Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill Review

We purchased the Weber Q 2200 so our review could put it to the test in her kitchen. Keep reading for our full product review.

From charcoal to gas to pellet grills, there are plenty of grills on the market that are capable of fulfilling all of your grilling needs. Gas grills, in particular, are great due to their ability to control the heat temperature while they're in use.

There are few grills available today that have the same stellar reputation as the Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill. This compact liquid propane grill receives nearly unanimous praise from tens of thousands of reviewers, and it left me wondering: What’s so special about it?

To find out what all the fuss is about, I put the Weber Q 2200 to the test, using it to grill numerous dinners on my back deck and even putting it to the test on the go. Here’s what I thought. 

Setup: Truly simple

If you have a Phillips-head screwdriver and a can-do attitude, you’ll be able to set up the Weber Q 2200 Grill in a matter of minutes. After pulling the grill and its pieces out of the box, I attached the lid using the included pins and screwed on the grill’s handle and thermometer. The control valve and ignition button simply slip into place, and the ignition even comes with the necessary AAA battery. Once that’s done, all that’s left to do is place the grates on the grill and slide the catch pan into place. 

Everything went smoothly until it came to the catch pan—because nothing can ever just be that easy, right? The pan is made from lightweight metal and has a recessed area in the center to hold a disposable tin. It’s supposed to slide in underneath the grill body, but the pan that came with my grill was the tiniest bit too big and wouldn’t slide into the grooves. I tried everything I could think of—rotating it, bending it, putting it in from the other side—and it simply wouldn’t fit. 

I’m not sure if the pan itself was just a fraction too big or if the grill’s legs were bent, but eventually, I ended up using a pair of snips to trim a few centimeters off either side of the tray. That did the trick, and the pan slid into place easily. I was curious if this was a common issue with the grill, and after combing through hundreds of reviews, I couldn’t find any mention of other people having this problem. It seems like it was a one-off fluke, and honestly, the resolution was simple enough that it didn’t bother me too much. 

Design: Sleek and sturdy

The Weber Q 2200 is an attractive little grill if I do say so myself. It has a tan lid with the Q series logo on top, and it’s made up of a cast aluminum lid and body supported by a reinforced nylon frame. It comes with two porcelain-enameled cast iron grates that are extremely heavy-duty—in fact, they make up the majority of the grill’s weight—and offer 280 square inches of cooking space, which could probably fit around eight hamburgers comfortably. The brand also sells cast iron griddles (view at Amazon) you can swap in for more versatility. 

One of the major selling points of this grill is its two fold-out side tables, which are each 12.5 x 13.5 inches. They’re the perfect spot to place a plate, condiments, and grilling tools, and I used them pretty much every time I grilled. 

This grill doesn’t have many features. The only buttons are its infinite control burner valve—which rotates easily to adjust the gas output—and the electronic ignition, which starts the grill up with a single push. The Q 2200 is powered by liquid propane, and I used disposable 1-pound canisters that were hanging around my basement. (I really have no idea where they came from, but they worked!) These portable containers are easy to screw onto the port on the right side of the grill, but if you want to use a 20-pound liquid propane tank, Weber has an optional hose attachment that’s sold separately (view at Amazon). 

Performance: A joy to use

Like a kid on Christmas, I couldn’t help but try out the Weber Q 2200 the day I got it. I had leftover ground beef in the fridge, so I decided to grill up a burger for dinner. The grill was incredibly easy to use—with a push of the ignition button, a blue flame quickly shot up all around the stainless steel burner, which circles the bottom of the grill body. 

While reading reviews of the grill, I noticed that several people mentioned it can take a while to pre-heat, so I shut the lid and went inside to prep my burger. When I checked on the grill five minutes later, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the lid thermometer already read 400 degrees. That was hot enough for my needs, so I put my burger on the grill and let it cook. The meat was cooked to perfection in around 10 minutes, and I was really impressed at the heat put out by the grill’s 12,000 BTU burner. Over the next week, my boyfriend and I both used the grill to cook hot dogs, steak, and vegetables, and it performed just as well, putting delicious char marks on our food and operating without any grill flare-ups. 

It just so happened that while I was testing the grill, my boyfriend had an off-site event at work. Instead of just ordering a pizza, he and his coworkers decided to have a parking lot cookout at lunchtime, and I offered to let them use the Weber to test its portability. He packed up the grill in the bed of his truck, and while he was surprised at its weight—which is more than 40 pounds—he really liked that it felt sturdy and durable. Using the grill, he was able to cook easily for himself and four coworkers, and they all agreed that the burgers and hot dogs came out great. 

Throughout my testing, I was easily able to achieve temperatures of 450 to 500 degrees with this portable grill, which was enough for my needs. However, if you like to cook with really high temperatures—I’m talking over 500 degrees—you might have trouble getting there with only one burner.

Cleaning: Disposable grease pans

Like any gas grill, the Weber Q 2200 needs to be cleaned after each use, but it’s incredibly easy to do. Once the grill cooled down a bit after cooking, I used my wire brush to clean food and grease off the grates. Everything came off the porcelain-enameled cast iron easily, especially because the grates were still a bit warm. 

From there, it was simply a matter of checking the drip pan. In the weeks that I used it, the disposable tray only needed to be emptied once, and I simply lined it with heavy-duty aluminum foil as a makeshift tray. However, if you prefer the perfect fit of Weber’s disposable tin trays (view at Amazon), you can get replacements for quite cheap.

Price: Pricey but worth it

With an MSRP of $269, the Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill is definitely one of the more expensive portable gas grills you can buy. However, it’s also one of the largest and most powerful on the market. Given its extremely sturdy construction and large cooking surface, I think it’s a worthwhile purchase for anyone who regularly grills on the go—or those looking for a simple yet capable grill for their yard. 

Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill vs. Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill

Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill: We also tested the Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill, which comes from the same Qbseries as the Q 2200. The designs of the two grills are very similar, as both feature the same shape and cast iron grates, as well as the convenient grease management system. However, the major differences are in size and fuel—the Q 1400 runs on electricity, which means you’ll need access to an electrical outlet when cooking on it. It also has a smaller cook surface of 189 square inches and lacks the side tables of the Q 2200.