Kingrex I've got a Genesis II 4 burner (the E-410). It's got very even heat distribution across the cooking surface for a gas grill - I've owned Weber gas grills for 20 years and used them longer (my dad bought a Weber gasser back in 1984), and my general experience is that they have pretty even heat distribution compared to many gassers. And they are certainly more affordable than the Saber grills.
Since I have other smokers, I don't often do indirect on the Genesis II. But I have. I reverse sear steaks by turning on 1 or 2 burners and putting the steaks on the other end of the grill until they reach 120F. I then put them over the burner at the other end, which is on high, and sear them. I've also "baked" pizzas by turning on the end burners and cooking in the center indirect area. That works with the standard Weber stainless or porcelain coated cast iron grates, as well as with the aluminum grillgrates. Grillgrate brand grates have to have the panels detached if you want an indirect zone however due to the fact that they conduct heat if connected. I just remove a few panels and use my original Weber grates when doing indirect.
I see problems with trying to retrofit the Saber IR grates onto a Genesis II. The main issue being that you do need a certain amount of airflow for the grill to operate properly. Where the Weber grates are wide open, and Grillgrates have many fairly large holes in the valleys, the Saber grates I have seen are almost solid, with a some pretty small slots in them. And fact is, high odds you won't find them in the 18.8" depth you need for the Weber.
If you want searing performance on the Weber gas grills, you have a few options. First - get one with a sear burner, that will boost the heat at that end of the grill. I don't have that on mine, and use the flat side of Grillgrates, which is the second option to increase searing performance. And third - just put a cast iron griddle down on top of the grates, or some other griddle. Nothing beats the searing performance of screaming hot cast iron.
For indirect performance - my son and father both have a 3 burner Weber Spirit grill, and smoke ribs quite successfully by turning on one burner, and putting the ribs at the other end, and using wood chips in a foil packet over the lit burner. In my book though, it wastes a lot of propane to smoke ribs for 5-6 hours on a gas grill, and I'll do that task on a charcoal grill. I have roasted hams and other type items on the gasser indirectly just fine though. Temperature control was not that difficult.
The Webers will work great with or without Grillgrates, so don't get too hung up on those. Where I think they help is as a flat griddle surface (the flat side), and for reducing flareups if you want to cook a grill really loaded down with lots of high fat food. I grilled on my first Weber for 15 years without them, just fine. I ordered them after a July 4th cookout where the old 2002 Genesis Silver A 2 burner grill experienced a grease fire cooking a bunch of 80/20 burgers - to be fair I hadn't cleaned the grill in a while either... so that could happen to any grill.
Before I had off to bed, one last thing. You are trying to avoid aluminum for personal reasons, but many if not most gas grills use a cast aluminum firebox for the main body, even if they use stainless elsewhere. I saw your comment elsewhere about the PK charcoal grill with that concern. Even the high end $2500 Weber Summit gas grills use a cast aluminum firebox. I think the idea of heat causing aluminum molecules to leave the anodized inner surface of the grill and migrate to your food by riding the heat is pretty much scientifically impossible, and is not something I would be worrying about. The anodizing pretty much seals the surface at the molecular level.
Since I have other smokers, I don't often do indirect on the Genesis II. But I have. I reverse sear steaks by turning on 1 or 2 burners and putting the steaks on the other end of the grill until they reach 120F. I then put them over the burner at the other end, which is on high, and sear them. I've also "baked" pizzas by turning on the end burners and cooking in the center indirect area. That works with the standard Weber stainless or porcelain coated cast iron grates, as well as with the aluminum grillgrates. Grillgrate brand grates have to have the panels detached if you want an indirect zone however due to the fact that they conduct heat if connected. I just remove a few panels and use my original Weber grates when doing indirect.
I see problems with trying to retrofit the Saber IR grates onto a Genesis II. The main issue being that you do need a certain amount of airflow for the grill to operate properly. Where the Weber grates are wide open, and Grillgrates have many fairly large holes in the valleys, the Saber grates I have seen are almost solid, with a some pretty small slots in them. And fact is, high odds you won't find them in the 18.8" depth you need for the Weber.
If you want searing performance on the Weber gas grills, you have a few options. First - get one with a sear burner, that will boost the heat at that end of the grill. I don't have that on mine, and use the flat side of Grillgrates, which is the second option to increase searing performance. And third - just put a cast iron griddle down on top of the grates, or some other griddle. Nothing beats the searing performance of screaming hot cast iron.
For indirect performance - my son and father both have a 3 burner Weber Spirit grill, and smoke ribs quite successfully by turning on one burner, and putting the ribs at the other end, and using wood chips in a foil packet over the lit burner. In my book though, it wastes a lot of propane to smoke ribs for 5-6 hours on a gas grill, and I'll do that task on a charcoal grill. I have roasted hams and other type items on the gasser indirectly just fine though. Temperature control was not that difficult.
The Webers will work great with or without Grillgrates, so don't get too hung up on those. Where I think they help is as a flat griddle surface (the flat side), and for reducing flareups if you want to cook a grill really loaded down with lots of high fat food. I grilled on my first Weber for 15 years without them, just fine. I ordered them after a July 4th cookout where the old 2002 Genesis Silver A 2 burner grill experienced a grease fire cooking a bunch of 80/20 burgers - to be fair I hadn't cleaned the grill in a while either... so that could happen to any grill.
Before I had off to bed, one last thing. You are trying to avoid aluminum for personal reasons, but many if not most gas grills use a cast aluminum firebox for the main body, even if they use stainless elsewhere. I saw your comment elsewhere about the PK charcoal grill with that concern. Even the high end $2500 Weber Summit gas grills use a cast aluminum firebox. I think the idea of heat causing aluminum molecules to leave the anodized inner surface of the grill and migrate to your food by riding the heat is pretty much scientifically impossible, and is not something I would be worrying about. The anodizing pretty much seals the surface at the molecular level.
Comment