Weber summit gold d4?

[ricklea1953]

Would like to read some comments about this grill. Good, bad? At first I want to concentrate on rotisserie cooking and I like the idea of the dedicated rotisserie burner. This is not a cheap grill (about $1400) but I like the weber network with parts and service readily available.

Is there something else I should consider in the same price range ($1200-1500)? I read that the dedicated smoker box/burner is a real asset but it's not a big highlight in my buying decision (maybe it should be - I don't know).

Moving into a new house this week and don't think I will have time for grilling for at least two weeks. Where should I buy this grill (mail order). If I don't get any real good buying experience recommendations, I will buy it locally.

Thanks,
Rick

[TomKattt]

The Summits (any model) are great grills and virtually nobody is ever unhappy with them. If you can swing the money for a Platinum istead of the Gold, it has better grates and would be my first pick, although the stamped grates on the lower models are good enough. I would want the wood smoker box, but you can rotisserie food without a rear infrared burner.

[steve]

thanks Tom for the recommendation on the summit grill. I am needing advice on this. i live in windy - OKlahoma and i need unit that is not so influenced by the wind and a grill that holds the heat. I was reading about the benefits of the kenmore Elite for its good ability to hold stable heat during a windy day and is the cast iron grill the final word on holding stable heat and searing steaks ? or does the welded ss do almost as well. i may be doing some smoking but that remains to be seen. and some beer can chickens. I have a family of 3. Any recommendations? Right now the weber summit and the kenmore Elite are my 2 choices. steve

[steve]

i would like some input on the summit D4 also and how it does in windy conditions and how well does the grid hold the heat. can you recommend it ye or ne?
steve

[bbq dan]

I purchased a Weber Summit Gold D6 last year and it was the best money I ever spent. The D4 is almost the same unit as the D6 but a little smaller so I hope my commets will help.

I live in Michigan about 30 miles north of Detroit and in my subdivision it is pretty windy. My house is on the corner and for some reason it is like a wind tunnel in my backyard. It must be the way the houses are positioned around me. Anyway, with my Weber I have never had a problem with the wind blowing out the burners or the grill losing heat. My old grill was so bad that I had to move it to the other side of the house to grill in the garage just to keep the heat at the right temp.

I have grilled with my Weber in all weather conditions including high winds and snow flurries and have not had a problem. In fact last weekend I grilled potatos that I eventually turned into "loaded" potato skins (the kids love) and also grilled and smoked a meatloaf on the grill with snow flurries and high winds and did not have a problem.

I would recommend the Weber. A friend of mine bought a Kenmore and it worked very good for a while but he had a problem. The burners are cast iron and here in Michigan with changing weather conditions the burners started to rust. He had to remove them and drill out the holes because they were getting clogged. It is an on going problem.

The thing with the Webers is that you are going to spend a lot for it. I was lucky, I found a year end clearance last year and I pretty much stole the unit. (that is a whole different story for another time)

I hope this helps with your decision.

[steve]

Dear Dan,
thank you for your valuable input regarding windy conditions and your summit D6. This advice and a nice e-mail response from another forum participant made my day and cinched my decision. I am new to forums ( not to mention this particular one) and this is a great way to share information with us less experienced grillers.
Again thanks for the help. Steve

[Sanchez_315er]

This is exactly what I was looking for... I'm in the market for a grill. My 8 year old Coleman did it's last cartwheel through the back yard yesterday... time for something good.

I have some choices though:

1. Closeout on a Jenn Air 60K BTU built-in at Lowes for $400

2. Choice of Weber Summit Gold "6" series on closeout:
A6 - $875
B6 - $900
D6 - $1100

I had the side burner and rotisserie on the Coleman... never used either of them. I'm leaning to either the A6 or B6, as $25 I can deal with.

Any help in making a decision would be appreciated. I understand that you can drill out the orifices on the Jenn Air and really crank out some heat, but I don't think I'll need to do that.

I'm also curious if it would be possible to remove the A6 from the cart and use it in a built-in in the future. I haven't seen one unassembled, so if you put yours together, let me know.

[TomKattt]

Sanchez, I am not a big fan of the Jenn-Air. Those grills are NOT designed, built, or supported by Jenn-Air. They are made in China under contract by Lowes. There is some question in the industry whether Lowes will continue the contract or whether parts will be available in the future if the contract expires. But the Jenn-Air is a good grill. I believe it's 304 series stainless and they seem to be pretty well made and perform well.

The Weber Summits are excellent grills and come from a manufacturer with the best reputation in the grilling industry. It's hard to resist a Weber.

I love Weber and think they're the greatest, but for $400 and less than half the price of a Summit, I would have to grab the Jenn-Air.

As for building in a grill, Weber makes a built in Summit. I am not sure what would happen if you disassembled one on a cart and built it in yourself, but I think if you want a built-in, you're better off buying one that is designed to be built in.

[Sanchez_315er]

I ended up getting the Jenn Air for $350... can't beat that. Thanks for the thoughts.

The construction of the unit is excellent and I'm pretty impressed. They seem to have over-vented the grill, though and it loses a lot of heat up and out the back. It is quite simple to add a block to some of it with a piece of 90 degree stainless. Of course I won't block all of it, but just some. I blocked one area with foil and saw an instant rise in temperature of 50 degrees.

I've cooked on it twice on a temporary cart... both times with excellent results.