Goodbye old friend

[thebowl]

My natural gas powered Ducane Grill gets disconnected and put to the curb this weekend after 19 years of loyal, semi-reliable service. I replaced the burners twice I believe and the ignitors once. It never really generated the strong heat, but that sucker came on and I have browned a lot of protein and Veggies on it.

I will replace it with a Weber Genesis. Stainless, without the side burner. I have cooked on this model and I am pretty excited.

 

[mt1neers]

Sorry to hear about your loss ... but you're definitely coming out ahead with the new addition to the family. If you haven't bought your Weber yet, I would recommend getting the side burner as it really does come in handy at times. Here's to many years and lots of dead cows in your future.

 

[thebowl]

Thanks, Mt1. My kitchen is steps away from the grill area, so I am sure I can get by without the side burner. Besides, my budget has been hammered by the other stuff I am doing to the deck, so I need to spend "wisely".

I know Ducane doesn't get much love these days, but that baby was good to me. I hope the Webber meets expectations.

 

[backcountry mounty]

I had a Ducame for a long time. Good grill but didn't put the heat out. I have a Genesis (without the sideburner) now and you are going to be blown away by the heat that comes off of that baby.

Did you get the Genesis with the new sear feature included. My dad has that and it is really neat.

 

[thebowl]

No, BCM, I got what I suppose is the "stipped down" Genesis. Actually, I chose black today instead of stainless; saved $150. Ace Hardware is running an end of season sale to blow out the 2011s. $719 for a nat gas model, assembled, with a "free" cover. I need to check before I take delivery because I really want the stainless grates and their website isn't clear whether they are included.

I have cooked on this model and the difference in heat is really amazing. That was the real drawback to the Ducane; it only got so hot.

 

[COOL MAN]

EVERYONE who goes from Ducane to Weber (including yours truly) is shocked when he fires up a Weber for the first time and feels the marked different in output. The ONLY thing on which I felt the Ducane was superior to the Weber was it's cast metal (aluminum, I believe) construction, which I always personally liked better than Weber's admittedly good fabricated sheet metal construction.

Oh, there IS one other thing; my Ducane had a fleece lined outdoor cover that made Weber's best (at least when I bought it) cover look and feel like scrap cloth. But in every other category I know, Weber resoundingly outclasses Ducane by several light years.