IMO, the side burner is useless. I had one on my last two grills and never used it even once. When I bought my Weber Genesis, I opted for the one without the side burner and saved $200. Other than the side burner and a "sear station" (also useless IMO), it's the same kick ass grill!

JMO.

Also, it's worth every penny to get a good grill. That's everyone's opinion lol.

 

What did you do to clean the inside?

 

That's good to know. If i would have covered the current one and cleaned it more than once per year, i would probably be in better shape.

 

I like to fry certain foods outside so the house won't smell like what we are cooking.

 

I used a plastic paint scraper first to get all of the biggest chunks out. Then used anti scratch blue scuff sponges and a bucket with warm degreaser dish soap as well as a spray bottle of Weber grill cleaning spray. Only being a year old it only took me about 3 hrs from start to finish. I used just standard stainless steal cleaner to clean up the outside then.

 

Ah ok, so you have a use that you already know about for it then. I had none, and never used it lol.

Got it.

I need to give mine a once over. Might do it this weekend. Thanks!

 

Mine has a IR burner next to the three main burners (also one in the back for a rotisserie I have never used) and ANY time I cook steaks, I use the IR burner.

I would cry if my next grill didn't have one.

 

Thanks for the info guys, it's appreciated. i will have to make a purchase before the cold weather comes back in September or October.

 

This is the one regret I have about my grill purchase. I wish I would have went one model up to the one that has 4 burners and the IR burner as we. My next will definitely have one.

 

I toss the cast iron pan on the grill and jack up the temp as high as it goes. Even with the 3 burners, the Weber will go to 600F+ no problem. I use the pan as a sear station.

FWIW, the weber with the sear station doesn't have an IR burner, it's just another normal tube burner to locally increase the heat. I totally get what you're saying about the IR though, those kick ass especially for rotisserie. If you haven't tried to rotisserie a bacon wrapped beef roast with the back IR burner to get that epic outside crust, you haven't lived yet.

 

cast iron ftmfw

 

I'm debating between two different grills at the moment. Will be buying in the next few weeks.

Option 1:


Option 2:


Personally, I'm leaning towards Option 2. It seems the Napoleon has more features than the Weber. Some are useful, some are useless, but nonetheless... it has backlit dials, lights in the lid for evening grilling, option to add a smoker device, or charcoal cooking device into the grill (it's kind of cool, but not sure how well they work). My other issue is that I know a few people with the Weber and I don't want to copy them.

These two BBQs were rated #1 and #2, respectively, on consumer reports, I believe, although I feel the Weber won first place due to it's name, since the Napoleon did beat it in a number of categories. Regardless, they both seem like solid options.

 

Because we live in a new subdivision, I've opted out of going with Natural Gas. It would've been a nice option to go with, but, since everyone in the new subdivision is running high efficiency furnaces, the gas pressure is lower and it makes it impossible to get to decent cooking temperatures.

Our last place was in a new subdivision also and we had the same problem. Bought a nice NG BBQ, only to be unable to heat it up past 400F. And it took 25 minutes to get to 400F. And as soon as you would open the lid, it would drop to 330F and take forever to get back up. Useless. The whole area was like that- my brother lived about a block away from me and he had the same issue.

 

I'd go Weber if only for the really good lifetime warranty that goes with it. I didn't get the SS version of that only because I can replace the grates with SS in the future for less money than upgrading the whole grill which is warranted against rust. Also, using a good cover and properly winterizing helps immensely to keep the rust off. The SS sure looks good though.

I was blown away by the cost of that grill and going to say it was far too expensive and look elsewhere until I realized it was in loonies.

 

Taco, Check the back of option #2 and see if there are any vents and how large they are. One of the good things about Webers is the LACK of vents so the grill can get to a very high temp. And because it's Weber the construction of the grill is made to withstand the high heat.
Cook's Illustrated (a foodie's nerd mag) just rated the Weber as the best grill under $300 (for the 3 burner non-stainless model) primarily for its quality construction.

 

Weber does make awesome grills! and there is no need for a SS version unless you never cover your grill or must have that SS look.

 

Napoleon makes great grills too.. I will check for vents, but I'd be surprised if it was any worse. Napoleon has a wicked warranty also. I see nothing particularly special about the Weber.

The Weber was rated at being like 9.80/10. The Napoleon was like 9.43/10. Again, I think there is bias towards Weber though. They were rated as cooking nearly the same, with a slight advantage to the Weber. Otherwise, the Napoleon had way more features.

I grew up cooking on $200 BBQs my entire life and I've never complained. I'm pretty sure ANYTHING is a step up from those grills.

 

I recently got the Weber Spirit e-210 to replace my old kenmore that fell apart.

I like it a lot. Mine also came with the "chef system" or whatever its called. The center portion of the girl pops out and has replaceable inserts. It came with a cast iron pan, and I bought the pizza stone insert. Love the pizza stone insert, works great.

 

and for the record, my friend's 6 or 7 year old Weber is starting to show it's age, big time. That thing has seen a lot of use, but the lid is starting to corrode on the SS parts. His lid is that bronze painted color, with the SS sides. He also has his grill always covered when not in use. If I'm not mistaken, the warranty is up on the lid, so he's SOL.

 

The bigger thing with Weber is the service and warranty support behind it as well as part availability in the future. They will literally replace any part on your entire grill no questions asked 7 years down the road if something goes wrong. My buddy bought a beat to sh1t Weber on craigslist for like $30, called them up for new parts, and they sent them all over no charge no questions.

Have him call them up and explain what's going on. I bet it gets replaced for free regardless of warranty period.

 

$1200 on a grill! Damn! I said spend money but that's a bit much.

90% of the time..how many people are you going to be grilling for? Lol

 

Proof of purchase,???

 

You're forgetting I'm in canada. You can likely get the same grill for 300-400 less. Plus idgaf about cooking for others- just want a good grill that will last for many years to come,

Plus, here, for $1000 you're getting an entry level stove. $1500 starts getting you something decent. Why is it so wrong to spend that much on a quality grill? I know a shit ton of people who buy stoves ranging in price from 1500-3000, but spending 1000 on a grill? No way!

 

 

Wasn't required. All they asked for was the serial number of the grill and photos of what was wrong. Parts were shipped out shortly after. Go read up online, you'll find tons of similar stories about how they back up their products. I wasn't a believer for a while but our Weber has been nothing but spectacular. Will never own anything else.

 

Shiiiiet... Sam, now you got me reconsidering. And I don't like reconsidering

But, I mean, I'm not buying a grill and hoping for great customer support. I'd actually would prefer if I never had to call CS, you know? I know webers have a great name, but they can't be the only ones that make a great grill.

So I guess it comes down to:
1. Great customer support, great warranty, but no features

Or

2. Average customer support, great warranty, many features.

Sigh...

 

To me, and this is just my opinion, buying an expensive grill is something I only want to do once. Having the customer support, warranty, and part availability (this is a big deal, you can get parts for 20 year old Weber grills still today) 10 years down the road when things inevitably will need to get replaced is extremely valuable to me. As far as the features...what all are you really going to use all the time to justify the loss of supporting your purchase long into the future?

You can add a rotisserie to any Weber for ~$80, there are tons of accessories available on the market both authentic and generic, and they work awesome to sear stuff even without the IR burners (or do the CI pan method I do).

Ultimately, it's up to you but they have made a name for themselves for a reason. JMO.

Also, FWIW, I don't have the SS version of the Genesis, I have the CI grates and they are great. Made it through one whole summer and winter and don't have any rust whatsoever on them. Proper seasoning and care will make the whole thing last forever. If they do eventually rust, I'll replace with SS grates in the future. For the rest of the grill, buy a good cover and keep it on when not in use. Problem solved for less than the cost of the SS upgrade.

 

I've heard Napoleon is good for parts too. Might not be free, but they keep them forever. Their burners are covered for 10 years.

Honestly, in ten years I'll likely buy a new grill anyway. I use a grill probably 100 times a year and as such, eventually getting a new grill after a decade of use is nice. Personally, I don't want a 20 year old grill with some new parts on it. It's an appliance and I really can't see myself keeping any appliance for that long.

 

Sam, you're a mother fucker. I ended up buying the Weber s330

Damn you and your logical logic

 

I like some of the Summit Series ones from Weber....but here, the prices......

Unfortunately, my budget is probably not going to be that high.

Would consider something along the lines of what you were considering, TB.

Would like to invest in a BBQ Gazebo as well as the proper cover for the new grill.

 

Congrats man, you won't be disappointed. Happy grilling and let me know when I should be over for dinner.

 

Nine hundid and forty nine dollars isn't bad.

Too rich for my blood though..... For a grill anyway.

 

I seriously cannot believe the extreme quality of the Weber. My engineering mind was in heaven as I assembled the grill- you can seriously tell that every screw, joint, attachment, whatever was fully thought out to not only look good, but last forever. Color me impressed.

 

Congrats! on the new grill. Great choice. I love mine. Enjoy it

I also agree it was incredible how well everything fit together. Very well thought out.

 

I was actually a bit perplexed as I assembled the grill.. I've grilled on the junkiest of junk grills all my life and when it came time to assembly, I was used to having to "bend a little here" or "force a little harder over there" or "wtf these parts don't even fit properly". So when everything went together effortlessly, I was sincerely confused

 

Mine came with free assembly and delivery so I'll take your word for it.

I've never been able to get my grill glowing hot though lol. Guess it might be time for a new tank.

 

I had free assembly, but no delivery. But Lowes was crazy busy yesterday and it would've taken them a day or two to assemble it. I couldn't wait

that being said, all I did was crank on the grill and let it sit for 10 minutes. The temperature was a bit above 600F when I took the picture. There was a bit of smoke coming off it earlier, so I figured it was just the oils or whatever they coat the SS in prior to leaving the factory burning off.

 

Well......that looks stellar.

Looking forward to the first cook reviews when you have time.

 

at being confused cause it went together so easy
Yeah you might need to get a new tank. If you have a Summit Series it shouldnt take more than 10min 15min max to get them that hot.

I couldn't wait either which. Not good at being patient. The manual says you are to burn it off I think for 15 or 20min before the first use.

 

Probably, my current tank is almost done now since the gauge is basically at the bottom so probably not a ton of pressure.

I don't have a Summit, I have the non-SS version of the Genesis that Taco has.

I also probably need to clean the grill out...can't see the glow under all the caked on crap.