We need a new grill, after ten years.
I love Weber, so I’m not looking for any other suggestions.
What I’m trying to figure out if I should spring for the one with the “searing station” and side burner, or go without those options. Do many people really use them? I’m thinkin in the middle of summer, cooking corn on the cob outside is a good idea. I have no idea about the searing station.
Anyone have one with those options? I’m looking at the S 310 or S 330.
Thanks in advance
No experience with those particular models. I have had a side burner and thought it would be great for corn and such. Never used them once.
We bought the 4-burner one (S 330 or its older equivalent), and I am glad we did! I never used the side burner, but the searing burner is super helpful to get the grill hot for steaks in a really short time. It matters when I come home from a run and want to make dinner quickly! I really like this feature. The price difference is only $100 on a nearly $100 grill… Splurge. 
Thanks. I am ready to splurge, but my husband holds on to his money a little better than I do.
But he’s learned that my “cc friends” give good advice.
We have the side burner and only used it when we couldn’t cook inside due to a power outage.
Too late to edit my post! “a $1000 grill.”
Love our Weber and would love to have those options!
Last summer nearly all of our cooking was done on our Spirit–from June to Oct.
It was fun but really would have liked a side burner. I do not know what a searing station can do–?
Can you stir fry on it? Or is it just for searing meat?
“Searing station” is an extra burner positioned between two regular burners. This setup gets the grill to 700 degrees very, very quickly, so searing steaks is easy. The other advantage of this setup is that you can have very even heating on that side of the grill for low-heat cooking: just turn all burners, including the searing one, to low. Also, when I do indirect heat cooking, e.g., grill a Thanksgiving turkey, I use the left burner and the sear burner to maintain the grilling temperature when the weather is too cold for one burner to provide enough heat.
Never used our grill’s side burner.
I have the Weber with the sear burner and the side burner. I use both, not all the time, but on occasion. The sear burner heats very quickly. I like the side burner to brown onions and especially to fry bacon, and keep the mess out of my kitchen.
“…especially to fry bacon…”
GREAT idea! Thanks!
I remembered - I did use it in the summer to boil potatoes and eggs for potato salad. No way I would have used my stove in 90 degree weather!
Have an old Weber that we love -the only time we wished we had the side burner was during the many days of superstorm sandy when the weber was our only means of cooking (power out for over a week - and we have an electric stove). Would have loved that side burner to boil water for hot beverages etc.
Thanks everyone. I’m thinking I will go with the extras. Now I have to decide if it’s worth the money to open a new credit card to save $s…