Weber 781001 26-3/4-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill

by Weber

Product Features

• The Weber One-Touch is great for your grilling needs
• The total cooking area is 397-square-inches
• The grill is made of heavy-gauge porcelain-enameled steel lid and bowl that won't rust or fade
• The One-Touch cleaning and venting system allows you to empty the ash in seconds without getting your hands dirty
• Measures 26.75 by 42.3 by 32 inches

Product Details

See the owners manual for this product [PDF]

• Item Weight: 60 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 60 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B001I8ZU08
• Item model number: 781001
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,094 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden)
  • #21 in Patio, Lawn & Garden > Grills, Smokers & Outdoor Cooking > Grills > Freestanding Grills

Product Description

The rich, unmistakable flavor of charcoal has never been more stylish. Barbecue your meals, your way with this portable large capacity charcoal grill. This model is easy to clean and affordable to own. Available in porcelain-enameled black, blue, and green. Cooking System: Heavy-duty plated steel hinged cooking grate Available in an 18.5", 22.5" or 26.7" diameter cooking area Weber cookbook Limited warranty Available colors: black for 18.5" and 26.75" model, black, dark blue and green for 22.5" model Construction: Factory assembled stainless steel One-Touch cleaning system No-rust aluminum vent Porcelain-enameled bowl and lid 3 Glass-reinforced nylon handles Removable, high capacity ash catcher Crack-proof all-weather wheels Dimensions for 18.5" kettle: Height: 35" Width R-L: 25" Depth: 18.5"268 sq. inch cooking area Dimensions for 22.5" kettle: Height: 38.5" Width R-L: 27" Depth: 22.5"397 sq. inch cooking area Dimensions for 26.75" kettle: Height: 42.3" Width R-L: 32" Depth: 24.4"562 sq. inch cooking area

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bigger is Better!, March 15, 2009

By 

M. Lang (Dayton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Weber 781001 26-3/4-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill (Lawn & Patio)

At least when it comes to grilling! After months of anxious waiting, I received my "new" 26 inch Weber grill from Amazon a few weeks ago. I say "new" because this is not Weber's first 26 inch grill. They previously had manufactured a 26 inch model that has long since been discontinued.

After having grilled on a 22 inch One Touch Gold and a Performer for years, I was anxious to have more charcoal grilling space. Although I have slobbered over the Ranch Kettle, I always felt that it was a little too much. Of course, I was also never able to convince my wife that I needed one.

The 26 inch kettle took about 20 minutes to assemble. The instructions were written in the international language of "pictures" and are very straightforward. The 26 inch is in all practical purposes a larger 22 inch grill. The wheels, ash catcher, handles, and charcoal baskets are all standard size. The only difference is the larger kettle. When you compare the kettle of a 26 inch to a 22 (see the images above), it might not appear to be that much of a difference. I believe that it is, as the 26 boasts an additional 145 square inches of cooking space. When you are trying to grill multiple things at the same time, that difference means not having to fire up a second grill.

The size of the 26 allows for more range in temperature zones for direct grilling. Internally, like on the 22, there is 5 inches between the main grate and the charcoal grate. The lid holder nicely holds the lid out of the way. My old Performer did not do that very well. I am thankful this model does. I do wish there was a hook to hang the main grate from. You can invert the grate and use the handles to hang it over the lip of the kettle, but I would prefer an actual hook.

I have cooked both direct and indirect on this new beast and I am happy with the results. The one learning curve I am tackling is charcoal usage. Figure about one and a half times more charcoal than you would typically use on the 22. In fact, if you can fit everything on the 26 versus firing up two 22 inch kettles, you are using less charcoal overall. Nice.

If you do a lot of grilling for a lot of people or you grill a lot of different things for a few people, this is a great grill. If you are only an occasional griller, I would recommend the 22. However, if you understand how precious grill real estate when you craft your evening's dinner, the 26 will not let you down. It's a Weber, what more can I say? Happy Grilling!

65 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a better choice, July 26, 2010

By 

J. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Weber 781001 26-3/4-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill (Lawn & Patio)

First of all, I'm a loyal Weber fan and have owned numerous models over the better part of 40 years. I consider them the best of the backyard BBQ grills, so no hate mail please. But let's be realistic, for the same amount of money you can get two Gold One Touch 22.5" grills and have more combined cooking space, not to mention the flexibility of setting one up for indirect and another for direct grilling, OR set up one as a smoker and another as a straight grill, OR set up one for steaks and the other for chicken (or fish) etc.

The design flaws in this larger model are obvious and well documented by other reviewers; leg assy and supports designed and manufactured for the smaller kettle and the single handle grip (which is now the heat seeking plastic material) allows the much heavier lid to swing and arc during removal, not the safest choice Weber could have made. If you really have to have a "bigger one" than Mr. Jones next door, fine, but how often are you really going to need that extra space? My experience is that a 22.5" Weber grill does family duty and can handle the weekend party needs of 6 to 8 people without a problem. The 26.75" (based upon the grilling surface available) might add 2 more people to the party. But two 22.5" grills give you the flexibility to cook for 12 to 16. Now look at the pricing of an 18.5" Gold grill vs. the 22.5"; a reasonable $25 more (at the time of this writing), but the 26.75" Gold is TWICE the price of the 22.5" Gold. It just doesn't pencil out either in a monetary sense or a safety one (remember how that support leg always threatens to fall out when you're moving the grill loaded with hot coals out of the way?)*.

If you really need to turn your backyard into a small forest fire, save up for "The Ranch" which, while huge and expensive, at least is properly designed and manufactured to safely feed a crowd.

* My only criticism of all the Weber kettles is what I consider to be a design flaw with respect the third leg. The legs are aluminum and the kettle/leg mount assys are steel. Steel and aluminum expand under heat at different rates, hence under certain conditions the third leg can fall out of it's assy when lifted leaving the owner w/o a tripod design to rest the kettle. Worse, he/she can trip over the just fallen out leg and lose control of the kettle with disastrous results. I am not a safety prone guy, but this danger is so obvious and has such an easy fix that I mention it here on the off chance it hadn't occurred to other owners. Drill a hole thru the dia. of the leg and leg mount assy when they're in place. Slip a small dia. bolt thru the holes in both the leg and mount and secure with a locking nut/washer and you have a safe simple fix.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real Grillers Grill - A worthwhile upgrade or new purchase, September 22, 2009

By 

Keith (LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weber 781001 26-3/4-Inch One-Touch Gold Charcoal Grill (Lawn & Patio)

This new model is a must have for serious grillers who feel cramped on their old 22.5" like I did. I never had quite enough room for proper indirect cooking or for creating the necessary heat zones. Many times I was forced to use my 6 burner Gas Weber Summit for larger BBQ parties. On the 26" I cooked chicken for 15 last week with room to spare. Problem solved. Don't bother buying the smaller model if you are serious.

Pros:

1. Lots of grill space for cooking tons of food.

2. Room for proper indirect cooking with larger items like Roasts or a whole Turkey

3. Better thermometer than my old 22.5" One-Touch Gold

4. Plastic handle on the lid vent so it can be adjusted when hot.

5. Reinforced grate to hold up the coals. Much better design

6. Stainless Steel cooking grill is much easier to clean and will last much longer than the chrome plated grill on smaller models

7. Looks impressive :¬)

Cons:

1. Lid is large diameter and heavy, Be careful slinging it around like the smaller model. Burned my forearm the first day, learned my lesson.

2. Legs are flimsy like smaller model, but this grill is much heavier. I wonder how long they will last. Appear to made of the same thin aluminum.

3. Natural wood charcoal unburned "bits" small enough to fall through the grill, but large enough to lodge in the vents will prevent adjustment, cleaning or closure until they burn or are removed. Forcing will damage the cleaning blades. I am trying different brands of charcoal. I may also add another coal grill at 90° to see if it helps. I am not a big fan of molded briquets which don't have this problem.

4. Does not fit in a passenger car like the 22.5 or smaller could. Now I have an excuse not to loan it to friends for their parties :¬)

5. Wish they made a 26" Performer Model with Propane for lighting coals and the built in work table.

6. No rotisserie option (yet)