Clean, Maintain & Repair, Restore

Replacing Weber Gas Grill Igniters

Introduction

Pushing igniter button

It’s common to hear someone say that their old Weber gas grill is still going strong, but it doesn’t light properly. They have to light it with a match through the manual lighting hole in the front of the grill.

Sadly, it’s also common for some grill owners to think it’s time to toss and replace an old grill when it won’t light.

Difficulty in lighting is a common problem as a gas grill gets older. The solution is to install a new igniter kit. Doing so is cheap and easy on older Weber grills and just slightly more expensive and difficult on more recent Weber grills. Either way, it’s cheaper than buying a new grill and it’s a job that I’m confident you can do…so read on!

Buying The Correct Igniter Kit Is Key

Electronic igniter kit vs mechanical igniter kit
Electronic igniter kit (left) vs. mechanical igniter kit (right)

Weber has used a variety of igniter kits over the years for different grills. Some kits are mechanical, some are electronic. Some include multiple igniters, some include just one. The wires may be longer in some kits and shorter in others. It’s important to get the right kit for your grill because even kits that look alike may not work properly in your specific grill.

Weber does not list the replacement igniter kit part number in your grill’s owners manual because these part numbers may change over time. The best way to make sure you get the right kit is to call Weber Customer Support at 800-446-0171. Give them your grill’s model name and serial number and they’ll tell you which part number you need. Alternatively, if you’re buying at a home center or online, read the box label or product description carefully to make sure the kit covers your specific grill model and year.

Types of Ignition Systems

Prior to the mid-2000s, Weber used a mechanical piezo ignition system in gas grills. When you depress the ignition button, a spring-loaded hammer hits a crystal, generating a high voltage discharge that travels through wires to a ceramic igniter in the firebox, creating a spark next to the burner tube and lighting the gas. These older systems make a loud metallic “bang” noise when you depress the rectangular ignition button. Each time you depress the button, a spark is generated. Continue reading Replacing Weber Gas Grill Igniters →

General

Heinz Organic Ketchup Wins Taste Test

Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup at Costco

In their June/July 2019 issue, Cook’s Country magazine named Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup as their favorite ketchup among eight varieties in a recent taste test.

The panel tasted each ketchup by itself and on French fries. They described the taste of Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup as “lively”, “familiar”, and “perfectly balanced”. They said the ketchup looked “thick”, “smooth”, and “glossy”.

Following Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup in the ratings were, in order: Continue reading Heinz Organic Ketchup Wins Taste Test →

Recipes

Bacon Wrapped Garlic Sausage Stuffed Pork Loin

Bacon wrapped, garlic sausage stuffed pork loin goes into Weber Summit

I picked up this piece of meat at Lakewood Meats in Lodi, CA after a barbecue contest. Nice folks, good quality meats. The butcher cut a pocket in one side of the lion and stuffed it with their in-house garlic sausage, then wrapped it in bacon and tied it up tight.

Loin roast cooking over indirect heat

I grilled this guy for 90 minutes over indirect heat with burners 1 & 4 on LOW and burners 2 & 3 on OFF. To prevent sticking, I sprayed the bottom surface of the roast with non-stick cooking spray. Continue reading Bacon Wrapped Garlic Sausage Stuffed Pork Loin →

Accessories

Discontinued Weber Products For 2019

The following products have been discontinued by Weber for the 2019 season. If you’re interested in any of these and see them at retailers or online stores, you’d better move quickly to grab one!

Weber Q1200 Purple Portable Gas Grill

Continue reading Discontinued Weber Products For 2019 →

Accessories, Clean, Maintain & Repair

Cleaning Cast Iron Griddles & Skillets

Smashing a burger

Sometimes I like to use a cast iron griddle or skillet in my Weber gas grill. I use a griddle to make smashed burgers or to do a reverse sear on a steak.  I’ve used a CI skillet on the grill to fry extra-thick bacon and pork belly to avoid setting off the smoke detector in the house! Both are great tools that you should try sometime on your gas grill.

Cleaning Cast Iron

When it comes to cleaning a cast iron griddle or skillet, it’s really not that hard. Just follow these easy steps. Continue reading Cleaning Cast Iron Griddles & Skillets →

General

Weber Prices Going Up 1/1/19

Weber Genesis II S-435

Weber is raising prices on most of its products effective January 1, 2019. Rumor has it that the rising cost of steel is the driving force behind these increases.

Prices will be going up on Weber Summit ($100-$200), Genesis II ($50), and Q gas grills ($10-$20). However, there will be a $50 price drop on Spirit II gas grills, so if you’re in the market for a Spirit, waiting to buy until after the New Year will save you a few bucks.

There will also be price increases on all charcoal grills and accessories, except for the high-end  Summit Charcoal Grill and Summit Charcoal Grilling Center.

Bottom Line: There’s no better time than now to buy Weber products and save money!

Recipes

Pomegranate Molasses Glaze For Grilled Steaks

Pomegranate molasses in bottle with sirloin steaks

The Popularity Of Pomegranate

In 2007, pomegranates hit their peak of popularity in the United States. A news article at the time reported that over 450 new pomegranate-based products were brought to market that year. Stores were flooded with pomegranate juice and every kind of pomegranate-flavored food. Even Jelly Belly got into the act with pomegranate-infused jelly beans and Burt’s Bees made pomegranate shampoo!

Today in 2018, pomegranates are still going strong, and pomegranate molasses is the current darling of the food world, appearing in many of the latest recipes in new cookbooks and on television cooking shows. This ingredient of Middle Eastern origins is simply pomegranate juice that’s been boiled down into a sweet/sour/tangy syrup. Pomegranate molasses can be used as a glaze on grilled meats, drizzled over roasted vegetables, substituted for vinegar in a salad dressing, mixed into hummus, and used in desserts and cocktails.

Pomegranate Molasses Glaze On Grilled Steaks

I recently listened to an episode of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio podcast in which a phone-in caller asked about using pomegranate molasses with cooked meat. While Kimball suggested brushing it on full-strength at the end of cooking, co-host Sara Moultin suggested making a mixture of pomegranate molasses, butter, Dijon mustard, and a little garlic.

I tried Moultin’s suggestion when grilling some Certified Angus Beef sirloin steaks. Moultin did not offer a recipe with measurements, so I just winged it as follows: Continue reading Pomegranate Molasses Glaze For Grilled Steaks →

Recipes

Skillet Apple Pie On The Grill

Interior view of skillet apple pie

Why make a skillet apple pie on the grill when they’re easy to make in the oven? One good reason is if the weather is hot and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen, then cooking everything outside on the grill—including dessert—makes a lot of sense.

This skillet apple pie recipe comes from Trisha Yearwood (yes, the country music Trisha Yearwood with a cooking program on Food Network). It’s easily made using store-bought pie filling and pie crust, and I will warn you it’s a bit on the sweet side. But we like it and I there’s a good chance you will, too.

Continue reading Skillet Apple Pie On The Grill →