The portable Weber Q Grill has been one of the most popular grills on the market for 20 years. This time, I’m taking its latest innovation, the Weber Q 2800N+ Grill, for a test drive and grilling everything from steaks to brats and burgers.

Just between you and me, this gas grill includes several innovative updates you’ll want to see for yourself. I share all the details below and in the accompanying video.

Weber sent me this grill for free in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Weber Q+ overview and first impressions

You’re probably already familiar with Weber and the Weber Q Gas Grill. It was an innovator back in the mid-2000s, pairing optimal cooking performance with portability and versatility.

Since then, the Weber Q series has expanded to include the Baby Q, the Family Q+, the Built-In Q, and now, the Weber Q+.

The Weber Q2800N+ Gas Grill I’m reviewing is essentially the same grill, just elevated. The upgrades include 2 burners instead of 1 and 320 square inches of total cooking area. But it still weighs in at under 40 lbs.

This Weber grill is big enough for every day but lightweight and compact enough to take with you. Cook low and slow, or sear on extremely high heat. You truly get the best of all worlds.

Weber Q2800N+ Gas Grill specifications:

What I like:

• Portability: The grill’s lightweight and compact design is very appealing. It’s the perfect portable gas grill to use at home and then take camping or tailgating.

• 2 burners: The extra burner puts the “plus” into Weber Q+. But it’s one of my favorite features, offering a more consistent temperature across the entire cooking area and giving us a great sear on our steaks. From cheeseburgers to pork chops and brats, this grill’s cooking performance gets top marks from me.

• Cooking space: You get a lot of grilling space for a lightweight tabletop grill.

• Quick cleanup: No one wants to spend time cleaning after grilling. I found cleaning this gas grill a breeze thanks to the front-facing removable catch pan.

What I don’t like:

• I tested the Weber Q+ Grill to see where it stands against competitors, and I was happy across the board.

Unboxing and setup

The assembly is straightforward, which is fortunate because my box didn’t even come with instructions!

There are just the usual features you need to screw into place, including the lid handle, thermometer (fitted into the high-domed lid), and control knobs. Rest easy. The controls are different sizes, so each one only fits correctly on one valve. The removable side shelves also just pop right on.

The “hardest” part is correctly positioning the battery because it has electronic ignition.

The Weber Q+ Grill hooks up to any standard LPG tank. When positioned on a tabletop, the hose is long enough to reach a 20-pound liquid propane tank on the ground.

This might not seem like a big deal for some, but you’ll definitely appreciate not having to bring a step stool with you! The hose also conveniently clips on the grill’s back when not in use.

As for build quality, I must admit that the Weber is very sturdy for such a lightweight, compact, portable grill weighing under 40 lbs. Yep, almost everybody can pick this grill up and carry it around.

Cooking on the Weber Q+

Ease of operation

A good test for me is how fast a gas grill initially takes to light up. On the Weber Q+, I just turned the knobs to ignite, hit the electronic ignition, and we were in business immediately.

Another test for me is whether I need to adjust any burners after the initial startup. In this instance, this wasn’t necessary. The Weber Q+ has consistently run well and kept a good temperature.

The burnoff

On any new grill, I like to do what I call the burnoff. So, on the Weber Q+, I turned both the burners up to high, closed the lid, and let it burn for about 30 minutes. This helps burn off any debris leftover from manufacturing.

The burnoff is also a great time to test the grill’s temperature. The Weber Q+ successfully reached 750 degrees. So, if you want to get some good sear marks on your pork chops, the Weber Q+ can do it easily.

2-burner performance

The 2 burners are a great addition to the Weber Q+ Gas Grill. The main burner has 18,000 BTUs, and the middle Plus Burner has 4,000 BTUs. 22,000 BTUs truly make this Weber Q+ a searing machine.

It helps you get a good sear on steaks and not burn up all your chicken skin when grilling your next batch of chicken wings. Another advantage of 2 burners is a more consistent temperature across the entire grilling space.

For a portable grill, Weber doesn’t scrimp on size. You get 320 square inches of total cooking area, comfortably fitting about 8 pork chops or 12 burgers. The porcelain-enameled cast iron cooking grill provides even heat distribution and superior heat retention.

Cooking performance

To put this Weber gas grill to the test, I first grilled some homemade brats. To preheat, I opened both burners up about halfway and topped the temperature off at 625°F. This is plenty hot enough to grill some brats, and I was pleased with how efficient it ran.

The second cooking test was some quick seared pork chops for lunch. I cranked the temperature up to high and was happy to see some dynamite sear.

The third test involved the classics – cheeseburgers and hot dogs. Personally, I think the Weber Q+ cranked these out of the park.

Plus, the cast aluminum lid’s height means you could easily fit two whole chickens inside.

Grilling steaks

The final meat I tried was steak. A big issue many people have with gas grills is they sometimes have to overcook the steak to achieve a good sear. Well, I didn’t have any such problems with the Weber Q+, hitting a perfect medium rare on store-bought ribeye steaks.

Here’s a hot tip for cooking steaks on this grill. I turned both valves up to high and preheated the grill until it reached 700 degrees. When I put the steaks on the grate, I gave them a little smoosh, closed the lid, ran the grill for about 1.5 minutes, and then turned them.

I did this 4 times before checking the internal temperature. One was a little thicker than the others, so I left it on for an extra 30 seconds. But you won’t hear me complaining about getting a medium-rare steak with excellent sear marks in about 6 to 7 minutes.

Cleaning

Cleaning is a breeze because the Weber Q2800N+ Grill has such a small footprint. After every cook, I just turn both burners up to high to burn off any remaining food debris stuck to the grill grate. Then, I use my grill brush to scrape it down while it’s still hot.

The newly designed front-facing grease tray is really easy to remove. Just remember to use grill gloves when handling the tin grease catchment tray, as it’s easier to clean when it’s still hot.

After every 3 to 4 cooks, I remove the grill grates and clean the chamber. I removed the grease catchment system’s aluminum cover and scraped all the debris into the removable catch pan.

Accessories

The main accessory on this Weber grill is the removable side shelves with tool hooks. Circling back to the brats, I was happy to see that the shelf comfortably held a heavy pot filled with brats.

As with all Weber products, plenty of additional accessories are available to jazz up your grill. If you’re going camping, I’d definitely recommend grabbing one of the hot plate griddles. Upgrade and get a portable cart to place your Weber on if you’re sticking closer to home. A warming rack and a cover are also available.

Did I mention you can choose from 5 different colors? What more could you want?

Alternatives to consider

The best alternative if you want something a little more portable is the Weber Traveler, a portable gas grill with a foldable cart.

While the Q+ can be considered a portable grill, I consider it more suited to small patios or apartments.

If you want to step away from Weber, the best alternative is the Napoleon TravelQ 285. It features 2 burners, 285 square inches of cooking space, a porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grate, and a cart option. So, it’s basically the same, just cheaper.

Final verdict

My opinion on the Weber Q2800N+ Gas Grill is pretty dang positive. I honestly didn’t think there was much more Weber could do to improve its classic 20-year-old grill.

But this grill truly gives you the performance of a full-sized gas grill in a portable, compact design. You can’t go wrong.