When did they start making Performers?

[Dale Benson]

I'm beginning to look for an early year Performer and would like to learn about production history. When were the stainless steel models first introduced? I see  photos on this site of Performers with wooden handles. Is that original design or have the plastic handles simply been replaced? Thanks.

[pbe gummi bear]

Hey, welcome to the site! The weber performer was introduced in 1990 see here: http://www.weber.com/about/weber-story-1990 and had all the innovations of the day- One touch, lid therm, OTG ash catcher, Gas-assist, wire baskets, cover, and table. The early stainless performers had a flatter plastic handle like Tim's:



and then in the early 2000's the handles were updated to the plastic contoured ones like Jeff's:



The performer never came with a wooden handle but members have swapped them out. Check out this thread: http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/brian's-wood-handles-for-the-stainless-steel-ss-performer/

They are available from the "wooden handles" link at the top.

Here's some old pics of mine:

[Dale Benson]

Your response much appreciated, g-bear! I've been reading through the forums and had discovered Brian's wooden handles. I most certainly plan to order some sets from him later in the spring when I get a better idea of what I'll need. Also, I read your Performer restoration log. Very, very nice.

[mike.stavlund]

Dale, I appreciate your taste in grills!  I've never been too keen on the plastic-tabled Performers, but I was all in when I realized the older models could be found used.  I picked up a black 2003, and later replaced it with a 1995 red that Peaspurple was kind enough to sell me.  They are so sweet-- hope you can find one soon.

Just wanted to +1 what Gummi said about the handles-- I've worked on a bunch of SSes for friends, and those style/year correlations seem right on.  I too have installed wood handles-- I guess we consider them 'better than new'  ;-).  And enough of us have made those upgrades that it shouldn't be too hard to find some extra handles if you want to keep your SS 'stock'. 

Best of luck in your search, and be sure to show us some pics when you find it, and to let us look over your shoulder when you are restoring it.  And of course if you have any questions, you'll find some very friendly, enthusiastic experts here.  Welcome!

[Dale Benson]

Thank you, Mike. I can hardly wait to return to Minnesota in the spring and get to work on fixing up my grills. I scored a yellow one late this fall before heading south and plan to put new handles on that one. I'll also need an ash pan and (if I remember correctly) the lower charcoal grill and probably a couple other items. I found the WLC site a few weeks ago when I began searching for information about the yellow grill. As a result, I'm afraid I've caught some sort of Weber 'bug'. :-) Now I want a Performer. Sheesh.

[salad]

Hey Gummi,
How hot or cold was this thing!  In all seriousness, my therm is stuck at 475.  Is it kaput or can you "reset" these? 

Oh, and in keeping with the the theme of this thread, Dale, SS Performers are the greatest thing ever!

[pbe gummi bear]

Hey Gummi,
How hot or cold was this thing!  In all seriousness, my therm is stuck at 475.  Is it kaput or can you "reset" these? 

Oh, and in keeping with the the theme of this thread, Dale, SS Performers are the greatest thing ever!

Hey, you can't calibrate these since they are sealed. Does the needle move at all? Perhaps the spring is just sticking and you can unstick it with a few light knocks when hot.

[salad]

I almost took some pliers to the back of it yesterday.  I'll try to knock it around when its hot.  My Ace has them for $5, I think. 

[Winz]

A couple of very worthwhile upgrades to a performer.  The first one lets you monitor grill temp, and with a second probe, food temp.  Perfect for smoking pork shoulder.  The second one only allows monitoring of one item, but give you the benefit of a digital timer.  Both have probes that fit the temp hole of the Performer or MT perfectly:





Winz

[pbe gummi bear]

A couple of very worthwhile upgrades to a performer.  The first one lets you monitor grill temp, and with a second probe, food temp.  Perfect for smoking pork shoulder.  The second one only allows monitoring of one item, but give you the benefit of a digital timer.  Both have probes that fit the temp hole of the Performer or MT perfectly:





Winz

I love the thermocouple readout on the gorrilapod, Winz. How do you compare that thermocouple unit to a standard bbq thermometer?

[Winz]

Gummi,

It is really, really responsive and accurate.  I use that unit with my wolf range when I am cooking inside.  I have a dedicated probe mounted in the oven.  In the older wolfs, there is no "digital readout" so without a unit like this one, you simply cannot monitor what is going on in the oven.   

I noticed the probes fit the handle of my performer and started using the unit with the performer.  The two probe setup is perfect for long slow cooks.

I just bought a ceramic probe to go in my pizza kettle as I routinely peg the 750 degree max readout of the built in unit.  The ceramic probe will go to 2000 degrees plus.

This approach may be a bit of overkill, but I figure if you are going to monitor temperature, you might as well do it with a good degree of accuracy. 

Winz

[pbe gummi bear]

Thanks for the info. Are you an engineer?

[Winz]

Thanks for the info. Are you an engineer?

Tech industry CFO with a passion for cooking and the hardware that comes with it!

[DirectDrive]

I'm lovin' these SS Performers !
Someday I will have one.

[kaz]

here is a thread with a photo of a performer from '91