Weber Connect vs ThermoWorks


 
BTU is BTU. What is the difference if it came in the form of another burner wedged in between or 2 burners that could output more heat? All the el cheapo brands were flouting a "sear" burner. To the uneducated they see it as a huge "extra" at no cost. Weber HAD to tout a "sear" burner just like they had to go "with the crowd" on orientation of the burners even though their original design was pure genius and far better in a small to mid size grill like a Genesis sized grill
 
Brett-EDH said:
Summits do need the sear burner. Without one, Summits are just large grills. Nothing special. Nothing more. Just IMO. Only reason I owned a Summit was sq inches and sear. Only reason I’m selling my Summit gasser is WSK produces a better cook, every time. Again, IMO.
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Brett,
If you are talking about the large version of today's 3rd generation Summit, then I could agree with that. However, I was talking about a 1st generation Summit 450 from over 20 years ago. The firebox cooking area is the exact same size as the original Genesis grills (grates interchange). On those earlier Genesis grills, there were 3 left to right burners whereas on my Summit there are 4 front to back burners. That makes for substantially more heat capability than the size comparable Genesis, which itself was a very decent cooker. I have only just started using this refurbished 1998 Summit, but I can attest that it is a plenty hot grill. For it, I see no reason for a sear burner; it basically already has a 4th burner.

Those newer Summits do offer the sear burner option, and for that much larger grill, I can see why it would be helpful.
 
my 2 peso's of opinion on the sear burner ( if it's worth that much )

The sear burner is well worth it on the 2016 front control E330 compared to the step down from a 2016 front control E310.

I have cooked on both, and when I cook on a friends E310 I miss having the sear burner.

The extra 10K BTUs of heat under the left grate allows lots of heat in a hurry for the quick cooks and also more heat when reverse searing or for making pizza.
 
DanHoo said:
The sear burner is well worth it on the 2016 front control E330
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My Son recently got one in a barter for labor.
He asked me how to use it and I had no idea as I never used one. I looked it up on Weber and sent him a link.
He liked it as this was his first gasser.
 
Remember on those earlier front control grills Weber did reduce the BTU and slightly increased the size of the cook box. (cooking area). My comment from awhile back was based on Weber's GX4 (or whatever they call it). If you put say 50k btu into 120 sq in it really doesn't matter if you split some of those BTU into a small 10K burner. You still have 50k BTU. And Jon you just bore that out and proved my point with what you said about that old Summit
 
I agree, Larry. I just think those larger 300 grills with the front controls work better with the fourth sear burner and perhaps are a little weak without it. Four evenly spaced burners would have given the boost needed. On the other hand, it can’t be denied that three close together are going to make a hotter area directly over them. Whether you need that or prefer a grill that is even - and hot enough - over the full grill surface is still a matter of taste and personal opinion.

As I said before, using the old Summit with its four evenly spread burners, I don’t feel a need for an additional sear burner. It probably wouldn’t even be safe. But like DanHoo mentioned, if I was cooking on a 3-burner E-300, I would be pining for the E-330 with the sear burner.
 
Jon Tofte said:
today's 3rd generation Summit, then I could agree with that
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correct, the current Summit version with sear burner. my previous Summit NG didn't have the sear burner, just 6 regular burners. i recall looking at but never buying the Summit Gen 1.
 
I think had Weber not reduced the BTU output on those earlier front control grills then it would not be an issue. I know what you mean and WAY back when I even reported on the one my late sister had bought when they first came out and that I set up for her. Highly disappointed in it. I tried to cook a few burgers on it and could not believe how "weak" it was compared to my good old Genesis 2 at the time or my current 2000. I had that thing going full tilt and despite the gauge showing different (high), the burgers would not even brown let alone "sear". They looked like they had been steamed. I looked at the rating and it was IIRC 6k or 8l less than my old original style Genesis.
 
below are the grills that I own ( Genesis 1000, Silver B, E330 ) or often cook on ( E320, E310 )

BTU rating is from the tag on each grill.
Grate square inches is from literature on sales sites and is only the main cooking grate.

1998 1000 (side)2000 Silver B (side)2009 E320 (side)2016 E310 (front)2016 E330 (front)
square inch424424507507507
BTU3500036000420003800048000
BTU/sqInch82.584.982.875.094.7


For the E330, the 94.7 number is misleading because it spreads 10K BTU from the sear burner across all square inches.
In terms of direct heat under the grate, the right side grate is 75.0 BTU/SqIn and the left side is 114 BTU/SqIn
 
That's pretty telling, DanHoo. I just looked at my 1998 Summit which says it has 50,000 BTU (a lot, but that's 12,500 per burner). So, with the same 424 sq. inches of grilling space as your 1000 that works out to 117.92 per square inch! 🔥 Maybe my math is wrong, but the 50,000 comes from the original label, and this grill did not originally have a side burner. If correct, you can see why I said I don't need a sear burner on this grill!
 
Thanks for adding that Jon. I didn't realize the 98 summit used the same grate size as an x000/silver, and with 50K BTU that's a lot of heat for that size of grill.
 
IIRC, since my son in law has my original 199X Genesis 2 (X because I never knew what year it actually was. Only that I bought it in 92 as a floor closeout). 36500 total comes to mind. In any case it got plenty hot as does my current Genesis. Hell, as many have seen I get beautiful all over crust on my steaks and chops without even resorting to running to full temps. Just careful manipulation and patience. Patience is a HUGE factor seems no one has today. I know back in my "high heat" no patience days I even resorted to making a charcoal basket for my Genesis 2 and then filling it with hot lump charcoal. And working over that. Yeah I went through that "stage"
 
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