Genesis Silver A B C conversion to charcoal


 
L

Lars_E

New member
Guys, I picked up a genesis Silver A roughly 2002/2003 model on local add site for $50 and it's almost restored perfectly. I also have a Genesis Silver C working well of same era which I purchased new about 15 yrs ago.. both are rock solid.. I was thinking about converting the smaller Silver A into a charcoal grill... just for fun and enjoyment(I have a performer already)

Any tips, has anyone ever done this and documented it? I was thinking of riveting a heavy duty piece of stainless to the bottom of the unit where the current grease catcher tray is and possibly adding some kind of vent down there... has anyone seen this done?

thx. Larry. :D
 
I occasionally will simply put a shallow pan in my Genesis (stainless steel) with hardwood lump charcoal which takes up about 1/2 the grill side to side. I find I can still run the gas burners so I can do a great 2 step steak in one grill. (food for thought)
 
The main problem I see is that there is no way to control the temperature.
If you want a charcoal grill, Webers are cheap, even brand new. When you can pick up used kettles in good shape for $20-$30, I don't really see the point of trying to convert a Genesis.
 
Still experimenting with charcoal / gas combinations. Tried this in my Silver A with just a tray of coals on the left resting on the flavourizers.

Got some nice char and smoke on some kebabs as a test
 

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Christo C said:
Still experimenting with charcoal / gas combinations. Tried this in my Silver A with just a tray of coals on the left resting on the flavourizers.

Got some nice char and smoke on some kebabs as a test
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Why? If you want to cook with charcoal, just get a kettle. I don't see any advantages to using a gas grill in this way. When you go back to using it as a gas grill what's going to happen?
 
Steve Hoch said:
Why? If you want to cook with charcoal, just get a kettle. I don't see any advantages to using a gas grill in this way. When you go back to using it as a gas grill what's going to happen?
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Yes have a kettle and too many little ones - just like the idea of an an all in one and the convenience of using the gas to get the coals going.

The tubes were all protected/covered and I ditched the coals when done.
 
From what I see, often the modifications of one design to make it do something else do not seem to render the desired result.
my father used to say “Yes, you could do that but, you could also tie your mule to the Queen Mary.” (What is the point was his point)
Take time to think it through, you may come up with a great idea! Given the wise design of Weber equipment already, I’d just get a kettle! Save time and get that charcoal glowing!
 
I'm wondering how you can control the air for charcoal in a Genesis? Seems to me that the vents on the kettles (bottom and top) let you control the air and therefore the temperature. In a Genesis it's going to be out of control, so your temps will be what they are, that's it. How do you plan to control air flow?
 
I have actually done just that. Using an old shallow square pan lit up some lump (not a lot) because remember the Genesis cannot take the intense heat from lump so gotta scale it back. No, harm was done, it was a kinda cool experiment but I really did not see any advantage and I did not do it anymore. The real advantage of the charcoal is getting really intense heat but doing so risks a melt down of the aluminum fire box so really the whole thing is more a waste of time past time than anything else
 
Bruce said:
Not a coal burning guy, but are PK grills not coal burners and made of aluminum?
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Yes. They are pretty thick aluminum. Also, the CharQ is obviously all aluminum. They were designed for that use, whereas the Genesis wasn't. That doesn't mean it can't be done, but I agree with @LMichaels that it shouldn't be done recklessly. Air flow and lack of control would seem to limit this to short cooks where precise temperatures aren't expected. I have also seen a high-end stainless grill (can't remember which one) that has a slide out tray where you can put charcoal on it to "get the best of both worlds."

Even a PK can have burn-through where people carelessly pile too many hot coals up against the walls of the grill for too long. Many PK fans use internal charcoal boxes to prevent that and to allow for two-zone cooking. Works a little like the Weber baskets on their kettles.
 
I do believe that Weber made a kettle that ran on gas way back in the day.....like 1980's. But, if I recall correctly, it was prone to problems and had a short run. But, today, they are "collectible".
 
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