Hi all
I am looking at getting a fully decked out weber setup to cook for a family of 4, and a few more should the occasion arise. It would be used primarily for grilling.
But is gas better than electric? What add ons are must haves? Do you use silicone or metal utensils? Etc etc.
Cheers
Is this market research for Weber? Find out what the focus group knows etc…
Shit no, I am just sick of my shitty Jumbuck turd and I reckon if am gonna upgrade might as well go all out.
Pizza stone is an essential!!
I would say that if you have a decent gas oven, the pizza stone is not essential (unless the poster is on a charcoal weber or something). The time it takes to heat the BBQ and then cook the pizzas you could have done 3 or 4 pizzas in my gas oven by then (and they come out great).
The only reason I could see me using the pizza stone again is if I want make a pizzas with kids or be social while making pizzas and kind of churn them out slowly over a night. But a gas oven can achieve the same thing.
I have a family Q (for a family of 4) don't get anything smaller. The breakfast plate thing is a must, so is a cover, the roast rack is also good but not essential. All the other stuff can really be bought as third party accessories (I have a lot of the weber branded stuff and they aren't worth the premium). Although I am super keen on getting some weber BBQ mitts that they have. Handy for being able to switch out places half way through a cook (or if you forget to change them before you warmed up the BBQ!)
Also wait for a 20% off sale at Rays.
You know Rays has been bought out by macpac right?
I don't think they sell 3rd party products anymore.
The time it takes to heat the BBQ and then cook the pizzas you could have done 3 or 4 pizzas in my gas oven by then (and they come out great).
They don't take that much longer. While you heat up the stone you can make the pizza. You need to roll out the dough, put the toppings on, etc.
Rays & Macpac are both owned by super retail group
My oven is super quick and will get a lot hotter than a Weber. Weber takes probably about 20 minutes to heat, and then about 16-18 minutes per pizza and that is for a pizza that is not heavily stacked. My oven is ready to go in less than 15 minutes, cooks a pizza 10 minutes for the first then about 8 minutes per every other pizza.
I guess the benefit of having the weber though is that you can cook a pizza outside on that thing and give yourself time to cook other things inside in the oven at the same time!
Recently got the Weber from an authorised dealer for the Weber Q with the thermometer gauge in the hood.
I added on the following extras.
I found the following were useful:
1) the Weber iGrill 2 really useful for remotely monitoring roasts
2) the patio cart for mobility
3) the grill brush + scraper for cleaning
4) handle light for night visibility
These I got but not too useful
1) Grill pan
2) Smoker box
Returned (not used)
1) Frypans - because they were teflon coated
Webers website is down so I cant really get any examples. Dont bother with the Weber Q series if youre looking at entertaining, or cooking a decent amount of meat. Definitely go 4 burner at least if you can stretch your budget. Theyre great BBQs to cook with. My BIL has one and will definitely be looking to get one when I can afford one. Metal tools a definite for me though.
The wire cleaning brush I find essential, but you don't need the Weber branded one, something like this one from Bunnings is fine. Always scrub the BBQ at the end of cooking while it is still hot, with water, while your meat is resting. Makes cleanup so easy.
Also remember the Webers are "lid down" cooking, even if you are grilling steaks.
We have the Baby Q which is fine for 3-4 people but pushing it for any more (or cook in batches).
About how many snags could you do at one time on a baby Q if 1 half is grill and the other half is an insert for say doing onions?
I reckon about 6 cheapo snags. Or 4 decent ones. It really doesn't leave a lot of room to close the lid or for anything else.
I thought my Family Q would be massive, but if I could say 8 meat kebab sticks and grill some veges with that (like eggplant, capsicum zucchini, which all taste awesome on the Weber btw) it fills all the surface area. That'll feed four, but not four hungry blokes.
Charcoal > Coal > Gas > Electric
Utensils - anything that isn't flimsy stamped sheet metal will do fine.
Cooking time is also in that order.
Potentially taste too tho.
Gas cooking time is longer than electric??
Is on a weber. If I use my sandwich press to cook snags they are done in no time! ;)
Jeez, now you've started it!
Do you want just gas or electric? If you're not considering charcoal then go with gas (unless you're living somewhere for some reason has, or can make an objection to you using a gas BBQ).
If you're going gas the you need to choose between Summit, Spirit or Genesis. IMO Genesis is probably the sweet spot but all are capable.
Q's are ok too, but you're looking at a different grilling experience (mainly trading off heat for a very nice, compact, efficient, good looking package, unless you going the Family Q which delivers a bit more heat).
Why not go a charcoal kettle for occasion cooking and a Baby Q or 200 series for quick more often cooking?
I got a charcoal kettle is use for picnics, smoke out the area good. I am after something pretty much for home, since another poster indicated baby Q's are good for about 4 decent snags and a bit of onion.
Preference would be gas but if electric works out more compact and space efficient i'd go for that.
Seriously, having used a baby Q and a family Q, unless space is an issue, just go the family Q. I've been put out enough times by a baby Q that I think the extra investment is worth it if you are use to cooking for parties etc. If it is just going to be yourself, or yourself and another person a lot, just go the baby q I guess.
Charcoal 100% otherwise it is just cooking outside
A lot of people say wood smokers are the best if you can run them where you are.
We got a Weber Genesis (the mid range one that was the cheapest US made model). I had been campaigning for 18 months for one but my hubby thought I was bonkers with the price.
Now he can't stand any other BBQ. And this is an older model too. It is all close to the charcoal experience you can get. We've stuffed up cooking times and overcooked fish or chicken is still tender. I can easily get it to 400degC for pizza. Roasts are the bomb in there. And it's still going strong. We use it like 4-5 times a week.
Just make sure you follow the instructions regarding keeping the hood down - it does make a difference.
Is this market research for Weber? Find out what the focus group knows etc…
If not, I have a friend who's a Weber devotee. He uses gas and metal utensils, but IDK about add-ons. I think there's a 'premium' type of Weber that is sold only at certain licensed places. Weber's ain't Weber's apparently.