Weber 40020 Smokey Joe Gold Charcoal Grill

It really does do a great job of cooking, as good as the larger Webers, just for a smaller crowd. We had a Mulberry tree trimmed in our yard and I saved all the chipped up wood to use for smoke flavoring. You still need a charcoal fire for heat; just throw in a handful of chips before you put the meat & corn on the cob in and close the top vent down to make it smoke. Mmmmm, Mmmmm!

You can eat like a gourmet anywhere you tote this to! Just add a cooler full of longnecks.....


10+ years old and going strong!   June 19, 2002
Satureja douglasii (United States)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful

I got this grill on the advice of a friend when we were in grad school. She'd been trying to save money, and bought a similar type grill from a different manufacturer. It didn't vent right at all, and she was right, this one does. Brand matters.

I've lugged it with me through something like 5 moves, and it's still fine. The grill has eventually accumulated rust, but it's nothing you can't scrape off at the beginning of the season, and besides they're always telling us we need more iron in our diets, right?

If I hadn't left it outside for a couple of winters the rust might not have happened. It doesn't look like it's going to wear out in my lifetime, so I guess I'll never have a chance to find out on a new one!

I like using the charcoal made of real wood chunks more than the compressed bricquettes (they don't last as long, but they taste WAY better).

Couple it with the Weber chimney starter, and you have a way of getting rid of junk mail, too! (Just don't burn paper with colored inks, *blech*.)

I fed 12 people on links and venison last Friday night with just one of these babies, started with the chimney (that part took only 30 min, honest to Gawd). Afterwards there were still enough coals left to roast marshmallows on fondue forks. (We didn't have real sticks available, OK? You use what you've got.)

I have a Diversitech grill pad under it to keep the heat and crud off my deck, and it works great.

Enjoy!


Good charcoal grill   July 14, 2000
T. Chan
19 out of 26 found this review helpful

This is a good grill, but I say that with a disclaimer - unless you absolutely insists on charcoal, go with Weber's gas-n-go grill as your portable. It's not so much that this grill has any problem as the gas-n-go is really excellent.

This grille is about three times as heavy and you have to lug the charcoal around. At home, I don't mind, but when I'm tailgating at a concert or game, I'd just as much like to worry about it. The Gas-N-Go gives you the best flavor I've seen for the five gas grills I have and is easier to carry and clean.


Well Made Grill   July 25, 2000
Darla Madera (Mount Hope, WV)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

This grill is of excellent quality. It is conveinent to use at home, take to the beach, picnic for the day, take over to a friend's house for a cookout, or just any occasion! The lid has a snap-lock feature with a carrying handle, that secures the whole grill. The grill itself is big enough to handle quite a bit of food at one time. We just purchased one and love it! Overall, I am glad that we chose it.


Poor Ventilation, Super Quality   March 27, 2004
A. Taylor (Shelton, washington United States)
18 out of 28 found this review helpful

I am curious about all of these positive reviews here, I purchased this grill a couple years ago at Target. I had great experiences with Weber products in the past and expected the same from this grill. I wish it was engineered as well as it is built! the vents are located ABOVE the charcoal!!! This means that it will not produce the convective currents that keeps the charcoal burning. In a normal grill heat rises pulling air into the grill from BENEATH the coals, the air then passes through the charcoal feeding the fire and is heated only to escape out the top vents thus pulling more air in through the bottom. This is convection. In this grill the air is NOT pulled through the coals and the DARN THING GOES OUT CONSTANTLY!!!!!!!!!!! The only time we have got it to work is when it is very windy with the lid off. If by chance you were as unlucky as I am and are stuck with this piece of high quality JUNK, pleas write a review so that others are not tricked into buying one when they read the reviews.