Advise on getting a new gasser


 
Bob Hunter

Bob Hunter

TVWBB Pro
For once I find myself with the funds to enable to me to buy a decent gas grill to go along with my other cookers. Usually I go for the Cheap POS gassers. My last one, which has recently given up the ghost, is a Uniflame Gold from Walmart which lasted me about 3 years. The burners and flavorizers have burned out and I can't find replacements. So I have decided to go with a Weber this time.
My problem is I can't decide which way to go. I can't decide between a an E-310 or E-330. The problem I am having is that the 330 is $100 more but I can't figure out if the differences are worth it.
I guess the main diffs are the 330 has the side burner and the sear burner. The only thing I have ever used a side burner for was to light my chimney when I use my kettle or WSM and I think I can live w/o that. So i boils down to the sear burner. Is it worth the extra cash? If there are other differences that I haven't mentioned here please let me know.
 
I guess the main diffs are the 330 has the side burner and the sear burner.
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That's pretty much it. I have the EP-330 and love it. If you go with the 330 I don't think you will regret it. I don't use the side burner a lot but I'm glad it's there when I want it. I love the sear burner. It's great for getting those great sear marks on your meat.
It really just comes down to what you want and what your willing to pay. Weber's do get expensive fast as you add features.
Regardless of which one you go with you'll be glad you went with Weber. My brother has an 11yr old Silver B and is just now thinking of replacing burners for the first time.
 
I bought a good looking stainless steel gasser off brand from Home Depot. It was a genuine 500 degree grill. Nothing fancy but worked very well. However, the burners went in less than two years.

It is a three burner. The burners were $80.00 each plus shipping! It cost 3/4 as much as the whole grill. I bought three generic burners and now I have a great 350 degree grill. Gr-r-r-r!

If I EVER again buy a gasser it surely will be a Weber. At least you know up front what the REAL cost is!

Dale53
 
I have an e-330 and love it. Have been using it for 8 years with no problems. It was amazing how much better my grilling became once I had a quality grill. I do use the side burner some and have found it handy although I do wish it had a wider temperature range and had a lower setting.

Mike
 
My lovely Wife bought me an E-310 5 years ago for our anniversary, has been great I love it no problems at all. At the time I don't think the sear burner was an option on the 330 it was just the side burner difference, I couldn't justify the extra for the side burner. Only time it would have been nice to have is when we were pregnant with our son, the smell of my cooking was nauseating so the camp stove came out in the porch.
 
The side burner is great for corn on the cob without heating up the kitchen. Also great for frying fish outside and keeping the fish smell outside and not inside.
 
I have an EP 330 and love it. I never use the side burner, but wanted the 330 specficially for the extra searing burner. IF you want high heat, you'll want the Searing burner.
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Bob, buy the heavy duty weber cover for your new Grill and keep it covered! I keep my Weber Genesis outside all year long and its lasted 11 years.
 
I have a 5 year old EP-320. Side burner but no sear. I use the side burner occasionally for mushrooms, beans, etc and am glad I have it. As stated my gasser does not have a sear burner but I don't feel I need one. I can get a really good sear directly on the grate with the burners up on high with no problem.
 
Let's be clear about the Genesis 330 -- it's a new and somewhat radically redesigned Weber grill that came out for the first time last year. It is significantly better and much hotter than the previous Genesis models. And yes, the 330 models are well worth the extra over the 310 and 320. (The new model 310s have no side burner or sear burner, the 320s no side burner -- all have fewer BTUs yet get hotter than the older models. With 3 burners running, they will go to 625*, with the sear burner up to 675*.)

2 1/2 years ago I bought an E-310. After watching and learning about the new models for a year, I sold it in favor of an EP-330. Not only do I have no regrets, I'm absolutely thrilled with my new grill. (I grill 4 - 5 times a week year round.) The grilling technology and engineering is way beyond the previous models. I personally would up the ante by $50 more and go with the EP-330 as I did. You get more longevity with the stainless steel grates and flametamers and, with first hand comparison experience, I think the SS is easier to cook with and to maintain. If you are going with a Genesis, I think it would be a mistake to NOT get a 330 model. That side burner is a great charcoal chimney starter even if nothing else!

Here are a couple of mod suggestions to make any of the Genesis' even better grills for most of us. 1) Got to Lowe's and buy a cheap (Char Broil, I think) 14x24" coated grate, mount it on four 7 or 8" lag bolts using two fender washers on each above and below the grate to set the grate about 7" above the main grates. (This can be exchanged at will with the "bun warmer".) This expands your grilling surface to 838" with equal grilling temps to the main grates. It's perfect for your pizzas as well as anything else you grill indirect. And that's plenty of room to flip burgers or anything else -- even quesadillas.

2) The gaps around the front and sides of the Genesis badly leak heat and any smoke (like with chips or chunks). Get some flat ribbon or hollow-rope wood stove gasket and line the front and sides using high heat adhesive (wood stove adhesive is NOT high heat). This forces the heat and any smoke out the back vent gap. On the older Genesis this will add about 25* to your grill temps -- nothing much on the very efficient new models. But for us WSM users, this mod makes your smoke on the grill much more effective. You are "compressing" and "forcing" the smoke in one direction so that your food gets the direct benefit rather than losing it around the edges. It also helps in windy conditions. Be sure to clean the back of the hood regularly if you want to keep it pristine. If you don't already, put your wood UNDER the main grates on the flametamers up toward the front. Whether with chip packets or smoker box, this also maximizes the smoke hitting your food. (And this is why a grate lifter becomes a good accessory.)

Rich
 
RichPB (richlife) said:
Let's be clear about the Genesis 330 -- it's a new and somewhat radically redesigned Weber grill that came out for the first time last year. It is significantly better and much hotter than the previous Genesis models. And yes, the 330 models are well worth the extra over the 310 and 320. (The new model 310s have no side burner or sear burner, the 320s no side burner -- all have fewer BTUs yet get hotter than the older models. With 3 burners running, they will go to 625*, with the sear burner up to 675*.)
Rich
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Not sure what data supports that claim that the newer models are hotter and better then the previous Genesis models but I can easily get my EP-320 up to 650-675 anytime I wish. I particularly like the burners running left to right rather then front to back... Just my Opinion. Oh, and mine came with SS grates.
 
Steve Whiting said:
Not sure what data supports that claim that the newer models are hotter and better then the previous Genesis models but I can easily get my EP-320 up to 650-675 anytime I wish. I particularly like the burners running left to right rather then front to back... Just my Opinion. Oh, and mine came with SS grates.
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What he said.

I wish I had taken a picture the other night when my '09 EP-320 therm was well past 600* closer to 700.
 
I will chime in with one other option to consider. I have a S-320 that I am very happy with. However, I refurbished two grills for my son-in-laws and was very happy with those as well. Here's the deal. I got the webers off of craigslist and replaced the grates and flavorizer bars with SS. I cleaned them up and for around $200, I was very proud to give the units to my son-in-laws. It made me think that for that kind of money, I should have done that for myself rather than spend all the money I did for the S-320. Don't get me wrong, if money is no object the S-320 is great and I had the funds so I'm not complaining. But I do like a deal and a used weber gasser can be a really good deal.
 
RichPB (richlife) said:
Here are a couple of mod suggestions to make any of the Genesis' even better grills for most of us. 1) Got to Lowe's and buy a cheap (Char Broil, I think) 14x24" coated grate, mount it on four 7 or 8" lag bolts using two fender washers on each above and below the grate to set the grate about 7" above the main grates. (This can be exchanged at will with the "bun warmer".) This expands your grilling surface to 838" with equal grilling temps to the main grates. It's perfect for your pizzas as well as anything else you grill indirect. And that's plenty of room to flip burgers or anything else -- even quesadillas.


Rich
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I would love to see a picture of this mod. Sounds interesting. Wondering if I can do something like this on my Summit?
 
Great Idea Jerry. Save an older Weber from the junk yard and give it a new life. I might have done that but when I bought my gasser I was not savvy to the Craigslist thing nor was I a member of this or any other forum. I would do it today in a heartbeat.
 
RichPB (richlife) said:
2) Get some flat ribbon or hollow-rope wood stove gasket and line the front and sides using high heat adhesive (wood stove adhesive is NOT high heat).
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could I ask for suggestions on the correct type or brand of high heat adhesive please? I would like to seal my lid a bit.
thanks,
Mike
 
Don Fry said:
I would love to see a picture of this mod. Sounds interesting. Wondering if I can do something like this on my Summit?
Click to expand...

See the link below.

MikeB said:
could I ask for suggestions on the correct type or brand of high heat adhesive please? I would like to seal my lid a bit.
thanks,
Mike
Click to expand...

Again, see the link below.

Steve Whiting said:
Not sure what data supports that claim that the newer models are hotter and better then the previous Genesis models but I can easily get my EP-320 up to 650-675 anytime I wish. I particularly like the burners running left to right rather then front to back... Just my Opinion. Oh, and mine came with SS grates.
Click to expand...

And, yes... :)

I'm not questioning the temps you get, but my E310 had a top end of 580*. That's shown in this link:
http://www.bbqsource-forums.com/inv...ic=8028&st=0&p=73905&fromsearch=1&#entry73905

You can see that it took me 8 min. to get to 400* -- many others have validated the 15 min. to 500*. My EP-330 gets to 400 in 4 minutes and 500 in 6 minutes. So I'm using less propane for more temp -- and my bills back that up. I definitely get more heat with less BTUs.

The same link contains pics of the upper grate mod and the specific Dow Corning High Heat sealant.

On that upper grate, with the EP-330 I had to lower the grate an inch to fit in my pizza stones. The new models have a double hood that reduces the interior space under the hood by 1/2" over the entire surface.

Rich
 
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Rich - thanks for the link to the pictures. Now I see what you did and I can't wait to see it I can do this on my Summit. If I can get the kind of reduced time for heating that you got, I will be a mighty happy camper.
 
Don Fry said:
Rich - thanks for the link to the pictures. Now I see what you did and I can't wait to see it I can do this on my Summit. If I can get the kind of reduced time for heating that you got, I will be a mighty happy camper.
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Hey, Don. I think you'll like the extra space and increased flexibility. It's especially useful for pizza! I know of a number of folks who have added the grate in their Summits and are really happy with the result.

I'm not sure what you mean by the reduced heating time -- the grate, if anything, adds a little time since there is more mass in the grill. My reduced heating time on my E310 came from the gasket. And the REAL reduction was in simply moving up to the EP-330 -- THAT grill just is much more efficient with the burner configuration and the design change of the hood and the lower heat reflectors.

My understanding, though I've never used one, is that the Summit generally out-performs the Genesis in heating.

Rich
 
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