G-Day!

OK...so the first actual news of the

grill's

delivery was that the delivery driver drove through the neighbor's lawn. Outside of that, the

realization

that the grill had actually arrived set me into a full blown

tizzy

of excitement. As I had indicated

earlier

, this was a moment that I wanted to treasure. It reminded me of the Fall and that first taste of Sam Adams Winter Lager. It comes but only once a year...and it is always relished. The purchase of the Summit S-650 is, IMO, a long term dedication to grilling. This is a grill that, thanks to Weber, will last me a long time. Oh, and Zoe just told me that it is "the last grill we will ever buy". Well if that isn't incentive to draw this out, then I don't know what is! (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is actually the second Weber we have bought in the last three years. I squeaked out another kettle to go with my Performer two years ago).

Anyways, let's get to it:

There is just something cool about having a semi deliver something to you. Yes, we have had other deliveries through the years, but toilets, bricks and mulch do not count.

OK...another note. Although I am dressed in a sensible pair of jeans and a pullover, I was actually underdressed for the weather. Although it was 80 degrees two days ago, it was 36 and snowing today. Oh how I love Midwest weather. Needless to say, the cold weather didn't keep me away. Zoe on the other hand....after about a million eye rolls at my adolescent zeal, took shelter in the warmth of the house and allowed me to continue my exploits in the cold. She says, it is because she is not stupid. I happen to just think that her priorities are sorely misaligned.

Snip...we are in!

OK, at this point, Zoe exclaims, "It's White!?!" No, not to worry. It is just the film that protects the stainless steel. Although, white does not look too bad.

Wait a tick! Is that a warning label? Although there were no words, I could tell from the picture of the two strapping men lifting the grill and their smaller, weaker friend removing the light plastic bottom, that I would not be following the exact directions as shipped from the manufacturer. I was also confused by the label because on one side there were three men and on the other, three unics. When Zoe was not looking, I thought about adding long hair and shortening the height of one of the strapping men to resemble her, but she never looked away long enough. So, in flagrant disregard of the warning and without the back support belts I am sure those guy's were wearing, I recruited Zoe into lifting...well, it was more like pivoting. I did the lifting. (Side note: if I had two have two friends over to help, I would have Lewis pull the bottom plastic piece out. He's used to being on his knees.)

The top of the box lifts off and for transport, the grill is resting on a plastic tray. You cannot simply "roll" the grill off the tray. At first I cut slits in the side of the tray to "roll it off", but because the wheels were held slightly above the bottom of the tray, this did not work. So, since my trio of friends were unavailable, we did the old pivot and kick.

Oh wait...does the circle with the line through it mean "Great Idea" or "Try with possibility of death"...I think the former, because it worked great!

With the grill safely on Terra Firma, I went about the rest of the assembly. As always, Weber provided easy to follow instructions. One of the wonderful features of this grill is that almost the entire unit is welded together. I used a total of seven screws to attach the side table, side burner and the drip pan. The construction was flawless.

The grates and bars were shipped underneath the grill:

Here are the burners:

Here are the Flavorizer Bars:

Here is the smoker box. I must say, that I will have to get used to using...or even trying to use the Summit for smoking. When it comes to pork shoulders or brisket, I always go to the kettle. However, with its dedicated burner for smoking, I know this is a feature that I will explore.

The side burner and side table were stored inside the cabinet:

Weber's design made it easy to even install the warming rack. The sides of the rack are tapered so that it can only fit in one way, even though its look gives the appearance that it can go one of two ways. (Funny how Lewis keeps coming into this...)

Here is the side burner and the side table:

Here is an example of some of the weld work on the side table:

Here is the gas connection underneath the side burner:

On to Part II...