Just bought a Weber Genesis II and I'm determined to not be "that dad" who burns everything. I've watched some YouTube videos but honestly I'm nervous about temp control and stuff. Anyone have tips for a complete beginner? What should my first meal be to test it out? Looking for something that won't be a disaster if I mess up lol
Weber Genesis is solid. Real talk though: your first few meals will probably be slightly overcooked or undercooked and that's fine. You learn by doing. Keep the lid down more than you think you need to, don't flip meat constantly, and let it rest after cooking.
Don't overthink it man. Weber Genesis is basically idiot-proof. Preheat 15 mins, oil your grates, throw something simple on. Fish, steak, chicken - whatever. The temp control is literally just turn the knob. You're going to be great.
Do NOT start with fish. Start with burgers or hot dogs. Something forgiving. You'll build confidence and then move to steaks once you understand your grill's hot spots.
Start with burgers or chicken breasts - hard to mess those up. Keep the temp around 400-425F. Get a good meat thermometer (Meater Plus is worth it) so you're not guessing doneness. Weber is a great beginner grill, you'll be fine.
Invest in a thermometer. Seriously. Changed my whole grilling game. I was always overcooking stuff because I was paranoid. Now I know exactly when to pull things off.
Okay so I was terrified too and then I just... grilled chicken breasts my first time and nailed it? Turns out when you stop overthinking and just follow basic rules (preheat, temp check, don't touch it constantly) it's actually pretty hard to burn things on a good grill. You got this.
The biggest mistake beginners make is touching the meat constantly. Just let it sit. Also invest in a decent thermometer, not a cheap one.
Weber Facebook groups are actually super helpful if you get stuck. I know that sounds weird but those dads take their grilling seriously and have good tips for Genesis specifically.
Weber manual is actually pretty good if you read it. And yeah start with something forgiving. I did steaks as my first meal because I'm dumb but they came out perfect somehow. Just keep the temp steady around 400.
I was terrified of mine too. First meal was chicken and it was dry. Second attempt I just relaxed and it was perfect. The anxiety is worse than the actual grilling.
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Start with burgers honestly. Hardest thing to mess up and you'll know right away if your temp control is off. Also get a good meat thermometer - internal temp is your friend. Don't trust eyeballing it.