Is 2-zone cooking easier on the newer N-S burners than the old E-W style? How about searing?


 
Yeahhhhh....the new wood looks amazing.

What the deal with the double-stacked flavorizer bars? Doesn't it make searing harder?

I got a pic of the inside from the seller...not the best looking I've seen, I guess not the worst either


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My question is basically the title: are the new style (i.e. burners that run front to back) Weber gassers better at 2-zone cooking than the older style that run left to right?
I had many N/S grills before I ended up doing a rehab on a Silver C and a 1000 which is E/W if that grill ever blows up I will go back to N/S have no interest in doing rotis and you stated you got a newborn on the way congrats. Your time will be important so want a rotis chicken go to Costco or your local supermarket instead of wasting probably an hour or more to rotis a chicken. How much stuff are you doing inderect if its Steaks and I only buy filets and ribeyes at Costo which are thick there is no reason to cook those steaks inderect. Thinner steaks yes and having owned a 1000 and Silver C if you insist on going E/W the Silver B/C will heat up faster and get hotter than a 1000 then you got to think about the cost of flavorizer bars which are way more money on a 1000 since their are 13 than a Silver which has 5 bars.

You got more real estate on N/S grills for inderect if you want to do a chicken yourself then spatchcock it will cook pretty fast probably much faster than a rotis. You still can use your charcoal grill when you have time, my wings, spatchcock chickens or pork tenderloins are all done on the Performer inderect.

Some of the parts on the old Genesis grills which you need to consider are becoming extinct. Need the large drip pan for a 1000 you are not going to find it anymore so if you go that way maker sure that is in good shape.
 
Are the old style better at searing?
No they are not depending upon which model you get depends on BTU's and other factors. I would look for one of the newer Weber grills used that had the open cart I don't know the new model numbers but someone here can fill you in. You said you don't have time to do a restoration so to me stay away from the 1000's and the Silver B/C's love mine but restoring these are not an easy task unless you have the time.

Casters seized up most likely need new ones, therm if you care and I do need to be replaced most of them are gone actually in 3 grills I did they were all shot. Are the burners gone if your lucky you get one of the old grills that had the stainless burners that need nothing but cleaning out of 3 I did I only needed to replace the burners on one of them. The flavor bars crapshoot the 1000 and 1100 I did had decent stainless bars enough to probably ride another 5 years even the Silver C had those crap bars not stainless got 2 plus years out of them just replaced them with stainless.

Most likely the bolt that holds the firebox on the left side is basically welded in some come out easy some do not needs to be replaced with stainless. Of course the crossmember that bolt is going thru maybe be badly rusted to the point it needs to be cut out and replaced I was fortunate that on all 3 grills some JB weld repairs and good to go. Is the firebox warped some yes not all but you need to make sure its not. Is the original Weber coating on the firebox intact out of 3 I did my C which was garage kept had the orignal coating which all I needed to do was repaint with high heat paint which was not cheap. The other 2 needed the angle grinder to get that coating off which is not fun before I sprayed with new paint. What grates does it have the crap porcelain might as well be thrown in the trash and look to spend who knows now around 70 bucks for stainless. Most likely the frame needs to be repainted the wheels look like crap but that can be fixed and its cosmetic.

Again going back to you don't want or have the time to do a restore and by the way the wood looks nice and it involves effort by the way maybe its shot and you need new wood which of course needs to be refinished with something which ain't cheap either nor the labor involved.

I loved doing the three grills I restored but I was done after the 2nd one the third I did for a friend cause I had it laying around charged him 50
bucks for my labor so of course I probably worked for 3 bucks an hour or less but retired so all good.

You have to decide if you want to sign up for something like that does not sound like you want to so move on to the newer grills that is what I would do. :)
 
I agree with everything Brian said, the older grills are kind of a labor of love at this point due to their age. I would decide what the price range is and try to find the nicest/newest grill you can for that money. Clean it up, replace any really worn out parts and use it. You're going to be too busy with that baby to worry about a grill.
 
The gas grill is great with a baby because of fewer dishes and to an extent you can put the lid down and forget about it for awhile.

Every kid is different and some are pickier than others, but remember that little kids (up to like age 10) don't always like grilled food. My kids are 4/6/9 now and getting a bit better. They also go through phases. One summer, they might love ribs and grilled chicken, but not the next. Steak is always the last thing kids eat because it looks weird and is hard to cut and chew.

One vote here for meatloaf also. Nothing easier to practice cutting and forking on than a slice of meatloaf.
 
Yeah, I was thinking getting the newest one I could find within budget might be a good idea, until I realized that most of the newer ones are the enclosed cart style. Do those all have major problems rusting out?

Ideally I’d like to find a nice one that’s like 20-25 years old but in very nice or restored condition. Ugh man I was supposed to leave to go look at this red one in like 15 minutes. Not sure what to do.

I’m really more concerned about cooking for my wife and I right now. We have trouble keeping up with making food along with our jobs and other stuff, so I thought a gas grill could help. She’s having these weird pregnancy symptoms where she often gets sick from the smell of cooking food in the house. It’s going to be awhile before the kid is old enough to eat anything I’d be grilling anyway
 
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Got it. Probably worth the price I paid for just for the 2 propane tanks, which are each a little over half full. It’s not the sturdiest grill, some of the frame joints on the bottom shelf are rusted out and no longer connected. The burners and flavorizers are good for now but will probably need replacing by the end of next season. But the red lid, endcaps, and the lower half of the cookbox are in very good condition. Control panel is also in almost like-new condition, and the igniter is new. I didn't get to try it out yesterday, but planning on doing some burgers for dinner today.

Maybe I'll keep an eye out for another Genesis 1000 (in black ideally) that's been restored, get that, and swap the lids. Or does anyone know if this lid (or the whole cookbox if that's the correct term?) fit any other genesis models from this era?
 
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The lid will fit most Genesis 3 burner grills from 1985 through 2006. It should also fit the Spirit 300 series in the later 2000's. However, the cook box will only interchange with grills prior to 2000.
 
Congrats!

A few comments...

Most lids from 85 through 2006 are interchangeable.

The end caps evolved a little over the years but most of the enamel center sections will work with endcaps from another lid with enamel center sections.

The bottom rails can usually be fixed with a replacement nutsert and a new bolt.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/303682263240 are ones @Steve Hoch recommended
 
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Cool thanks guys.

Oh it also has cast iron grates that are nearly new. I've used a CI skillet on the stove, but I've not used cast iron grill grates before. Any tips on keeping those in good shape? What's best to clean them with, crumpled up aluminum foil or a bristle-less brush? It seems like a regular wire bristle brush would scrape away any seasoning.
 
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Cool thanks guys.

Oh it also has cast iron grates that are nearly new. I've used a CI skillet on the stove, but I've not used cast iron grill grates before. Any tips on keeping those in good shape? Is it best to clean them with crumpled up aluminum foil or a bristle-less brush?
I'd get some stainless grates if I were in your position since they're easier to maintain and (depending on the type of stainless), won't rust out as fast as CI. And with a baby on the way you'll probably be needing more time and and attention to your kid than on maintaining your grill.
 
A non-bristle cleaner is a good idea for cast iron - once it has been fully cleared of any rust and been re-seasoned. I sometimes use those "pad" cleaners. You can often find throw away ones for a buck - I guess $1.25 now - at the Dollar store. Or, you can get the classier Weber ones that allow you to replace the pads - which you will have to do often. Either are gentle on cast iron.

I am a huge fan of cast iron, even though I admit that stainless steel of similar mass will work just as well. There is still something special about cooking on seasoned cast iron to me that goes beyond just the basics of temperature.

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While I feel that very strongly, I also know taking care of real, uncoated cast iron is a LOT of work. Porcelain plated cast iron is often subject to the porcelain peeling off, potentially into your food - YECHH! :sick: So, thick stainless steel rod grates do have a lot going for them. No rust, no peeling, long, long life... My solution is to cook with both!
 
Or, pickup a set of stamped stainless for winter and store the cast iron inside.

I have a cast iron grate for my BGE that I store in my oven.
 
I am a stainless fan, but no reason to just toss aside a good set of CI grates unless they are the porcelain coated kind...On those, the porcealin coating will eventually start to flake off and then you run the risk of eating it with your food.
Try the CI grates. If they work well for you, keep them. If you decide you want less maintenance and last forever grates, then get a good set of solid rod SS grates.
 
100% keep and use the CI unless/until they start to rust or flake. Which will be many years from now.

I actually prefer CI to SS. When I had SS, the Mrs was always on me to keep them clean and shiny. Which is impossible -- even one spec of black shows up on shiny metal.

She's never commented once about the black on black CI.
 

 

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