If You Are Considering A Weber Gas BBQ (1 Viewer)

[James Edward]

Buy it! I am going into my 4th season of year-round grilling with my Weber BBQ, and it still works as well as it did when I first bought it. Two minor problems I have had each took one phone call to their customer service department, and a replacement part (under their 5-10 year warranty) was in my hand a few days later.

As far as their actual capabilities, Webers are far more consistent in maintaining temperature than any grill I've owned (Char-Broil, Sunbeam, Thermos, Fiesta). This makes it much easier to grill a wider variety of items. Whole chickens, roast beef, leg of lamb, vegetables of all kinds, seafood, etc. If you buy it at Home Depot, the grill comes with cast-iron cooking grates, which make perfect grill marks on steaks and chops.

The porcelain finish has remained in perfect shape, and a little Fantastik spray cleaner keeps the side trays and burner knob area looking good. No peeling paint here... It is much more inviting to cook on a grill that does not look like it's been through the mill.

Yes, they cost more, but the ads are true... You'll still be using your Weber when your neighbor is putiing together his next grill. I never see a Weber at the curb for garbage pickup. AND, one last thing- they are truly simple to put together.

Get one, and get cooking...

 

[Brian Perry]

I also recommend the cast-iron grates. Strangely, their "high-end" models come with stainless steel grates, which may look nice but don't hold heat as well.

 

[Dave Morton]

I just bought a Weber Genesis Gold B grill a couple of weeks ago. It does have the stainless steel grates and cover. So far I think it really works well. Much better than my old sunbeam that barely lasted 4 years. As far as cooking is concerned, this grill really does a good job. Sure it was probably $100 more than the others but I think it was well worth it. I even talked with the Charbroil rep who happened to be at the store and he said if he didn't work for charbroil, he would buy a weber.

 

[Dave_P]

My parents have had a Weber grill for 9 years. I was talking to my dad about this grill yesterday when I was visiting. He said that it still works as well today as the first day he bought it. They sure got their money's worth with that one.

 

[Jim_F]

Some folks don't like gas grills, but I like to use the Firespice wood chunks on mine. To me, the smoky flavor combined with the convenience is enough for me to never go back to charcoal.

[edit] The gas ignition-charcoal option does look intriguing, though.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

My neighbor has the Weber Gas-ignited Charcoal and it is awesome, plus he's a self-made gourmet, so that helps big time. It takes more time for the charcoal to burn to the white ash conistency than a gas grill to burn off the old cheese from last night's burgers, but what the heck...

However, I'm sticking with my low-end Weber for now. It has outlasted the 2 CharBroil models I had before it.

 

[Jim J]

I've got the performer. Only had it from end of August didn't put it away til december I think. I love it.

The gas ignition is easy. briquet hopper is convenient. I did one of my thanksgiving day turkeys on it. terrific.

As others have said, it takes a little longer for the coals to be ready versus a gas grill.

Turn on the gas - press the ignition - come back in five minutes, turn the gas off - coals ready in another 20-30 minutes.

But I happen to think it is a little over-priced. The other thing: You will probably be charged the 10lB fee to fill your 5lB gas tank.

 

[Matt Heebner]

Well I should have went with a Weber. My charcoal Weber lasted about 6 years with no problems or unsightly rust or anything. I replaced it about 2 years ago with a Kenmore gas grill. What a piece of shit that thing is. I thoroughly clean it after every season (summer, winter) keep it covered when not in use, and generally baby the hell out of it. What's it done for me? First the outside paint is starting to peel, and getting some interior peeling as well. The wood handle is cracked and cannot be tightened up. (This actually was problem from day one.) I've replaced the grilling racks TWICE already do to excessive rust. I feel as though I've wasted my money on it.

This was not by any means a "cheap" grill. It wasn't in the Weber price range, but I think I payed like $250 for it. My neighbor bought one of those "no tools required" Charbroil gas grills about the same time I bought mine. He never cleans it, doesn't cover it, payed like $130 for it, and it looks like he just bought it yesterday.

My next grill will be a nice Weber Genesis gas grill, probably after this summer.

Matt

 

[Chuck C]

oh hell ya buddy...we've been using Weber Genesis grills since 1990, and lemme tell ya, they are the best. We're on our third genesis (god forbid my dad would wanna invest money to fix one ). We've had our latest for 6 years, and we just bought new grill bars. It works as well as the day we bought it, but the important part is the food. Cooking is a flash with these things. It's enjoyable, easy, and most of all, a great way to make great tasting food.
Whew! I sound like a saleman for Weber, but I'm being honest here....my neighbors have their cheap sunbeam grills that last two years. screw that...the Weber gas grill is a man's grill.

 

[Rob_J]

Gonna have to agree on this one. At first I was a little put off by the price, but when I saw how well they cook, the price was easily justified. Plus they are just built a lot better than the others. My parents bought a nice Weber (BTW at their house, it's not called a bbq, it's a Weber ) and gave me the old Sunbeam. I had to replace all the guts, and it's only a year and a half old and it's going to need another overhaul soon... stupid Sunbeam

 

[Chris Souders]

Hey,

Well, for a really good grill go for DCS or Turbo. All stainless (most durable), higher heat output and no cold spots. Cost, oh , 1500 to 2500. That's for a 27incher.

I like mine. We all spend excessively for things we care for.

Chris

 

[Philip_G]

don't just buy a weber, buy a natrual gas weber and pipe it directly into your home's natural gas line.

no more late night trips to refil the propane...

 

[Shawn C]

Weber?! No way! I have the Aussie Bonza 3! From what I've seen, these grills surpass Weber in just about every way. They are much heavier-duty and they are somewhat less expensive. They sell the Bonza 4 (4 burner) at Lowe's for something like $499.99 I think I paid $449.99 for my Bonza 3(3 burner)
They have hooded and non-hooded models as well. The grids are porcelain coated cast-iron and are very thick and very nice. I'd say that the Aussie grills are better in apparent build quality than the Webers. (Well, all except for the ultra-expensive Webers)
http://www.aussiegrill.com

 

[Jim J]

I'm sure you could. It has a generic quick-release connection. however, they build a nice little spot in the grill for you. I don't think the 10lb-er will fit. You could keep it off to the side I guess.

 

[eric nyhof]

Weber's are awesome, anybody have use a Ducane? A friend of mine has one that that is a pretty sweet grill. When i get a house i plan on gracing my patio with a weber

 

[Dave E H]

Interesting thread - been doing some grill shopping myself lately and always loved the weber kettle.

Question: how do the exteriors of the stainless steel models hold up under the weather, with proper covering and stuff? obviously no rust, but just wanted to know if there were any little issues (seams, area around handles, etc.) You know, the cosmetic stuff.

Also, has anyone used these w/ a rotisserie?

 

[Dave E H]

Another question - anyone know where to get a good deal on one of these?? If so, email me! I don't know what model yet - still looking. I'm thinking Father's Day...

 

[Chris Souders]

Here's a website with several brands for sale and a general forum for asking questions..
http://www.thegrillstoreandmore.com
As far as the environment affecting your grill...
Stainless steel is pretty durable. The cosmetic downside is that it can turn blueish or orangish with extremes of heat for a decent amount of time... like potentially above 500-600 degrees, but more likely in the 800-1000 degree range which highend SS grills can achieve. Many grills have double walled hoods to prevent the outside wall (visible one)from discoloring. It's also rumored that a scrubbing with stainless steel cleaner can help remove the discoloration. I've had my grill in the 600 range and don't have any discoloration exteriorly, though the SS inside the grill holding the burners is orangish now. It is in direct contact with the flames though.
With cast iron or porcelain coated cast iron, rust will be more of an issue when grill is outdoors. Porcelain just protects the iron longer. Careful with porcelain grills though, not supposed to clean them with wire brush when they are hot...they are brittle when hot (though in my experience with a weber, I always cleaned it hot and didn't break anything)
I'd agree Austrailian grills are good. The Turbo model I bought is made there. There's a national Chain store called Barbeques galore which is a good place to look at various grills.
As for the natural gas hookup (vs. propane tanks).. I paid to have a plumber run a line outside but it seems as if my local gas pressure isn't enough to fully get gas to the entire 3 burners so I'm having some issues. May have to switch to propane.
Chris

 

[MickeS]

How does this work?

I just bought a Thermos low-end gas grill, and it works great, but I'd like the wood flavor. Do I just put the wood chunks in the grill and light it up, or what?

/Mike

 

[Jim_F]

I think Weber puts out the Firespice stuff, chips and chunks for grills and smokers. I most often see them at places like Ace Hardware. They burn down to just a little ash, so I don't mind using them in my gas grill.

They work best if soaked in water for a while before placing them among the ceramic briquettes or lava rock or what have you.

I like the hickory the best, but they also sell mesquite et al.