I'm looking to buy a new NG Grill. I want one with a side sear but I really like Weber. But they do not have a side sear but instead they have a sear section.
Has anyone had any experience with this new Weber feature? I do a lot of Sous Vide and I have a Traeger 126 and want a good searing option.
> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Grilla Grills Pellet Pizza Oven
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Anova sous vide circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
Honestly, there's nothing new about Weber's sear station. For some reason it was eliminated when the new Genesis II line was released but it was restored recently ... probably due to complaints about its elimination. I have a previous-generation Genesis EP-330 with essentially the same sear station and it works quite well. Like you, I SV a lot and lately I've been using a Searzall propane torch for searing instead of the grill ... especially when the weather is crappy. The torch is a bit faster than the grill and therefore I seem to get a little less gray banding ... and besides, I can stay indoors and be warm.
For SV finishing, I usually just sear over a lit charcoal chimney. You can set it right on the gasser grates or on an inverted galvanized bucket. Cost is $20 plus charcoal. I like the searzall for a single steak but the chimney is much faster when doing a bunch of stuff and throws more heat than most sear burners.
I had a Weber Summit with a sear section. While it did get hotter than the regular burners I didn't feel like it was really ever hot enough. I now have a DCS that sears way better on just regular burners on high.
To answer your question it was not hot enough to quickly sear a steak. It got the job done but not good enough for a flash sear.
My suggestion is get a gas grill with a side burner, better yet a double side burner, and get a cast iron griddle. Grease up the griddle get it ripping hot and you can put a nice sear on a steak. I use a bacon press to flatten the steak and get better contact.
Over the weekend, I picked up a Genesis II SE-335 based on the review done here at AR for the E-335 -- which is essentially the E-335 with the beefy 9mm SS grates (the Genesis S models use the thinner 7mm rods, the 9mm rods are the ones used on the Summits) and the grill light and for my first cook on it, I threw a couple of Porterhouse steaks on and used the sear station.. This grill replaced a 13 year old Genesis Silver B that did not have the sear station, so this was my first experience with it.. I think it did a pretty decent job of searing -- certainly better than my old one that didn't have it.. The sear was consistent with no tan sections, and the steaks came out great. I also have a Camp Chef Woodwind with the side sear station -- and that does a good job with searing. Probably too soon for me to say whether Weber's sear station can compare to that though based on my one cook so far on the Weber.
Also -- if you want the sear station on the Genesis, you have to get a model that has a side burner as well. We rarely use the side burner.
Now - on the Camp Chef, I would do a reverse sear -- and the sear burner would have been plenty hot.. With the Weber, I seared first and did indirect next for a few minutes to get to temp -- so my method was a little different.
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