Barbecues &amp; Grilling

The Weber Smokey Joe Portable Charcoal Grill has been a fixture on balconies (where legal of course), parks and beaches. This is a great little, lightweight charcoal grill that comes in two models, the Silver and the Gold. While it sounds like the Gold is the better grill it isn't a good idea to jump to conclusions.

Read the review of the Weber Smokey Joe Silver to find out which one you should buy.

Image: Weber-Stephen Products Company

The current line up of Weber Summit Grills includes eight freestanding gas grills and two insert grills. These grills come in either the enamel painted version (available in any color you want as long as it is black) or in stainless steel. Summit grills also come in either a 4-burner or a 6-burner configuration. Summit grills are loaded with features and range in list price from $1,599USD to $2,599USD but can be found on sale for as much as $300USD less. The interesting thing is that the stainless steel version of the Summit grill is the same price as the black version so you really can choose without penalty.

Weber Summit E-420

Weber Stephen Products Company

The Weber Summit E-420 is the bottom of the Summit line and yet this 4-burner gas grill features a standard 12,000 BTU side burner, individual burner igniters, heavy stainless steel rod cooking grates, a handle mounted light, and backlight control panel. This grill is a lot larger than the top of the line Genesis Model and comes in $500USD more at a list price of $1,599USD or the same price as the stainless S-420. The heavy cooking grates provide excellent heat transfer for great grill marks.

Weber Summit E-470

Weber-Stephen Products Company

The Weber Summit E-470 is loaded with features including a four main burners and sear, side, smoker, and rotisserie burners. Add to that a handle mounted LED grill light, back lit control panel and a dozen other features and you get a grill that can do it all. The E-470 is the same size as the less expensive E-420 but sacrifices some of its grilling spaceto make way for the smoker box and rotisserie burner. This grill lists for $2049USD but can be found for less. All of these burners puts eight knobs on the front of this grill so this is a perfect grill for the gadget lover. the E-420 is the same price as the much larger E-620 and equally featured stainless steel S-470.

Weber Summit E-620

Weber-Stephen Products Company

The Summit E-620 is the same in features as the E-420 but has six burners instead of four and 693 square inches of primary cooking area instead of 538 square inches. This gives you a much larger grill with plenty of space to cook for a large party. To get this extra space the price jumps $500USD to $2049USD, making this grill the same price as the much better featured E-470. The comparison between the two is simplyl one of size versus gadgets like the rotisserie, sear, and smoker burners.

Weber Summit E-670

Weber-Stephen Products Company

The Weber Summit E-670 is a super featured gas grill. Having everything that the E-470 has, this model adds two extra burners and takes the primary grilling space to 624 square inches. While the extra features on this grill cut away some of the grilling space (the E-620 has 693 square inches). This black grill (really the doors and hood are black, the rest of the grill is is grey painted steel) lists for $2,599USD but can be found for quite a bit less if you do your shopping.

Weber Summit S-420

Weber-Stephen Products Company

The Summit S-420 is the same grill as the E-420 except this one has stainless steel body parts in place of the black. While the only major feature on this grill is the 12,000 BTU side burner, there are so many standard features on the Summit grills that you really shouldn't feel left out with this one. For instance, the propane tank gets hung on a scale and that scale feeds a push button gizmo on the control panel so you can see how much fuel you have without having to bend over. Also, this grill like all the Summit grills is available in Propane (LP) or Natural Gas, but they can not be converted so get the one you need. One note, while this says it is stainless steel grill, only the doors and hood are stainless

Weber Summit S-460

Weber-Stephen Products Company

The Weber Summit S-460 is the custom insert version of the Summit S-470. You get all the features of the S-470 minus the side burner (though an optional side burner unit can be purchased) since this grill has no side tables. This grill lists for $2,299 but can typically be found for less. This is more expensive than the freestanding model and since it is an unusual shape for a custom enclosure make sure you know what you are getting into before you buy.

Weber Summit S-470

Weber Stephen Products Company

The Weber Summit S-470 is the same as the E-470 with stainless steel doors and hood. I get the feeling that I'm saying this a lot. Really the only choice between these two is the color since they are also the same in price. The S-470 lists for $2,049USD but can be had for a few hundred less.

Weber Summit S-620

Weber-Stephen Products Co.

The Weber Summit S-620 is in everyway, including price the same as the E-620 but with stainless steel body parts instead of the black enamel. This very large grill gives you 6 burners and plenty of space to grill most anything. Like the E-620 this grill comes with a standard 12,000 BTU side burner under a flush mounted cover and lists for $2049USD, but can be found for much less.

Weber Summit S-660

Weber-Stephen Products Company

The Weber Summit S-660 is the custom insert version of the S-670. It loses the side burner since this grill doesn't have side tables, but this grill does have all the other features including the sear, smoker, and rotisserie burners. Despite the fact that this grill doesn't have side tables, casters, a back, etc. it does cost more, listing for $2,799USD, though you can find it for less typically. The Summit inserts are not like most grill head inserts. This insert has a full cabinet below which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on your structure.

Weber Summit S-670

Weber Stephen Products Company

The Weber Summit S-670 has all the features of the E-670, the rotisserie, side, sear, and smoker burners plus the stainless steel doors and hood. They both sell for the same price, listing at $2,599USD but generally available for less. This 6-burner grill has 624 square inches of primary grilling space and all the features and extras of Weber's Summit line of grills.

The Bottom Line

While you can get a equally large grill with all the bells and whistles for this price (around $650USD), this is a solidly built grill that does exactly what it was designed to do, grill. This basic grill gives you great cooking abilities and a side burner like many cheaper grills, but at a higher level of quality. This is probably the best built grill for the price you will find. The BTUs on this unit are a little low for the size, but because of the efficient design you won't notice it. This grill will reach grilling temperatures in less than 10 minutes of preheat time.

Pros

Solid construction with good quality materials
Reliable, even heating
A good grilling grill with side burner
Built to last

Cons

Limited work space
Lower quality stainless steel side tables and front panel

Description

Three 12,000 BTU stainless steel tubular burners
424 square inches of primary cooking area with 536 square inches of total cooking area
36,000 BTU maximum output from the main burners
12,000 BTU side burner under a flush mounted cover
Porcelain enameled steel, cast aluminum, and stainless steel construction
Crossover piezoelectric ignition
Porcelain enameled flavorizer bars (grill barrier) with porcelain coated welded steel cooking grates
Hood mounted thermometer
Cover and propane tank sold separately
Built in China by Weber-Stephen Products Company

Guide Review - Weber Spirit E-320 Black

In the early days (the 1980's) of the Weber gas grill the spirit line was their smallest and least expensive grill. With the 2007 model year, Weber as restored this line and now redesigned for 2009. The new spirit is made in China so that Weber could control the price though this grill lists for around $650USD (you can find it for as little as $550USD). You will be able to find this grill virtually everywhere.

The Weber Spirit E-320 has three 12,000 BTU stainless steel burners under two porcelain coated steel cooking grates and a 12,000 BTU side burner. The grease management system of this grill reduces flare-ups and the firebox design gives you a very even heat (though it tends to be a little hotter on the left side). Ignition is from a push button, piezo electric igniter which shouldn't clog anytime soon.

This is a great, basic grill with side burner. If you are serious about grilling food and don't need a lot of extras this is the grill you should buy. The one draw back I have with this grill is the limited work space. With the control valves on the right side table and the side burner in the left table you don't have a lot of space to put down a plate, let alone prepare a meal.

Largely constructed from porcelain coated steel this grill does have stainless steel side tables, though not made of the best quality stainless. The internal components are all of the best quality and built to last.

Weber ranks amongst the best grills on the market and you pay for that quality and the 24/7 support. This is a basic grill will give you dependable performance for many years to come and with a good warranty you'll be able to keep it fixed up and working like new long than most grill last.

Looking for a better Weber? Try the Weber Genesis E-310. Need something a little less expensive? Try the Weber Spirit E-310.

The Bottom Line

Simply put the Weber Genesis line of grills are the best you can buy in this price range and beyond. The E-310 is the most basic version of this series. The list price is $849USD but you can typically find it for around $700USD. What you get with this model is a three burner grill (available in three colors) and that's about it. Other models in this series give you a side burner or a sear burner, but if you don't need that then this is the model to buy. You won't be sorry.

Pros

Efficient heat design
Solid construction of durable parts
Weber Support

Cons

Mix grades of stainless steel
Not remarkably better than the E-Series Genesis grills
Slower preheat times

Description

Three 12,666 BTU stainless steel tubular burners
507 square inches of primary grilling space for a total cooking area of 637 square inches
38,000 BTU maximum output from the main burners
Push button electric (AA-battery) ignition
Stainless steel rod cooking grates
Constructed of cast aluminum and stainless steel (both 304 and 430 stainless)
Enclosed cabinet with internal propane tank storage and propane fuel gauge
Dual layer hood with double vaporization system for heat retention
Propane tank and cover sold separately
Made in the USA by the Weber-Stephen Products Company

Guide Review - Weber Genesis S-310 2011 Model Gas Grill

For 2011 Weber has redesigned their popular line of Genesis grills. The burners, which used to run parallel to the front of the grill, with controls on the right side table, are now run perpendicular to the front of the grill with the controls in the front. Now, after 25 years, the Weber Genesis grill is much more like all the other grills on the market, at least as far as the burner design goes. Being Weber, this wasn't a rash decision and after three years of development, the new Genesis grill is a more efficient grill. I won't go into all the details here, but what I can say is that this grill really hasn't changed the way the grill cooks.

Of course, if you are reading this you are not interested in what the Genesis used to be, but what it is now. Put simply this grill is one of the most efficient standard gas grills on the market as well as one of the best built. For the price there really isn't a better grill on the market, and while this is a basic, no frills gas grill it does what you want, it grills hot and fast, while giving you the ability to do low, indirect grilling.

To really understand the Genesis grill you need to look inside the firebox. The three burners put out only 38,000 BTUs under 507 square inches of cooking space or about 75 BTUs per square inch. While this is low when compared to other gas grills, the efficient design holds in heat, but there is a difference between holding in heat, and creating it, kind of like a car that can go 180 miles and hour, but takes 10 minutes to get there. The S-310 will get hot, it just takes too long to get there, and that means that all that efficiency is lost while you let the grill get up to temperature.

What really makes the Weber Genesis S-310 stand out is its quality. The attention to detail that takes 3 years to change the burner design can be seen in every part of this grill. This means that everything on this grill works (they actually fire up every grill before it is packaged), and since there is a 10 year warranty on virtually everything in this grill you can rely on it to last for at least a decade and I would believe longer.

This grill is basically the same as the Genesis E-310 which sells for $150USD less. What you get on this model are stainless steel body panels and lid, stainless steel rod cooking grates, and stainless steel vaporization bars. Obviously the stainless steel version isn't going to cook any better than its more colorful cousin, and in my experience this one won't last any longer than that one. If you really like the stainless steel look then you can't really lose by buying this grill. However, for the same price you can by the premium edition Genesis EP-330 in five colors and get the side and sear burners.