The Product: High-End Six-Burner Gas Grill

For the serious outdoor chef who wants to cook it all on one grill, a high-end or premium grill is the tool of choice. Advanced features can include more burners (which run vertically), natural gas hookup, rotisserie burner(s), sear burners, infrared burners, a commercial grade thermometer, side burners, stainless steel construction and electronic ignition. Also, read more about Why I like Weber Grills

Recommendation: Weber Summit S-650 Gas Grill Review

Weber has significantly improved its Summit Grills over the past two years in response to competitive pressure from Lynx and other grill manufacturers. I owned my first Weber Summit Grill (Weber Summit Platinum D6) for many years and recently got the newer model as well.

Redesigned just last year, the Weber Summit S 650 has been upgraded again for 2008. The Summit is powered by six stainless steel burners that put out a total of 60,000 BTU. The burner tubes run up and town rather then left to right, which makes it easier to control heat zones from left to right and cook multiple items at different temperatures. The primary cooking area is 693 square inches, which fills up faster than you’d think. There is also a 12,000 BTU flush-mounted side burner, and you can make use of that side as a tray when you don’t need the burner.

Summit S-650 has many of the best attributes of both a charcoal and a gas grill. My two favorite features are the dedicated smoker box/burner, which makes smoking with gas even easier than with charcoal, and the infrared rotisserie burner and spit, which is mounted higher in the new version so that you don’t need to remove the grates. The motorized rotisserie burner is so fun that you’ll be making your own rotisserie chickens and meats in no time.

The Weber Summit S650 is also one of the only Weber gas grills with the extra-thick stainless steel 9.5 mm cooking grates, which retain heat very well, don't rust and are easy to clean. It also features Weber’s new front-mounted Snap-Jet burner knobs, which are electronically controlled and light individually when turned, without the need for a separate starter. Front-mounted knobs also stay cleaner because they don’t collect as much dirt and grime. The 2008 model adds built-in stainless steel Grill-Out handle lights, which are like mini spotlights mounted on the handle so you can see your food in the dark.

Other Notable Features:
• All stainless steel construction
• A fixed commercial-grade thermometer and six sturdy tool holders
• Weber’s best-in-class warranty, which will cover most items well beyond your own life span

Models and Variations
In the stainless steel S-class, Weber also offers the S-620 model which loses the smoker burner and the infrared burner, making it perhaps a better choice for those who are not as into the gadgets. Also available is the new highest-end model, the Weber Summit S-670 which is the first Weber with a sear burner system. The sear burner is a dedicated center mounted 10,600 BTU burner that allows you to step up the heat when you need to sear your meat, an increasingly popular feature on high-end grills. Weber’s sear burner is gas-powered, but essentially does the same thing as a high temperature infrared burner. The other cool S-670 feature is lighted control knobs, which glow red with Weber’s trademark kettle grill logo. Rounding out the line is the Weber S-640 built-in, which is perfect for patios and pool areas.

New for 2008 are the Weber Summit E-620 and Weber Summit E-650 models. The Summit E's have a porcelain rather than stainless steel exterior and come in different colors with the same features as the model numbers in the S-Series.

If you have a smaller family or limited space, you may prefer a smaller four-burner grill to a six-burner model and should check out the Bobby's Best Summit S-450 Review.

Devil's Advocate:

If you are going to make the investment in the Weber Summit S-650, it’s really nice to hook it up to a natural gas line. Otherwise this beast will burn through a 20 lb. propane tank pretty quickly.

See All Weber Summit E&S Models at Amazon or BBQ Grills and More