Portable Weber; Smokey Joe or Go Anywhere?

C

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Sep 4, 2008
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When going for a weekend stroll in the woods with the kids, I like to bring a small grill to barbeque hamburgers or hot dogs. At the moment I have a simple sheet metal grill carried in a plastic case.

Last weekend I was barbequing for a larger group and it took for ages to get 30 dogs grilled. I need to upgrade my grill a bit. As I like Weber for my regular grill, I have homed in on their portable range. The round shaped Smokey Joe versus the rectangular Go-Anywhere. From looks it seems like the Smokey Joe is lighter, but the Go-Anywhere seems more practical for barbequing more pieces of meat at the same time.

Anybody else who has deliberated between these two who can share some experiences?

//Rickard//
 
I have both, my Smokey Joe is a charcoal model, the Go Anywhere is propane. They do make a charcoal Go Anywhere so to be clear, which one are you referring to? I would go with the propane Go Anywhere. It would be easier to tote, less mess, and much quicker to setup and cook with. The hungry masses will appreciate that:D The cooking area is about the same and it gets very hot. Not a whimpy compact grill at all.
 
I have had both charcoal versions. The go anywhere is very portable. The problem with the go anywhere is the cooking grate is very close to the coals. This is fine for hot dogs, hamburgers and thin steaks. Difficult to cook thick items. I preferred the smoky joe as it has more separation so works more like the traditional Weber. I had a small rectangular propane grille similar to the go anywhere designed for boats but found it to be not powerful enough to cook like a barbeque.
 
For occasional or light use, go with the Go-Anywhere charcoal (do I need to even say charcoal? If you want to use propane just cook over a plumber's torch instead)

You can't get replacement parts for the Go-Anywhere, and with fairly heavy use the coal and grilling grids will wear/rust out.

If you grill a lot, get the Smokey PLATINUM. Comes with a clip to hold it shut like the Go, and you can buy replacement grills for both copal and food.

Dave
 
Smokey Joe is awesome. I have a couple. They hold up to substantial use and it's simple to control the cooking temp, making it just as easy to slow cook chicken as it is to sear a steak. They hold a surprising amount of food at one time. I think they are hands down the best commercial made portable charcoal grill out. I take one canoeing on a popular summer run, you should see the envy of other folks floating down the creek when our party is pulled up to a sand bar enjoying burgers and dogs. I've made a lot of friends that way. Excellent products.
 
Thanks for the input guys. Yeah, I prefer charcoal as well. Smokey Joe Platinum seems to be the ticket. I really like the Weber way to slowly roast a steak.

//Rickard//
 
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