Afterburner Aftermarket Infrared Burner for Genesis II, so far it's HOT!

[Mack Manning]

As promised, I moved the Afterburner to the left side for a head-to-head comparison with the Weber sear station on the right.

Executive summary:
Performance was remarkably similar. Both steaks had similar color and temperature when I checked every couple minutes.

I cooked 1.5in NY strip steaks straight from the fridge. Afterburner and the 3 burners of the sear station were on high. After searing, I finished with indirect heat. I intentionally cooked the right steak longer to please family, so that's not a reflection of the burner performance.

 

[DanHoo]

Thanks Mack.

I think the After Burner would be an awesome addition to any 3 or 4 or 6 burner front control genesis.

I am wondering what modification would be needed so it could work on a 2011-2016 E310 with front controls.

I don't have access to a Genesis II to compare burners with an E310.

 

[Joe Anshien]

As promised, I moved the Afterburner to the left side for a head-to-head comparison with the Weber sear station on the right.

Executive summary:
Performance was remarkably similar. Both steaks had similar color and temperature when I checked every couple minutes.

I cooked 1.5in NY strip steaks straight from the fridge. Afterburner and the 3 burners of the sear station were on high. After searing, I finished with indirect heat. I intentionally cooked the right steak longer to please family, so that's not a reflection of the burner performance.

Thank you for doing that test. Great looking steaks. Since the 3 burners together gave similar results to the one IR burner I would think there was 3x the amount of fuel used. Would you say that the IR burner also heated up faster?

 

[JSaus]

Thank you for doing that test. Great looking steaks. Since the 3 burners together gave similar results to the one IR burner I would think there was 3x the amount of fuel used. Would you say that the IR burner also heated up faster?

Actually, more fuel than that. With the sear station, you first heat the grill with all primary burners on high for 10-15 minutes, turn on the sear burner, then cut back the outside burner. I assume the IR burner would not require all that pre-heat and the outside burner could be set low. As long as the IR burner could be dialed back to a low heat, it should be superior. Hopefully it can be fitted to the grills other than Gen II.

 

[LMichaels]

Actually, more fuel than that. With the sear station, you first heat the grill with all primary burners on high for 10-15 minutes, turn on the sear burner, then cut back the outside burner. I assume the IR burner would not require all that pre-heat and the outside burner could be set low. As long as the IR burner could be dialed back to a low heat, it should be superior. Hopefully it can be fitted to the grills other than Gen II.

One of the attractions of IR is that it is "instant". I know when I light off my Wolf rotisserie burner you feel the heat instantly

 

[Mack Manning]

Thank you for doing that test. Great looking steaks. Since the 3 burners together gave similar results to the one IR burner I would think there was 3x the amount of fuel used. Would you say that the IR burner also heated up faster?

Good point. I have cheap natural gas here, so don't really think of fuel.

All 5 of my burners are setup for 12k BTU.

Weber's sear station instructions dictate burning 48k-60k BTU (depending on model) for 10 minutes before you cook. Even if I only preheat the stock sear station, that's 33k BTU on my 435, or 35k BTU on a 3-burner+sear.

Afterburner feels hot immediately with a single 12-13k BTU burner.

Next tests:
Marinated chicken breast or flank steak.

Larger orifice. 3 burner grills have 13k, so I'll try that first. Maybe I'll try 15-16k and try to get the ceramic briquettes hotter, like lava rocks.

 

[Ed P]

One of the attractions of IR is that it is "instant". I know when I light off my Wolf rotisserie burner you feel the heat instantly

Infrared heats people, floors, walls, and other surfaces directly without heating the air first. We had IR heaters in the warehouse at work that were 15-20ft. off the floor and would begin to heat people the minute you turned them on.

Gas burners heat the air to the desired temp which cooks the protein via convection and also heats the grates. The grates heat the protein via conduction to create sear marks. IR heats the protein (radiation) directly without heating the air first.

 

[Joe Anshien]

Joe,
I do admire and appreciate your effort to make these more readily available. If you could verify that they will work in a 300 series grill, I think it would generate more interest here and even on eBay.

Jon, I think I may have 2 that would fit a Genesis 3XX (not Genesis II) front knob N/S grill. I found that 2 of my stock where not for the Genesis II. If anyone is interested in trying one for their grill PM me and we can work something out.

 

[TIorio]

So for sake of completeness I wanted to put my two cents

Jon, I think I may have 2 that would fit a Genesis 3XX (not Genesis II) front knob N/S grill. I found that 2 of my stock where not for the Genesis II. If anyone is interested in trying one for their grill PM me and we can work something

Following up here for more info., also to call out Joe Anishen as a stand-up guy. Knowledgeable straight-shooter! Appreciate you Joe!

I installed the afterburner he sold me on my Genesis 330 last weekend. I have a higher flow adjustable regulator on my grill already and replaced the far right burner leaving the 3 burners on the left side (two main and one sear). Here's the short-term review:

Pros:
- heats up FAST
- less flare up (or shorter-lived) than the regular burners
- more even heat across the surface of the burner

Cons:
- more difficult to maintain a single 'zone' if you need to use the whole grill surface at a single temp

Notes: this is a good upgrade for my grilling style, and I really like it for an even browning of burgers and chicken without fuss, nice even browning on steaks especially at high heat. I also use my rotisserie for smoking... removing all the heat bars, placing the grills on the burners and filling a big roast pan with water and a couple small smoker boxes... so I kept my original burner for that setup. The afterburner slides right in, and does not bolt down so I don't see this as being a huge problem. Build quality is good, I wish there was a simple provision for the starter but it was a 10 minute hack to get that to work.

I really like the IR burner option, especially because it's a very easy swap if I need to go back to the original burner, less than five minutes.

This is my first real experience with IR, I got interested after being at a rental house with a Napoleon that had an IR and after three or four meals I was hooked.

Thanks Joe!

 

[Joe Anshien]

So for sake of completeness I wanted to put my two cents


Following up here for more info., also to call out Joe Anishen as a stand-up guy. Knowledgeable straight-shooter! Appreciate you Joe!

I installed the afterburner he sold me on my Genesis 330 last weekend. I have a higher flow adjustable regulator on my grill already and replaced the far right burner leaving the 3 burners on the left side (two main and one sear). Here's the short-term review:

Pros:
- heats up FAST
- less flare up (or shorter-lived) than the regular burners
- more even heat across the surface of the burner

Cons:
- more difficult to maintain a single 'zone' if you need to use the whole grill surface at a single temp

Notes: this is a good upgrade for my grilling style, and I really like it for an even browning of burgers and chicken without fuss, nice even browning on steaks especially at high heat. I also use my rotisserie for smoking... removing all the heat bars, placing the grills on the burners and filling a big roast pan with water and a couple small smoker boxes... so I kept my original burner for that setup. The afterburner slides right in, and does not bolt down so I don't see this as being a huge problem. Build quality is good, I wish there was a simple provision for the starter but it was a 10 minute hack to get that to work.

I really like the IR burner option, especially because it's a very easy swap if I need to go back to the original burner, less than five minutes.

This is my first real experience with IR, I got interested after being at a rental house with a Napoleon that had an IR and after three or four meals I was hooked.

Thanks Joe!

Thank You. I am really glad you like it. I got hooked after seeing a Napoleon video and I purchased the Prestige Pro 500RSIB. I got it 65% for that IR burner and 35% for the rotisserie burner. When I came across these I figured Weber owners would buy these right up. Well it took about 8 months to sell 10 of them and I am done. I have no idea why Weber does not offer these as an option.

 

[DanHoo]

Joe,

I'm glad you sold them all. I'll be candid; I was a little concerned these would take a long, long time to sell.

 

[David Eisdorfer]

I actually just bought a couple of these to use in my weber, a big thanks to Joe Anshien for helping me to source them. They arrived without the ceramic pieces that I see in most of the pictures, anyone care to explain what they're for and if the burners can be used well without them?

 

[Joe Anshien]

I actually just bought a couple of these to use in my weber, a big thanks to Joe Anshien for helping me to source them. They arrived without the ceramic pieces that I see in most of the pictures, anyone care to explain what they're for and if the burners can be used well with

Weird - I thought they all had the briquets. I know they make 2 versions. Does yours have screening on top? I think the briquets are just to hold and even out the heat, maybe some protection for burner, and possibly vaporize some fat that falls? Just guesses on my part as I did not design them. My Broilmaster grill used them instead of flavorizer bars.

 

[David Eisdorfer]

Weird - I thought they all had the briquets. I know they make 2 versions. Does yours have screening on top? I think the briquets are just to hold and even out the heat, maybe some protection for burner, and possibly vaporize some fat that falls? Just guesses on my part as I did not design them. My Broilmaster grill used them instead of flavorizer bars.

Mine came like this - also with that funny little pipe in the box I'm not sure what to do with. I had assumed the ceramic had something to do with dissipating the heat as well, hopefully its not too difficult to use without...

 

[Joe Anshien]

Nice, you got the only one with a screen! If I ever ordered more that is the type I would order. I think it is better than the ceramic briquets. My Napoleon has a screen and it has held up well so far. The pipe never made sense to me and I did not find a use for it.

 

[Jim C in Denver]

I have no idea why Weber does not offer these as an option.

These IR burners are a cool after market option for some Gen 2 grills.

But Weber would obviously prefer to sell you a grill that has a sear burner as OEM equipment.

 

[Mack Manning]

Mine came like this - also with that funny little pipe in the box I'm not sure what to do with. I had assumed the ceramic had something to do with dissipating the heat as well, hopefully its not too difficult to use without...View attachment 57671

Joe sent me one with the ceramic things in a tray. I preferred how it worked without them, so I'd agree the screen is better. When you have a chance, please post some photos of how it's attached. Maybe I can make one.

 

[Colin]

This has been a great thread, I've really enjoyed it. I don't know how I missed it the first time around. But I just have to say " Joe, you are The Man!".

 

[David Eisdorfer]

Joe sent me one with the ceramic things in a tray. I preferred how it worked without them, so I'd agree the screen is better. When you have a chance, please post some photos of how it's attached. Maybe I can make one.

It's actually not attached at all, just sort of sits tightly on top. Hope these help...

 

[Andy Mc]

Man oh man, I thought I'd just hit the jackpot after stumbling upon this thread last night.

Though it's Saturday, I called Rob Keaton's 1-800-694-6870 number... and was connected with a very confused person on the other end, as it appears the number has been repurposed for Trolly Insurance! I sent an email to info@afterburnerir.com, which bounced, and it looks like the website itself is parked now.

@David Eisdorfer, it looks like you had better luck sourcing one recently? What's your trick?
@Joe Anshien, any ideas?

TIA