I agree with GrillMeister. I bought my first Genesis 3000 when Weber first started making them in the 80s. I had a traditional Charbroil, and the aluminum castings corroded to where the whole thing turned white. Also, the "H" shaped pressed-steel burner corroded to where I had very little heat control. And the chrome wire grills lasted maybe a year. The engineer in me really liked the Genesis design with the pipes for burners, the flavorizer bars and the porcelain coated parts. I did the math, and if the Genesis only lasted up to its warranty, it was cheaper to own the Genesis than to buy Charbroils like the one I had. That Genesis lasted over 10 years. I'm now on my second Genesis; a 1000, which is about 8 years old or so. (I found I didn't use the external burner) I've replaced the bars and grates with stainless parts. And this past weekend, I replaced the rails that the bottom tray slides on. Weber sent those to me at no charge. If I were buying a new grill now, it would be a Silver C. I wouldn't spring for the Gold, cause the SS lid is not that big of a deal to me. I can replace the bars and grates in stainless if I need to down the line. I wouldn't spring for the Summit series, 'cause it's a lot more money for something that is not much more functional. It does look cool, though... The Silver Weber is a great cooking machine.

Hey ho, All! Just found this site! Ive been grilling/hot smoking the birds for Thanksgiving, Christmas and other festivities for about 20 years. I learned from my Dad. He started when he got his first Weber back in 1965. He always used to say that the best use of the Weber instructions were to light your first fire! HereÂs what he taught me: Soak a 5 pound bag of hardwood chips (hickory, cherry, apple, alder) in water overnight. On the day of the cooking, start with a CLEAN BBQ. No ash residue. Clean grill. Load the grill with a 10 pound bag of good charcoal. Get it lit and wait until the coals are grayed out around the perimeters and the smell of any starter is long gone. Push the coals to two sides, leaving a space in the middle. Put a heavy duty aluminum foil drip pan in the middle under where the bird will sit. This will catch the drips. TheyÂll be way too burned for dripping gravy. The object of the pan is to reduce the clean up and flare up potential. Put two decent handfuls of drained chips on the coals; one handful on each side. Brush the grill with peanut oil and pop it on the BBQ. Put the bird breast DOWN on the grill. Yes, breast down. You wonÂt touch the bird again until you take it off the grill. The higher fat content in the thighs and back will help baste the breast and make it much juicier. Tip: if you use one of those metal turkey lifting racks, itÂll be WAY easier to remove the bird later! Stick a meat thermometer in the thigh toward the bird. Make sure you donÂt touch any bone. I use two thermometers; one on each side. YouÂre going to be looking for an internal temp of about 180ºF. Put the lid on and LEAVE IT ALONE!!!! Open all the vents wide to allow for good air circulation and maximum heat. Do NOT open the lid for at least one hour. YouÂll drop the heat level in the ÂQ, lengthen the cooking time and dry out the air around the bird making for a drier bird. After one hour, load more chips on the coals. YouÂll notice that the skin looks really black. DonÂt worry, itÂs not burned, itÂs really heavily smoked. Put the lid back on and walk away. Resist the temptation to look! You may need to put more coals on each side if the fire has burned really hot and the coals are turning to ash piles. About every 15 minutes after the first hour, put on more chips. The bird should take about 9 minutes for each pound of bird. A 12 pound bird should take about an hour and three quarters to cook while a twenty pounder should run about 3 hours or less. Take the bird off the ÂQ and left it sit quietly for at last 15 minutes, preferably about half an hour. This will allow the juices to stabilize and give them some chance of remaining in the meat instead of pouring out on the carving plate. The meat will be juicer and pinker than birds done in the oven. The meat will have a delicate smoked flavor. The stuffing recipe that my mother passed down to my wife is a sausage and sage recipe that is cooked before it goes in the bird. I have heard from a number of sources that you should never stuff a bird being BBQÂd. My family has been doing just this for over 40 years with no ill effects. I think that there are two reasons for this: 1) the stuffing is cooked before going into the bird; and. 2) the temperatures at which the bird is cooked far exceeds anything your oven could muster. Dad passed away fifteen years ago, by his "Bird ÂQing Lore" lives on. Cheers, all! Have a great Thanksgiving! Ian Wilson

I didnt like the weber cover either. I bought one of the heavy duty covers from Lowes. It is the one that is tan and brown. Seems to work alright. I dont leave my grill out in the winter though. It goes in the garage. hope this helps.

A drip pan. I used a BGE paella pan as the drip pan originally. My unit comes with a specialized one that fits the shape of the unit. I find this invaluable when making burgers and other fatty items. When the fat hits the coals, it changes the flavor of the food. A couple of good cleaning brushes. I am trying some new ones and let you know what I think this week. I agree with a thermometer. If you are going to do a lot of meats like Brisket, etc, I would get a temperature controller like a guru or stoker. If looking for a basic thermometer, I use the Thermoworks product that is highly praised on the cooking and BBQ forums. A good set of tongs. I love the Oxo tongs because they are a balanced size and make grabbing or turning stuff very easy. I find most BBQ tongs too big and difficult to use. Hardy gloves and grill grate lifters. Because the grills get really hot, grill grate lifters work wonderfully. I use suede gloves or mittens personally. They are many good options out there. An exterior cover for the grill. When not in use, my grill is covered with a sunbrella like fabric cover that is washable. Does your unit support a rotisserie? I have one and love it. It may be some thing to confirm in case you want one in the future. Somewhere to store the stuff the goes with the grill. I don't know if your unit has an option for storage but you may want to evaluate it or find some standalone units to go with it. Good luck!