Well, as far as reviews go:

Build quality: nothing short of stellar.

Instructions: horrendously abysmal. This is my one and only complaint for now. If I had the instructions opened up on a nice and sturdy table, it likely wouldn't have been a big deal. But, the drawings were pretty damn tiny and I found myself checking over and over to make sure I was putting the right bolt in the right hole. Honestly, weber could have made a booklet for the instructions, but I digress...

Cooking: I will update to later in the week when I get some actually grilling done. I fired up the grill at around 9:30pm last night, so I wasn't about to go and buy steaks that evening. I did happen to have some frozen hotdogs in the freezer though

The grill heats up nice and fast, especially with the sear burner cranked on too.

Throwing the hotdogs on, man, this grill really does have even heat throughout, even close to the edges. Didn't matter where I placed the dogs, they all came out nice and even.

Temperature control is fantastic and easy to control once you start getting a hang of the grill. In all, is was pleasantly surprised with the results. The dogs were grilled to perfection.

That lid and the actual SS grates hold heat like crazy. I wanted to throw the cover on, but it took quite some time for the sucker to cool down. The lid was easy to touch from the outside, even when grilling, but the inside stays toasty. I left the lid open for about an hour before I could throw the cover on.

More to come!

 

Do they offer iron grates on any of the Genesis's?

 

Yes, the E series has iron grates.

 

I personally have no preference between SS or cast iron grates. Each has its own positives and negatives. I'd be more than happy grilling on either.

 

Whoops I mean the Genesis. Yeah I have 330 as well.

The caked on crap does not help. I couldn't see the red glow before cleaning mine for that reason. I can see it now again. It will never be as bright as his picture shows though after you cook on it for a while cause although I got mine what I would call clean they are still basically seasoned for forever.

 

No way of protecting the burners from getting the drippings on them......too bad.

I hear there is a mobile BBQ cleaning service in Mississauga, for anyone looking.

 

Sorry, what I meant was the same Genesis line. I have the E-300 so no sear or side burner. I didn't see the $200 value in getting those so I passed on them. Love the grill though.

I'll be cleaning mine out probably this weekend. It's been a long time coming.

 

I agree I don't get much use out of the side burner. I think I have used it a total of 3 times in the last 1.5years. Unless it is a super calm day it just doesn't work well with any wind at all.

The sear burner on the other hand I love. When cooking steaks I will turn all 4 burners on high. let the grill get to 600 degrees and put the steaks over the sear burner for 1.5-2 minutes per side. Then open the grill turn everything off but the outer two and turn them down to medium. Put the steaks on the middle and cook for about 4-7min more depending on how you like you steak cooked. Gives a nice thick crust on each side of the steak and a hot red center if you only cook 8-10 total. I love medium rare steaks erroring on the side of rare instead of medium.

 

I just do the cast iron pan that was $20 on sale. I use that as my sear burner and then drop it on the grates to finish with the same method as you though I go for more of a medium than a medium rare.

Even with 3 burners the grill can get up to 600F no problem on days when the outside temp is above 50F.

 

I have been looking at those cast iron pan methods. I even bought a pan but haven't seasoned it and tried it yet. Maybe I will try it this weekend.

 

On big tip, season it more than you think you should. Flaxseed oil is ideal but canola can be used in a pinch though it'll need more layers of seasoning. Start seasoning now if you intend to use it this weekend.

I recommend one round of seasoning with oil, cook bacon in it, clean, another two rounds of seasoning, then start using it.

I love the cast iron method, so easy to do and you can even do it in the winter. The winter thing might be more for me than you but still...

 

One thing I wish my weber grill had was the sear burner.

 

Have to post a pic of my 10 year old Chamberlain (wife bought it at Target, made in China but has held up pretty well) S/S grill, four burners with a side burner. Has a rotisserie that I occasionally use, definitely could live without that.

I replaced the OEM iron grates with S/S, and they're far better for cleaning, longevity and cook better too.

Also Amazon is the best place for replacement burner pipes, shields and grates. They make it possible to keep decade old propane grills working with OEM like components.

 

has anyone smoked / did baby back ribs on a gas grill?

 

You all don't have seasoned cast iron goodies in your kitchens? My pans have like 8 years of use on them!

However on the grill I just take half of the grates out and put in the cast iron flattop accessory. Perfect for say hibachi because the grill gets so hot!

They sell the same thing for the 300 series... $70

 

I've smoked ribs and chicken on a gas grill.

1) Use a wood chip box (cast iron, buy them on Lowes or Home Depot).
2) soak wood chips in water overnight.
3) put chips in box over one burner
4) put burner on lowest setting
5) put ribs, meat,.... away from that burner
6) monitor temp (180-220)
7) may have to replenish woods if they dry up and eventually combust

~4-6 hours of cooking for decnt ribs

 

Damn dude, I didn't even know this existed. Thanks for the heads up, going to buy this as it would be incredibly useful!

 

 

Smoker boxes at Home Depot for smoking with a gas grill

Search Results for smoker box at The Home Depot

 

No I have never had any cast iron pans before. I now have three after this past christmas thanks to my pops. Two different size round ones and a square grill pan. They are from Lodge and say they are preseasoned but even reading reviews on amazon says they need even more seasoning still by most if you want to cook things like eggs in them. Maybe this weekend won't be a good time to use them then if I have all that work ahead of me first before use. I typically always use my grill even in the winter but it will come in handy when I want to have steak and it is raining out for sure cause I never use my grill in the rain cause I don't want to have to clean the outside to much.

That griddle for the grill is awesome. Never knew they made those. Definitely going to have to pickup one up.

 

Nothing beats a perfectly grilled steak, however, I must admit I like doing filet mignon's in butter inside on the cast iron / oven.

 

Well it depends on what you want to cook on it this weekend. If you want to do eggs, it'll take a while. The pan will season over time as you use it so you don't necessarily need to do an incredible job but it'll be good to do one or two more coats on it before doing steak or something like that. You'll need a lot of seasoning to do eggs though.

If you want to try it out, do a couple rounds with canola to get a good seasoning going and do some steak or chicken or something. With chicken, be careful to not burn it or else you'll get some sticking to the pan and will have to redo the seasoning entirely.

If you have any questions or want some advice feel free to PM me or ask on here as it seems that we have quite a few cast iron people.

 

Definitely would love any advice anyone can share on using cast iron. I have read so far to do more light coats vs a few heavy coats. Also some places say put in the oven for an hour at 350 and I read another person that said 450-500 for an hour but be ready to open your windows and use a fan to vent the smoke out of your house.

If cooking bacon helps season it I have no problem buying 2lbs of bacon and eating just that for the weekend

 

I never did any of that. I never sweated breaking it in or following steps with any of my cast irons. Burnt on means starting over, what?! Just never let soap touch it. The end.

If you really care THAT much, cook bacon. Eat bacon, keep fat. Grease, medium heat, cool, grease, medium heat, cool. Repeat. Use a high temp oil, high heat, cool. Repeat.

As for eggs I'm not really sure why someone would intentionally use cast iron for that unless it's being done over an open fire or something. Eggs are delicate and cast irons heat can get out of hand quick. It will almost ALWAYS get hotter than you want it to. So aim low with temps.

 

Bacon helps immensely, the heavy fat from it has a very high smoke point and as such will help season the pan effectively. You essentially want an oil with a high smoke point to season it, this is why olive oil is a no-no in the cast iron world. Bacon fat (oil) has a high point as do flaxseed, avocado, and safflower oils so they are good. Also bacon is delicious.

Here's my method to a add seasoning to a preseasoned pan:
1.) Scrub the sh1t out of it with a wire brush. You want to get all the crap off of it you can. You'll start to see bare iron showing through when you do this.
1b.) Preheat oven to 400F (higher if using a higher smoke point oil, just be below that) and put a sheet of tin foil underneath the rack you will place the pan on.
2.) Wash with soap and water. This is the only time you'll do this and since you are seasoning it, it's ok to do. Dry well.
3.) Put it on stove top at low heat and get all the water to evaporate from the pan. This also gets the pan to expand slightly and absorb the oil that's coming.
4.) While pan is still warm, wipe the entire pan with a thin coat of canola oil. You don't want any drips. Less is more here but make sure you evenly cover the whole thing.
5.) Place pan upside down in the oven above the tin foil sheet. The tin foil is just there to catch any excess oil. Upside down (key) is to make sure no oil puddles in the pan.
6.) Let pan bake for ~30 mins and turn off oven, allow oven to air cool with pan inside.
7.) Repeat steps 3-6 one more time.
8.) Cook bacon, enjoy bacon, pair with beer. Drain grease.
9.) Clean pan with just water and a light scraper (advice on which one coming up).
10.) Repeat steps 3-6 two more times. After this you should be close to being able to cook eggs. If not, just use the pan with meat a few more times and that'll get you there. Remember to not use soap.

If you need to do a total reseasoning, you'll need an angle grinder with wire brush or some oven cleaner, a plastic bag, and a WELL ventilated area. With a new pan, you probably don't have to do this though.

I use this for a scraper and it works AWESOME, I swear by it and it's ability to clean without damaging the coating. You can use it on any pan other than non-stick without any damage and it scrapes all the sh1t out of anything. I have never been disappointed with it. It's also super easy to clean, just toss in the dishwasher and you're done. There's no issues with cleanliness like there are with sponges.

 

I've never understood the allure of cast iron eggs either. Though if you've never had a cast iron pizza you're missing out on life.

 

How else does one cook chicago deep dish at home?

Or pineapple upside down cake!

 

Well since I hit enter when I wasn't done and now can't edit. Here is the rest of my post.

Definitely would love any advice anyone can share on using cast iron. I have read so far to do more light coats vs a few heavy coats. Also some places say put in the oven for an hour at 350 and I read another person that said 450-500 for an hour but be ready to open your windows and use a fan to vent the smoke out of your house.

I do eventually want to do eggs with it but that is not a big priority with it. Steaks, chicken, seasons red skin potatos, and vegatable medly are things I can see using it for sooner. I never even though about using it on the grill either till started doing some reading on them today. Maybe it will keep me from needing to buy a grill basket then.

If cooking bacon helps season it I have no problem buying 2lbs of bacon and eating just that for the weekend

 

 

I will be over in an hour to help, ummm, supervise!

 

Seasoning round 1 complete. Round 2 tomorrow afternoon followed by the first half pound of bacon. Found some special Bourbon barrel aged bacon along with my usual favorite Hickory smoked.

 

Nothing special, but does the job






One thing we do alot on the grill is make pizza, use a Pampered Chef pizza stone, put all four burners at max, preheat stone for ~15 minutes, get grill up to ~600-700oF, 5-6 minutes.

 

Nice. It's not too bad is it?

 

i'll post pics tomorrow, but i scored a broil king s440 for $470 with a cover from hh gregg.

i went to look at the webers but they now only have a 10 year warranty on some items and 2 on others. I couldn't imagine spending that much right now on a grill with that kind of warranty.

 

Forgot to add

8) use a dry rub on the ribs
9) (optional) after they are smoked, turn up the heat and use a sauce to glaze and then caramelize the ribs.

 

fucker, now i want ribs........

 

TB, went to SS again yesterday, and of course I had to check out the grill section, it's not that I am leaning towards that grill....but it sure does look pretty! lol

Anyway, was also at Sears......there is a definitely difference when you left up the lid of a Napolean/Weber/Broil King grill....not a huge difference, surprisingly, but it's noticeable.

Not sure if that means the SS grills are stepping up the quality, though.

Those. Ribs......

Grilled for Mother's Day and the chicken breast/legs/thighs/shrimps/grilled veggies came out not too badly.......no pics.......was busy grilling/watching kids......but, I would like to think everything was pretty tasty....if a BIT too salty.

Did the 16-20 shrimps in the shell......won't again......not enough seasoning actually gets on the shrimp....which we know, but wanted to try it anyway.

Kept the seasonings simple, salt, pepper, onion powder.......tastes GREAT when they are done with no shell, for anyone wanting to try.

Can't wait to see what I will score a good deal on at the end of the season.

Will of course make sure to have pics.

 

I only do shrimp in the shell if using a liquid marinade and you let them in the fridge to soak it up for a while.

 

The first time I burnt the bacon a litte. It cooked so much faster in the cast iron compared to what I was used to in a regular pan.

I also need to get a larger cast iron pan it seems. My largest is a 10in pan and it sucks for bacon as I can barely fit 5 strips in the pan which is just not enough bacon.

The seccond go around it came out great. Not too crispy but not too soft. Do you drain some grease while cooking or just keep it all in the pan while cooking?

I am however having trouble cleaning it after use. There is some brown stuff left in the pan. Is it bad to leave that or should do I need to clean it up better? One other question is do I oil it once I am done cooking with it or did it get oil from me cooking in it?

 

I leave one of those green scrubber pads under the sink dedicated for the cast iron pan. It never gets soap, so I use it to scrub the hell out of the cast iron if needed. Usually, though, it just needs a light scrub with the green pad to come completely clean. No re-oiling is necessary IMO. Your food puts enough oil into it regularly. Also, dry it ASAP tp prevent any rusting and use a paper towel, as sometimes the pan can color a towel due to the "seasoning".