Weber Q not hot enough? Try natural convection!

A quick and simple fix to boost the heat of the grill for your next BBQ.

Our customers have a lot of great things to say about Weber Qs, both the regular and the Baby versions. These portable appliances are ideal for convenient outdoor cooking, whether in the backyard, out and about at beaches or parks, or on a camping road trip.

That said, some customers have found themselves frustrated when cooking on a Weber Q because they can't seem to get the grill hot enough to provide satisfactory grilling.

But there is a simple two-step solution to this problem:

1. CLOSE THE LID

2. KEEP IT CLOSED

There. Simple, right?

OK, here’s a more in-depth explanation of direct cooking and natural convection.

Thick steaks being cooked with direct heat on an open flam BBQ grill.

Direct cooking

A barbecue is one of the simplest home appliances you can imagine–a metal cooking surface and a source of heat. It’s so simple that a child could build one. And they have – my cousins and I once cobbled together a homemade barbie out of a pile of rocks, a broken piece of farm equipment and the element of fire (with our parents’ supervision – don’t play with matches, kids).

The Weber Baby Q is a lightweight, compact and portable BBQ with a hood that allows for convection cooking.

Natural convection

However, the Weber Q series – including the Baby Q, the Family Q, and everything in between – is a little different. Unlike most barbecues, which directly heat your food using a single hot surface, the Weber Q has been specifically designed to cook using Natural Convection, searing one side of your food with a hot surface, and cooking the other side by encircling it with hot air.

To get the best results from your Weber Q, light it with the lid open, then close the lid and leave the Q to preheat for 10 minutes or so. Once it’s nice and hot, stick your meat on the Q, close the lid and leave it closed, at least until it’s time to turn things over.

Cooking on a Weber enables both direct cooking and natural convection cooking.

Benefits of natural convection

Now, you may protest that you bought a BBQ, not an oven and that a big part of barbecuing’s appeal is watching your food cook, poking and prodding at the meat while an audience of spectators comments. This cooking style is practically instinctual, and it can take some real willpower to break away from this mindset.

But trust us – while natural convection may seem counter to everything you expect from a BBQ, this method offers some very real benefits:

Better BBQ flavour – Allowing the barbecue smoke to circulate the meat, rather than letting it escape into the atmosphere, will give your cooking a more complex taste.
Gas-efficiency – Maintaining the high temperature required for direct cooking uses up a fair bit of gas. Indirect cooking on a Weber Q requires far less gas, which means fewer trips to the servo to refill, or swap'n'go, your LPG tank.
Cleaner BBQ area – Even the most careful BBQ cooks will experience spattering fat and grease during cooking. This won’t only make a mess of your barbecue and your shirt front (keep that apron on!), but it can also leave the area surrounding your BBQ area a mess. By cooking with the lid down on a Weber Q, you can spend less time cleaning up after each cooking sesh.

So if you’re concerned that your new Weber Q isn’t getting hot enough to grill effectively, try closing the lid to experience its natural convection. It may take a bit of getting used to, but it will be worth it.

If you're not having any issues with getting your BBQ hot enough and are just reading up on Webers, no worries. You can find a great range of Webers and other top BBQ brands and models at Appliances Online. Plus, we offer Free, Next Day Delivery* and have a Price Match Guarantee, making quick and easy to buy your new barbie.

Mark Bristow

After joining Appliances Online, Mark learned more than he ever expected to know about washers, dryers and fridges, and discovered a knack for solving everyday problems using typical household appliances. When he’s not toiling at his day job, Mark tries to find time to write the next bestseller and draw satirical cartoons, but is too easily distracted by TV, music and video games.