The Big DHC Barbecue Thread :)

[Nuje]

Good to know, MarcP. The burners on my 6-year-old BroilKing are pretty much done as well. I was just going to go out and buy replacements, but if there's a chance I can get BK (OMC, I think is the parent company) to replace them for me, I'll try that route first.

How did you contact them? What info did they need from you besides the model of the your BK?

[MarcP]

I used the following URL to file a warranty claim:

http://www.broilkingbbq.com/warranty.html

The collector box holding the burners together crumble to pieces when I opened it to replace the burners. I contacted Onward (the manufacturer of Broil King) and they sent me a new collector box for free, but I had to pay shipping on that one.

[Nighthawk 1]

A few years ago after reading countless reviews etc...I finally purchased the Weber Silver B. This was just before they came out with their latest models. From the get go, the middle burner never did light properly, the first burner fires right up, then the second one sits until enough propane has accumulated then with a small "woosh" it catches. The third one is fine as well. I contacted Weber as I didn't consider this very safe and they described for me to go and undo some pieces and make sure everything was aligned properly. I did and it made no difference. After all I read about their customer service I wasn't impressed (could be that the canadian service doesn't compare to the US?) To this day it still does the same thing so I am very careful about it.

A few other things, the warming grill at the back completely rusted out in fairly short order. I also had purchased a rotisserie and assumed the rod would be stainless, not so, that also rusted. After all this I think I would consider looking for another brand.

[hamstercaster]

NightHawk, I'm a bit surprised by your experience with Weber. I have a 4 or 5 years old Weber Genesis and it still looks brand new. I also have that little problem you described with the middle burner taking a bit longer to ignite but it doesn't bother me and I don't think it is a hazard of any kind either. I light the front burner first followed by the bark burner and finally the middle burner. It takes maybe 5 to 10 seconds to ignite and there is indeed a little "woosh" but nothing to burn eyebrows or anything. The flame doesn't even go up to the grates with that little "woosh". My warming grid at the back does not have any rust whatsoever on mine and that's with forgetting to close the lid on rainy days.

I have recently purchased the rotisserie for it and I don't have any problems with it rusting either. From the few people I know that have dealt with Weber regarding warranty service, they've all been satisfied. Same with the performance of the grill. You may want to give them another call and speak to someone else and see what happens.

When I purchased my Weber, I had be researching grills for a while, reading reviews and finally bit the bullet and paid a premium for that grill but I have no regrets whatsoever.

[mr weather]

I'm surprised too because we've had our Weber Genesis Silver B since 2001 and it works as well today as it did the day we first fired it up. I did a lot of research and at the time it consistently came out near the top even considering its $700+ price tag. I've only done two things to it over the years: clean out the burners and replaced the propane tank (both last year).

Unless it's the case that the quality has been going downhill over the past few years?

[audacity]

I have a Weber Summit S-420 (the propane version) and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

I guess the only negative is moving the box after you purchase it - it's really heavy. It's about twice the weight of most grills with similar dimensions. It takes 3 people to get it out of the box.

The thing is a tank. Solid construction. There isn't much to assemble because it comes as one big unit. Most of it is welded together - you only need to attach the side table thingys and put the stainless steel cooking grids and "flavorizer bars" on it.

The gague/scale that measures how much propane you have is neat.

And the cooked food is delicious.

[Nighthawk 1]

I don't doubt the good reviews on the Weber, that's why I purchased the Silver B model. As mentioned though, I originally phoned the US customer service, who then directed me to the Canadian one. They were not very helpful. I phoned them back a few times and no better after I tried the first set of directions and there was no improvement. The slow lighting of the middle burner I don't think is a safe thing to have happening. Sometimes when I open the burner it is so long before it lights I actually turn everything off again. In high school one of my classmates had facial burns from an improperly lighting bbq so I tend to be careful with this issue. I've even tried lighting the front, then rear, then middle hoping the flames from the others would light the middle sooner. Doesn't appear to make a whole lot of difference. The corrosion issue was surprising. When I received my grill, I swapped out as much as I could for stainless then was so disappointed with the warming grill and especially the rotisserie due to the price I paid for it. It is unusable now as who wants to skewer their best cut of meat with a rusty rod.

The one other thing I didn't really pay attention to when purchasing was the arrangement of the 3 burners. Most other models have them left middle right, whereas the grill I purchased had them front to back--which really makes no sense. I think the recent Weber models now have a more traditional arrangement.

[redzone]

i dont mind the front to back. makes indirect cooking super easy.

Sounds like you think thees a safety concern when one isnt there. If the flames dont go above the grills i dont see how you could ever get burnt.

the warming rack is random though. they should of replaced it for free if it was in the first year.

[audacity]

Well, I think it makes sense to criticize Weber when they make mistakes (customer service mistakes or design mistakes), and my positive review of the S-420 is no way implying that all of Weber's products are outstanding. I can only speak for the particular product(s) I have personally used.

Most companies in most industries have examples of both outstanding products and duds. That said, companies have a "batting average" and I'm pretty sure you cannot achieve the reputation that Weber has without having a really high batting average.

I'm sorry to hear that you've had a bad customer experience Nighthawk, perhaps it would be worth sending them your story on their "contact us" page and see if they can make things right.

[hamstercaster]

My Weber's burners are front to back and I believe they changed that configuration the following year. I like it front to back and it's been working well for me. I have to admit that I have never owned a three burner bbq that had the burners from left to right though so I can't really compare. I agree that a company even as good as Weber can be criticized from time to time when it's well deserved.

[Jake]

Well 57 I went with an old-school recycling approach to the problem of the heat shields. I purchased a grate for $27 and recycled my ceramic BBQ tiles I had from a few years ago. The heat shields were going to be considerably more expensive and I bet the 3/8" tiles will perform better than the 1/16 inch steel.

[asd]

Mrs. ASD likes a Kamado, a Japanese style ceramic pot that uses charcoal, now called a green egg, for smoking, and a Vermont Castings Signature series for cooking steaks, chops, and whatever the hounds bring in.

A big wind storm in December 2010 brought down a pine on our trusty Calgary vintage Vermont Castings work horse but insurance got us a new one last spring that works fine too. In cold winter places like Ottawa, Winnipeg and Calgary you need an insulated BBQ in winter but here the issue is just snow so we use the cover. I will advise Mrs ASD about heat and humidity as 57 has me thinking TO and the Valley present different BBQ issues.

BTW, just kidding about the hounds but a greyhound here, not one of my 3, killed a cock pheasant recently on her own -- flushed it and pounced, game over. Some train gun dogs for upland birds but greyhounds simply do the job without wasting shot. Greyhounds good for dispatching coyotes and deer too but coyotes not so good on the Barbie.

We use the BBQ when we're in the Valley, regardless of the season, and I say a good one like a Vermont Castings or Weber is worth the price, if you keep it maintained and the trees off it. If it starts at 3 feet high it should stay that way.

My favorite on the BBQ is scallops and Atlantic salmon.

[57]

Jake, I put some of those ceramic tiles on top of my flavourizer bars a few years ago. The flavourizer bars work so well that it's tricky to get "flareups" on the Weber, which I sometimes want when grilling hamburgers or steaks. (I know about the nitrates, but I only flare a bit for flavour, which is almost impossible with the regular bars since the grease doesn't stick)

[asd]

57, I'd love to see you flare a bit

[Jake]

Well my test today went well. I put some sausages (the long thick and greasy ones from Costco) on the warming grate where they slowly cooked and browned. It certainly seems to be working well with few flare-ups. These guys are notorious for spurting lots of fat.