Weber Performer Kettle

Love it – We've had ours for 8 almost trouble free years now and the one issue we did have in 2016 was resolved by Weber Australia who shipped out a replacement gas hose and regulator and because we are outside their service zone, I fitted it myself which was easy enough. (Having said that I had to get the US mob to remind them they did have spares). Somebody said in another review that the small gas cylinders are no longer available but Bunnings carry the Benzomatic range (the 465g is $9) and any Propane cylinder of 465g or less with a CGA600 fitting will do.

As a BBQ it's simply great. It takes awhile to get used to venting top and bottom to get the temperature right but it's capable of reaching temps over 500F. Using hickory wood chips in the burner imparts a great smoky flavour to anything you cook in and slow cooks over several hours only require occasional top ups of the charcoal.

I've found it best to leave the gas burner running for slightly longer than the 5 minutes recommended but even so, the bottles last a fair while.

It's a shame that some Australian states decided to not allow it to be sold and that Weber Australia dropped it but it's still a continuing model in other markets and the convenience of the gas assisted charcoal ignition makes this a breeze to use.

After use cleaning is a matter of minutes but at the end of each summer season it gets a complete clean of everything and I did notice this year that the charcoal baskets are getting a bit worn and will need to be replaced but Bunnings do a generic pair for $17 and genuine Weber ones are $40 a pair.

My only gripe is that the handle on the kettle gets very hot and I've burnt myself a couple of times. They apparently redesigned it in 2015 and it is now shielded and the later handles are available as a spare part.