I am going to buy a new gas BBQ. I have it down to two models: a KitchenAid at CostCo, which is $700, and a Weber, which I will have to special order, for $1900.
Basically, I want 4 burners. An infrared/high heat sear burner on the grill, and a rotisserie burner on the back of the grill. Plus the rotisserie.
I have had a similar KitchenAid in the past. I liked some things about it, but some things didn’t last (like the lighter). I have had a smaller Weber in the past. I like the quality somewhat better and I know I can get the parts to repair it, which will happen. Is that worth almost 3 times the price? Or should I just figure that both will have issues, and go for the cheaper one?
Any of you have any opinions on this very important question? KitchenAid or Weber? Any other brands I should consider?
I have an opinion: charcoal is much better than gas. If you wanna cook with gas, fine, but it’s not grilling. Opinions are validated by taste.:dubious:;):smack:
I have a Weber Summit. Dunno, I grew up on the “fact” that Weber was the best. We have natural gas, and I got this basic 3 burner grill at Home Depot fully assembled.
Man, I love the natural gas piped from my house. (I also have the Weber kettle grill for when coals are a must). But the ability to turn a switch and be grilling almost instantly is pretty nice even though I grew up building fires.
When I got my Weber Summit home, the lighter quit working pretty quickly. I called customer service and it took about 30 seconds to get to “it’s not working? you’re in warranty and I’m shipping a replacement out today.”
I just replaced a 16 year old 3 burner Weber with a 4 burner Weber Genesis 410SE. It does not have a rotisserie or an infrared burner, but I I didn’t want to pay the money to step up to the higher model.
It’s also my secondary applicance as I have a Traeger pellet smoker as my main meat maker
After breathing charcoal dust for awhile, the brain synapses start to fail. Charcoal fanatics start to rant and rave and howl at the moon. More than normal, I mean.
Thanks for the comments. I actually prefer gas to charcoal. I like being able to regulate the temperature, not fuss with lighting it, cook easily in all weather. It’s just my preference.
I’m seeing Weber mentions here. Has anyone used their instant sear mode, which they’re now offering instead of the infrared on the bottom?
I’d probably get another Weber based on having owned a basic Weber grill for what must be at least 15 years now, and it’s still going strong with the original burners. It was a good deal more expensive than comparable grills with similar features, but worth it in the long run. But the price difference you’re looking at here is huge, so the KitchenAid might be worth a close look – they certainly have a good reputation in kitchen appliances. Personally I wouldn’t buy a grill as expensive as the Weber you quoted. Why don’t you consider a smaller, cheaper Weber without some of the fancy features – pay less and get fewer things to break? Ultimately all you really need is a grill surface with fire underneath and a good system for managing the drippings, enclosed in something that’s durable and easy to maintain, and in my experience Webers excel at all of those basics.
A somewhat unrelated comment. I read a news item about potential hazards from steel grill-scrubbing brushes because the needle-like bristles can sometimes become dislodged and end up on your food and thence in your throat. I kept meaning to replace my brush but didn’t get around to it until one day I saw a little glistening something on a mushroom on my plate, and lo and behold it was a steel bristle!! I was off to Home Depot the next day. I now have a BBQ brush that uses a stainless steel mesh, similar to a kitchen pot scrubber. It works very well and it looks unlikely that anything hazardous can break off.
16 years of Canadian winters, we were on our second set of grills and burners. Unfortunately the burners rusted through again this winter, but so had the mounts so it was not salvageable.
I think it outlasted cheaper BBQs on a $/year basis.
For cleaning, my wife just picked up what looks like a short flat bottomed canoe paddle. You get the grill got and then scrub it with the paddle. The grill burns grooves in the paddle as you use it which helps to clean between the rows.
I have a Weber Spirit that’s been a great grill, but I also have KitchenAid appliances that I like. So basically I have nothing to offer, but at least I’m not recommendshitting charcoal.
