Time to replace my 15 year old gas grill with a new one, and I want one that will again last me a good 15 years or so (with proper care and maintenance of course). Local place has the Weber Spirit II E-310 on sale, fully assembled and delivered, for $479. You can get the Genesis II E-310 for $100 more. I know Weber has a good reputation, but I also know they throw around lots of money to make sure there are a ton of very favorable "reviews" out on the net. Anyone have any first hand experience with a Weber gas grill? Also, do you know if they are made in America? I am finding lots of conflicting information on that too.
Anyone own a Weber grill?
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I've never had one of their gas grills but I had a smoky joe forever. I used it almost daily for many, many years.
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We had a Weber briquet grill when we were first married 36 yrs ago. It lasted a long time, but our marriage has lasted longer.
I like my Webber. The wife was waffling on which one to get. I said, you're only buying it once, get the one you want. I talked her into getting the one with the pot burner outside the lid. I figured that would be a better option if I wanted to can in the summer or another way to cook in a SHTF situation. I might have forgotten to mention all my reasons to her.
P.S. Only had it a couple of years.
P.S. Only had it a couple of years.
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We have had a Weber Genesis propane grill for a probably 15 years (I am the worst person in the world for remembering timeframes). It has been a good grill. Not perfect. But probably better than any other propane grill we had before it. The side burner stopped working. A knob broke off. The thermometer broke. The igniter stopped igniting. The grates rusted beyond usability and had to be replaced. The "flavor grates" that sit above the burners corroded. Sounds worse than it actually is, but we still use the grill and it still cooks things very well. It is quite old, and nothing lasts forever. I would not say we have taken especially good care of it. It's been a good grill, and still is. I like my Traeger pellet grill better, but it was quite a bit more expensive than the Weber. With a pellet grill, you have to work really hard to burn something - it's almost impossible. With a propane grill, you turn your back for half a second and things can get burnt beyond recognition (re: my recent post about "What's for dinner? Burnt chicken"). If I were to buy another propane grill, chances are high it would be a Weber again.
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I FINALLY bought a Weber grill about six years ago, it is a basic three burner model the only downside is that the side shelf work area is not large enuf. The grill has given no problems but when we have a few people over it seem to run out of grill space it works well for the two of us so if a crowd shows up and wants to grill someone is gonna hafta wait.
Thanks for the feedback.
The franken-grill I just got rid of started out as a Broilmate, but by the end of its lifecycle it had parts and pieces from several different grills on it. Shocking how similar and interchangeable grills are, or perhaps I should say were. Looking at new grills I am seeing lots of gimmicky crap no one needs and thin/weak construction. Only Weber and Napoleon seem to be sturdy like my old one, but Weber comes in at a better price point. Broilmate is still around too, but the reviews are not what they once were.
The franken-grill I just got rid of started out as a Broilmate, but by the end of its lifecycle it had parts and pieces from several different grills on it. Shocking how similar and interchangeable grills are, or perhaps I should say were. Looking at new grills I am seeing lots of gimmicky crap no one needs and thin/weak construction. Only Weber and Napoleon seem to be sturdy like my old one, but Weber comes in at a better price point. Broilmate is still around too, but the reviews are not what they once were.
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Oh yeah. We have a Broilmate on our back patio that sometimes works.
The Weber was the best grill we ever owned.
Last forever.
Sturdy quality .
Now , that was many years ago. I can't say how the new ones are.
Jim
Last forever.
Sturdy quality .
Now , that was many years ago. I can't say how the new ones are.
Jim
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I have a Weber Spirit E-310. I think the Spirit is a step down from the Genesis but don't recall.
Good grill. No issues with quality. Haven't had it long enough to evaluate longevity.
It heats up faster than my other grill which is nice. The Weber is smaller than my other grill which may have something to do with it but it does seem to cool off quickly when you open the lid. If you open the lid, flip 10-15 burgers then close the lid, according to the thermometer, it went down 100°.
Good grill. No issues with quality. Haven't had it long enough to evaluate longevity.
It heats up faster than my other grill which is nice. The Weber is smaller than my other grill which may have something to do with it but it does seem to cool off quickly when you open the lid. If you open the lid, flip 10-15 burgers then close the lid, according to the thermometer, it went down 100°.
We have had a Weber Genesis propane grill for well over 15 years. It still lights with just one or two clicks. I bought the one that had all stainless grates and diffusers(?), Everything still looks good and works well. Usage varies but it has been used a lot through all the years. One of the best investments I have made.
Never owned a Webber gas grill. I have had a charcoal Webber in the barn for years, I gave my gas grill away 3 years ago. Now I only use a pellet BBQ. I'll never use anything else.
For gas grills.....With build quality these days, including Weber, I have found darned if you do darned if you don't results.
What I mean is you can pay far more for a better grill (replace parts over time as needed). Or you can buy a much less expensive grill and just replace it more often. Either course seems to work out about the same. I use my grills extensively.
Dad has always had Weber's and I grew up cooking on it. I've had several cheaper ones and my brother has had 2 Weber's in the past 20 years and a cheaper one. We use our grills a whole lot. Been a family discussion for a while and our combined conclusion is just buy the cheaper brands and replace more often. Nobody really makes quality anymore although Weber is better but it works out being the same or so close as to not be different.
Personally I just got an iron firepit from lowes that came with cooking grates you can swing over for about $120. I keep a stack of bricks next to it and use those and tinfoil to turn it into a hobo smoker that works better than a lot of barrel smokers I've used once you get the swing of it. I still like my gas grill for quick meals but find I use it less and less these days. I mainly use the firepit now.
Others may have a different opinion. Maybe their Weber's held up better than ours although we do take pains to properly care for ours. Go with stainless grates.
What I mean is you can pay far more for a better grill (replace parts over time as needed). Or you can buy a much less expensive grill and just replace it more often. Either course seems to work out about the same. I use my grills extensively.
Dad has always had Weber's and I grew up cooking on it. I've had several cheaper ones and my brother has had 2 Weber's in the past 20 years and a cheaper one. We use our grills a whole lot. Been a family discussion for a while and our combined conclusion is just buy the cheaper brands and replace more often. Nobody really makes quality anymore although Weber is better but it works out being the same or so close as to not be different.
Personally I just got an iron firepit from lowes that came with cooking grates you can swing over for about $120. I keep a stack of bricks next to it and use those and tinfoil to turn it into a hobo smoker that works better than a lot of barrel smokers I've used once you get the swing of it. I still like my gas grill for quick meals but find I use it less and less these days. I mainly use the firepit now.
Others may have a different opinion. Maybe their Weber's held up better than ours although we do take pains to properly care for ours. Go with stainless grates.
The gas grill is primarily for fast cooking (steaks, burgers, chicken breasts, etc.) or for searing or finishing off things otherwise cooked in the smoker (like pork ribs). I will continue to use my smoker about 2/3rds of the time but the grill gets used a few times a week every week too. I love cooking outside, but I also don't want to be a slave to it. I want to get it started and walk away, return and tend to it, then walk away again.
One of my biggest issues is that I live in a place with extreme winters, lots of thunder storms, major humidity swings, and crazy hot summer days. This wreaks havoc on cheap sheet steel which will rust out in just a couple years if not constantly maintained. When grills all had cast aluminum boxes, it didn't matter. But now the low cost grills all use really thin steel, which means under the best conditions you will get 3 years out of them. I know because every spring our landfill looks like a gas and charcoal grill graveyard (which is where I got most of the parts I used to keep my Broilmate up and running so long). I have only found 2 low cost grills that still use cast aluminum and they are both get only fair reviews and are too small for my needs (Huntington and Broilmate).
One of my biggest issues is that I live in a place with extreme winters, lots of thunder storms, major humidity swings, and crazy hot summer days. This wreaks havoc on cheap sheet steel which will rust out in just a couple years if not constantly maintained. When grills all had cast aluminum boxes, it didn't matter. But now the low cost grills all use really thin steel, which means under the best conditions you will get 3 years out of them. I know because every spring our landfill looks like a gas and charcoal grill graveyard (which is where I got most of the parts I used to keep my Broilmate up and running so long). I have only found 2 low cost grills that still use cast aluminum and they are both get only fair reviews and are too small for my needs (Huntington and Broilmate).
My son bought me a Pit Boss pellet grill last year for Father's Day. It has a sliding cover over the firebox. I cook things like steak and burgers on a lower temp and when it's close to done I open the slider and crank the temp up to 500. Flames shooting up sear the meat.
When I cook ribs I dry rub with my homemade rub and cook at 225° for 3 or 4 hours. Then I spray with apple juice, wrap them in foil, and cook until everything else is ready. Fall off the bone tender, nice smoky flavor, and delicious. We had them last Wednesday and I might have more tomorrow.
Tonight I am cooking marinated Tri-Tip steaks using the reversed sear method.
My BIL worked at Costco and he told me every fall they got back hundreds of BBQ grills. People use them all summer and take them back. Costco puts all of them in the trash.
When I cook ribs I dry rub with my homemade rub and cook at 225° for 3 or 4 hours. Then I spray with apple juice, wrap them in foil, and cook until everything else is ready. Fall off the bone tender, nice smoky flavor, and delicious. We had them last Wednesday and I might have more tomorrow.
Tonight I am cooking marinated Tri-Tip steaks using the reversed sear method.
My BIL worked at Costco and he told me every fall they got back hundreds of BBQ grills. People use them all summer and take them back. Costco puts all of them in the trash.
With the economy at a screeching halt now might be the time to stop by a small one or two man welding shop. He'd probably do the work while U wait.
Use your old carriage, old burner and pipe assy. Have the guy weld you up a box that will last. Toss in some stainless grates... A little high temp black paint and you'll have something that will last many years for about the same, if not less money.
The big plus... it'll be exactly what you want as far as options.
Edit to add... any decent shop would have the metal needed in stock or in the scrap pile. If the guy said "I need to order" I'd walk away.
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I have been looking at pellet grills now too. I hear good things and it would allow me to have one device for grilling and smoking versus two. Couple local places have last years model on clearance at really good prices. The one that currently has my attention is the Camp Chef SmokePro SGX.
That looks like a good choice. It has a direct flame so you can sear the meat and slow smoke on the same BBQ.
If you can get it already assembled that will save you a lot of work and frustration. If you have to assemble it yourself have help.
My Pit Boss Austin XL, Walmart exclusive, has the direct flame. My big complaint was you have to lift the center rack in order to slide the plate off the firebox. I modified mine with a rod connected to the sliding plate so now there is a handle on the end of the grill and I can move it without lifting the center rack. It looks like Camp Chef has that already. Make sure tho.
I think today is a good day for me to smoke some ribs.
One thing that I have found very handy for my pellet grill, when smoking, is a remote temperature probe. Stick the probe into the meat, and the temps/alarms are forwarded to a radio receiver inside your house. My remote thermo was a separate purchase - about $100 IIRC - but some grills have probes built in (although I don't know if they are radio-remote though). If the probes display temp on the front of the grill (no radio), and your grill is close enough for you to look out a window and see, that may be good enough. SO you can check on if a grill you are looking at supports this, if you are interested. Remote temp monitoring is not so important with grilling, when times are short, but when smoking something for hours I find it nice to be able to hear an alarm inside when things hit a certain temperature (like when the meat stalls, and you have to wrap it in foil).
I currently have an electric smoker, but it's nearing the end of its service life and has been repaired twice now. I am going to give it to my oldest boy when I buy something new. What I won't be giving him is my WiFi temperature probe which I can monitor on my phone. That I will be keeping for whatever I buy next.
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I’ve had my Genesis series grill for over 10 years. It’s got some rust down around the wheels, but nothing major. While it is the most expensive grill I’ve ever owned, it’s also the sturdiest by far. And EVERY part is available either OEM or aftermarket.
I'm at the same point. I'd replaced my grill about 4 years ago with a very large Charbroil as we're a family of 7. For the money I have been so disappointed with that POS and that I didn't fight the Mrs more to spend the extra then to buy the Weber. This charbroil was bad from day one with having uniform heat. The front would be nearly raw and the back would be charcoal. It didn't hold up at all either, the burners and the heat deflector shields have rusted out. Heck the cover only last part way thru the second winter beofre it fell apart. As I recall that was almost $500. At the time Weber had one of either the 300 or 400 series that was still fully made in the USA but that looks to no longer be and option.
I'm looking at the Genesis II S435 as it's the larger or It'd be the 335. I like the look of the full on SS cabinet. The 435 is a bunch of money but everyone I know that have the Weber's have them forever and if something does go wrong you can easily get parts and repair them. It also has a side burner which I tend to use fairly occassionaly on my current grillAlso everyone I speak with says they are very uniform in their heating no mater where on the grate you put your food. I also like the fact the grill racks are SS rods so they won't rust out.
Okay, now I am just going rogue. I went and checked out a Masterbuilt Gravity Feed 560 that used lump charcoal and hardwoods. It was pretty impressive and nearly jumped into my Audi. The only thing that stopped me was the size. The only model out right now is the 560 but a 1050 version will be available in 2 weeks. Might just hold out and get one of them.
https://thebbqhq.com/products/masterbuilt-gravityfed-series-1050
https://thebbqhq.com/products/masterbuilt-gravityfed-series-1050
That's nice looking
It would be nice if someone could come up with a hybrid type of grill where it could be both gas and charcoal/ wood. That way on a Tuesday night when you just want to quick grill up some dogs and burgers for dinner *poof* flame on 5 minutes heat up and cook. That way you don't have to wait 15 or 20 minutes for charcoal to burn down but then on Saturday when you want to smoke a pork butt for 8 hours you have that option. Oh well, a guy can dream. Guess I'll keep on with a little smoke box on the gas grill.
It would be nice if someone could come up with a hybrid type of grill where it could be both gas and charcoal/ wood. That way on a Tuesday night when you just want to quick grill up some dogs and burgers for dinner *poof* flame on 5 minutes heat up and cook. That way you don't have to wait 15 or 20 minutes for charcoal to burn down but then on Saturday when you want to smoke a pork butt for 8 hours you have that option. Oh well, a guy can dream. Guess I'll keep on with a little smoke box on the gas grill.
Well, Pit Boss makes one that's 1/2 pellet smoker/grill and 1/2 gas grill.
https://pitboss-grills.com/wood-pellet/kc-combo-platinum-series
https://pitboss-grills.com/wood-pellet/kc-combo-platinum-series
Just ordered a Genesis S435 in stainless steel, natural gas model so I will be able to provide a future review but not a current owner...yet! Delivery is set for May 11th so looks like I have some natural gas line to run!
I may well end up with that Weber Genesis II after all. They were on clearance for $579 assembled and delivered, now they are $499. They are apparently clearing out the Genesis II E-310 and are replacing it with the S-310. But at that price I can order stainless flavor bars &d stainless grates and still have spent way less than normal retail price. Wife wants the gas grill too and said "just buy the grill now and then buy another smoker when ours dies".
I've never owned a gas grill. Hope whatever you get works out well.
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OK, I'm stumped. What's a "stainless flavor bar"? Is it to give a metallic flavor to your meat?
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