Weber Genesis Maintenance Manual

GAS GRILL MAINTENANCE
FLAVORIZER BARS – REPLACE 'EM OR KEEP 'EM
Back when the first Weber Genesis models were designed in the 1980s, one of the biggest innovations of their design was the
invention of the Flavorizer Bar. Pretty much any gas grill made prior to our invention used lava rocks, which were a mess to
clean and maintain, not to mention prone to flare ups.
Every Weber Spirit, Genesis and Summit gas grill made today use Flavorizer Bars to direct grease and drippings away from the
burner tubes, which cuts down on flare ups tremendously.
An extra benefit of Flavorizer Bars is that they help add that "cooked on a grill" flavor to your food. Drippings, marinades and
juices from food being cooked fall down onto the hot Flavorizer Bars, and are vaporized and circulate back up to the food and
add that great, extra flavor.
Due to the function that Flavorizer Bars serve in the grill, they probably take more punishment than any other part. They are
subjected to all the heat from the burners below them, and all those drippings from the food above can get them rather greasy
and messy. That's why one of the most important things you can do for your Weber gas grill is to clean the Flavorizer Bars.
Brand new Flavorizer Bars will be shiny and clean, like the ones pictured above, but it won't take many uses of the grill for them
to take on a less attractive appearance. Shown below are the same Flavorizer Bars from the last picture, about a year later.
They've developed a bit of surface corrosion, but all they need is some maintenance, and are actually in good condition to keep
serving their function.
Many people often think that they need to replace their Flavorizer Bars when they develop some surface corrosion, but so long
as they haven't developed any holes or cracks in them they should work just fine. The Flavorizer Bars in the next photo are
examples of ones that should be replaced.