Weber Charcoal Grills One Touch Gold Charcoal Grill -26.75 Inch

I came across this grill while looking to upgrade from a smokey joe to something more substantial. I wanted to have a enough grilling surface to open up the possibility to cook multiple items at once using indirect heat. This grill is perfect for that purpose. For example, it allows steady, indirect heat for cooking two medium-sized cedar planks without putting the wood directly over the charcoal. It is also great for larger gatherings, or when you would like to cook some items with direct heat and others at a lower temperature. The shear size of the grill also helps with re-heating after opening the grill lid - the grill returns to its previous medium temp within 1 minute and to a higher temp (>500 degrees) within two minutes. The included lid holder and built in temperature gauge are very helpful and allow a novice, such as myself, to quickly adjust the amount of charcoal/intake vents to achieve the desired grilling temperature. Downsides of a charcoal grill of this size are few, but include the amount of charcoal required to start the grill. Its huge; I use two chimney starters to get the grill going - filling each 3/4 full for indirect grilling and completely full for direct, searing heat. Obviously, if all I wanted to make was two hamburgers, that is a ton of charcoal for the purpose. With the chimney starters this grill is ready to use in 20-30 minutes. I mentioned too much smoke as a con - this can be an issue with any charcoal grill, but since I use two chimney starters simultaneously to get the grill going, there is double the usual amount of smoke. One has to keep the doors shut while starting up the grill. The grill is perfect for smoking and cooking dishes with indirect heat. Plenty of room to experiment with different woods. If you are of the opinion that charcoal is necessary to enhance the flavor of food, this is the perfect grill for you. Assembly was straightforward with picture diagrams. All you need are a hammer, small piece of wood, flat head screwdriver, and a wrench.