I got one mid-summer. The gas start is odd. It just has a small tube with a flame on the end. I don't know why they don't have two of them for when you want to light both charcoal holders. For this, I bring them both in the center of the grill until they both catch and then move them to the sides.
If you do direct and indirect zones, the gas assist works just fine.
For coated grates, they are hard to clean. The normal burn off doesn't work. So I bring them in and scrub them with a dish rag.
Might look for stainless steel replacement grates so I could just use a BBQ scraper.
The top is attached with a hinge. This stops many 3rd party accessories. I guess you can always unscrew it and plug the holes... but it doesn't have a hook or holder.
I put it together myself. took 60 minutes. I think it's a great purchase at this price.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I got one mid-summer. The gas start is odd. It just has a small tube with a flame on the end. I don't know why they don't have two of them for when you want to light both charcoal holders. For this, I bring them both in the center of the grill until they both catch and then move them to the sides.
If you do direct and indirect zones, the gas assist works just fine.
For coated grates, they are hard to clean. The normal burn off doesn't work. So I bring them in and scrub them with a dish rag.
Might look for stainless steel replacement grates so I could just use a BBQ scraper.
The top is attached with a hinge. This stops many 3rd party accessories. I guess you can always unscrew it and plug the holes... but it doesn't have a hook or holder.
I put it together myself. took 60 minutes. I think it's a great purchase at this price.
Good deal. I got it around this price last year when it was on sale. I haven't used it as much as I thought I would, coming from a gas grill, charcoal is a lot more work. I tend to use my Traeger more for grilling and the Blackstone for smaller cuts of meat. I use this when I really want some charcoal flavor on some drumsticks or burgers.
The gas assist is pretty surprisingly useless, it only lights in one small area, similar to have a lighter at stuck on one spot on a big grill surface. But it does make it sort of useful for a charcoal chimney.
Easy to put together, looks good and has solid build quality.
My issue is probably just me being too lazy to deal with charcoal.
I went and pulled the trigger on this. I was searching for something for my birthday and since I enjoy grilling this will be fun to try out. I've always wanted a stand-alone charcoal grill. My current BBQ arsenal consists of a pellet grill, a barrel smoker, a gravity charcoal grill, a 36" griddle, and a combo gas/wood/charcoal grill. No shortage of options.
I had to have mine shipped and that was an additional $22 but for $30 I upgraded to the "Plus" program for the remaining of my yearly membership. 🤷🏻
I went and pulled the trigger on this. I was searching for something for my birthday and since I enjoy grilling this will be fun to try out. I've always wanted a stand-alone charcoal grill. My current BBQ arsenal consists of a pellet grill, a barrel smoker, a gravity charcoal grill, a 36" griddle, and a combo gas/wood/charcoal grill. No shortage of options.
I had to have mine shipped and that was an additional $22 but for $30 I upgraded to the "Plus" program for the remaining of my yearly membership. 🤷🏻
Seems like a charcoal grill and a charcoal chimney would have been a more simple and reliable route to go. A charcoal chimney prepares an whole grill worth of coals in a few minutes by burning a single piece of paper.
Seems like a charcoal grill and a charcoal chimney would have been a more simple and reliable route to go. A charcoal chimney prepares an whole grill worth of coals in a few minutes by burning a single piece of paper.
I've got a couple of charcoal chimneys and I absolutely know how to use them. The "propane assist" on this unit is really a novelty but could prove to be useful. A gas side burner is another great way to light off a charcoal chimney.
I purchased this grill primarily to have a new and different toy in the BBQ arsenal. I also needed to find something for my upcoming birthday. Fittingly, it is supposed to arrive on the actual date of my birthday so that was a cool "sign."
How is it dealing with Sam's on long term return/rebuy to match the price?
I got this about 5 months ago for 250 as a gift... Never gifted, and it's still sitting in its original packaging. Thinking I can ask for price adjustment or return it and rebuy it at cheaper price?
how is this comparing to the weber performer deluxe?
Weber performer is way more expensive but quality wise the Member's Mark is crap. IMO its worth paying for something premium like weber and they're known to last for YEARS. Also once this thing breaks guess what? You cannot find replacement parts. Weber offers replacement parts for most of their products and there are tons of accessories for the kettles in the market.
Weber performer is way more expensive but quality wise the Member's Mark is crap. IMO its worth paying for something premium like weber and they're known to last for YEARS. Also once this thing breaks guess what? You cannot find replacement parts. Weber offers replacement parts for most of their products and there are tons of accessories the kettles in the market.
I got one mid-summer. The gas start is odd. It just has a small tube with a flame on the end. I don't know why they don't have two of them for when you want to light both charcoal holders. For this, I bring them both in the center of the grill until they both catch and then move them to the sides.
If you do a hot and cool zone, it works just fine.
For coated grates, they are hard to clean. The normal burn off doesn't work. So I bring them in and scrub them with a dish rag.
Might look for stainless steel replacement grates so I could just use a BBQ scraper.
The top is attached with a hinge. This stops many 3rd party accessories. I guess you can always unscrew it and plug the holes... but it doesn't have a hook or holder.
I put it together myself. took 60 minutes. I think it's a great purchase at this price.
Appreciate your review but after all that, I'm surprised you still recommend it! What do you like about it?
Weber performer is way more expensive but quality wise the Member's Mark is crap. IMO its worth paying for something premium like weber and they're known to last for YEARS. Also once this thing breaks guess what? You cannot find replacement parts. Weber offers replacement parts for most of their products and there are tons of accessories for the kettles in the market.
100% Agreed...Weber is well worth the extra money. Will last much longer. Not to mention the 10yr warranty they have and I Second the endless accories.
35 Comments
Your comment cannot be blank.
Featured Comments
If you do direct and indirect zones, the gas assist works just fine.
For coated grates, they are hard to clean. The normal burn off doesn't work. So I bring them in and scrub them with a dish rag.
Might look for stainless steel replacement grates so I could just use a BBQ scraper.
The top is attached with a hinge. This stops many 3rd party accessories. I guess you can always unscrew it and plug the holes... but it doesn't have a hook or holder.
I put it together myself. took 60 minutes. I think it's a great purchase at this price.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
If you do direct and indirect zones, the gas assist works just fine.
For coated grates, they are hard to clean. The normal burn off doesn't work. So I bring them in and scrub them with a dish rag.
Might look for stainless steel replacement grates so I could just use a BBQ scraper.
The top is attached with a hinge. This stops many 3rd party accessories. I guess you can always unscrew it and plug the holes... but it doesn't have a hook or holder.
I put it together myself. took 60 minutes. I think it's a great purchase at this price.
The gas assist is pretty surprisingly useless, it only lights in one small area, similar to have a lighter at stuck on one spot on a big grill surface. But it does make it sort of useful for a charcoal chimney.
Easy to put together, looks good and has solid build quality.
My issue is probably just me being too lazy to deal with charcoal.
I had to have mine shipped and that was an additional $22 but for $30 I upgraded to the "Plus" program for the remaining of my yearly membership. 🤷🏻
I had to have mine shipped and that was an additional $22 but for $30 I upgraded to the "Plus" program for the remaining of my yearly membership. 🤷🏻
Seems like a charcoal grill and a charcoal chimney would have been a more simple and reliable route to go. A charcoal chimney prepares an whole grill worth of coals in a few minutes by burning a single piece of paper.
I've got a couple of charcoal chimneys and I absolutely know how to use them. The "propane assist" on this unit is really a novelty but could prove to be useful. A gas side burner is another great way to light off a charcoal chimney.
I purchased this grill primarily to have a new and different toy in the BBQ arsenal. I also needed to find something for my upcoming birthday. Fittingly, it is supposed to arrive on the actual date of my birthday so that was a cool "sign."
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I got this about 5 months ago for 250 as a gift... Never gifted, and it's still sitting in its original packaging. Thinking I can ask for price adjustment or return it and rebuy it at cheaper price?
Weber performer is way more expensive but quality wise the Member's Mark is crap. IMO its worth paying for something premium like weber and they're known to last for YEARS. Also once this thing breaks guess what? You cannot find replacement parts. Weber offers replacement parts for most of their products and there are tons of accessories for the kettles in the market.
If you do a hot and cool zone, it works just fine.
For coated grates, they are hard to clean. The normal burn off doesn't work. So I bring them in and scrub them with a dish rag.
Might look for stainless steel replacement grates so I could just use a BBQ scraper.
The top is attached with a hinge. This stops many 3rd party accessories. I guess you can always unscrew it and plug the holes... but it doesn't have a hook or holder.
I put it together myself. took 60 minutes. I think it's a great purchase at this price.
Appreciate your review but after all that, I'm surprised you still recommend it! What do you like about it?
100% Agreed...Weber is well worth the extra money. Will last much longer. Not to mention the 10yr warranty they have and I Second the endless accories.