Best Grill Ever?


 
I find the diversity of preferences so interesting. Particularly on the gas grills, since those are the only models with which I have any familiarity. I've heard some express a preference for the 13 flavorizer bars and now I'm hearing the opposite preference for 5. At least I'm assuming that that's what makes the later models allegedly heat up faster. I don't know what would cause one to get hotter than another. I'm wondering if there's any consensus about these things or if opinions tend to be all over the map.
 
Sounds like we need a week long cooking contest.


In the Coal conference:
Team kettle.
Team WSM
Team Kamado

In the Gas conference:
Team x000 13 bar
Team sidewinder silver and gold
Team sidewinder 300 series
Team NS 330 and similar
Team massive gasser summits and the like.

In the pellet conference:
Team smokefire
Team this
Team that
Team the other guy.

In the stick burner conference:
... No idea on the teams.

What did I leave out?

Betting opens in Vegas on new years day.
 
DanHoo said:
Sounds like we need a week long cooking contest.


In the Coal conference:
Team kettle.
Team WSM
Team Kamado

In the Gas conference:
Team x000 13 bar
Team sidewinder silver and gold
Team sidewinder 300 series
Team NS 330 and similar
Team massive gasser summits and the like.

In the pellet conference:
Team smokefire
Team this
Team that
Team the other guy.

In the stick burner conference:
... No idea on the teams.

What did I leave out?

Betting opens in Vegas on new years day.
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Thousands are a separate category. Plus you can’t lump Summits with Genesises. Coal is a separate category. And rotisserie actually. There are probably 10 or more categories. Like Spirits.
 
Roy-Parallax said:
I find the diversity of preferences so interesting. Particularly on the gas grills, since those are the only models with which I have any familiarity. I've heard some express a preference for the 13 flavorizer bars and now I'm hearing the opposite preference for 5. At least I'm assuming that that's what makes the later models allegedly heat up faster. I don't know what would cause one to get hotter than another. I'm wondering if there's any consensus about these things or if opinions tend to be all over the map.
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Let's start with gas vs. charcoal: I cook with each (gas during the fire restrictions of summer, charcoal most of the rest of the year). While I like the taste of charcoal (plus wood smoke), there may be times when you don't want that in a dish — or, occasionally, you just get tired of it and want a "cleaner" taste profile.

On the other hand, you can always add some smoke flavor on the gas grill by using a smoker box. It isn't as good as real charcoal, but it helps. If I were restricted to one grill, it would have to be a gasser because it's the only one I can use all year.

As to the gas grill differences: I have a Genesis 3000 (13-bar) and a 2005 Platinum B (5-bar). The 3000 has more even heat and more vertical room for big rotisserie items (large turkeys). It's a very forgiving grill, easy to cook on. On the other hand, the Platinum definitely gets hot much faster, and will reach higher temps than the 3000 will. It also has an insulated hood (great for cooking pizzas in cold, wet Oregon weather) and, unlike the 3000, I can still get new drip trays for it. After using them both side-by-side, I've decided to sell the 3000 next spring.
 
Roy-Parallax said:
I don't know what would cause one to get hotter than another. I'm wondering if there's any consensus about these things or if opinions tend to be all over the map.
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Short answer, and confining discussion to one getting hotter than another: among 3 burner grill models, early Genesis models have 35k burners, later Silvers have 48k burners. Early Gennies have deeper cookboxes with 2 rows (total of 13) flavorizer bars; later Silvers have shallower cookboxes with a single row of 5 bars....conclusion: Silvers, more available BTU/h, less mass and less area to heat means quicker heating and cooling but more tendency for flare-ups. I have both models, and in practice those differences aren't as great as they appear on paper. I prefer the early Gennies for their unique appearance, the later Silvers for their practicality.
 
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Roy-Parallax said:
Two questions. What do you see as the downside of front controls? And do you not consider the number of flavorizer bars all that important or do you prefer the 1000 series to those that came later?
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Front control to me is useless. Much harder to do fun things like smoke a slab of ribs, a side of salmon or do effective rotisserie. Weber ruined the Genesis and made it just like any other run of the mill grill. Now if they had done it the SMART way and added a burner in back for rotisserie I would be more forgiving of them. But they didn't so only an older Genesis will be what carries the Weber name on my deck. Otherwise they might as well be a Charbroil
 
Love my 2002 Silver A-for most uses I don't think there's a more versatile daily use grill. Very efficient gas use, seems to run forever on a tank. Heats up quick, cooks everything well-and with my ss grate and flavor bars from RCPB along with a 3 y.o. cookbox replaced by Weber it will probably outlast me! Perfect for the 2 of us of 6 of need be.
 
I’ve had a lot of grills over the past decade. Many I’ve really liked including my Silver A that served me well for close to two decades and many pellet grills. If tomorrow I was told I could have only one grill, it would be the WSCG/Kamado. With a SnS, Vortex, and modded big Joetisserie there’s not much you can‘t cook on it and flavors from a gasser doesn’t even come close.
 
LMichaels said:
Front control to me is useless. Much harder to do fun things like smoke a slab of ribs, a side of salmon or do effective rotisserie. Weber ruined the Genesis and made it just like any other run of the mill grill. Now if they had done it the SMART way and added a burner in back for rotisserie I would be more forgiving of them. But they didn't so only an older Genesis will be what carries the Weber name on my deck. Otherwise they might as well be a Charbroil
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Do you think the build quality of a new Weber is still significantly better than its competitors?
 
Reading all of your opinions, I'm thinking I may need to get one from the Silver series. We cook simple things (hamburgers, steaks, boneless chicken breasts) and like to get a charred exterior. I like to get it done fast. The 1000 I'm getting ready for prime time may not do that as well as the cheap Char Broil I've been using for the last year. I don't need even distribution of heat. I need a lot of heat fast and saving propane would be a big plus.

For those who are fans of the Silver, would you go with an A, B or C? Better still, a Gold or Platinum? If my research is accurate, the Silver A has two burners while the B and C have three and the C has a side burner. Since I have no need for a side burner, a Silver B would seem to be the right model for me at that tier.

The Silver has a stainless hood, grates and flavor bars. I prefer the look of the enamel hood but are the stainless grates or flavor bars preferable?

The Platinum has all-stainless frame and stainless inserts in the shelf surfaces. In a rainy climate like the Pacific NW (where I live), I'm wondering if the stainless frame and shelves might be a very good thing.
 
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My Summit charcoal. It is simply the greatest grill/smoker I’ve ever been around.
 
Roy-Parallax said:
Reading all of your opinions, I'm thinking I may need to get one from the Silver series. We cook simple things (hamburgers, steaks, boneless chicken breasts) and like to get a charred exterior. I like to get it done fast. The 1000 I'm getting ready for prime time may not do that as well as the cheap Char Broil I've been using for the last year. I don't need even distribution of heat. I need a lot of heat fast and saving propane would be a big plus.

For those who are fans of the Silver, would you go with an A, B or C? Better still, a Gold or Platinum? What's the difference?
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All Webers are designed to get up around 500-600 degrees. Any of them should do your burger quite well. If you want a hotter area, you need the sear burner. For me, the new grill with the sear burner is a much more versatile grill, but I enjoyed my Silver B for 20 years. You needs sound modest and any Weber will be a vast improvement over what you are now using.
 
JSaus said:
All Webers are designed to get up around 500-600 degrees. Any of them should do your burger quite well. If you want a hotter area, you need the sear burner. For me, the new grill with the sear burner is a much more versatile grill, but I enjoyed my Silver B for 20 years. You needs sound modest and any Weber will be a vast improvement over what you are now using.
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Thanks. That's probably true. I basically need to burn hunks of meat efficiently.
 
Roy-Parallax said:
Reading all of your opinions, I'm thinking I may need to get one from the Silver series. We cook simple things (hamburgers, steaks, boneless chicken breasts) and like to get a charred exterior. I like to get it done fast. The 1000 I'm getting ready for prime time may not do that as well as the cheap Char Broil I've been using for the last year. I don't need even distribution of heat. I need a lot of heat fast and saving propane would be a big plus.

For those who are fans of the Silver, would you go with an A, B or C? Better still, a Gold or Platinum? If my research is accurate, the Silver A has two burners while the B and C have three and the C has a side burner. Since I have no need for a side burner, a Silver B would seem to be the right model for me at that tier.

The Silver has a stainless hood, grates and flavor bars. I prefer the look of the enamel hood but are the stainless grates or flavor bars preferable?

The Platinum has all-stainless frame and stainless inserts in the shelf surfaces. In a rainy climate like the Pacific NW (where I live), I'm wondering if the stainless frame and shelves might be a very good thing.
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The Genesis 1000 you have is going to do everything better than your char broil. You should at least get it into cooking shape and use it before passing judgment on it. As for the Silver series of grills that came afterwards, they are fine grills that most of us believe to be a step down from the Genesis models.
 
Steve Hoch said:
The Genesis 1000 you have is going to do everything better than your char broil. You should at least get it into cooking shape and use it before passing judgment on it. As for the Silver series of grills that came afterwards, they are fine grills that most of us believe to be a step down from the Genesis models.
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You're definitely right, Steve. Already, I'm beginning the slide into Weberitis and I've not even gotten mine up and running yet. 😁
 
The later Genesis (Silver, Gold, Platinum) models don't offer as much clearance for large proteins on a rotisserie as do the early Genesis. Also, RH tables are available on some C models to replace the external burner. A later Platinum with the SS frame is highly desirable in wet locations where rust is an issue, but the enclosed carts on these (other than the doors) and the liner on the SS lid are plain steel and prone to rust.
 
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