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Weber Q1200 Review Overall Score: 
Pros:
– Great aesthetics
– Portable
– Quality construction
– Thermometer
– Great grilling
– Electronic ignition
– Side tables
– Small footprint
Cons:
– Not suitable for large roasts
The Weber Q1200 is simply a new naming for the old stalwart, the Q120, with a bit of restyling. Still, let’s take a look at what you can expect from this excellent portable gas grill, as well as the new options available.
Contents
Weber Q1200 Review – Out of the Box
Unlike many other gas grills, the Q1200 comes virtually fully assembled in the box, so it is just about ready to go. As with the previous model, it features a single D-shaped stainless steel burner producing 8,500 BTU. Thanks to this design the single burner does an effective job of spreading even heat around the 189 square-inch cooking area.
The build quality is yet again solid, with a cast aluminum lid and body and beautiful porcelain-enamel cast iron cooking grates. You get the same convenient electronic ignition that you had on the previous model along with the nice infinite control burner valve settings.
The built-in thermometer has been retained, with the gauge having moved a little more towards the top of the lid for easy monitoring. Two handy fold-out tables complete the physical features of the Weber Q1200.
Weber employs a split grate system on the Q-series, so with the purchase of an additional griddle grate you can grill on one side while griddling on the other. This makes more sense on the slightly larger Q2200, as the Q1200 doesn’t have a lot of cooking space. Once you’ve split it, you’re not left with too much room for either. But, if you’re grilling something up just for yourself or one or two others, you’ll still be fine.
Any Color You Like (almost)
Weber has certainly upped the aesthetics since the Q120. The Q1200 is available in a multitude of color schemes, including black, blue, green orange, fuchsia, purple and the original standard white.
All are currently sold at the same price point on Amazon, so you can comfortably take your pick without additional wallet considerations. Should keep the wife happy and the boys bemused, a nice fuchsia grill. Personally though I think that sleek black unit has a greater chance of winding its way into my grilling space.
Weber Q1200 Portability
The Weber Q1200 can be used as a table top grill, but is just as easy to carry around. The aluminum shell makes for a fairly light unit, although the heavy grates contributes considerably to the overall weight.
Still, it’s easily portable and the disposable LP cylinders take up no space at all. You can connect this to an LP tank if you wish, but you’ll need to purchase an LP adapter hose separately.
The Weber Q portable cart is an optional accessory, and allows you to wheel the Q1200 around as you please.
Cooking
The Weber Q series has always prided itself on even heating and cooking, and the Q1200 continues this proud tradition. The D-shaped burner may, on the face of it, seem to have a low output at 8,500 BTU. However, this is no problem and it cooks beautifully. Just preheat it properly to about 550 degrees and you’re going to sear those steaks to perfection. Don’t keep the lid open for too long as this grill takes a while to recover lost heat. That’s why proper pre-heating is essential if you want to throw some thick steaks on it.
The domed lid provides space for whole chickens or other small roasts, which can simmer on low heat until cooked through. You’ll have trouble fitting whole turkeys or very large chickens under the lid, but that’s not really what a small portable gas grill is intended for.
Cleaning
Grilling is messy, there’s not getting away from it. The Weber Q1200 does ease the pain a bit thanks to the fairly easy to clean porcelain ceramic finish. Soaking them overnight in hot, soapy water usually does the trick. The removable catch pan is convenient as well.
You may wish to consider lining the grill with aluminum foil, which will spare you a lot of residue scraping in the long run. In the end though, cleaning the unit regularly will help avoid hard buildups and greasy residue that may lead to flareups. Put in the work now and save yourself a hard cleaning job months down the line.
Weber Q1200 Review – Final Thoughts
Weber is still hitting home runs with the Q series grills. Now available in more colors, with beautiful aesthetics and the same impressive single burner grilling performance and superb build quality, you can’t go wrong with the Q1200 if you’re looking for a high quality portable grill. Sure, it’s more expensive than competing brands, but there’s a reason for that. Weber delivers.
Short Video Overview
Here’s a short video overview from the Fire Escape Griller channel on Youtube.