# My Weber is Beyond All Hope



## Andy M. (Sep 2, 2008)

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.


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## BigDog (Sep 2, 2008)

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!


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## GB (Sep 2, 2008)

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.


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## Andy M. (Sep 2, 2008)

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!


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## roadfix (Sep 2, 2008)

My Kenmore gas grill came with heavy 1/4" thick SS grates.  They hold up well to some heavy duty scrubbing when cleaning.


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## pacanis (Sep 2, 2008)

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


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## Andy M. (Sep 2, 2008)

GB said:


> 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.


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## sattie (Sep 2, 2008)

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!


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## Andy M. (Sep 2, 2008)

sattie said:


> 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!


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## MostlyWater (Sep 3, 2008)

didn't you get the service agreement ?


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## Jeekinz (Sep 3, 2008)

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.


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## kitchenelf (Sep 3, 2008)

MostlyWater said:


> didn't you get the service agreement ?


 
I don't think a service agreement covers wear and tear!


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## Andy M. (Sep 3, 2008)

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?


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## pacanis (Sep 3, 2008)

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.


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## Jeekinz (Sep 3, 2008)

Andy M. said:


> 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.


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## Uncle Bob (Sep 3, 2008)

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!


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## QSis (Sep 3, 2008)

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


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## Andy M. (Sep 3, 2008)

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.


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## QSis (Sep 3, 2008)

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! 

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

Lee


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## pacanis (Sep 4, 2008)

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  
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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## MJK (Sep 4, 2008)

Your grill knew when it was time to go.   Right at the end of the season. Shop for the best your wallet can afford and don't look back. If you grill a lot you won't regret it. Dealers are lowering prices (though sometimes not by much) to ridthemselves of this year's inventory. Shop around if you have the time. My choice would be stainless.  Happy hunting.


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## roadfix (Sep 4, 2008)

pacanis said:


> 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.



I don't know how true this is, but I just read something about this a couple of days ago, I don't remember where, but the reason for running them left to right is for more effective convection of heat.  I can see the logic behind that given the shape of most gas grills.  But I can also definitely see the awkwardness of using the grill for indirect grilling.


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## Andy M. (Sep 4, 2008)

I think someone had said the Weber burners now are front to back rather than side to side.


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## GB (Sep 4, 2008)

Yes, my Weber is front to back.


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## Jeekinz (Sep 4, 2008)

Either way you're in the drivers seat.  It's definately a buyers market for those types of things now.  I'm going to check out some patio furniture.


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## pacanis (Sep 4, 2008)

Andy M. said:


> I think someone had said the Weber burners now are front to back rather than side to side.


 

Yes, just something you might want to look for, in case they aren't all made that way now.
Or, maybe it is better to have them run the length of the grill like roadfix said.
So in other words, just something else to made deciding which grill harder


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## Jeekinz (Sep 4, 2008)

I couldn't imagine trying to cook with horizontal burners. Especially with chicken thighs, I'm constantly moving them around to cooler areas or trying to avoid flare-ups.

I would have to try out someone elses grill before I would by one like that.


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## Andy M. (Sep 14, 2008)

I bought a new gas grill yesterday. It's being assembled and we are going to get it later. It's a Ducane. 

It's a basic gas grill with no frills. SS grate and 36K BTUs from three burners. The next model up was $100 more and you got a side burner and a rotisserie. I've never really missed having either one so I passed.

I chose it over a comparable Weber because of the price, SS grates and the burner positioning. The Weber burners are left to right while the Ducane's are front to back. 

I'm hoping I can regulate the temperature low enough with this new grill to do some real low and slow BBQ/smoking.

Thank you all for the good advice.


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## pacanis (Sep 14, 2008)

There ya go! I've got the 4 burner Afinity, 4100.  Good choice.
Like you make have remembred reading me say though, it is *HOT. *The burners will easily turn the flavor deflectors cherry red and on low can still be a bit too high for smoking, but I make do.

You'll love it once you get used to it!


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## Jeekinz (Sep 15, 2008)

Looks like a winner! 

I kind of like having the option of a side burner for fish, bbq sauce or whatever.  But you can still get good results just using the pan right on the grill.

Good luck with it.


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## QSis (Sep 15, 2008)

Good choice, Andy!  Congratulations!

I have customers who come from far away to buy Ducanes at my store.  Ducane fans are a smaller group than Weber fans, but they are FIERCELY loyal to the brand.  Kind of like Chevy-Ford people.  

Enjoy it!

Lee


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## roadfix (Sep 15, 2008)

Congratulations on your new grill purchase!


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## Andy M. (Sep 15, 2008)

Thanks, guys.

Getting it home was an adventure.  It wouldn't fit into Suzanne's SUV.  I had to call my daughter, who has a bigger SUV, to come and get it for us.  

It's sitting on the deck right now waiting for me to fire it up for the first time.


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## Jeekinz (Sep 15, 2008)

I'm always too excited when I get a new grill that I wind up cooking the stupidest thing just so I can use it.   Like hotdogs.  LOL


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## Grillncook (Sep 19, 2008)

Weber owns Ducane, they purchased them about 3 years ago when Ducane went belly up. There was a big stink because they wouldn't honor Ducane's lifetime warranty. It wasn't really Weber's fault though, Ducane, at that time didn't use standardized parts, and their parts inventory couldn't have supported all the grills that had been sold. It was one of the reasons Ducane filed bankruptcy, that and some very poor management decisions.

You bought a great grill. Personally I would miss the side burner and rotisserie, there is nothing like a rotisseried Thanksgiving Turkey and I do a braised spinach with steaks and I cook it on the side burner while the steaks are cooking, and the side burner is great to light a chimney of charcoal for the other Weber.


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## Andy M. (Sep 19, 2008)

In making the decision about the rotisserie and side burner.  I asked myself how many times I'd wished I had one.  The answer was "none".  So I passed. I can see how they are useful.


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## pacanis (Sep 19, 2008)

My last grill had a sideburner. I used it once. It got in the way more than anything because being right handed, I liked to have full availability of the right side shelf. My grill sits close enough to my kitchen and I know if it didn't, I may appreciate a sideburner more. Or dig out one of the numerous propane or Coleman fuel burners I have.


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