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Looking to buy my first grill, Weber Spirit E330 or Napoleon Rogue XT 425 SIB?
Napoleon Rogue SE 425 (infrared side burner) vs Rogue SE 525 (standard gas side burner)
Genesis II e 310 vs Napoleon Rogue 425
I've had Napoleons and Webers (but not these exact models, I had Weber Spirits and a small Prestige) and I think Napoleon is better b/c it's built better. In terms of cooking performance there wasn't that much difference. Admittedly that's just cooking over the main burners and doesn't include rotisserie or IR cooking, . I'm also not a fan of the Napoleon wavy grates b/c they're harder to clean.
But here in the US Napoleon is not as well known. Also parts availability is better for Weber.
BTW, it looks like the equivalent Weber for the Rogue would actually be the Weber Spirit line just looking at the 3 burner cooking surface area. In that case they're about the same price, at least here in the US.
More on reddit.comNapoleon Rogue XT 425 SiB vs Weber Spirit SP-335 : grilling
I'm new to grilling and am looking to buy a grill. A big incentive is because when I'm cooking inside on my gas stove, the smoke is dirtying the ceiling above it despite having the fan on. For this reason, I'm looking at a grill with a side burner so I can use a wok for some high heat cooking outside. Would the infrared on the Napoleon be better for this despite having a lower BTU of 9000 versus the 12000 on the Weber?
More importantly, will the Weber be good enough for searing steaks, burgers, and salmon with its sear zone or should I go for the Napoleon that has a higher BTU?
Any other grills I should look at? Should I look into get a smoke box if I want to add some of that charcoal taste despite using a gas grill?
https://www.weber.com/US/en/gas/spirit/spirit-e-330-gas-grill/46810001.html
https://www.bbqguys.com/napoleon/rogue-xt-425-propane-gas-grill-with-infrared-side-burner-black-rxt425sibpk-1
Seeking opinions and thoughts on the above BBQ grills.
Love the idea of the infrared side burner for searing on the 425 but not sure if it's benefits outweigh a 4th main burner that comes with the 525. Both come with the rear infrared rotisserie burner as standard.
As a bonus question, appreciate thoughts on the Rogue SE 425 vs Phantom Rogue SE 425.... Australia based and seems the main difference is the infrared side burner comes with stainless steel grill grids for the infrared side burner on the Phantom vs porcelain cast iron on non-Phantom. Also not completely clear too me (seems to be store dependent) but the non-Phantom model seems to come with a flat cooktop/griddle standard for roughly one third of the cooking area vs full stainless steel grill grids arrangement on the Phantom.
Prices I can currently get in the lead up to black friday are (in AUD):
Rogue SE 425 (infrared side burner variant) = $2,000
Rogue SE 525 (standard gas side burner variant) = $1,600
Phantom Rogue SE 425 (infrared side burner) = $1,600
For what it's worth we have been cooking for years on a no name 1 burner portable/camping bbq so anything will be an upgrade. That said we now have a new house with some space and if we are going to spend the money I'd like to get best bang for buck. Had considered some alternatives such as Weber and Ziegler & Brown but like the 15 year warranty and value of the Napoleon's.
Typically just cooking for the two us (for now kids in the future), occasional small gathering at 4-6 persons, and on the rare occasion 10+.
Thanks.