So the time has come and after years of debate, I am gonna finally get a nice grill for myself. Been researching the Weber grills and almost got a Spirit though have read the Genesis II models are a decent amount better. I have a couple questions for those in the know.

1. I kinda want stainless grates and flavorizer bars over the coated cast iron variant. Is one preferred over another?

2. Why are some of the near $900 grills saying they have a body made of (some including lid) of cast aluminum? I thought they were all stainless steel construction? Is cast Aluminum good enough? Isn’t aluminum harmful around food that’s why foil is always said not to cook on.


I am looking at the Genesis II e-315 specifically in the deep ocean blue color as offered through my local True Value/Do it best center. To me it’s a nice looking grill that’s different than all the black and stainless ones out there. Not sure if it will be more prone to paint peeling issues though???

Thanks guys for your help as usual. Thanks!

The food isn't touching the grill lid or body, so cast aluminium is fine. The blue part of the lid is porcelain enamel and will outlast every other part of the grill provided you don't hit it with a hammer or brick. The gray parts of the lid are painted and might need some touch up in 7-10 years.

I've had both types of flavorizer bars. Both lasted the same amount of time, so the third set was the porcelain enamel because the were half the price. 3 of the 5 are over burners and stay clean. The other 2 get gunked up, so I rotate them every once in awhile.

I want to like the porcelain coated cast iron, but went through two sets before switching to the SS. The second of the porcelain coated cast iron I took care of by the book and they still rusted causing the porcelain to flake off and get into what was being grilled. This grill was stored covered outside in Florida 100 feet from Charlotte Harbor. As far as cooking when new, the porcelain coated cast iron are fantastic, just make sure they are flat side up. They sear amazing.

Switch to Grill Grates and all your problems will be solved.
The grill Grates under sides make a great griddle. Easy to get a nice Mallard Reaction. The other side is great for sausage, ribs, etc.

Expensive but worth it. Very versatile.
Sorry if I didn’t answer your questions. Just think about what you really want.

I have a Genesis S-330 that is now 6 years old. The S/S grates are still perfect, the cabinet is starting to rust a little here and there.....I live less than 1/2 a mile from the beach.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
I want to like the porcelain coated cast iron, but went through two sets before switching to the SS. The second of the porcelain coated cast iron I took care of by the book and they still rusted causing the porcelain to flake off and get into what was being grilled.

I had the same issue with the porcelain coated cast iron. I tried to keep them seasoned and oiled up but they still flaked and rusted. Like Sigfest, I went with a set of Grill Grates and have been happy with them. The gas Weber rarely gets used anymore since I got my KJ, however, the Grill Grates are still in great shape. If I had the cast iron grates in there now, they'd be in pretty rough shape.

All right I’m gonna get it then. Thanks for the info.

Before you jump on Weber check out Napoleon grills. I just got the Prestige 500 and I love it.

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Originally posted by frayedends:
Before you jump on Weber check out Napoleon grills. I just got the Prestige 500 and I love it.

I went from a Weber Genesis to a Napoleon also

Both company’s make a great grill. Weber’s customer service is probably a notch better

I went Napoleon because they disclosed what grade stainless steel they use. Weber just told me “a proprietary blend”. I live in a harsh salt air environment and used those statements to my questions as a deciding factor (granted it eq as already a 12-15yrs old, flawless the entire time). The salt air destroyed my previous Weber in a few years of open exposure. I’d still not hesitate to buy another Weber

quote:

Originally posted by snwghst:

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
Before you jump on Weber check out Napoleon grills. I just got the Prestige 500 and I love it.

I went from a Weber Genesis to a Napoleon also

Both company’s make a great grill. Weber’s customer service is probably a notch better

I went Napoleon because they disclosed what grade stainless steel they use. Weber just told me “a proprietary blend”. I live in a harsh salt air environment and used those statements to my questions as a deciding factor (granted it eq as already a 12-15yrs old, flawless the entire time). The salt air destroyed my previous Weber in a few years of open exposure. I’d still not hesitate to buy another Weber

You can also do the magnet test. A magnet will stick to lower grades of stainless that are more prone to rusting. A magnet won't stick to the better grades.

quote:

I want to like the porcelain coated cast iron, but went through two sets before switching to the SS. The second of the porcelain coated cast iron I took care of by the book and they still rusted causing the porcelain to flake off and get into what was being grilled. This grill was stored covered outside in Florida 100 feet from Charlotte Harbor. As far as cooking when new, the porcelain coated cast iron are fantastic, just make sure they are flat side up. They sear amazing.

I'm pretty sure they are warrantied for 5 or 10 years. After my first set was trash, I called Weber to get part number for SS ones. They said don't bother and sent me new ones at no charge. Once those ones rusted I went and bought SS ones. I ended up going with no name ones from Amazon for three reasons, one they actually had better reviews than the Weber brand, two they had thicker bars with smaller spacing between them, and lastly they were less expensive.

Just rolled my Webber 330 to the street, cabinet base rusted up big time, the grill grates, cover, lid, controls held up well but the base material fell apart after 5 years. Coating chipped and rust formed, front door hinges rusted through, door fell off. This was kept covered on the patio. Cost to replace the lower panels was close to $800.

If you are a Costco member they have a full stainless 3 burner with sear Webber for $999 it shows $1169 online, but it was $999 in our store.

Link

Ya, my cabinet is rusting beyond repair, but I’ve had it 12 years. I’d get the non-cabinet version they make now. My dad has a Spirit II E-210 and the steel frame is fairly robust. It’ll be easy to spot any issues and remedy them before they get out of hand. An all SS one would be nice, but at that price point I start looking at other options like pellet grills and such.

I’m going to make something to replace my cabinet when I get back to Florida because the rest of the grill is fine.

I did the same thing and finally upgraded my grill to a Weber S-240 a couple of years ago. After research I found that Weber essentially makes four different propane lines based on your budget and requirements.

- Spirit is the budget version, made overseas with light duty parts.
- Genesis II E Line is the middle line, made overseas, needs assembly, made with less durable parts and does not include side burner.
- Genesis II S Line is upper middle line, all-stainless, made in USA, mostly pre-assembled, includes side burner and tank scale.
- Summit is top of the line, made in USA, with all the options including rotisserie and searing station.

I like the longevity and low-maintenance of the stainless grates and flavorizer bars. Even with searing they will be discolor but they won't fall apart like others I've seen. The only portion that is cast aluminum are the sides of the top. It is double-walled and very solid feeling so I suspect they used aluminum to reduce the lifting weight. Cooking on foil will burn and thus get into the food. This should not be an issue on this grill. Their paint is durable and mine still looks new after a few years. However, I cannot comment if painted tops will have any problems.

Weber makes good products and has a good reputation. I decided to buy mine after many positive reviews here.

quote:

Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:

Isn’t aluminum harmful around food

Huh?

You never cooked anything in a foil pan? Don't own any aluminum pots or pans?

The Weber is aluminum alloy and I'm sure they know it's food safe.

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Originally posted by PASig:

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Originally posted by LincolnSixEcho:

Isn’t aluminum harmful around food

Huh?

One, some people maybe concerned with a potential link between aluminium and Alzheimer’s. Cooking on bare aluminium can leach aluminium into the food. I’m not at all concerned, but there are people out there that are.

Two, cooking certain foods, especially acidic ones, can change the flavor of the food.

Neither are a concern with a grill as none of the food being cooked is in direct contact with the aluminium parts of the grill.

quote:

Two, cooking certain foods, especially acidic ones, can change the flavor of the food.

Neither are a concern with a grill as none of the food being cooked is in direct contact with the aluminium parts of the grill.

You don't cook on aluminum. The grates are either SS or porcelain coated cast iron. There are after market grates that are uncoated cast iron. The aluminum never touches the food. I'm not sure exactly what the OEM metallurgical make up of the Flavorizer bars. Some sort of alloy, but there are SS versions if that sort of thing concerns you. I've had both and the SS gets just as dirty as the OEMs.

I will say this though, the SS they use on the outside parts (trays etc) is pretty weak SS. Magnets stick to it, and you might get a rust spot or two which are easily removed with metal polish. I've never worried much about it.

I'll add a bit of experience with grates:

The coated cast iron are the easiest to keep clean. Cook with the flat side up and occasional clean up by heating the grill to the max, the spraying water on the grate and brushing results in a very clean grill

SS I've found to be difficult to clean. Since they are so thin, the water treatment doesn't work very well. I can clean them but they are still always black.

I tried Grill Grates and although I liked the way they cooked, they are a real bitch to keep clean. My wife is pretty picky and said, "your not going to put this nice food on those" I even took them off and power washed them and they still look very dirty. We grill at least 4 days a week, usually more and I don't want to commit that much time to maintenance.

I have owned my Weber Geneses ll gas grill for 26 years......and it gets used a lot!! Just this year, I had to replace the flavor bars. Sometime in the future, I will likely replace the porcelain coated grill bars......likely with the same type. I have ZERO complaints about my grill.....it is not the cabinet type.

quote:

So the time has come and after years of debate, I am gonna finally get a nice grill for myself. Been researching the Weber grills and almost got a Spirit though have read the Genesis II models are a decent amount better. I have a couple questions for those in the know.

Are you set on propane? I agree Webber Genesis are good, but have you considered switching to lump charcoal grill.

When I went into Costco for the Webber, they were out of stock, good deal, next to it they had two Louisiana Grill (BGE) style, under $700, includes the side panels and stand. The web page shows out of stock but check the local stores.

Smokn' Deal Link



Bought the BGW X-Large table at Ace, they assemble and deliver, so far it beats Propane IMO.

Komodo Joe now makes a propane insert.

When my webber dies I will try one of those.

https://komodokamado.com/products/gas-burner-assembly