New Member with First Weber and Questions


 
T

Tom Leo

New member
Greetings!
My wife and I went to Lowes this past Saturday and unexpectedly departed owning our first Weber, a new Espresso Genesis 310. We were shopping for a replacement to our Char Broil that was rotting away from the inside in less than 3 years. We were looking hard at a Broil King, and had not seriously considered a Weber, primarily due to the price. The department manager made us an offer we simply couldn't refuse on the floor model, which had a small (1") dent in the bright trim piece that frames the left door. It is up at the very top outside corner so it isn't readily visible unless pointed out. She took $200 off the regular price of the grill, plus it was already assembled and it was delivered free yesterday. Between her scratch & dent discount and Lowes 10% everyday military discount, we scored the grill for under $500, delivered, with the old one hauled away.

After looking at the grill and reviewing the accompanying paperwork, I have two questions:
-First, what paperwork should have been in the envelope with the grill? It contained the owners manual and 3 "Grilling Guide" cards, in 3 different languages. When I downloaded the manual at the Weber web site the .pdf also included a Weber Gas Grill Cookbook. Should have we received a hard copy of the cookbook with the grill?

The second question is about the cooking grates. They are cast iron, and from what I've read here appear to be the porcelain coated version. I can't tell (and can't find any guidance in the manual) concerning which side should be pointed up when they are installed. They have a flat side and a "pointy" side. The unit came with the "pointy" side facing up and that visually appears correct. I've read a few entries here about new owners who have had issues with food sticking to grates, especially with new, unseasoned grills and was wondering if which side was facing up had something to do with this. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!
Tom
 
MattR said:
Welcome, Tom.

I don't have any answers but that was a hell of a deal you scored.
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Thanks. I thought about fixing the dent in the door frame but then thought it would be more satisfying to look at it and think about the great deal it generated.
 
Welcome to the site Tom. The first question, Just give Weber a call and register your grill so you can take advantage of the great warranty they have if ever needed and ask them what should have been in the envelope and if you're missing something I'm sure they will send it to you.
The second question, I believe that the way you stated the grills are is correct. Yes they may give you a little grief at first. There are lots of ways to season them and I'm sure some of the good folks here will jump in and advise you on some of the ways. I just used some canola oil on mine for the first few cooks and cooked things like hamburgers or something with some fat the first few times until the seasoned up, After that nothing sticks.
Good luck and enjoy the forum some really great folks with a lot of skills here.
 
Rich Dahl said:
Welcome to the site Tom. The first question, Just give Weber a call and register your grill so you can take advantage of the great warranty they have if ever needed and ask them what should have been in the envelope and if you're missing something I'm sure they will send it to you.
The second question, I believe that the way you stated the grills are is correct. Yes they may give you a little grief at first. There are lots of ways to season them and I'm sure some of the good folks here will jump in and advise you on some of the ways. I just used some canola oil on mine for the first few cooks and cooked things like hamburgers or something with some fat the first few times until the seasoned up, After that nothing sticks.
Good luck and enjoy the forum some really great folks with a lot of skills here.
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Rich,
Thanks. Was going to call Weber, just figured I'd see what the consensus was from the membership here on those two issues. Started reading here after returning home from the impulse purchase of the year. Agree that this is a very good forum. Ranks right up there with the Corvette forum in terms of people willing to help and provide useful advice.
 
The "Weber Cookbook" is more of a phamphlet than a book. Weber lists those recipes and a whole lot more on their website.
http://www.weber.com/recipes
Not to mention, the wealth of knowledge on this site. :)

It's my understanding the pointy-side of the grates should be pointing down. I've used them both ways and it doesn't make much of a difference, but I prefer flat side up. Burgers & chicken tend to "sink" into the pointy side making flipping a bit more difficult. More surface area & grill marks by having the flat side up. I don't spend much time seasoning/oiling my grates, but I don't jump right into lean meats (like chicken breasts) either. Burgers, value priced pork chops, ribeye steaks, etc get the nod first because they'll naturally season the grates. When you flip, just use all of the grate surface and you'll be good to go.

Congrats on the new purchase and welcome to the club. :cool:
 
First off, thanks for your service. . .
I know how great it is to get a deal from the display.
A while ago my wife scored our Performer OTG for more than half off. It needed the two rivets replaced, and I used small sheet metal screws to fix it. I've always planned on replacing them with rivets, but every time I look at them I think about the deal she scored.
 
Thanks all. I did call Weber and register the grill. The woman who I spoke with (who was very knowledgeable and pleasant) stated she was unsure whether the cookbook was still part of the owner's package, but would mail me out a complete owner's package just to be sure I got what I was supposed to receive with the new grill.

When I asked her about the proper grate orientation she said it was as much a debate among Weber employees as anywhere else. She believes that the flat side should be up and the pointy side should face down toward the burners for the same reasons Chad mentions above. She also said she routinely checks their positioning on display models in stores, and that most of time they are installed with the flat sides facing down.
 
Tom Leo said:
Thanks all. I did call Weber and register the grill. The woman who I spoke with (who was very knowledgeable and pleasant) stated she was unsure whether the cookbook was still part of the owner's package, but would mail me out a complete owner's package just to be sure I got what I was supposed to receive with the new grill.

When I asked her about the proper grate orientation she said it was as much a debate among Weber employees as anywhere else. She believes that the flat side should be up and the pointy side should face down toward the burners for the same reasons Chad mentions above. She also said she routinely checks their positioning on display models in stores, and that most of time they are installed with the flat sides facing down.
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Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! I've had mine bass ackwards and never knew it, but what Chad said makes sense so I flipped em and will see tonight if there is any difference. Shazam learn something new on this site everyday!
 
The wife had some skin-on salmon filets out so we broke in the grill with those tonight. We usually grill those skin side down. Tonight was no exception and they came out perfect. Pre heated the grill and they didn't stick at all. Beer can chicken tomorrow!
 
Hi Tom, welcome on board. Great deal on your grill. I don't have CI grates, but I do know fat side up makes some bad a** grill marks. Enjoy your grill.

 
Beer can chicken. Turned out perfect:
IMG_2755_zpsd593cc4c.jpg
 
I purchased a new Genesis about 2 months ago. It has SS grates. However, when I was looking a grills I checked a couple of ones with CI grates.
Wondering which side should be up, I turned one over and noticed that one side had very small knobs (maybe they are feet) on it. So I assumed that must be the bottom side.
Just my $.02
 
My wife looked at them and decided that they looked correct with the flat side up and pointy side down. She's actually pretty mechanical (actually asked for [and received] a set of power tools for Christmas one year), so that was good enough for me.
 
Great looking birds Tom!. After Chads post I flipped mine and yep some awesome grill marks on the burgers last night and they came off easier without the wedgie thing going on.
 
Before I purchased a new Genesis, I had an older Benesis Silver B with the cast iron grates. I never considered that there was a "right way" to position the grills. I just put the side up that best fit the food I was cooking. For example, when grilling shrimp I used the flat side up to help keep the shrimp from falling into the grooves. For steaks, my choice was pointed side up. For burgers, flat side up.
Ray
 
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