Do Gas Grills Get Hot Enough to Properly Brown Meat?

[Derickls]

I had an issue with my gasser not getting very hot it turned out the safety valve on the hose had failed and kept acting as if there was a pressure imbalance and closing down not letting much gas thru. A new hose fixed the problem.

[cav-gJCNK6mV]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the thoughtful responses. So, it sounds like the first thing I need to do is get objective measurements (even though it seems pretty clear something is wrong), and then I have something I can show Weber customer support. Putting aside for the moment issues of using GrillGrates/skillet and cut-thickness, as those seem like more a of way to improve what you have, but what I have is has a fundamental issue that I need to fix first. Thanks again.

[Potkettleblack]

The Genesis II first set ups without the sear burner were kind of notorious for not getting that Warp 10 up to 11. If you have one that doesn't have a sear burner, and a 10-15 minute preheat isn't pinning the lid thermometer at whatever the top temp is... maybe it is what it is, and Grill Grates are in your future.

[mountainsmoker]

I have a Char Broil and it easily gets hot enough to sear a steak. I used it to sear a prime rib using Meatheads recipe two weeks ago. I let it heat up 15 mins. with all 3 burners on high.

[cav-gJCNK6mV]

Also, I do allow the grill the pre-heat for at least 10 minutes before cooking, meat goes on if not at room temperature then at least not straight out of the fridge. I also notice that when I close the unit and turn on one burner to high, the internal temp (measured by the thermometer on the lid) has a hard time getting above 375 F. Yes, I know those thermometers are inaccurate, but still seems indicative of a problem.

[glitchy]

Have you tried cleaning the burners and then cranking up to high? You can take out the flavorizer bars and brush the burner ports with one of those regular 'dangerous' brass bristled grill brushes. Just make sure the brush is pretty clean first. I've had the burners look clean but still burn a lot better after doing this.

[IowaGirl]

...pre-heat for at least 10 minutes before cooking ...turn on one burner to high, the internal temp (measured by the thermometer on the lid) has a hard time getting above 375 F...

If your goal is to sear, why are you talking about the temp when running just one burner? That temp quite frankly sounds pretty reasonable (assuming the lid thermometer actually means anything) for just 1 burner. That's nice for an indirect cook setup, but that setup is not going to ever let you sear anything. Even with my new Weber 3-burner with the added sear burner, I need to run the sear burner AND the two adjacent regular burners to actually sear.

If you want to sear, you need to run all burners. And you may have to preheat longer that 10 minutes. And you may have to use a pan or griddle or GrillGrates -- something with a lot of surface area that can be heated efficiently via radiation as well as convection.

And before you even get to that point, you may have to do some routine maintenance to ensure your burners are clean and running well, as others are advising.

[Potkettleblack]

Very this... run all the burners and let them burn for 15 minutes.

[jfmorris]

Also, I do allow the grill the pre-heat for at least 10 minutes before cooking, meat goes on if not at room temperature then at least not straight out of the fridge. I also notice that when I close the unit and turn on one burner to high, the internal temp (measured by the thermometer on the lid) has a hard time getting above 375 F. Yes, I know those thermometers are inaccurate, but still seems indicative of a problem.

My Genesis II E-410 has 4 burners, but they are the same as your burners, just twice the grill to heat. I reach 600+ degrees on the dome thermometer with a 15 minute preheat on high.

Check and see if your LP regulator is stuck in bypass mode, using the info under that heading on this page:

https://virtualwebergasgrill.com/201...er-gas-grills/

I had the same issue as you with my 2002 2 burner Genesis Silver A, and the regulator often for stuck in bypass mode, and I eventually replaced the regulator. Everything on your grill should still be under warranty.

[jfmorris]

I am going to follow up my own comment. I just now see that you are saying you only reach 375 with *ONE* burner on. That's actually really good for one burner! My Genesis 2 burner would not do any better. And I've used my Genesis II 4 burner with 2 of the 4 on, when doing a rotisserie, and don't think it got any hotter either. How hot you get with BOTH burners on high for 15 minutes is the real question.

[cav-gJCNK6mV]

Thanks! I don't think this can be it, as the temperature gets to 375 on one burner and over 500 on two.

[fzxdoc]

You've gotten some great suggestions here, cav-gJCNK6mV . It would be great if you would post again on this topic when you discover what the problem turns out to be and have fixed it. I'm curious to know!

Kathryn

[cav-gJCNK6mV]

I'll try to follow up to everyone here. Not the regulator, burners are clean. Weber said my temps were correct, as others here have said. Operator error I think is the culprit. I did not realize that you need to run both burners. I figured for _direct_ heat, all that matters is what is directly under the meat, but apparently not.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks so much for giving us the outcome, cav-gJCNK6mV . At least operator error is quickly resolved, plus it's always good to learn something new.

Kathryn

[smokin fool]

My old gasser was a no-name from Home Depot, I could sit on the left grill comfortably while grilling and melt horse shoes on the right grill.
Changed burners, can't sit down anymore and see gets into the 7-800's easily now which was good enough for me.
Lots of great suggestions here, one fix is bound to work.
Good luck.