Calibrating old Weber Genesis Grill

[bpiela]

Hello all,

I am a new member and I am starting out trying to calibrate my old Weber Genesis Grill that I have had for 10 yrs. I picked up a ChefAlarm Thermometer with a High Temp Air Probe. My Weber is a 3-burner Gas Grill. So, I read the instructions on Calibrating and it says to start things with the front burner on high and then start recording some temps. Now, my mind is starting to spin when I think that each burner can be set at multiple settings and there are 3 burners, it seems like there are a ton of combinations to calibrate. Do I need to go that far into detail or should I just look at one burner on high at a time and then maybe add some burners on low?? I think I am making this more difficult than it should be.

Thanks!

[Medusa]

Hi bpiela,

I have a 14 yr old Genesis Silver. The dome temp runs anywhere between 50 to 75 degrees lower than the actual temps on the grate. I'd only test the settings you would cook at. Below are the temperatures I recorded using a Maverick ET 733.

Good for you for calibrating!

Indirect / Medium ~ 450

Primary ( front ) between Hi / Med ~ 390

Primay Low ~ 300

In all 3 cases above, the Dome temp was 50 degrees lower, but the good thing is that the temps have always remained steady. This site explicitly warns against the inaccuracy of dome thermometers.

All 3 Burners: ( Not sure whether there was wind , I'll have to research exactly when I might have done this ). Also, I probably wouldn't cook anything on these settings, just testing. I really only use the gasser now for thin steaks, baked potato, or other quick cooks with the Lid Up and all three burners on Hi. I can tell you that when the Dome temp is maxed out, the infra red reports an initial temp around 786, so you can see how far it is off. I also use Grill Grates, which increases the cooking temp.

The Lid Up temps were taken after a period of time when they remained stable.

Low / Low / Low ( Lid Down ) ~ 550

Low / Low / Low ( Lid Up ) ~ Below 200

Med / Med / Med ( Lid Up ) ~ Below 300

Hi / Hi / Hi ( Lid Up ) ~ 330

Hope this helps,

-- Ed

[Jon Solberg]

My theory of calibration is not the right way to do it but I tend to have trouble remembering which grill does what.

I slap a probe or two on the area I want to cook on. Start messing with knobs till I get the temp I'm looking for. Some times it takes me a bit of messing to get it to hold.

And then I cook.

[bpiela]

Great Tips! Thanks! So, in doing more investigative work, it appears that my Grill is a Weber Genesis Gold C Gas Grill. So, I did a first run at calibrating and I think there is a basic concept that I am unaware of. For starters, I noticed that there are grooves on the sides of the housing to let air in as well as let me run my thermometer in without pinching any cables. I turned my front burner on high, mounted the thermometer over the middle of the grill plates in the middle of the indirect heat area. I sat back and watched the temperature rise. It was a cool day and any cool breeze that happen would bring the temp down a degree or so and then it would climb again. I watched the temp for about 15 mins. It never seemed to stop climbing. It did slow down some, but it would just climb again. I stopped at 330 degrees.

So, I am thinking that I need to do this again. I assume that the grill takes some amount of time before the climbing temp slows down. The Front burner can obviously be set to Medium or Low and hopefully one of those will bring me down to the 225 degrees that I need to be at.

Now the burners have never been replaced nor have I ever applied any maintenance to them. Are they an easy thing to replace?

Thanks!

[Jon Solberg]

They are not difficult to replace.

[Medusa]

As far as indirect cooking, I would concentrate on controlling the temps generated by the Primary ( front ) burner. That way, you have the max space behind it for placing ribs, brisket, ham, etc.

I still have the original burners. Testament to longevity of Weber. -- Ed

[Skinsfan1311]

Hi bpiela,

I have a 14 yr old Genesis Silver. The dome temp runs anywhere between 50 to 75 degrees lower than the actual temps on the grate. I'd only test the settings you would cook at. Below are the temperatures I recorded using a Maverick ET 733.

Good for you for calibrating!

Indirect / Medium ~ 450

Primary ( front ) between Hi / Med ~ 390

Primay Low ~ 300

In all 3 cases above, the Dome temp was 50 degrees lower, but the good thing is that the temps have always remained steady. This site explicitly warns against the inaccuracy of dome thermometers.

All 3 Burners: ( Not sure whether there was wind , I'll have to research exactly when I might have done this ). Also, I probably wouldn't cook anything on these settings, just testing. I really only use the gasser now for thin steaks, baked potato, or other quick cooks with the Lid Up and all three burners on Hi. I can tell you that when the Dome temp is maxed out, the infra red reports an initial temp around 786, so you can see how far it is off. I also use Grill Grates, which increases the cooking temp.

The Lid Up temps were taken after a period of time when they remained stable.

Low / Low / Low ( Lid Down ) ~ 550

Low / Low / Low ( Lid Up ) ~ Below 200

Med / Med / Med ( Lid Up ) ~ Below 300

Hi / Hi / Hi ( Lid Up ) ~ 330

Hope this helps,

-- Ed

We may have the same grill. Mine is a 2001 model. They're very well made. The only things that I've replaced were the grates, a couple of years ago, and the flavorizer bars, (today).

Webers are very well-built. I own 3 kettles, including one that's 32 years old.