Want to buy new grill do I really need a side burner?

[Droptine]

I am interested in the Weber Spirit or Genesis - 3 burner setup. I'm looking to spend under $800. But I want something nice that will last. It looks like if I get the side burner on the Weber price goes up into the $1000's. In the summer time I do hot oil pan fry a lot of breaded fish. I have been doing it my kitchen which is terrible smokes house out. Do you think I could achieve same results by putting cast iron pan on grill top and not getting the side burner feature? Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks.

[jfmorris]

I've fried foods in a skillet on my 2 burner Weber Genesis in the past, and often prepare sauces while grilling by letting a pan hang out on the corner of the grill. Considering most deep fryers only have a range up to about 375F, I think you can get there with a skillet of oil on the grill. If its a cast iron you can close the grill too.

You must be looking at the older Weber Spirit E-330 that my dad bought last Fall. The new Spirit II line does not even offer a side burner as an option. The Genesis II LX E-340 is the cheapest 3 burner I see with a side burner, and it is crazy expensive ($1399 list!). The side burner is only 12,000 Btu's. Contrast that to something like a Bayou Classic standalone burner - which sells for under $50, and puts out 55,000 to 60,000 BTU's:

https://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SQ14-Single-Burner/dp/B0009JXYQ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1524664682&sr=8-3&keywords=bayou+classic+burner

https://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524664682&sr=8-1&keywords=bayou+classic+burner&dpID=51T6HThGR9L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

I have that first one, and use it a few times a year for frying or boiling stuff outdoors. Sure, its only 2 feet high, but it can also be stashed in a corner or on a shelf in a garage or shed when not in use.

[Troutman]

I agree with jfmorris , the standard side burner I have on my Weber Summit is rated at 12,000 btu but with wind and outside exposure it's really less than that, so not real good for frying. I've used it for sauces and whatnot but I'm not sure it's really worth the extra money. A cheaper stand alone gets the job done.

There is one benefit that I've found to my side burner ........ OH YEA FIRE IT UP BABY !!!

[fzxdoc]

Troutman , I took the ring off and set my chimney directly over the element and left it there 10 min. You set your chimney on the ring above the burner. I wrote about my experience on this topic: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...autionary-tale

radshop , is that how you melted your burner as well?

Kathryn

[radshop]

Yes, fzxdoc, that's right. But I had done it many times with KBB no problem. Once with lump and it was over - or maybe that was coincidence. Hoping the new ring arrives soon because I miss my side burner. And I'll definitely use the stand from now on.

[Thunder77]

Yep!

[jfmorris]

I think I would skip the side burner. They just are not that powerful, especially outdoors where there could be a breeze. Try doing it on the grill itself, which should work, but if it doesn't, then get you a standalone burner like I gave you links for above. Those will be 5x more powerful than the burner on the Weber grill, and at less than $50, is a LOT less than what you would spend on the higher end Weber to get the puny side burner.

[Joetee]

I had one and only used it 2 or 3 times in several years. You have to decide how often your gonna use it.

[Elton's BBQ]

I do make sauce on my sideburner now and then..

[W.A.]

Nope

[Mosca]

Every gas grill I ever had, I got the side burner. I think I used that burner 3 or 4 times in 15 years.

[jfmorris]

That matches my experience. Last grill I had with a side burner got used maybe twice. I would not turn down a grill with one if the price was right, but would not pay hundreds more for one with it at this point.

[bten]

same here

[jghorton]

Agreed. Got a new gasser a month or two ago and I dropped the side burner. The last one I had I used half a dozen times. It took up space that I could get back with a side shelf and it did not function the way I hoped because of wind.

[Attjack]

I downsized my gas grill from a Char Broil 4 burner with a side burner to a Weber Spirit 2 burner. The only thing I miss is the side burner. I have a portable burner I use, but read I shouldn't use it to start my chimney which was what I used it for most. I'll probably set up a turkey fryer burner in a semi permanent spot to remedy my situation.

Would a portable burner work for you?

Portable burner:


Turkey fryer:

[jfmorris]

I've wanted one of those little portable butane burners - saw one at Walmart for $20-something recently. Then again, I have a Coleman 2 burner camp stove that runs on propane that would do the same thing. I think the butane has the advantage you may be able to use it indoors in the kitchen (maybe?).

[Attjack]

Yeah I believe so. I've used it indoors.

[gabulldog]

I think it's one of those things that, if you have it, you'll use it. If you don't, you won't! Would not let it influence your decision to buy a grill! I use mine to fry bacon (and other messy/stinky foods) and boil marinade I then use to baste meat on the grill. If I didn't have one, I'd make do!

[EdF]

Well, there is this, and its product line relatives. Won't be needing a searing station with these. https://amazingribs.com/grill/saber-...k-grill-review

[radshop]

I'm in the minority on this, I guess, but I have the E-330 with side burner and I love it. If I'm not cooking with charcoal, I'm frying in cast iron, and why do that inside when I can do it outside? And as far as the lower BTU rating, my experience is that for everyday use it's more than hot enough and uses a lot less fuel than the high-BTU burners. And I have enough control over the flame to simmer without burning, which is not easy on the big burners. I do have a propane wok burner that can crank up high when needed, but I seldom use it. So I guess it depends on what you want to use the burner for, but it works for me. (But for the big price jump, I totally get why you would question the value.)

[jfmorris]

My dad got the Spirit E-330 last fall on clearance - he needed a new grill as he left his behind when he moved here. He' s using the side burner a lot, mostly as they cannot use their CI on the new glass topped electric range, and they've been cooking on gas for the past 75 years!

[Attjack]

Sounds like a man who needs a new stove.

[theroc]

I've had a Weber Summit D for 15 years and used the side burner exactly once.
I can imagine that if the grill was a long way from the kitchen I might be more inclined
to use the burner, but that's not the case. I would skip the burner if that is an option.

[Sweaty Paul]

I’ve used mine some on my two prior Weber grills, however, I could live without it and be happy. While it’s a nice convenience I don’t think it is necessary and there may be more inexpensive solutions that might work better.

[Nuke em]

I use my side burners all the time. The better half gets mad at me for some reason when I start cooking inside at 5 am to make sauces and cowboy candy while she is asleep upstairs. Don’t know why. She says she can smell it. I tell her it’s just a kiss of love juice. She says the cowboy candy love juice makes her go into convulsions at 5 am. She is not a morning person. Anyway after doing that one time, she kicked me out of the kitchen forever till noon time. So I just cook on the burners of the grills. Sometimes while I am doing that I hear her get up and slam the bedroom window which is right above the grill. But, she doesn’t say I can’t do it so it’s a win win for me. May the man up above help me if it gets into the teenage daughter nostrils at that time of the morning.
Whats that saying...hell has no fury then that of a teenage daughter? You get the point