In my opinion, the grates do not get hot enough for grill marks to happen. I have previously owned three fantastic Weber barbecues, one Weber Q and two of the previous Genesis with sear station. My last unit was damaged in a storm and needed replacement. It had no sear station, but the three burners were more powerful and that this unit would grill as well as the sear station model.
For me, the flavorized bars made a huge difference, as I love foods with a hint of smoky flavor. If you don’t know what this is, it essentially infuses your food with a smoky flavor that is often lost with liquid propane. The three burners can be altered to different temperatures.
The lids feel heavy and sturdy, the handles strong and secure. To my eye, the lids appear just a short and squat in-person as they do in photos. A member of The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board reports that the grate to lid height is 1″ shorter than 2016 models. Perhaps it’s a optical illusion, but it sure seems shorter weber genesis 2 than that. If steaks and chops worthy of Instagram are your thing, you’ll want the sear grill, with the sought-after diamond pattern built-in for no-fail grill marks. Weber has a deservedly good reputation for backing up their products (10-year warranty — hello!) and offering support to their customers.
If you’re a DIY problem-solver, head to their website and download the manual and schematics for a start. If that doesn’t help, review the FAQ section to see if someone else had, and solved a similar problem. By the way, Weber has installed bug screens over the ends of the burner tubes to prevent unwanted guests from taking up residence. Weber sells its own line of thermometers, the current iteration being the iGrill 3.
The Weber Genesis II 335 is another excellent grill in a long time of top-end Weber Grills. Read our Weber Q3200 review for another great gas option but do note it is natural gas only, not propane. I reviewed a grill in the LX series, which comes with a few more BTUs of heat and some additional bells and whistles. You can find similar features in other grills or buy them as after-market add-ons, but having them built into the model is a nice touch.
That same high setting and preheat time on the Char-Broil SmartChef Tru-Infrared yielded an internal temp of 457.4 degrees. Likewise, medium power on the Genesis, especially cooking with indirect heat, was much cooler than I expected. This resulted in unacceptably long cooking times even when all its burner knob markings were parked dead center of its dial.
Weber’s leaning in that general direction with High+, but the burners are almost six inches from the top of the grill grate, which is simply too far away to get a hard sear. I could get a better, more even sear in my cast-iron pan sitting on the grill’s side burner. I found a sweet spot after a few minutes with half power on the left burner and a trickle in the center, which seemed acceptable considering the wind. I nudged up the heat, trying to get up to a steady 325 degrees on the indirect side, but it needed constant adjustment to get anywhere close to consistent temperature.
When we couldn’t light it a week ago I rang Weber who offered to send us an igniter, and when I said we could fix it ourselves said someone will contact us in 7 to 10 days. If this is after sales service for warranty fix, not impressed at all. The Genesis II 4 burner is flawed by design is severely under powered for grilling even with the lid down. Currently we offer FREE FedEx/UPS small package Ground shipping and FREE ABF/YRC freight ground shipping on most orders of $199 or more within the 48 contiguous states.
The Spirit and Genesis series of grills now feature modern updates with new features being added every couple years. Both lines now offer the Smart Grill Weber CONNECT system that allows you to set a temperature digitally, or control the grill from your smart phone app. While the Spirit and Genesis II series of grills are some of the most popular portable bbq Weber products, there are certain similarities and differences that you need to be aware of. The Spirit series of grills are the more simple, and value-oriented line that can be a great choice for beginner grillers. The Genesis line, on the other hand, has more premium offerings that bundle in extra features with greater quality and durability.
Being my first Weber it’s a little hard to get used preheating and lid down cooking, however results are great. Only downside is it’s a bit hard to keep clean due to the draining system and steaks are a bit harder to cook than on a normal bbq. If you think gas grilling no longer has anything to offer, and you’re considering giving it up, you may want to think again.