Weber Summit Review for 2022
Weber Summit E-470 Introduction
The Weber Summit range is the pinnacle of gas grilling in Weber’s famous arsenal of bbqs. With an inspiring array of features there is very little this barbecue can’t tackle and even has a go at cooking methods you would ordinarily buy a specialist bbq or cooker for.
The E-470 is the entry level Summit, consisting of four main burners and a black painted exterior that compliments the stainless steel components and red illuminated controls. Just marveling at this gorgeous piece of kit on the shop floor is enough to make you dig deep or add to next year’s Christmas list, but actually using it?
Well my friend, THAT is something really special! Unfortunately a thousand words on a page with pictures depicting a thousand more will never justify the awesomeness of this grill but I will do my best to convey my thoughts and experience. Enjoy.
Construction
You will struggle to find a more solidly-built barbecue on earth as the Weber Summit gas bbq range – each packed out with the best quality stainless steel components from head to toe. Weber really has thought of everything and incorporated it all into this barbecue. Having said that, there is no room for bullsh*t – Each feature has a specific purpose designed to bring maximum enjoyment when cooking outdoors.
Opening the lid of the barbecue you can already feel the quality in the heavy-duty lid as it glides open on its hinges. What you are presented with is a gleaming 2 piece stainless steel cooking grate (3432sq.cm / 532sq.inch total cooking area) made up of 9.5mm stainless steel rods hovering over Weber’s patented stainless steel Flavorizer Bars that you can now find on all types of grills.
Versions of flavorizer bars exists on many gas barbecues nowadays (imitation is the highest form of flattery?) and there is a reason for this – they work so damn well! Implemented for two reasons; firstly to direct flammable fat drippings away from the burners which both keeps them clean and unblocked for longer, but also to stop flare-ups which will inevitably scorch food, cremating the outside or worse, making it inedible.
Secondly, any juices and fat that hit the searing surfaces of the flavorizer bars will instantly vaporizer creating flavored smoke/steam that will help taint the food with the smokey taste longed for by gas barbecue owners and recycle any moisture keeping meat succulent and tender.
Housed underneath the flavorizer bars sits four high-powered stainless steel burners running front to back expending a total of 48,000BTU (14.3kW/h) of heat power PLUS a new added Sear System which is essentially an extra high-powered burner that nestles in between the two central burners which offers extra localized heat which can be switched on and off as needed during your bbq’ing session.
On the right hand side of the main cooking area you will also find a cleverly hidden hinged smoker box with its own individually controlled burner (8000BTU) that brings a new dimension to your cooking.
Built into the back of the lid is a 10,600BTU rated infra-red burner for use with the rotisserie which from 2011 stores neatly under the side shelf when not in use. If all this wasn’t enough, a hidden side burner built into the right-hand side shelf caters for saucepans and frying pans adding to the range of food and sides that you can cook.
The trolley, side shelves and lid are all incredibly robust and where possible have been made from a single sheet of thick stainless steel so welding and rivets are kept to a minimum. What this means to you is a stronger overall unit, and backed by a 25year guarantee, Weber clearly agree!
The doors and lid shroud surfaces are black porcelain enameled with stainless steel trim which greatly limits the possibility of rust or corrosion and when combined with Weber’s made to measure Summit weather-proof cover, the bbq is near indestructible.
What I am trying to say is you will be hard pushed to find a more durable and robust gas barbecue with similar features at the prices that Amazon.com and others offer this bbq for.
Cooking with the Summit E470
This Summit caters for a wide range of cooking methods which is perfect for those chefs wanting to experiment and get the very best out of their barbecued meals. No longer will chucking a couple of sausages and burgers on the ’barbie’ suffice…your family and friends will be expecting a lot more and this grill will help you deliver!
- 4 main burners
- side burner
- rear rotisserie
- smoker box burner
- heat power total split between several types of burner
- indirect/direct cooking
- individually illuminated controls
- snapjet ignition
E470 Features
This has been brought in as a way of locking in flavors to meats such as steaks that would otherwise dry up and lose some flavor by searing the outside and adding those wonderful professional looking grid lines.
Smoker Box
Additionally incorporated under the lid, is a stainless steel hinged smoker box situated in the right corner with its own dedicated heat source underneath. Weber already offer a selection of flavored wood chips including Mesquite, Hickory, Cherry wood and more designed to add extra flavors to your food and these are dampened and added to the smoker box which are in turn heated to emit the desired flavored smoke.
Grill Lights
As standard, the Weber Summits come with “Grill-Out” TM spotlights that enable you to cook way after the sun goes down (one light for the E/S 470 and two lights E/S 670). The 3 high powered LEDs (per light) splash light over the whole cooking surface and can be configured to switch on automatically as the lid opens and tilts back or manually with the push-button switch.
It clamps to the Summit handle and lasts for around 20 hours on three AAA batteries, whilst resisting heat and moisture thanks to its glass reinforced nylon shell.