I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

[OkeeDon]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

The Summit has exactly the same size grates as the Genesis. When the Summit first came out, it was positioned as a very high end grill, around $2K, but didn't sell well. There were too many other grills at the same price point that were better. So, Weber downgraded it, and today, it's not much more than a fancy Genesis. Save your money. The Genesis cooks just as well, and that's what's important.

Actually, the Genesis Silver B, with the porcelain lid, is also the same size, and when the Gold series first came out, I would have recommended the Silver series. However, I own both, and have cooked on both hundreds of times, and I believe the stainless steel lid on the Gold series does a better job of radiating heat inside the grill, making it a bit hotter, and cooking more evenly. I was surprised at the difference.

Don't expect the SS lid to be as easy to keep clean as the porcelain-coated, lid, however. Mine has yellowed and scorched a bit from the heat. To avoid that, you have to go up to a grill with a double SS lid, with air space between the layers, and that starts to get pricey. That's one of the features of most grills in the price range of the original summit series.

 

[GerardC]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have the urge to replace my grill / grills, and there are certainly a ALOT to choose from.
I have Never purchased a new grill or Any grill for that fact. Every grill I have ever had, has been a hand me down from one of my homeowners. Usually Weber, Charbroil or Ducane etc. Most all of these grills are like new and still have Oodles and Oodles of life left in them.
Unfortunately it has been several years since any of my homeowners has updated their grills and the two grills that I presently have are starting to give out. I use my grills ALOT, all year long.
I could easily get another summer out of them both but I have the urge to replace at least one of them with something toward the middle / upper end of the BBQ quality range.
As much as I would love to go plunk $1000 bucks down on the ultimate stainless grill, thats not going to happen. For the right grill I will go up to the $500 +/- range. I know that there are Plenty of Good "Propane" grills available in that range.
Any suggestions ? )</font>

We bought a Brinkmann SS last year for around $330.00 at Wal-Mart. The tank goes under (behind) the 2 front doors which is a very nice feature. It has porcelain grates, heavy duty, that clean real easy. It also has a smoker. Looks almost like a Weber for a couple hundred less.

 

[RobS]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

Thanks for the clarification Don. As much as I want a new grill I've decided to go the refurb route on the old Char-Broil. This will buy me some time to decide if I'm going to build an outdoor kitchen on the yet-to-be built patio. Also frees up some cash to add a charcoal grill for the weekends when I have more grilling time /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[OkeeDon]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

On the charcoal grill -- unless you can affford a Cajun Cooker (more expensive than the Weber gas grill), get a Weber Kettle -- any Weber Kettle, but the slightly more expensive ones that have a removeable pot to catch the ashes are much more convenient than the ones that have a shallow, plate-like ash catcher -- those allow the ashes to be blown around in a stiff breeze. Also, the slightly more expensive kettles have a set of charcoal dividers, and a hinged grate that allows charcoal to be added while cooking. These are wonderful for indirect cooking, where the charcoal is off to the sides instead of directly under the food. Great for things like ribs.

As I reflect on my posts, it must sound like I'm a Weber fanatic. Not at all. In fact, my favorite grill is my Phoenix, and, while I vacillate from day to day, I'll probably use a Napoleon in my outdoor kitchen. But, in the consumer market at reasonable prices, it's just a simple fact that Weber has set the standard, and everyone else is playing catch up.

 

[RobS]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

I wasn't even going to consider other charcoal grills although you've given me pause on the ash catcher thing. I have a Weber mini-kettle I keep in our camper and I absolutely love it. Of course, when we camp I have all the time in the world to manage my fire. Thanks again for your input Don /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[kcarl]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

OkeeDon,

I have a Weber Silver C and kettle, and I agree, the Webers are a very good value. I still have and use an 18 inch Weber kettle that I bought about 25 years ago. Performance of the Silver C was dramatically better than the Charbroils I had in the past. That being said, I do have a question that you might be able to answer concerning the heat distibution for the Silver C. For some reason the right end of the grill is hotter than the left. This seems strange because the cross-burner igniter is on the left side, which I would expect would make the left end hotter. Is there a way to correct this?


Thanks,
kcarl

 

[spencer200]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

I should have paid better attention to this post. I just bought a new grill a Vermont Castings. I can tell you I am less than thrilled with the performance so far. I looked hard at the weber like has been suggested on here, but decided the cooking area was just not big enough for the amount of people we have over sometimes in the summer. I could have almost bought two weber golds for what I paid for this piece of junk. oh well live and learn. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[jkriegel]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

Hi,

I'm looking to buy my first gas grill, but do NOT want to skimp on quality. I've been looking at the Weber Genesis series as well as the Char-Broil SS Series grill. What are your thoughts?? I'd like to stay in the $500.00 level.

Thanks!

Joe

 

[r0GuE]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

I finnally ditched the charcoal weber I've had for 12 years. I went with the Thermos (Charbroil) grill on sale at Target. Got it for $225 with the credit card application (saved 10% there).
It is stainless has all the features the Weber ad told me to look for including a side burner. I love it! We've used it more in 4 days that we used the char coal grill all year. Just too much of a pain in the butt for me to go through the charcoal thing anymore! This Thermos is VERY nice if you are in the $300 range (the normal cost of the grill), why not jump and save $75?
BTW - Lowes has the EXACT same grill for $300. The only difference is the nameplate. In fact the directions on mine say CharBroil.