(Big) Housewarming gift - Weber Genesis 3-burnier smart grill or 4 burner dumb version?

[Mister C]

Hey all - my cousin is buying his first house at the ripe age of 51, and it's got a nice patio just waiting for a super housewarming gift. We're getting together to buy him a very nice gas grill and I think a Genesis would fit him very well - big enough for a party, sexy enough to show his friends, not so crazy oversized that he'll feel embarrassed about the cost. YMMV may vary on this logic.

Ideally we'd go for the whole hog and get him a 4-burner smart grill but nooooooo, Homie don't play that. Why Weber doesn't offer that I don't understand, perhaps someone can enlighten me? In any case, the recipient of this grill is a hamburger and steak guy, not a low and slow guy. He is a techie so would likely appreciate the app stuff, wireless probes etc. With this in mind, at least a smart accessory is probably part of the gift but it sure would be nice if it was all baked in, seems a more fancy gift. Then again, the four burners feels more premium, and we really want him to feel the splurge.

What say you, wise ones?

[Draznnl]

If it were me, I’d appreciate the gift either way. That said, how often would your cousin use all four burners? If not very often, I’d go with the 3 burner. He’ll use the smart features all the time.

[Mister C]

I'm sure he will. Strange, I've just looked again at the models and the only 3 burner with all the bells and whistles (side burner and 2-probe little smart computer) is the 335 which appears to be NG only! Seriously, Weber.

[Mosca]

Man. A lot of tech stuff probably won’t get used. 4 burner Genesis, sure. Since he’s steaks and burgers, a Thermapen and RFX would complete the list of useful adds.

[Mister C]

I think this is probably the plan, especially since the nice tech only comes in a NG model. No idea why they did that!

[SheilaAnn]

If your cousin is super tech y, then he will nerd out on the “smart”. If he is not, go “dumb” for the exact reasons I gave you during your MCS. Ultimately, the flexibility will be a great reward.

[Mister C]

Cheers, good advice. I think we might get him a dumb grill with a smart accessory, split the difference 😅

[SheilaAnn]

Dumb grill, smart thermometer!

[jfmorris]

Apparently they have made a propane Genesis smart grill. I found exactly ONE in stock at BBQ Guys - the EX 325:

https://www.bbqguys.com/i/3199709/weber-grills/genesis-ex-325w-gas-grill-lp-black

That one lacks the side burner though, which I think would be nice.

I am betting they are running out of stock, and that is why they are not showing anything on their own website. Maybe a model change is coming up, or they are pushing their focus on the Spirit series, which appears to have smart 3 and 4 burner grill options. Having used both a Spirit and Genesis grill, the Genesis has a lot more cooking space.

I have the 4 burner Genesis, NOT smart, and it's a great gas grill with a lot of space. The 4 burners setup is good if you want to cook indirect, with 2 burners on, 2 off, but you said he likely won't do that.

Personally, the more electronics built into an item like a grill, the more likely they are to fail. I don't know if the Weber smart grill technology is about control, or just temp readings. If so, I vote for the 4 burner and a nice thermometer with wifi and an app. I like my Thermoworks RFX system a lot.

[Mister C]

Yeah, I was first just looking at Weber's site so I could understand the range, once I started shopping around I did notice that they HAD a 4 burner smart grill but it was out of stock everywhere.

Oh and as far as 2-zone indirect, I do think he'll do that with burgers or fish, I just don't think he'll be trying anything more fancy like trying to smoke with it. For this reason we'll probably go for the 4 burner not smart version and get him a nice probe accessory.

[Carolyn]

I don't think a smart grill is necessary to cook a burger or steak. I'd get the dumb grill, a decent thermometer. One less thing to break or get discontinued.
+1 on Thermoworks. My remote thermometer broke, and they replaced it without giving me any problems.

That is a very nice thing to do for your cousin. 🙂

[HawkerXP]

+1

[Mister C]

Thanks, yeah I don't think I'd have done it for myself but it seemed at first something a little more fancy so we thought it would be a little more special for him. End of the day though, much better to get something that won't break or have problems down the road.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Avoid the smart version, it's a dud. 2 people I know are having serious problems with them one of which is family right down the road. It's a good grill when it works, it's a financial regret when it doesn't. FWIW both people are mostly having issues in the winter time, but there is almost no way to use the grill because the "smart" feature over rides manual use (grill doesn't work without electricity)

[Mister C]

Woah, I did not know that about the weather part. Thanks for the advice, looks like we are heading towards a nice, dumb grill.

[synodog]

I just got the Weber Genesis 4 burner with sear burner stealth edition (black) dumb version and am very happy so far. I originally wanted the smart 4 burner version when they had it in propane but it didn’t last long on their site. Had looked at the Summit 5 burner dumb version as well. Ultimately, decided on the smoque xl and genesis.

[Mister C]

I saw your posts, sweet setup! I thought of the stealth version after looking at your photos, though I'm not quite sure what his wife might say 😅 We'll see.

[TobyB]

Bigger is better. The 4 burner gives you more room to do indirect heat cooking.

[BBQPhil]

Dumber products seem to be the smart way to go these days. Many of us have experienced the unforseen circumstances of tech gone astray. I recently needed a bathroom scale and demanded (!) one with no BMI, no WiFi, no app, no Bluetooth.

[dpearce]

KISS! Keep it Simple Stupid! I usually opt for no smart "options". With a grill, you can always add on some sort of temperature measuring, and possibly a computer controlled air source (depending). So far, I'm fine with just the temperature monitoring. The air control was fine, but the Pit Barrel really didn't need it.

[barelfly]

Has this happened yet??? And a celebratory cook to break it in!

[Mister C]

barelfly and everybody else, sorry for the long delay! Was traveling and working.

So my cousin and I are really close, and I wanted to do something special for him. The plan was to go for a nicer model Genesis, but things took a strange turn, They recently discovered that his better half has developed (or maybe always had) a very serious seafood allergy. She is vegetarian, so it was never really an issue, until they got a kitten,. A little shrimp stuff from the cat food got on her hand, and within a minute or so her airway was all choked up and they were rushing her to the hospital.

I always figured a Genesis would have enough room to comfortably separate the meat from the veggies, but this obviously changed the calculus. So we ended up getting them two Spirit 3 burners instead, to be absolutely safe. We got the ones with the folding arms so they don't take up much space, and found them on sale so the total cost was kind of like a bigger Genesis anyway. A little more than we planned to pay, but well worth it under the circumstances..

Anyway they just moved in a few weeks ago and we haven't been able to get to town to visit yet, but he broke them in with some - wait for it - salmon and veggies, and all went well. We'll be seeing them later this fall and he has promised to make his special lamb kababs, which I cannot wait for.

Cheers everybody for the feedback, especially steering me away from the 'smart' stuff. And thankfully he reports both get very hot in the box, it seems they avoided the issues cited on another thread related to Spirits.

[SheilaAnn]

Mister C I have mentioned it before. Is it a shellfish allergy? Or seafood? Here’s why I ask. Growing up, my step brother never had any allergies. All the sudden, it’s a shellfish thing. Epi pens and ERs and all. Guess what else you are allergic to with a shellfish allergy? Grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches. It’s the exo-skeleton that’s the kicker.

Best wishes for you and yours!

[barelfly]

Glad all is ok and they are enjoying the two cookers! Very nice gifts and glad you will be able to join them later this fall for lamb kebabs!

[Mister C]

SheilaAnn I have no idea but that is an interesting distinction. Something tells me they don't care to test the waters, and fortunately for her she is a lifelong vegetarian so it doesn't much matter.

Speaking of exoskeletons I have become crazy for chapulines. There's a pozole place around the corner that serves them as an accoutrement, and they're fantastically crispy. Guess I'm glad I'm not allergic to crickets on land or cockroaches from the sea!