Weber Kettle Club Forums

Hey folks,

Apologies up front because there are probably already a ton of reviews on the WGA. What might be a little different about mine is that I have had at least two of these charcoal WGAs that I remember including this newest one. I had an older gas model with wooden handles.  Also had a few of the small Smokey Joes over the years (bottom vent and side vent). There was a period of several years where I had no portable charcoal grill and was lugging around a Q120 until I picked up this WGA. What was nice about the Q was that I could use tie straps to strap it to the top of my (37" x 12") spare tire.

I like that you can fit everything inside the WGA (charcoal, tools, chimney, fire starter) and the Craycort grates that I also got for it just make it a great portable solution.

Anyway, what prompted this video review is that it has probably been 30 years since I picked up my first WGA and going to this very same spot up in the mountains (also for 30 years).

edit:
Sorry, i deleted the original video due to the noise. I will remake it again soon.

So I made sort of a text version of my review....

This is my third GA. Over the past 30 years, I have owned one wooden handle GAG and two GACs plus three of the small Smokey Joes - one with the snap shut lid and the other with vents on the bottom. I take these grills out camping and abuse them because they are bounced around with gear in the back of a truck or a jeep while going over rough terrains. I use them hard and put them away wet.

All of the grills i have used (including the heavy Q 120) work well in their own ways. The reason i keep going back to the GA and specifically the GAC is because of how compact it can be made to travel and of how well it works. It also takes a beating. My current GAC is the only GA (or even SJ) that i have owned with the newer handles. All others were the older wooden handle models purchased between ~1986 and ~2000.

The fact that it snaps shut is a huge benefit for me, making it one of few options. Granted, the Smokey Joe does that too but you have more limited grill space and storage space when not in use. That and the protruding legs can make it a little award to stow.

IMHO, if I could ask for improvements on the GAC, i would like to see both the charcoal grate and the main grate made a little better. I think the charcoal grate is missing a cross bar at one or both ends and lets larger pieces of charcoal drop through. It would be nice if the charcoal grate was not only stainless for durability but that it also fit better width-wise.

It would be especially nice if the main cooking grate was not only stainless but also split in two like the Craycorts or modified stock grate.

Haha, small world. Just watched this last night after searching for Go Anywhere grills on YouTube.  Really nice video and demo of how you cook on it.  Your cooking kit is quite impressive.  Do you camp out of the Jeep a lot?  The water noise was a good trade to see the  beauty of the spot you were in!


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Quote from: namtrag on October 11, 2017, 03:43:31 AM
Haha, small world. Just watched this last night after searching for Go Anywhere grills on YouTube.  Really nice video and demo of how you cook on it.  Your cooking kit is quite impressive.  Do you camp out of the Jeep a lot?  The water noise was a good trade to see the  beauty of the spot you were in!

Thanks. Yes, I cook out of the jeep as often as I can so I keep it small and light. I used to lug around a Q but that eventually got very old.

So, if you have 2 Craycort grill replacements, will everything still fit inside the grill like it did in your video?  I have a SJ, and the only issue I have with it is the top won't go on all the way with the small chimney inside.  I would switch to a GA if I can get around this issue.  We do a lot of camping, and I would like to have a grill that packed up like yours.

Yes, everything fits. I had both grates with me in the video; I just left the other one wrapped in the news paper. The trick to getting it all to fit nicely is to pull the legs out slightly and it will let the charcoal grate drop all the way down to the bottom. Do this one side at a time.

I was actually thinking about getting a propane GA (as mentioned- have had one before) but not so much a fan of the new design sans the flavorizer shield inside. Craycort makes a slightly different grate for GGA in that it has a more solid bar going down the middle and above the burner to make it more like how a single burner Q is situated. Here in California, it is prohibited to do charcoal fires on the beach (though tons of people do it anyway). I kind of want to bring a GGA with Craycort grates to the beach.  :)  We can camp on the beach down here in a few spots. Pismo Beach is one of them (and you can jeep there too).

I was going to hold out and try to get an older CGA, but it doesn't look like the design has changed, and colors are very rare.  Based on your review, I think I will go ahead and get a brand new one.  It will fit in our camping gear a lot better than the SJ we have, plus the chimney and supplies will pack inside for a 2-3 cook weekend trip!

You can cut the standard chrome grate in half and make it packable similar to the 2 pcs Craycorts


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I was wondering if the standard grate came in 2 pieces!  Thanks for the tip on cutting it in half.

There was a video out there of a guy who cut the stock grill. Could not find it. I would be careful to sand it when done and make sure there is no flaking of the outer metal. Mine is brand new. Never used. Ordered the CGA and the Craycorts at the same time.

It says the video was removed by the user.  Boo.  Was looking forward to seeing it.  Hope it gets relisted :)

Ugh!  I wanted to see it too!

Here is a video of the grate mod and packing into a CGA. 

https://youtu.be/v6mLF_yxdSY (https://youtu.be/v6mLF_yxdSY)


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Quote from: captjoe06 on November 01, 2017, 02:23:38 AM
It says the video was removed by the user.  Boo.  Was looking forward to seeing it.  Hope it gets relisted :)

Quote from: MDurso on November 01, 2017, 06:54:46 AM
Ugh!  I wanted to see it too!

Sorry guys. I did delete the video. It had a lot of background noise from the rushing water in the background. I filmed it next to a fast flowing creek going through the granite in the Sierra Nevada (@~7,200'). I'll redo the video again soon. I can put it back up if you want to put up with the noise but it started getting thumbs downs and negative comments for noise.

I'd be interested in seeing it either the same one or a redo

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Quote from: captjoe06 on November 09, 2017, 08:19:52 AM
I'd be interested in seeing it either the same one or a redo

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Okay, thanks. I'll re-upload it now in the interim and update the link later. I also made it a point to go back and edit the original message with more text content pertinent to the review so you don't have to go watch a video.  ;)  Let me know if you have any questions.

Quote from: captjoe06 on November 09, 2017, 08:19:52 AM
I'd be interested in seeing it either the same one or a redo  Weber Kettle Club mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91018)

Again, apologies for deleting it. I modified the original post above with a text based review.

Re-uploaded the original (new link now).....

https://youtu.be/BjRLbzuV0z8

🏻🏻🏻


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Another plug for the CGA with cast iron Craycorts!!!  I have my Performer Deluxe ripped apart for a bowl replacement and am waiting on a couple of parts from Weber. Since I could not go a day without grilling (and I snagged some USDA prime at 50% off that needed immediate grill time), I fired up a full, large chimney of charcoal. It basically filled the CGA and was right under the grates. Great sear and great flavor. I went by time and not temp and had perfection at 8 minutes. Did a twist at 2 minutes and flip at 4.

Thanks for re-uploading it.  That's some beautiful country.  Really interesting to see how much gear you pack, how you pack it and what works for you.  That grate looks pretty slow compared. The jeep- I'm jealous

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Quote from: captjoe06 on November 15, 2017, 11:37:47 PM
Really interesting to see how much gear you pack, how you pack it and what works for you.  That grate looks pretty slow compared. The jeep- I'm jealous

How much gear i pack inside the CGA or the Jeep?

While i have been carrying items like that inside the GA's that i have owned over the years as well as the SJ's, I cannot take credit for that super compact way that i now do it. There are at least two other YouTube videos that per-existed mine where they show either Craycort (split) grates or OEM grates that have been cut. Honestly, it is only enough charcoal for 1-2 cooks, which is perfect for what i do with the CGA.

The Jeep was packed fairly lightly in that video, FWIW, and i slept inside the rig on that trip because i was too lazy to bring a tent, not to mention set it up and tear it back down for a one-nighter.

Jeepers tend to carry tools and spare parts like axles, steering boxes and cool junk like that which might need to be replaced trail side. Oh, and extra food in case you get stuck for a day or two longer out in the sticks than expected. That little mess kit thingy i made up is always under the rear seat in case i have to slum it and make a pan-seared steak on the road.