10 Expert-Reviewed Weber Genesis Smart Grills Worth Every Penny

“Easy build. It’s the best quality grill and most expensive I have ever purchased in 57 years of life. Thanks to my darling wife my test run and first use was for a party of 30+ people. She had Duck, Ribs, Burgers, Brats and lamb ribs on the docket. To my surprise the grill handled it. Those with cheaper older grills will need to adapt quickly. I had too. If you want seer, use the middle burner. Love it. great temperature control and there are a slew of accessories for every taste.”

“Top of the line grill, steady temp, huge cooking area”

“-Start to finish-In receiving the grill, the package was very sturdy and made to protect it.Opening the box:I was very careful when opening the box. Every part was meticulously packaged and identified. This creates a ton of waste, however easy to dispose of.Box opened and parts distributed:I made sure to open everything and take each and every piece out and lay them carefully around the floor keeping together the parts that made sense to keep together.Putting together:Had a tough time figuring out the build sequence. I did find that the BILT app on Apple and Android is probably the best with directions, however you need someone with you to guide you along the way to verify direction, part and so on. The BILT app is easy to follow and you can pinch to zoom, but has its challenges, so at times we had to close and open the app a few times.Note: BILT is found in the Play store and is identified by a square light green icon with a white bolt.My wife and I found that following the BILT directions to be the best approach and in the end, it was completed with no extra parts except for a few extra build pieces that was normal to be left over.Once completed we did validate everything which made the build a complete success. Took about 1.5 hours – 2 hours, but it was not that bad.Later/Barbecue time:We found that this grill is VERY well made and appreciated the thought put into this build. It also has a sear feature that creates a hotter area for searing steaks and other type of meat.Something to think about:-When turning on a new zone, always press the ignition button to be sure you hear that zone light.-We noticed if going to low in heat adjustment, the gas will totally turn off. Keep an eye on that.-Holding temp is a little tricky, but keeping at eye on the temp gauge is important.-Keep an eye on the grease catch as the unit default grease catch is small and can fill up pretty quick. You maybe able to purchase larger grease pans, but something to keep an eye on.-This does have a top rack, but smaller depth wise than you would think so stacking multiple racks of ribs is not possible.Overall:-Great Weber Quality as you would expect. No cutting corners from the manufacturer.-The grill looks great and the material is solid and of good quality.-All of my barbecues have been a success on this grill. No fuss, no mess, very clean and good heat retention across the board.Side notes:The two front doors are nice as well and totally protected from the elements to a degree, which is nice to avoid outside dust and materials that may blow in/around the grill.I would recommend purchasing the Weber cover recommended for this device. Pricey but really suits the device well and you will be happier.Thank you for reading this.”

“I have had an expensive DCS grill and cheap Home Depot Grills. This is the best of both worlds. It’s built solid and functions well while being reasonably priced. There are no gimmicky options, just a quality grill that does what it’s suppose to do. Heats fast, cooks evenly, and cleans up quickly. The sear zone burner is a nice feature and will help heat the grill quicker when we grill in the winter (in Michigan) Assembly was easy, but does take a few minutes. Only complaint was the fuel gage was missing. Currently customer support is sending one out. Quality item at a good price.”

“Only used once. Was very easy to use. Cooked well.The guys who delivered it and assembled it were grest”

“I bought this grill for my guy for his birthday. My thought was if he had a good grill I wouldn’t have to cook dinners very often. I also purchased the flat griddle insert. Solid grill with dual functionality. Highly recommend”

“Outstanding, professional assembly by both Tavoris Lewis and Curtis Moore. Very quickly assembled and explained what they were doing, demonstrating features of the Pit. Above and beyond. Well done and appreciated”

“Yes – this was worth it, though – in the build manual – instructions could be improved! One facet of the build I recall clearly: that they don’t warn you: the wheels w/the “brakes” go in front. OK, that’s a”Duuuh” moment – but when the grill’s upside-down, it’s not that easy to discern front + back. So, my brakes ended up in the rear (and once those wheels are set, you can’t get ’em out!)”

“So a friend kept telling me, you can get replacement parts for your grill. Finally did it. It was pretty easy to take out the old and put in the new. Now, ready for grilling season!”

“Good quality and a much better price than buying from Weber. Fairly easy to install if you follow directions step by step.”

“My 19 year old 2007 Weber Genisis 310 has a new life with these replacement aluminum grates and favorized bars. Can’t believe how clean and functional they are. I spray “Pam” on the grates and just wipe them clean after barbecuing steaks, hamburgers, and other meats. Weber is a great company with good products, but the parts needs replacing over time.”

“This was a great parts kit to buy! Easy install and my grill is back to new again.thank you!”

“We live in an apartment with a covered balcony, so propane grills are a no-go. We tried a cheaper George Foreman electric grill, but hated the amount of grease that was pooled behind on the cast iron surface, and that we couldn’t get good flavor or seal.We purchased the standard sized grill with the stand. Setup was relatively easy, although we did have a lot of issues getting the stand secured. The price of the stand seemed excessive compared to what you get. It is a standard plastic stand, and the side table that snaps on easily snaps off and falls down. For $100+, I would’ve expected something more secure and made of better material.The grill itself is amazing. The amount of cooking space and power is comparable to a tabletop propane grill. Preheating takes about 15 minutes, and it maintains its temperature throughout the cooking process. We get a beautiful sear on steaks and chicken. We’re really looking forward to trying out the steamer tray that came with the grill.Cleanup has also been very easy. You preheat the grill, and then use a grill brush (not included) to scrape any residue off the cast iron grate. Cleanup of the grease chute at the bottom of the grill is a breeze as well. I also like that the grease can be caught in a disposable aluminum tray, although I’d love to see if there are reusable options out there to be less wasteful.All and all, we are so happy with this purchase. All in, we spent over $600 for the grill and the stand. But it was well worth the price! We are getting so much use out of this grill, and we’ve so excited for summer now!”

“I was somewhat skeptical with this purchase. Overall, it had a good star rating, but was concerned about some of the negative reviews. I used to have a Weber gas grill and still have a Green Egg (still my fav). But recently moved into an apartment complex while building our new home, and electric was the only thing acceptable. I purchased the standard, not compact. First tried burgers, just to get used to the heat controls. Burgers turned out great. Then a large, thick ribeye. Took a little longer than I am used to, for the right internal temp, but turned out with a lot of flavor, nice charring on the outside. Couldn’t tell it was from an electric grill. It really does get to 600+. If it is really cold or windy, not sure if it will make it to 600+, but I was impressed. Now ribs. Heated to 550, included a smoke box, lowered to below the “low” setting, stayed at 275, Opened the lid to get it there, but it stayed in the range for 3+hrs. Ribs turned out, favorable and off the bone (once I completed the 3-1-1). Overall, I have to say this grill exceeded all my expectations. No complaints so far….it only has been a week though. I didn’t get the stand, due to all the negative reviews, and bought a different one from Amazon. Less than $100, and is sturdy and the right size and height (see pic). By the way, the regular size will fit two large slabs of ribs.”

“Love this grill. Received one 10 years ago. Replaced a few parts but decided to just buy a new one. Perfect size for a single person; even 2 will be ok. Easy to start & to keep temperature adjusted. Grates are heavy duty & very easy to clean. Love the flip down sides to keep my spices & tools. You won’t go wrong with the purchase. Be sure to pick up a dust cover as well”

“What a wonderful grill. It is a perfect size for the two of us. It doesn’t take up much space on the deck of our place. The quality and workmanship is outstanding compared to other portable grills I looked at. The grill is easy to clean and heats up quickly. It is well worth the price.”

“Fits on the grill perfectly and great for morning breakfast in the backyard. This is a very sturdy and will built griddle and I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. Well done Weber!”

“Rather than buying a new griddle to cook on, use the great Weber grill you already have! This way you can use it either as a grill and griddle at the same time, or just use the grill as is. It is very well made, heavy and suitable for cooking on your grill.I do recommend this product.”

“First off, I have to tell you that this is the first grill I have ever used. As a single woman, I was never interested in grilling until I bought a house two years ago and built a deck in the backyard. With all that outdoor space to enjoy, I just knew I needed a grill for entertaining (and feeding) family and friends. I thought I might buy a grill and just let my dad or brother handle the grilling, but much to my surprise I really got into it and loved grilling hamburgers and hot dogs on this Weber kettle grill for my first backyard party just yesterday!I did a lot of research prior to purchasing this grill from Amazon. I chose a charcoal grill over propane because I didn’t want to deal with propane tanks (a friend had his grill go up in flames because of a loose hose and nearly burned his house down–No thank you!), I like the taste and smell from charcoal grills more, and most importantly because of the cost. It was less expensive to get a nice charcoal grill like this one than to get an equally nice propane grill. The entry cost into grilling was more reasonable with a charcoal grill. This freed up funds to get some important accessories, which I recommend to anyone buying this grill: a chimney starter, grilling tools like tongs, fork, etc, a steel brush to clean the grates, the Weber Fire starter cubes, and some heavy duty mitts to protect your hands and forearms while grilling. I purchased all these from Amazon at the same time I purchased the grill.As for choosing a which charcoal grill to get, I chose this model over the lesser expensive model because of the ash catcher, and I’m glad I did.The grill arrived in its original box and was easy to put together on my own, with the exception of attaching the ash catcher itself. But I just kept trying (and referring to the picture-only instructions) and eventually got it. It was put together in about 40 minutes, and that was putting it together myself.One of the best things I did was lookup videos online about this grill to see how it was used and put together. I learned about closing the vents on the lid and on the bottom to reduce heat, and how to quickly get the charcoal ready for grilling by using a chimney starter and Weber Fire Starter cubes (which I highly recommend getting).As my brother and dad arrived to my house yesterday for our Memorial Day BBQ, each were skeptical about this charcoal grill because they have propane grills at home and like the convenience of them. “It will take an hour to get to coals ready,” said my brother. “Those burgers are way too thick to cook through. They’ll be raw in the middle,” said my dad.Both were surprised when the charcoal was ready within about 20 minutes using the chimney! And after getting some nice grill marks on both sides of the burgers, I put the lid on and closed the vents to let them finish cooking the middle of the burgers in a lower heat. The burgers turned out perfectly! The best compliment was Dad and others asking me how I grilled these thick burgers so well without burning them to dust. LOL! It’s all in the vents! And I think investing in an awesome grill helped, too.My brother and dad both were asking about the grill by the end of the party. I think they might be considering trading in their propane grills for their own Weber kettle grills soon. ;)Lastly, just a bit of advice to any amateur grill masters like myself out there… Do yourself a favor and start out with this grill. All of the excellent reviews tell you that it’s a good grill. The fact that so many experienced backyard chefs keep returning to their Weber kettle grills is very telling. Also, be sure to look up recipes at YouTube. I searched for “hamburger on charcoal grill” and found lots of videos with great advice on getting perfect burgers. And bonus! Nearly all of the people in the videos were using a Weber kettle grill. :)”

“The media could not be loaded. I was brand new to charcoal grills, but I love the taste and was ready to make the commitment. I did all the research before buying the premium and I would love to share my findings so you don’t also have to dedicate hours to go back and forth between the basic and premium options!Yes, I love the premium and think it was the best investment after using it! Also, I have it down pat where we can have a warm grill ready in 10 minutes (20 if you’re fighting a Midwest -5 degree winter day).This is all the information I gathered from tons of forums, grill YouTubers (also discovered that’s a popular topic), books and websites:The differences between the basic and premium Weber kettle grill:1. Price: the premium runs about $702. Ash catcher: the premium has an ENCLOSED ash catcher (the cylinder on the bottom). So the ash is collected into the catcher meaning the wind can’t blow it around and it makes removal easier. Something to consider if you also wear your best grilling flip flops/sandals like me (probably not recommended by Weber). On the basic, the ash is dropped onto the plate lower on the grill, leaving a lot of room for a mess, ash spreading, dog licking etc.3. Thermometer on the lid- the premium comes with this built in. we genuinely don’t use this much besides eyeballing it when the kid is closed to see if the grill has any drastic temp changes; to gauge temp I watch the charcoal color and use probes in the actual meat. So this wasn’t a deal breaker for me and I would not buy the upgraded version of this was the only difference, but it is a feature.4. Hinging grate- on the premium, there are two hinges to allow you to open part of the grate while grilling to adjust/add charcoal. I actually do use this a decent amount. The grate on the basic is a full circle with no hinges so you have to remove the whole grate, which is not ideal.Additional accessories I purchased to have the most success that add to the cost of getting started:1. **charcoal CHIMENY**- gets the charcoal started2. A good lighter3. Grill cover4. Meat thermometer probes (with a wireless probe so I could keep track of the temp from inside and not have to keep opening the lid)5. A grilling book (not necessary but I have one that taught me how to set up the zones, cooking time, etc. it was used and $5 so not a big money commitment6. Lump charcoal- I prefer this over the brick charcoal as I think it gets hotter quicker, but is more expensive! Bricks worked fine too!7. Metal free grill brush- a family friend ingested a metal grill brush bristle so those are officially banned.I find the 22” size to be perfect. Due to being able to spread the charcoal out or move it together, I am able to grill enough for just a meal for my family of 4 or enough to prep meat for 5 meals for 4 for the week.I was so pleasantly surprised at how attainable and quick charcoal grilling can be! My family commented on how amazed they were at how quick the grill got started and the charcoal taste. Overall the premium was worth the additional cost, especially for the ash catcher so my grilling sandals and dog’s nose are protected-which might just be my top “AMERICA” sentence of the year (so far)”