I caved.
I have a gas grill.
It’s a Weber Genesis E-330. It’s pretty cool.
I’ve actually had it for a few months (it was a birthday present from my Mom. Thanx, Mom!). The thing is, I really don’t like nor want a gas grill. I prefer fire, charcoal, wood. But with all the droughts and burn bans we have in Central Texas (with no sign of it getting better), I just do not feel right about burning. Sure they say it’s legal and fine to do, but I see how embers escape. I see how they can easily drift through the air, carrying and landing far away. You can be all the careful you want, but shit happens. I just don’t want to risk it.
But gas? I can do that. It’ll work.
It took me a lot of looking and researching, and in the end I didn’t want the Weber because I thought it too costly for a first gas grill… but I realized that anything less just wouldn’t leave me satisfied. That they don’t get hot enough, that they burn out within a couple years, one shortcoming or another.
So far tho, it’s been a lot of fun.
I love the heavy cast-iron grates. I love how it gets wicked hot in there. I love searing venison steaks or beef steaks. A nice little technique of the hot “sear zone” side is cranked up but the right half of the grill is on medium. Then a simple routine of hot zone side 1, flip, then move to warm zone, flip. Each zone/flip for a couple minutes depending how thick the meat is. Works out quite nice.
I even did beer can chicken this past weekend. First time in my life for doing that. Yes I know, I’m horribly remiss. I’ve wanted to do it numerous times, but didn’t for some reason or other. Finally got to doing it, and it turned out great.
Yes, I love the steady heat. Yes I love how hot it gets. Yes I love how little waste of fuel there is. Yes I love the quick start up, and the easy clean up. Yes I love the steady and easily controllable heat. It’s really got a lot of pluses.
But I really hate the lack of smoke. Yes Hank Hill… taste the meat, not the heat. But damnit, I like the heat!
I’ve tried putting wood chips into the foil pouch and putting that onto the “favor-izer” bars… but it doesn’t work unless the burners are cranked up, which wasn’t possible if I wanted to get the right temperature for the chicken.
Maybe there’s a better way… maybe there’s another way. If you have suggestions, I’m all ears.
While a gas grill is not my first choice, I have to admit it’s growing on me.
Stuff From Hsoi 
Can’t help with the smoke problem, though I have to agree there’s nothing that tastes quite like meat done over charcol or wood. FYI, just make sure you either got a cover for it, or can rig one. I know your weather is just a tad different down there than up here, but when I was working for Home Depot one of the biggest gripes we got from people was how they just seemed to rust away after a few years…..
Yeah, I’ve got a cover. In my case, weather is certainly one factor… but I’ve also got a power line that runs above… and so I get lots of bird poop. Cover is useful for that too. 🙂
Put the packet of chips under the grates so that it’s closer to the burner.
I believe it having all the culinary options available. Gas grill, Charcoal, smoker, etc… Gas grills have a place. Mostly for convenience.
It is under the grates, but it is atop the Weber “flavor-izer” bars. If the heat is cranked to max, it will start to go… but if I pare it back to medium, it doesn’t seem to want to keep going. I have wondered about getting UNDER those bars, but I’m not sure how kosher that would be since that would be right on top of the burners… then trying to get the bars back on top….
I did keep my offset smoker, my Weber grill… I do have options. But I’m kinda in a “ok, let’s try everything on the gas grill to learn it, explore it, figure it out”. I’m a kid with a new toy and want to explore it’s possibilities and limitations. 🙂
The Genesis is a good grill from everything I have heard about it.
For smoke, another thing you can do is get one coal started and drop it in a coffee can, and then place wood chips on top of that.
The food should start to taste better as it gets dirty in there. I know it’s weird, but never clean a gas grill unless it’s catching on fire. :)-~
Yup. Genesis has a good reputation. I’m quite pleased so far.
Coal in a coffee can. OO… I like that idea. That might work really well.
And I agree with you about better tasting and dirty. That’s the “seasoning” of the grill. And that just takes time to build up. So, yet another reason why I’m happy to keep on grilling, and grilling, and grilling, and using it as much as I can. 🙂
We got a new grill this year and got one that uses gas on one side and charcoal on the other. That way is we have time, we use the charcoal. If we need something to eat fast, we use the gas. Best of both worlds but I know that does not solve your problem.
Interesting. What’s the make/model? I’d be curious to look that up.
It is just a cheap one from Walmart. ( Backyard Grill model # BY 12-084-029-97) We got it on sale last month. Greg has been liked the concept but we have never had one before. We have a friend who has a welding business. He said to make us what Greg wants would cost about $600. We need to save up for that and Greg wanted to be sure he liked it before we invested that amount of money. So far, it is a good deal and hopefully we can the hand made one next season.
Ah that’s the way to do it: get someone to custom build you one. 🙂
I’ve got a Genesis too. Pretty happy with it, for smoke what you’re gonna want is a smoke box. I’ve got one of these and it’s *almost* as good as actual wood
AH!! That seems purpose-built. 🙂 I like that setup even better because it puts it right down in there, where even lower flames could lick the wood.
Every other smoke box I’ve seen has been… well… a box. And I didn’t see how it’d work or be any improvement over just using a foil pouch.
I’m going to order this right now. Thanx, Dave!