Weber’s genesis epx-435 smart gas barbecue left us impressed by its flashy features

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Charred sausages, blackened veggies and undercooked chicken – these are the problems that have blighted every barbecue enthusiast at some point. But what if the answer is a smart machine that will take out all the guesswork and let you actually enjoy entertaining family and friends?

Well if you’re looking for an investment piece, the new Weber Genesis epx-435 smart gas barbecue might just provide the solution.

New for summer 2022, the Genesis epx-435 is the bigger version of the Genesis epx-335, with four main burners instead of three, plus a side burner. Like other Weber machines, this one is built to last, with grill components protected by a 12-year warranty and smart features protected for up to three. It’s slick, too, with mirror finishes in just the right places and an imposing frame.

What really sets it apart from competitors and previous models though are the smart features that talk you through the barbecuing process. Thanks to an in-built temperature gauge, the option for two additional temperature probes and WiFi connectivity, this machine will let you know exactly when you’re ready to cook and when your meat has reached optimal temperature.

But are there simply too many features? Or is this pricey model just the right side of value for money? We tested a sample to find out.

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We’ve already tested a few new barbecues this season so for us the key is the performance. We’re not just talking about the results – although obviously, that’s important too – but everything from set up to cleaning. Because it’s such a high tech model, we paid particular attention to whether the additional functions were ones that we would actually use or ones that we would have to go out of our way to make the most of. And of course, there’s the all-important question of whether it’s actually worth the money. Here’s our verdict...

Like other Weber barbecues, the Genesis epx-435 is a handsome machine. The main frame is in the brand’s signature mix of polished and painted stainless steel. The base, set on four castors, houses the propane gas canister on the left with ample storage on the right. Immediately above it is a sloped tray, which catches any drips and fallen food from the grill and sends them gliding into the removable grease tray just below. The entire drip collection system slides out, which makes cleaning super easy.

In the grill, you have four main burners, which are evenly spaced out. Between the two burners on the right, you actually have a fifth burner, which helps to superheat this area and turn it into a “sear zone” for items like steaks that you want to seal off quickly.

Stainless steel flavorizer bars – a Weber feature that’s meant to catch some of the cooking juices and fat, burn it off and create extra smokey flavour – are set just above the burners and below the porcelain enamel-coated cast-iron grates. A secondary stainless steel grate hovers just above this – you can use it to rest any meat or fold it out for indirect heat cooking. The porcelain enamel lid, fitted with an internal temperature probe and LED lights for night-time cooking, completes the main grill.

There are two side tables with three tool hooks each on the exterior. The right side is designed to be an extra large work surface with an LED display on the front to show you the barbecue temperature. Only one meat probe comes with the machine but there’s space to plug in a second one here for those who want to cook long and slow. Below this is the power point – you need to plug in this barbecue if you want to enable temperature and WiFi features – and hooks for any spare grates.

On the left, you have a covered side burner for any sauces or sides, and the lid folds down to create a second work surface when it’s not in use. Below this is a separate cupboard that can be used to store any tools or cleaning equipment.

As a gas barbecue, the Genesis epx-435 is pretty straightforward. The sear zone is for anything that you want to cook fast while the other side is for anything that you want to cook more slowly. Temperature-wise, it can reach around 300C with the lid down and all the burners on in about 15 minutes, which is the amount of time Weber recommends for pre-heating.

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Of course, it’s the smart features that take it to the next level both in terms of usage and the price point. The Genesis epx-435 is fitted with Weber connect technology, which means you can pair up the sensors on the machine with your smartphone via the app.

Although you can’t adjust the temperature or get it to flip your burgers for you – what a joy that would be – it does let you know how things are going. For example, you can set an alert for the machine to tell you when the grill has reached a certain temperature, or a timer so you can walk away from the grill until it’s time to turn. The app also gives you lots of recipes, with step by step instructions and automated timers, so you can just about set it and forget it.

The Genesis epx-435 is also equipped with a motion sensor and LED lights under the lid that will light up the whole cooking area so you can still barbecue in low light conditions – so there’s no need to stop barbecuing just because the sun’s gone down. Even the dials on the front have lights so you can see exactly how high your gas is turned up to.

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But it’s perhaps the versatility that puts Weber ahead of many of its competitors. As well as the main grates, you get a special rest that you can use woks on so you can use the barbecue to cook up a stir fry without worrying about filling your house with cooking smells. You can also buy different shaped grates and trays to cook everything from fish to eggs and even pizza. In essence, you’ll be able to do as much in your outdoor kitchen as your indoor one.

The Genesis epx-435 is really easy to use. You push the gas dial in to turn it on, then just press the battery-powered electric lighter to get the fire going. If for whatever reason the igniter doesn’t work, you also have a match holder on a chain that you can use. Once you’ve finished grilling, you have to push the gas dial in to turn it off. It’s a nice little feature that means you don’t accidentally turn the gas on or off during use.

With the lid down, the grill comes up to temperature in about 15 minutes and you’ll get that sizzle right away. The results can be variable though. This is because you need at least two burners on to get any kind of decent heat going.

With the lid down, the air inside will reach around 150C. But when you lift the lid up to add, turn or remove food, the temperature drops to around 60-75C in a matter of seconds as the burners are so spaced out, so you’ll need the searing burner on to keep the sizzle going. For long, slow cooking that’s less of a problem, but if you’re cooking a mixture of different things that needs steady heat but also regular turning, it can be tricky to get the balance right between lid down and lid up.

The burners also don’t reach all the way to the edge of the grates which means there are cool zones towards the outside. If you have all of the burners on, you’ll still get decent heat here but otherwise, it doesn’t get nearly hot enough to cook anything quickly – this is worth bearing in mind if you’re only planning to cook for a couple of people at a time as you may find you’ll need to turn on more burners than you think.

Then there’s the recipes in the app. Although you have everything from brisket to bananas as an automated programme, for some reason you don’t have the humble sausage, which means it’s one you’ll have to figure out yourself. Fortunately, there’s a temperature probe provided so it certainly won’t be undercooked.

For die-hard charcoal fans, you can buy a smoke box for added smokey flavour, but with just the flavorizer bars installed, we found the results weren’t comparable to that of a charcoal barbecue.

Needless to say, we were very impressed with all of the flashy features on the Genesis epx-435. Compared to your average gas barbecue, this has certainly gone the extra mile in terms of opening up our usual repertoire and there are recipes that we genuinely would love to test. It means that even barbecue veterans will have something new to experiment with.

That said, it’s a pretty expensive piece of kit, especially considering you can get budget-friendly alternatives for about 10 per cent of the price. So the real question is, how many people do you normally cook for? Because the Genesis epx-435 is pretty enormous and works at its best when all the burners are ablaze – but that means a lot of food to cook and potentially a pretty hefty gas bill.