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!
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.
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
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!
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.
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
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.
Mike Lang from Another Pint Please posted a photo of planked meatballs on his blog and I thought I’d give it a try on my Weber Summit 450 gas grill.
Make your favorite meatball recipe, form into 2.5 oz balls, and bake or grill them to a food safe temp of 160°F. Continue reading Hickory Planked Meatballs With Marinara Sauce
October 1 marks the new model year for Weber grills, and the 2019 model year brings some significant changes to the Genesis II product line.
The Genesis II line is now two years old, and you will remember that it consists of open-cart grills called “Genesis II” and enclosed-cabinet grills with high-end features called “Genesis II LX”.
For 2019, the “LX” designation goes away, but there will still be open-cart and enclosed-cabinet designs. However, the 2-burner and 6-burner grills are being discontinued, leaving only the 3- and 4-burner models. If you want a 2-burner grill, you’ll have to buy a Spirit II grill, and if you want a 6-burner gasser, it’s a Summit grill for you.
Other changes include the return of the dedicated Sear Station burner on select models, a feature that was discontinued in 2016. All Genesis II grills will now feature stainless steel Flavorizer bars. There are also three “SE” grills that include beefier 9mm stainless steel rod cooking grates and a built-in handle light.
Here’s a sneak peek at the Genesis II S-435 4-burner grill with Sear Station burner and side burner. This grill retails for $1,199. Continue reading 2019 Weber Genesis II Gas Grill Changes
In a recent episode of Cook’s Country on PBS (Season 11, Episode 4), Bull’s-Eye Original BBQ Sauce was named the winner of their barbecue sauce taste test.
(Interestingly, this review first appeared in the July/August 2017 edition of Cook’s Country magazine before being recycled on the television show over a year later in Fall 2018.)
Twenty-one staff members sampled seven top-selling U.S. barbecue sauces at room temperature plain and as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers, and mixed into warm pulled pork. Tasters evaluated sweetness, tomato flavor (all sauces were tomato-based), smoke flavor, spiciness, and tanginess. They also considered the consistency of each sample, ranging from thin and runny to thick and gelatinous. Continue reading Bull’s-Eye BBQ Sauce Wins Cook’s Country Taste Test
In their July/August 2018 issue, Cook’s Illustrated magazine reviewed instant-read digital thermometers and named ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4 at $99 as their only Highly Recommended choice for thermometers, the highest ranking given to any model.
Cook’s evaluated thermometers on the criteria of accuracy, speed, ease of use, and durability. They cited the Mk4’s accuracy, speed, long handle, automatic backlight, rotating screen, auto-wake feature, waterproof design, and the ability to recalibrate as qualities that put this unit at the head of the class. Continue reading Thermapen Mk4 Named Top Pick By Cook’s Illustrated
I’d eaten a flat iron steak in a restaurant but never grilled one at home. So while recently browsing the meat counter and noticing some impressive looking flat irons, I picked up one and grilled it on my Weber Summit 450 gas grill.
For those not familiar with this cut, the flat iron steak comes from the beef shoulder. It was identified in 2002 as a new retail cut by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in partnership with the University of Nebraska and the University of Florida. This effort was undertaken to find lower-priced cuts that could be trimmed into steaks and roasts that were flavorful and tender but could be offered at a lower price than more popular cuts. Continue reading Flat Iron Steak: When Recipes Go Wrong