Grills

[Drew]

I like to grill. Trouble is, sometimes I've only got a limited amount of time. I am looking at getting a Big Green Egg to use when I have the hours available. But I also like to have a gas grill sitting on the deck, ready to rock at a moment's notice, when the kids want a burger and I want a steak and taters... and we only have an hour or so to make it happen.

I have an older Weber Spirit grill that cooks great, but the paint is starting to come off on the inside, the igniter no longer works, the regulator is fubar'd and takes "twisting the valve just right" to make it work... so I'm ready to drop some change on a new one.

Just looking for some input on what brands are good and what to avoid. I would like stainless. Cast, heavy grates. I am not afraid to order over the internet, but also am happy to drop a little more coin for something available locally.

Any help appreciated.

[robin3mj]

Just get whatever Weber is in your price range with the number of burners you want. Avoid the gimmicks like external side burners (i.e.: first thing to break) etc and stick to the basics. You can repair/replace most parts on them these days a couple times before the grill body itself gives up the ghost.

I have a BGE and wouldn't want to go it alone with just that, for reasons you mention. Quick weeknight grilling. Why fire up a charcoal cooker for two pieces of fish, etc. Am on my second or third Weber in ~20 yrs of adulthood and save for some long moves and a little more money in my pockets could easily be on my second.

PS. Buy local. Most towns have a hardware store that is a Weber retailer. Any change you save buying online you trade for some combo of delivery costs, logistics and sweat equity putting the damn thing together. A hardware store should deliver it fully built in a pickup truck shortly after purchase.

[Noteddy]

You now know all that is needed on this topic. My current Weber is 10+ years old and works perfectly. Completely agree with the recommendation to buy local and have them assemble and deliver too.

[mg2ride]

Get another Weber. There are better grills (Holland and Wilmington come to mind) but it is a case of diminishing returns.

The new Webers come with a cast iron pan that fits in a pull out section of the grating. Very cool!

[maunahaole]

I'm on my second Weber Genesis silver b. Both were snagged of local craigslist. Had to replace the first one due to a lot of corrosion in the chassis. As said above, most of the internals are replaceable and easy to find. The repairs are generally easy and they supply instructions with the parts.

[TMB]

You don't need a new Weber. Find your local Weber service centre. They can repair every part on the one you have. That is the beauty of Weber.

We even have a company here that will come out to the house and wash, clean and service the Weber on site.

[pdxmech13]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a Sager. Small version.

[jackattack]

I have an older Weber Spirit grill that cooks great, but the paint is starting to come off on the inside, the igniter no longer works, the regulator is fubar'd and takes "twisting the valve just right" to make it work... so I'm ready to drop some change on a new one.

Any help appreciated.

Weber grills are not painted on the inside. The black flakes are just smoke and grease. Get some mild food grade degreaser and spray the inside of the grill when cold and scrape it clean. Spray out with the garden hose. Order a replacement regulator, get a lighter at the 7-11 and you'll be back in business.

Save your money for the green egg.

[maunahaole]

The igniters are about ten bucks and it takes maybe twenty minutes to swap it out.

[Drew]

TL;DR: bought a new Weber Genesis. Very happy so far. It is funny how the different stores have different "specs" of the same grill... ie, go to Lowe's and then Home Depot and look at Genesis grills. They have different grates. The Lowe's models have stainless bars, the HD models have cast iron grates.

Weber grills are not painted on the inside. The black flakes are just smoke and grease. Get some mild food grade degreaser and spray the inside of the grill when cold and scrape it clean. Spray out with the garden hose. Order a replacement regulator, get a lighter at the 7-11 and you'll be back in business.

Save your money for the green egg.

It was most definitely painted or coated with something. Bare metal underneath when whatever coating came off. It has to be coated with something... the lid is black (on outside and inside), metal is not naturally black.

The igniters are about ten bucks and it takes maybe twenty minutes to swap it out.

Agree. If the ignitor was the only issue, that's the ticket. I had been using a blowtorch to light mine for about three years :)

You don't need a new Weber. Find your local Weber service centre. They can repair every part on the one you have. That is the beauty of Weber.

We even have a company here that will come out to the house and wash, clean and service the Weber on site.

I did wind up pricing out all of the parts. Because my 'Spirit' model is an inexpensive, "entry-level" gas Weber, the parts are not that simple to replace. IE, I would have to replace almost every non-kettle part on the grill. There was also an issue I didn't mention where the valves seem to only work in full-blast sometimes. Valves, burners, all of it needed replacing... Parts would have cost me about 75% of what I paid for the grill new. Burner tubes, valve manifold, ignitor regulator, porcelain heat plates (rusted through in spots). And still not have the paint/coating issue fixed. I considered the grill totaled and got a new one.

FWIW, I was very impressed with the Genesis line. Wish I could have justified the Summit series... wow. I went to the store thinking "no way in hell I buy another Weber," but the others there are just junk. Made to look nice with a couple of stainless panels, but just feel cheap. The Weber felt "solid" and well built, the others had lids that flopped around, stamped sheetmetal grates, etc... I guess it's like anything else, get what you pay for.

Lesson learned... don't leave it uncovered through the summer. I did cover it through the winter, but winters here aren't that rough. Summer is HOT and humid. Our new home has a deck that is shaded by large trees, which should also help. The old grill lived a hard life in direct sun from about 10:00am through sundown, every day. I put this one down to user carelessness. I won't lie... I put about zero effort into keeping it nice. I spent enough cheese on this new one that I am pretty confident I'll be more diligent about caring for it.