Weber 40020 Smokey Joe Gold Charcoal Grill

As I was waiting for my smokey joe shipment to arrive, I decided to read the negative and positive reviews to see if I had made a good or bad purchase.
In the negative reviews, I read about how there was insufficient air drafting because the air vents were not located at the bottom of the grill and therefore the grill would not become hot enough. This problem is completely false! My smokey joe grill gets red hot!
Secondly, there were complaints about how there were no vents on the bottom so the ash could not come out like in the Silver edition. However, the new feature of having a closed base is soooo much better because it is much cleaner! If you're grilling in an apartment or on a deck, you can just close up the top and close the vents and save the coals for another time. Forget the mess of having ash flying around on a windy day because of an ash catcher! Oh and by the way, cleanup/removal of coals is as easy as dumping it in a coal bucket or a dumpster!
Finally, the ability to lock the top of the lid is a great feature because it makes transportation so much easier than if you could not lock the top like in the Silver.
So, if you are like me and are reading all these complaints about a lack of good draft because there are no vents on the bottom and such, forget them. Those people are morons! THIS IS A GREAT SMOKEY JOE!

We have a large gas grill but we love to cook with natural charcoal and this is perfect for our needs.

This grill is compact and yet plenty of room to cook four burgers and rolls. The grill also is great for taking to the beach.

If you bbq away from home this is your grill. Just purchased a replacemnt for one that I've used for over 12 years. From 49er and Giants games to camping trips in Yosemite, up and down the coast from Jenner to Big Sur and Death Valley to Utah, this grill always comes through.

We love Weber grills and have been using a Smokey Joe Silver and larger Weber grills for 30 years. We like to camp and always bring our Smokey Joe with us so I purchased the Smokey Joe Gold becasue of the locking top and carrying handle. However, this grill has vents on the side, not on the bottom, so the air flow does not circulate through the coals as Weber grills are usually designed. It took twice as long to cook our food in the Gold as opposed to the Silver. It is good for transporting but not as good as the Silver for cooking.