My Weber is Beyond All Hope

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Andy M.

Certified Pretend Chef
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Sep 1, 2004
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Location
Massachusetts
My Weber gas grill has been a loyal member of the family for over 9 years. Monday night, when I went out to put a flank steak on to cook, the entire bottom fell out.

It's asort of conical aluminum piece that slides into brackets on the bottom of the main box and the grease catcher hangs off it. The brackets/tracks rusted out and are gone.

I'm thinking I need a new grill and will get another Weber gas grill. I do, however, have a question.

What kind of grilling surface do you have and what do you recommend. I'm trying to gather the good and bad points of different cooking surfaces. I have seen stainless steel, porcelain coated cast iron and porcelain coated stamped steel.

Also, any thoughts on other features that you recommend or think are trash would be appreciated. Rotisserie, infrared burners, etc.

Any thoughts???

Thanks, guys.
 
I saw Weber and got excited it might have been a charcoal grill. I have a family friend that created his own smoker, starting with a rusted out bottom Weber grill (kettle drum style). If it was that, I would have suggested attempting your own smoker creation. My friend just used various metal parts, including steel wheels and brake drums from semi trucks. It doesn't look pretty, but man does it taste great when he smokes meat!
 
I have a Weber gas grill with porcelain coated cast iron grates and I could not be happier. The grates heat up really well and hold onto the heat. They clean up very well as long as you treat them right (clean before and after use). They are a little wider than the SS grates I have seen so less chance of things falling through.

I have not yet seen a downside to my grates.
 
I went to the Weber site and looked around a bit. One I saw has SS grates, a rotisserie burner a side burner and a dedicated smoker burner! I thought this would be the nuts to have. I could smoke my own meat here!

Then I saw the price, over $2000!
 
I had a propane grill with cast iron grates, briefly, I did not like it. They never did seem like they seasoned properly. I looked into ceramic coated grates and they seemed more "delicate" as to how they were to be treated with cleaning and cooking utensils. I got the traditional SS grid on my Ducane last year and couldn't be happier with it. The grill itself needs cleaned way to often as far as I'm concerned, the heat deflectors/flavor bars collect way too much ****, but then, I do grill about 4-5 times a week..... At any rate, I love the SS grate. It's idiot poof. Which works well for me :)

Oh, and sorry to hear about the grill, Andy... RIP
 
I have a Weber gas grill with porcelain coated cast iron grates and I could not be happier. The grates heat up really well and hold onto the heat. They clean up very well as long as you treat them right (clean before and after use). They are a little wider than the SS grates I have seen so less chance of things falling through.

I have not yet seen a downside to my grates.


GB I bought porcelain coated CI grates for this grill when the old ones needed replacing. The first set the porcelain chipped off. Weber sent me free replacements. The second set is on there right now. There is some flaking of the coating but it's well seasoned with fat. I really like these and am wondering about the SS ones.
 
Andy, what a bummer!!! I'm not by any means an officinado on grills, so I just wanted to offer my support by saying it stinks to lose a grill, specially a Weber, and I do hope you find a replacement that is equally if not better than your old friend!
 
Andy, what a bummer!!! I'm not by any means an officinado on grills, so I just wanted to offer my support by saying it stinks to lose a grill, specially a Weber, and I do hope you find a replacement that is equally if not better than your old friend!


Thanks, sattie!
 
I like regular stainless steel rod grates. Two people I know of had the ceramic flake off the coated grates. When they went to replace them, they cost half as much as a new grill.

Stainless will last forever. Make sure the rest of the grill body and burners are stainless too.
 
I never buy service agreements. The grill is over 9 years old.

Does anyone have a rotisserie attachment and do you use it/like it?
 
I don't, but my father used to use his all the time, until the advent of cooking your chicken standing up, ala "beer can" chicken. Now he only uses it when doing a beef roast, which isn't that often.
I can hear that electric motor grinding away now.... always straining when the heavy part of the meat was close to the top..... Good memories from when I was a kid. Everyone used rotisseries back then at family picnics.

I should add; they are great ways to cook multiple birds for picnics.
 
I never buy service agreements. The grill is over 9 years old.

Does anyone have a rotisserie attachment and do you use it/like it?

I have one on my roaster that uses a 3/4" spit. Supposed to hold a whole pig, some turkeys or a few chickens. Wanted to, but never used it....yet. I think the Honeymoon would end abruptly if I planned on using one all the time.
 
Andy M said:
Does anyone have a rotisserie attachment and do you use it/like it?

Once long ago on an old Ducane....I seldom used it. I was not impressed with it.
If I were in search of a new gas grill it would be on the bottom of my priorities list.
If the one I really liked/wanted came with it...it woluldn't be a deal buster.
I have a manual SS one that I use over camp fires...It can be fun!
 
Andy,

SS cooking grates and flavorizer bars cook well, clean up well, and last a couple of years longer than porcelain enamel-coated grates.

As has been mentioned, when you cook "indirect", especially on a Weber (whose design is deliberate to allow for effective indirect cooking), you REALLY don't need a rotisserie. However, it's a fun attachment, and it DOES provide for more even cooking without worrying about turning the meat manually.

I have the rotisserie and "collar" for my Weber charcoal kettle and use it mainly on chicken wings (yeah, I have the basket attachment, too), whole chickens, and turkey breasts to get the skin evenly golden and crispy. I've done legs of lamb with it, too.

I don't like to use it on things like pork loins or beef roasts, because it kills me to poke holes in those beautiful solid cuts of meat.

Lee
 
I've been to a few stores looking at three burner grills and they all cost a ton. I'm beginning to think I should get a Weber kettle instead.
 
Andy,

My store has the Weber Spirit 3 -burner for $399.

The Ducane 3-burner, the basic model, is $329.

The Ducane 3 burner with a side burner and a rotisserie is $399.

The Weber Genesis (3 burner) is $699. But I have one in copper-colored enamel which is gorgeous! :mrgreen:

Weber bought Ducane and they are the only two brands of grills I sell in my hardware store.

Lee
 
If you can hold off a month or two, Andy, I picked up that Ducane of mine last fall greatly reduced because it wasn't "grilling season" anymore. At least I think it was last fall, I grill so much it feels like I've had it two years :wacko:
I picked it up at my local hardware store, which needed to make room for winter items. You might get a better deal at a smaller store like that if there are any around you. It was a lot cheaper than box stores and any I found online, even with sales tax added on. And it was put together! :)

And I know we talked about this before, but I'll mention it again, what steered me away from the Webers, that I was looking at, is that their burners ran left to right rather than front to rear. I can leave off my two middle burners, light the two outer ones, and have a fairly large surface for indirect grilling. The Webers I saw didn't look like they would work as well for indirect. Their four burner ones took a big leap in price, well over what I wanted to spend. I couldn't be happier with my Ducane Affinity.
 

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