I have had my Weber Jumbo Joe for a number of years. I initially purchased it because the price was right (about $60), it was portable and it still had a large cooking surface. I was living in an apartment with a balcony and couldn't really have anything bigger, so home came Jumbo Joe.

This grill is for barbecue purists who haven't yet traded in their charcoal for the ease of gas. Yes you have to lug home bags of charcoal, yes you have to wait for the charcoal to heat up before cooking. But if you're like me, the wait is part of the fun of outdoor cooking. And nothing beats the flavor of charcoal bbq'd foods like ribs, chicken, steak, kabobs and hamburgers. Vegetables too are becoming quite popular.

About the grill itself
The Jumbo Joe is a standard Weber Kettle with three short v-shaped legs. It comes with small rack for charcoal that goes in the grill atop the "stoppers" built into the sides and an 18 1/2" cooking rack. The cooking surface is the same size as most standard "non-portable" grills! The lid has a big wooden handle. The beauty of Jumbo Joe compared to a standard Weber is that there is a strong steel piece that goes from one side of the kettle to the other that you can lift up to lock the lid into place. This makes carrying the grill a breeze, though it can be a little bulky due to the size. This lid lock is supposed to double as a lid holder when it's not in use, but I have never used it for that purpose.

This grill can be used for direct or indirect heat cooking. I have done both with very good results. The lid has air vents as well as the sides of the kettles and they are very easy to manipulate (although kind of hot on the kettle ones) so it is easy to control the temperature of the charcoal. This makes indirect heat cooking especially simple.

I know there has been all kinds of bad press about lighter fluid, and I have never liked the smell of it anyway, so I use one of those "charcoal chimneys" to start my fire. It works in about 20-25 minutes and I have a full grill of glowing charcoal. Toss them on the rack and throw on the steaks. Healthy as can be.

Another good feature of the Weber is that when you are done cooking, you can close up all the vents and the charcoal stops burning due to lack of oxygen. Not only does that help the grill cool off if you are transporting, it also saves the charcoal for a second use. I just put a few new coals into my chimney and throw the gently used ones on top and they cook as good as new.

What's wrong with this grill?
Aside from the obvious -- it's not gas and it takes a while for preparation -- this grill is not easy to clean. And by clean I just mean to get the ashes out of the bottom. Other Webers have the air vents in the bottom of the kettle with a pan to catch the ashes as you push them out. The Jumbo Joe has the vents on the sides which is easier for cooking but a pain for cleaning. You actually have to pick the grill up and dump them out. Since that isn't always convenient, I often wind up with half a kettle full of ashes before I'm forced to empty it.

Consensus
Overall, as far as charcoal grills go, this is a good one. You get a large cooking surface with the bonus of a locking lid that lets you take it to picnics and tailgate parties.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 60