Thinking of Going to the Dark Side


 
You could also use a gas pellet grill if you wanted to get a little of the bullet feel. It’s not a replacement for a Smokey Mountain but if your down sizing and slowing down it might fill a need.
 
PHolder said:
Made a trip to Lowes for another reason and was able to take a look at both a Spirit E330: $ 819 ( sear burner and side burner)
and a Genesis E325s: $ 999 ( sear burner )

I am leaning toward the Spirit E330. I don't think I will need the size of the Genesis.
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That is what I did and for the same reasons. I came from a Silver B (same size grates) that I used for 20 years and never really needed anything bigger. After 2 years, it has performed to my expectations and I have zero rust. My only complaint is the inside tank is harder to change than the open cart Silver B. Nice thing about Lowe's is they assemble and deliver for free.
 
I had for years a Spirit that the burners ran left to right. The new ones look like they run front to back, which is worlds better for indirect cooking. I much prefer the Genesis that I bought to replace the Spirit (which a friend is still using many years later), but a lot of that has to do with the burner arrangement.

My Genesis has the sear burner. I used it often until I got Grill Grates to replace the original grates. Now I can preheat with the just the regular three burners set at a little above medium, GGs on the flat side, and it will put a heckuva crust on ribeyes. The Grill Grates have added a ton of usefulness and versatility for my gas grill, and I recommend them to anyone with a gasser.

I have a side burner, but it gets used only in the summer when I boil shrimp. I get a stock pot of H2O to a rolling boil inside (would take forever on the side burner), then transfer to the side burner and add salt, seasonings, and shrimp. Going outside prevents the spice smell from permeating the inside of the house. Otherwise, the side burner just provides me some comfort in the event of a long power outage.
 
Chris in Louisiana said:
which is worlds better for indirect cooking. I much prefer the Genesis that I bought to replace the Spirit (which a friend is still using many years later), but a lot of that has to do with the burner
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Having had both. Left to right is better. You can fit more food and do more. Front to back was Weber simply going "me too" for people who "did not get it"
 
LMichaels said:
Having had both. Left to right is better. You can fit more food and do more. Front to back was Weber simply going "me too" for people who "did not get it"
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And also because they gave up on their wonderful fold-up shelves. That required keeping the sides clear of control knobs. An old Silver B with fold-up shelves on both sides has way more usable shelf space than the newest Genesis, even with its extra wide shelf on the right.
 
I have one grill with e/w burners and one with n/s. They both work fine. Mild preference for the newer n/s.

+1 on the fold up shelves. My old Silver B has two of those. Tremendous amount of work space for a very modest footprint.
 
Having had both EW and NS, and still having both ready to cook on NS is better for me. I use the genesis E330 (NS) at least once a week. In the past year I've used the 1000 three times. YMMV
 
Can't beat the Silver B with the extended frame and two flip up tables. Sure you can have stands next to your grill for added table space, but that just takes up more room on the deck or patio when not in use and they don't move With your grill. I am not sure why Weber doesn't incorporate one or two into their newer designs as options at least.

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Having owned both the Silver B special edition and the Spirit E330 with sear station, there are pros and cons as well as a lot of similarities.

The cooking areas are exactly the same and the grates are interchangeable. The B has an extra swinging warmer rack but I never used it. My B had the double swing-up tables and that is what I miss the most. Agreed that Weber should bring them back. The tank was easier to change on the B.

Far and away the best feature of the E330 is the sear station. It is great to be able to sear a steak and move it to a cooler area, especially when you have people who prefer different "doneness". You just can not do that on the B. The E330 has a hood liner and the outside of the hood is much cooler to the touch. I assume it will retain heat better and my indirect cooks seem to take a little less time at the same setting/temp reading. That could just be temp differences between units. For indirect cooking, I prefer the new burner orientation. I prefer the cast iron grates to the stamped stainless on the B. They just retain heat a lot better and after 2 years, show no rust. The grates on my B burned through in 10-12 years, so they are not forever.

The jury is still out on the ignition system. I like the new electronic over the piezo for one oust ignition but do not know about longevity. The E330 still uses crossover ignition unlike the newer Genesis. That means the burners will re-ignite if they get blown out. Seems they should have kept that even with the new ignition system like Napoleon does. Just a safety item IMO. I do not rotisserie so a non issue, but I imagine you can lower the center burner in relation to the other to make it work for you. The casting of the cook box is not quite as thick as on the B but still quite substantial.

There is always something to be said about new and shinny with a warranty to take away worries. IMO the new grill is an improvement and I do not miss the B. My B served me for 20 years, but in reality, I replaced everything inside within 12 years to keep it going.
 
Here is my take on available space for indirect. The older Genesis (IMO the only "true" ones) give you 276 sq in of indirect grilling space newer ones about 110. Plus on the older ones you can lay more than whole slab of ribs on it. New ones not even one. That's not even bringing in the advantage of how well they work for rotisserie cooking.
 
LMichaels said:
Here is my take on available space for indirect. The older Genesis (IMO the only "true" ones) give you 276 sq in of indirect grilling space newer ones about 110.
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Well, yes-if you consider the grates are 424 sq.in. and you only use one burner, leaving 2/3 free for indirect. Same math would apply for the new orientation if you just use one burner. Just in a different place. With my B, I used front and back, leaving me the strip down the center-left to right. N/S just works better for me and the other for you. The Spirit is still the closest thing you can get to the "true" Genesis.
 
Jim C in Denver said:
Yes the e/w burners are better for roti and cooking wide foods.

But no one should be making ribs on a gasser of any type.
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Some of us have fire restrictions in the Summer which bans the use of charcoal or pellets. We have no choice if we want some ribs except to use a gasser or for doing any kind of grilling. Also, I have made excellent Baby Backs on my gen 2000 and E320 sidewinders.
 
Rich -- we have fire restrictions up in the Colo high country big time. So my charcoal smoking is restricted to mud season and fall shoulder season. Luckily pork butt freezes really well.

You guys will have to tutor me on gasser ribs. Would be nice to be able to make those for July 4th.

And I'd avoid being "that guy" whose WSM burned up the whole neighborhood.
 
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Don't forget what George Stephen :george: said when he was given a steak to try out that had been cooked on a prototype of the Genesis gas grill:
"Now that's what I like. A charcoal grilled steak!"

No reason you can't do excellent bbq on a gas grill. I agree that I would first choose a pellet grill, or if ambitious enough, a charcoal grill, but guys who know how to use smoker boxes - and sound cooking - can make some really convincing ribs, etc. on a Weber gas grill.
 
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