Weber Genesis S-340

The Bottom Line

Simply put the Weber Genesis line of grills are the best you can buy in this price range and beyond. What you get with the S-340 is a three burner grill, a 12,000 BTU side burner, and a 10,000 BTU internally mounted sear burner. Other models in this series come without the side burner or the sear burner. You decide which configuration works for you and buy only what you need.

Description

• Three 12,666 BTU stainless steel tubular burners
• 507 square inches of primary grilling space for a total cooking area of 637 square inches
• 38,000 BTU maximum output from the main burners
• 12,000 BTU standard side burner under a flush mounted cover
• 10,000 BTU internal booster sear burner
• Push button electric (AA-battery) ignition
• Stainless steel rod cooking grates
• Constructed of cast aluminum and stainless steel (400 series stainless)
• Dual layer hood with double vaporization system for heat retention
• Sold as either propane or natural gas - not convertible
• Made in the USA by the Weber-Stephen Products Company

Review of Weber Genesis S-340

Weber redesigned their popular line of Genesis grills in 2011. The burners, which used to run parallel to the front of the grill, with controls on the right side table, are now run perpendicular to the front of the grill with the controls in the front. Now, after 25 years, the Weber Genesis grill is much more like all the other grills on the market, at least as far as the burner design goes. Being Weber, this wasn't a rash decision and after three years of development, the new Genesis grill is a more efficient grill. We won't go into all the details here, but what we can say is that this grill really hasn't changed the way the grill cooks.

Of course, if you are reading this you are not interested in what the Genesis used to be, but what it is now. Put simply this grill is one of the most efficient standard gas grills on the market as well as one of the best built. For the price, there really isn't a better grill on the market, and while this is a basic, no frills gas grill it does what you want, it grills hot and fast, while giving you the ability to do low, indirect grilling.

To really understand the Genesis grill you need to look inside the firebox. The three burners put out only 38,000 BTUs under 507 square inches of cooking space or about 75 BTUs per square inch. While this is low when compared to other gas grills, the efficient design holds in heat. The problem is that with just the main burners, it takes longer to preheat than more powerful grills. The sear burner is going to give you fantastic searing heat, but only on the left side of the grill. Plan on letting this grill heat up for a good 20 minutes before it hits high temperatures.

What really makes the Weber Genesis S-330 stand out is its quality. The attention to detail that takes 3 years to change the burner design can be seen in every part of this grill. This means that everything on this grill works, and since there is a 10-year warranty on virtually everything in this grill, you can rely on it to last for at least a decade and we would believe longer.

This model includes a 12,000 BTU side burner under a flush mounted cover on the right side table and a 10,000 BTU sear burner. This sear burner is simply an additional, standard burner built inside the firebox between the center and left burners. This boosts the heat output on this side of the grill giving you an intense heat for searing.

This grill is basically the same as the Genesis E-330 which sells for $100USD less. What this model has are stainless steel body panels and lid, stainless steel rod cooking grates, and stainless steel vaporization bars. Obviously, the stainless steel version isn't going to cook any better than its more colorful cousin, and in my experience, this one won't last any longer than that one.