Is the Weber Genesis® E-335 Gas Barbecue worth the high price tag?

When looking for a new BBQ there is so much choice it’s often hard to know where to start and to really understand what will be the best bbq for you.  The price range also varies massively and when spending a lot you want to make sure you will really get the use out it, especially when our summers are so unpredictable!

We’ve always just had average run of the mill BBQ’s, that usually last us a few years and are nothing special, so we were very excited to test the Weber Genesis® E-335 (especially my husband!). Who doesn’t dream of owning a BBQ beast like this?!  And it really is a beast, at 157cm wide when fully extended and 69cm deep, you will need a good space to be able to host it in your garden.  It is also very beautiful though too.  We were lucky enough to get the BBQ delivered to us ready made to test so we didn’t have to assemble but you can immediately see and feel how well made it is.  It doesn’t have that all look and no substance about it, it really feels like it is built to last.  Which let’s be honest, when spending this level of money it’s important to get that.  You do get the reassurance from Weber of this with their 12 year limited warranty which is great (however it does vary across parts, check t’s and c’s to be sure). A colleague of mine had recently assembled one himself and said it wasn’t too bad and it took around 2 hours for him to build.  Some help might be good though as it is on the heavy side, so you don’t drop or damage anything struggling to do it by yourself.

Testing the Weber BBQ

We are a family of 4 who tend to mostly use the BBQ when we have family or friends round but as my children get older (they are 12 and 7), we are using it more just for us as they love nothing more than a sausage or chicken breast cooked on the grill!

Unfortunately, the time we’ve had to test the BBQ, the weather has not been on our side, so we still have lots of things we’d like to try out (the possibility of baking on it for sure!) but as Weber actively encourages you to see this as an all-round extension to your kitchen, we have tried to use it even if the sun isn’t shining.

My husband quickly tackled the instructions for use and generally he’s found it very straight forward.  It is mostly just using your usual controls with the handy thermometer visible on the lid.  It isn’t overly complicated.  He is still working out on getting the temp to be quite right but that is part of the fun of cooking on a BBQ, isn’t it?

The product features Weber’s largest and hottest Sear Zone with an extendable top cooking crate for a second level of barbecuing which is helpful when entertaining and cooking for large groups. Because of its size, we were able to host 8 adults and 7 children over the summer quite comfortably without having to turn on the kitchen oven to keep things warm as we’ve had to do with previous BBQs, which was really appreciated.  You can also distribute the food nicely with the different burners.  Nothing worse than having to use two appliances for one job!

Some extra nice touches are the side burner so you can cook things like onions in a frying pan or other vegetables, along with the hanger’s underneath that allow you to easily locate your tools both when in and out of use. The side folding prep table is also handy for holding food while you are waiting to cook it.  Often you have to juggle this but the size of this takes that away.

The area underneath supports the gas canister, and it was easy to connect this but it could be used as other storage. You will also notice in the picture the tray which is positioned here too, which catches the fat and makes it really easy to keen on top of cleaning etc.

We were also lucky enough to get some accessories to test and we used the pizza tray on a rainy day in the garage for the kids.  It made the pizza base nice and crisp which was lovely.  We will definitely be doing that again.

Although it is quite heavy, it’s easy to manoeuvre around thanks to the handy wheels and it did fit down our standard and relatively narrow passageway to be able to easily store in the garage when the weather turns.

Final verdict

You can’t hide from the fact that Weber is on the more expensive side, and it is a hefty financial commitment BUT it is a luxury and quality brand and with the guarantee and how well built it feels, I do think it is worth it and my family and I will use it for years to come.  We will also hopefully use it more outside of the core summer periods and are keen to explore other types of cooking with it too, we really have just experimented so far and know we have lots of fun still to be had.  It does look the part as well and makes quite the statement at your parties or gatherings.