Review: Weber GBS Premium 5775
My previous kogel BBQ was giving up after years of loyal service so I took the plunge to a Weber GBS Premium.
At first I had my doubts about the hinged lid, wouldn't this cause too much leaks? And how is the deflector plate going to be better than expected?
You can read my findings here.
First impression
The box is really big! I was as happy as a child at Christmas' eve when the postman rang the bell with my package. Once the box is opened you will find an easy to follow plan to assemble your BBQ yourself, you can also opt to buy it in its entirety but what's the fun in that?
The whole assembly went smoothly until I got to the lid. The hinge is quite tricky to assemble, if you do this wrong you will get a lot of leaks so that smoke can escape or air can enter. This causes serious temperature fluctuations and makes for an unreliable BBQ. It took me half an hour to get my lid to fit perfectly.
The use
To initiate a BBQ you are almost obliged to make ribs. The recipe I used for this can be found on this page.
The method I usually use to cook low & slow is the snake method. With this method you make a beautiful half moon with briquettes of 2 rows thick around the edge of the BBQ. Then you put another row of briquettes on top and spread some chunck's smoking wood over the first part of the snake.
Because of the circle on which the deflector plate rests, you can use the space between the iron and the edge of your BBQ to build up the snake nicely. When you place the deflector plate in your BBQ, you have the entire space of your BBQ free to smoke indirectly. Super handy!
I then used the minion method when making pulled chicken.
I filled the metal circle on which the deflector plate rests with coal, inserted a piece of smoking wood here and there and then put a few firelighters in it. When you place the deflector plate back in your BBQ, you really have a lot of space to put your meat!
Pro's
The 'one touch' system is super handy for removing ashes;
The GBS grid is a delight, the different inserts make the BBQ even more versatile than it already is;
The deflector plate allows you to set your entire grid as 'indirect'.
The metal circle where the deflector plates or rests gives you a nice 'template' for the snake and minion method.
Con's
You cannot move your lid depending on the function you want to give the BBQ;
The hinge is quite difficult to install, if you do this wrong you will get a lot of leaks and the smoke will escape.
The hooks to hang your tools on hang super close to the place where you usually put your coal. Because of this I have already had some melted handles.
What can be done better?
I understand the whole concept with the hinged lid and the advantage that this gives, but installing and adjusting the hinge itself is very tricky. Perhaps this whole process will be easier if they describe it in a little more detail in the user manual.
I would remove the daisy disc on top of the lid from the hinge and place it more to the side of the user, this ensures that you will place your coal more at the back of your BBQ and therefore do not have to reach over hot coals when you works in 2 zones. Doing this also solves the problem of melting tool handles.
In short: this device is very good and can do practically everything, but there are still some downsides. I am happy that I bought it!