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Your charcoal fire needs adequate airflow to burn properly. Fully open the top and bottom vents on the barbecue while you are grilling. Close them only when you are finished grilling and ready to extinguish the flames. Remember to sift out the ashes and remove them from the ash catcher when they are cool.

Actually there are a few tricks, and any one of them will help: using the right charcoal, using Weber®’s special Fire Lighter Cubes, and using a Weber® Chimney Starter. You can get the following accessories at your local Weber® dealer or by contacting Weber®’s local distributor.

Choosing the right charcoal:

Premium Express Lumpwood Charcoal 
Perfect for grilling, the beech, oak and hornbeam lumpwood charcoal burns at high temperatures and lasts for up to an hour.

Restaurant Quality Lumpwood Charcoal
The restaurant quality fast-lighting charcoal is made from Quebracho from South America, burns at high temperatures, and provides a great option for all cooking methods.

Premium Long Lasting Briquettes
Made from mineral based coal, the long lasting briquettes take longer to light (around 30 minutes with a Weber® Chimney Starter) but once going last upto four hours. They also burn at a consistent temperature making them the ideal choice for roasting.

Lighter cubes:
To light briquettes safely and with minimum hassle, try Weber® fire lighter cubes. These solid fuel cubes light as easily as a birthday candle (even when wet!) and are odourless and non-toxic, leaving no residue to mar the flavour of your delicious grilled meal.

Weber® Chimney Starter:
By far the quickest and easiest method of lighting a barbecue and achieving a great even heat. The Weber® Chimney Starter holds the coals in a cylinder for fast, easy lighting. Fill the canister-shaped starter with the proper amount of charcoal, place on the charcoal grate over two or three fire lighter cubes, ignite the cubes and let the coals burn until they have a coating of light grey ash. Pour the hot coals onto the charcoal grate and arrange for Direct or In-direct cooking with long-handled tongs. For safety’s sake, wear Weber® barbecue mitts.

For the best results when smoking ribs, ensure that the Weber® Smokey Mountain® Cooker™ is between 90-120°C and leave the ribs open in the Smokey Mountain® Cooker™ for the first 2 hours. Then baste in barbecue sauce and wrap in foil for a further one and a half hours. Finally, remove the foil and add more sticky barbecue sauce. Ribs usually take about 4-5 hours on a Weber® Smokey Mountain® Cooker™

For Charcoal and Gas barbecues apply the following instructions:
To achieve moist, succulent ribs cook them indirect, at a low heat for at least three hours.  This will break down the tough connective tissue and make them melt in the mouth.  Avoid putting a sticky marinade on at the beginning and this can cause it to burn.  Start off with a dry rub, finishing with a sticky sauce towards the end.

Weber® does not endorse the use of any fat draining system on our barbecues. Weber® barbecues (charcoal, gas, & electric) have been designed, tested, & proven over many years to deliver great results when used properly.

Always cooking with the lid down, emptying the drip pan regularly, and (if required) oiling the food not the grill, should ensure trouble free cooking without the need to use any “add on” fat draining systems. We believe that real flavour comes from vaporising those fats & juices on hot coals or on our legendary Flavorizer® bars.

If you see, smell, or hear gas escaping from the liquid propane tank and it is not attached to the barbecue:

1. Move the tank away from the house or anything combustible.

2. Call your liquid propane dealer or the tank manufacturer and follow their recommendations on how to correct the problem.

If it is attached to the barbecue:

1. Disconnect the hose from the tank.

2. Move the tank away form the house or anything combustible.

3. Call your liquid propane dealer or the tank manufacturer and follow their recommendations on how to correct the problem.

Weber® gas barbecues are designed to use liquid propane gas, which is a much more stable gas at both low and high outside temperatures than butane. If the barbecue will not light at temperatures below 0°C, check that you are using the correct propane gas for your barbecue. If you are still experiencing problems then please contact our customer service team on 01756692611.

Rushing noise: Immediately after turning on the gas tank valve, you may hear a “rushing” noise. This is just gas rushing into the supply hose and manifold.

Groaning or metallic cracking and popping: As Flavorizer® Bars, burner tubes, and cooking grates heat and cool, they expand and contract, causing these sounds.

Fluttering noise: If the slide-out bottom tray is not fully pushed into place, excess air may be drawn into the cooking box, causing a “fluttering” sound. The burner tubes and Crossover® ignition may also cause this sound when the lid is open and air is drawn into the cooking box from above. Finally, the flame in the Crossover® ignition tube may fluctuate after ignition, which will cause a fluttering sound.

Humming or whistling from the regulator: Outside temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and the gas level within the tank may cause the rubber diaphragm inside the regulator to vibrate, making a humming or whistling sound. Although this sound may be alarming, this is NOT dangerous as long as it is not accompanied by the smell of gas. Simply adjust the burner settings and usually the sound will subside. If the humming sound persists, a change in atmospheric conditions will eventually stop the vibration.

If you can light the barbecue with a match you may have an ignition switch problem. Check your igniter switch. Is it making a clicking noise? If the igniter does not click, it is not aligned correctly with the grey rocker switch. To align it, remove the control panel (consult your owner’s manual for instructions). Once the control panel is removed, check the position of the igniter. It should be tightly secured with the lock nut in the smaller hole of the keyhole frame. If the igniter is aligned properly, make sure the control panel is not loose. There should be two fasteners holding the panel in place.

Next, check to see if the igniter wires are loose. The white and black wires should be secured at both ends. Then check the position of the metal tab protruding from the cooking box where the white wire attaches. This tab must be 45 degrees away from the cooking box to avoid a shorted spark.

Finally, very humid or rainy weather can cause moisture to collect on the end of the probe and make the igniter unable to spark. To remedy this condition, light the barbecue with a match. The heat from the barbecue will warm the probe and should fix the problem.

If you cannot light the barbecue with a match you probably have a gas flow problem. Have you cleaned your burner tubes recently? It is very important that the portholes of the burner tubes are clear of any blockage. If the gas flow is restricted, the igniter will struggle to light. To clean your tubes, brush the portholes with a steel wire brush in an up and down motion. This cleaning should be part of your routine maintenance.

If you are still having problems, please contact your local Weber® dealer or Weber’s head office on 01756 692611.

When using the barbecue regularly:

To clean the grates: Heat the barbecue on full for 15-20 minutes, this will char any remaining food on the barbecue and this can easily be brushed off ready for use.
To clean the Flavorizer® bars: With a scraper, scrape any excess grease from the bars, these shouldn’t need any further cleaning if the barbecue is being used frequently.
Ensure there is no grease build up in the bottom tray and that the drip pan is emptied before every use.

When using infrequently, storing away or wanting a thorough clean:

Go through the burn off process above, when cooled, remove the Flavorizer® bars and grates and wash using soap and water. Dry immediately and apply a small amount of cooking oil to act as a barrier against oxidising.
Clean the inside of the barbecue with soap and water, if there is a carbon build up on the inside of the lid then brush the flaking carbon off with a steel brush and clean.

If your liquid propane tank has recently been filled and you notice frost on the body of the regulator, you may have an overfilled tank.

If this is the case:

1. Turn off the barbecue.

2. Call the supplier that filled your tank and explain the situation. If they are unable to help, call your local fire department and tell them you may have an overfilled tank.

3. Call your local Weber® dealer. The regulator may have been damaged and needs to be replaced.