exterior coating is very resistent to the elements (and it's small enough that you could easily let it cool down and chuck it into a closet if you want to keep it indoors). The only thing that has really shown any significant wear is the grill grate, but these are easily replacable (and, in the long run, all grates give out eventually).

The grill has four air vents (two top mounted exhaust vents, and two vents mounted along the bottom sides). Opening all four vents allows enough oxygen flow for medium temperature cooking. Closing all four vents will suffocate a fire pretty quickly. Cooking with the lid off and the bottom vents open will net you a hot fire that will be great for searing.

Additionally, the lid can be "rockered" back onto the body of the grill. This means that you don't have to look around for someplace to put a potentially very hot piece of metal *and* you can use it as a windshield if you want.

If you like charcoal cooking and you either want a small grill or you need a portable grill, I would highly recommend this product.

My grate just died after about 10 years of heavy use. Rather then buy a replacement grate, I wasn't thinking and just purchased a whole new portable grill. The next day I purchased a replacement grate online from the weber folks and that transaction was very smooth as has always been the case with Amazon. So now I have two functioning portable grills. It seems to me that the food sits closer to the charcoal on this then it does full sized grills, so heat has never been an issue with mine, although the charcoal may loose it's heat a little faster as you can't really make a pile of charcoal or stack the brickets very much. I actually think it is easier to burn things on this grill then others, and learning how to use the vents to control heat is something you will need to do. Honestly though, this is the only grill I have any real experience with and I love the portability and often wrap it in a trash bag and take it to state parks for 'eating out'.

My only complaint is they have changed the handles to plastic on the new models which now require mits to handle during the process. The old model had wood handles and I never needed a mit to take the cover off and check my food.

First of all, despite some comments here that would lead you to believe otherwise, this is NOT a gas grill. The dead giveaway is the word "charcoal" in the product title.

Even though this is designed to be a travel grill (with folding legs that secure the cover in place), I use it as my primary grill. I like to grill at all times of the year so I leave it on the patio all year round and sometimes have to dig through a snowdrift to find it. I'm surprised it hasn't rusted out yet since it has been sitting outside for more than five years. The wood parts are weathered, but still no sign of metal corrosion. When this one eventually goes I'll probably get small round Weber since I really don't need the travel feature.

We have moved into a new house and will probably buy a gas grill next year. For this summer I though it would be good to have a small grill. I chose the go-anywhere grill because I always liked weber products. This grill is great.

First, it's great to use real charcoal. It absolutely tastes better. And the grill uses a lot less coal then you would think. It's easy and fast to light the coal - and cooks just great.

Even after I buy a new grill, I'm sure I'll keep using this grill for fish and other things - just for the taste.

We use it for a small tailgate (we have other grills for larger tailgate parties) party serving three people. It is not big enough to serve more people. After several uses we learned that we had to use more charcoal, and once we made the change and increased the amount of charcoal (almost to the top)the grill was able to cook a second round of food. Packs up very easily, sets up very easily, and puts together very easily. Can cook 2 steaks and a few franks OR 6 hamburgers at one time.

I bought this grill for a camping trip and now I use it all the time. I've taken it to concerts and sporting events and sometimes use it instead of our large gas grill. It was a little more expensive than some really cheap charcoal grills, but a much better value. I was consdiering the Weber gas- Go Anywhere grill, but like the idea of cooking on charcoal better. I've heard that they rust pretty easily, but we haven't noticed any rust yet. We don't keep it outside in the weather, but we don't baby it either.

A good charcoal grill for when you need portability. I recently bought a Smokey Joe Silver and cooked side-by-side with my Go-Anywhere, and this grill is definitely more convenient for camping trips and other excursions. Both are good quality, as you'd expect with a Weber, but the Go-Anywhere has a lot more control for vents and packs up better for travel. It also has the prongs so I can hang the hot grill cover off the side, and the Smokey Joe Silver does not. Capacity on this grill is about six burgers, or three to four steaks (depending on size).

For those who say they prefer a cheaper portable grill to the Weber... I did exactly that, and junked the cheap, rusting-out grill after one year in favor of the Weber, which I expect to last for years. Weber is quality that I'm willing to pay more for. My only complaint, as another reviewer noted, is the plastic handles.

---Ellen

This grill is the greatest for simplicity and ease of use. It is compact and portable, so there is no unsightly grill always hanging around your house or patio. I use it in summer and winter, and even set it up in the snow. If you do charcoal grilling exclusively, as I do, this grill has the flexibility to adjust the combustion air and exhaust to suite what you are cooking. For high temperatures, such as for steaks, I leave the top cover off. Takes perhaps 5 to 6 grillings before one learns all the right charcoal loadings and vent adjustments necessary. Cools off totally in 15 minutes if you close all vents.