This Weber gas BBQ took all the guesswork out of grilling – it's made me feel like a grill master

The Weber Genesis EPX-335 Smart Gas Barbecue, £1649 at Weber, is an outdoor cooker for serious chefs. It's an impressive piece of kit. If you're looking for a portable barbecue which you can pack away in the car for camping trips, then this is not the buy for you. If, however, you like to grill in the garden and want to up your grilling game by exploring more ways to cook on gas, then you'll be hard pushed to top this option.

With the ability to roast, bake, steam, or even stir-fry by replacing the cooking grate with custom-fit WEBER CRAFTED grillware, the Weber Genesis EPX-335 is like no other barbecue I have ever seen or heard of before. From cooking caramelised onions on the side burner to searing large joints of meat on the sear zone, this has got to be up there as one of the best BBQs to date.

Although we tend to seldom cook on disposable charcoal BBQs in our household, a gas BBQ seemed appealing to try out - especially since we have recently had a patio laid, which would make the perfect base for it. The fact that this gas BBQ is also a smart BBQ made me more curious to try it out for size since I'd never used these functionalities before.

Keep scrolling to see how we got on. From its delivery through to using it to cook dinners, we've covered every aspect in this review.

Weber Genesis EPX-335 smart barbecue specifications

• Fuel type: Liquid petroleum gas
• No. of stainless steel burners: 3
• Main burners: 11.4kW
• Sear zone burner: 3.81kW
• Side burner: 3.52kW
• Total cooking area: 4133 cm²
• Warming rack area: 823 cm²
• Side tables: 2
• Swivel castors: 2
• Swivel locking castors: 2
• Meat probes included: 1
• Dimensions (lid closed): H160 x W166 x D77.5cm
• Warranty: up to 12 years, depending on parts

Jennifer Oksien

Jen was previously our Appliance Editor at Ideal Home but is now TechRadar's Homes Editor. She's had hands-on testing experience with everything from washing machines to vacuum cleaners and barbecues.

She lives in Bristol in the UK with her husband and toddler in a mid-terraced, 3-bed Victorian home. The garden is laid out as a lawn with a small patio area, which can be a sun trap in the summer months.

As with all our reviews, the Weber Genesis EPX-335 Smart Gas Barbecue has been tested first-hand over a few months, using it just as you would, so you know what you're buying. We are not given any compensation for our reviews, but we may be gifted the product, meaning that we can test it over a greater length of time and update our reviews if required.

Delivery, unboxing and set up

The Weber Genesis EPX-335 arrived on a crate, which was delivered on the footpath outside our house. We live in a mid-terraced house with no access to the back garden for a delivery lorry to get to easily. This gave us the task of swiftly getting it off the footpath and through the house to the back garden. The box was big and heavy, and there was absolutely no way that I could lift it, let alone with my husband's help. We tackled it by gradually unboxing the BBQ, piece by piece - and there were a lot of pieces.

This is something which you'll need to take into account if you do go ahead with placing an order with one of these mighty BBQs. Unless you have a driveway or access to the garden for the crate to be lifted down, you will need at least two people to help you move the parts because some are heavy.

Each part of the BBQ felt quality and robust, and although we had just spent 30-or-so minutes unboxing it, we were impressed with how it was starting to feel. Each part comes with a Weber warranty of up to 12 years, so you know that everything to do with the kit is backed by the confidence of the brand.

It's recommended that two people set up the BBQ to save time and to share the load of the heavy parts. However, my husband ended up taking over the reins of this, and it took him approximately two hours. Top tip: follow the instructions. At first it was daunting, but when you get your head around the graphic symbols, it was quite easy.

Because we unboxed the piece bit by bit, we couldn't easily find what they were referring to, which made it confusing, but all items are clearly marked in boxes, so it's best to lay these all out before making a start.

You will need more space to assemble the BBQ, and thereafter, than you may think. We keep saying that it is big, and that it is. We found that once you get into a flow of assembling it, it does come together relatively quickly, but in addition to the supplied tools, you'll find it useful to have a screwdriver.

Building the BBQ is an intermediate level. If assembling things is something which you tend to shy away from, then this is not going to be for you. You'll need to decide if it's going to be worth your time because there are plenty of other good gas BBQs available to buy, which may / may not have all the bells and whistles of the Gen sis 355, but it'll be much easier to start with.

Before you can use it for the first time, you'll need to get a gas canister, which is available from general hardware stores or petrol stations. This is another consideration because it's likely that you'll either need a car to collect it or arrange for delivery. Without this, you won't be able to use it, so it's pretty essential.

First impressions

Once you get the BBQ all set up, and you take a step back to marvel at your new outdoor cooker, you realise just how much of a serious piece of kit it is. The finish quality is fantastic, using high-quality stainless steel in all the key places.

The chunky dials leave little room for error - there’s nothing fiddly about them. The bonus rear light features around the dials add a bit of pizazz to the patio.

Following the chunky, well-built theme, the weight of the grill lid adds to the build quality and further reassurance at just how well engineered the BBQ is.

Despite the size, the BBQ is easy to move around. It’s guided by four chunky trolley-style castors with an easy-to-use foot operating mechanism.

What's it like to use?

Under the hood, in the main grill area, are three Proprietary PUREBLU high-heat burners which are designed to produce the most efficient, even flame for consistent, precise heat and reliable ignition. There's also an extra-large sear zone, which enables you to sear multiple food items simultaneously, giving you ultimate control and flexibility for whatever you are cooking, be it from a lightly smoked fish to a sizzling sirloin steak. A feature which brings even more flexibility is the side burner, which will enable cookware such as pots and pans to be introduced to further expand the range of cooking options.

The electronic ignition makes lighting the burners super easy. So far, it has worked every time. It's powered by supplied batteries, which do exactly what they are supposed to do, taking the stress out of constantly trying to light a BBQ. It's really quick to heat up - we were cooking on gas within 10 minutes.

We found that the digital thermostat is an absolute godsend because you know exactly what is going on inside the grill. It even comes with an attachment for using as a meat thermometer probe, which is essential for longer cooks on larger pieces of meat

There's the option to have direct heat, indirect heat and a generous-sized warming rack. These can be used in this way all at once, thanks to the expandable top cooking grate. You can have a burger sizzling, veggies roasting and corn on the cob on the upper rack. This is a new feature for the GENESIS grill, which provides extra room to cook appetisers, sides, or main course dishes.

When preparing food to cook and serve, we found the extra-large prep and serve table mega useful. Our kitchen is fairly compact, so being able to take food out and assemble it on a plate ready for tucking in to saved a lot of toing and froing, as well as space.

I've read that the prep and serve table accommodates more trays and dishes than previous Genesis models, and although I don't have hands-on experience with these, I am grateful for the extra space.

We really like that the dials are quick to respond and they are lit by LEDS, so when cooking in low-light levels, we can still see clearly. There are also under-the-lid LED lights, which illuminate the entire barbecuing surface - from the side table to the grates. This lighting system is perfect for barbecuing any time of the day, although we preferred the evening.

We (also) really like the built-in storage. It's really useful. It's a good place to keep the manual (until you're confident using it) as well as utensils, gloves and pots and pans. You can't lock it, however, so just don't leave anything valuable in it if this is something which is going to play on your mind.

We're looking forward to using wood chips at some point in the near future to add that smokey flavour, and to cook a thin crust pizza. We've also found a recipe for a beer-can chicken that we are excited to try when we next get a good spell of weather.

Other features

One of the biggest selling points of the Weber Genesis EPX-335 is that it is smart. It has Integrated WEBER CONNECT Technology, which promises to create the perfectly grilled food through real-time food temperature alerts, reminders, and flip and serve notifications at the barbecue or directly to your smartphone. To take advantage of all that this tech has to offer, you'll need to have the WEBER CONNECT app downloaded onto your device.

It's a complete game-changer which enables barbecue-goers to stay connected to their barbecue while taking care of guests, watching the game, or enjoying a drink. But we couldn't pair the device with the app on the first attempt. This is something which we’ll try again (and again) when we next get the opportunity - we'll just need to boost the WiFi, or something.

Cleaning the Weber Genesis EPX-335 Smart Gas Barbecue

Cleaning is never going to be easy with a big BBQ like this, as there is only one place to go. However, there is a really useful catch tray for all the juices at the bottom, and Weber has designed all of the components to be removable for cleaning.

You should expect to give the BBQ a quick clean after each use, which will help to maintain it. Scourers and purpose-made scrapers are readily available at all hardware shops and from Weber directly, with prices starting from £6.39 for a 30cm grill brush. This will make scraping off yesterday's dinner a lot easier, and also prevent the flavours of your fish and veggies from tainting today's steak.

In the manual, it's advised that you give the grill a deep clean at least twice a year, but if you use it regularly, then you should be aiming for at least once a quarter. Everything will need to be cleaned, and there are detailed instructions advising how to clean a BBQ, which is all really easy to follow.

Storing the Weber Genesis EPX-335 Smart Gas Barbecue

If you have somewhere to store it during the colder months, then it can be easily moved on the four castor wheels into a sheltered outbuilding. This will help to protect it from the elements and generally prolong the life of the BBQ.

If, like us, you do not have somewhere to store it and need to leave it on the patio, then we would highly recommend you buy the purpose-made cover for £131.99 on weber.com for this model, as it can quickly get dirty following rain and exposure to the sun.

Should you buy the Weber Genesis EPX-335 Smart Gas Barbecue?

If you want to take your grilling skills up a notch and spend more time cooking outdoors, then we can wholeheartedly recommend this BBQ. Unboxing it and putting it together may take a while, but once it's all set up, you won't look back. Each small part adds to the overall quality of the product that the Weber Genesis EPX-335 Smart Gas Barbecue is, and with a warranty of up to 12 years, it's backed by the confidence of the brand, too.

There is no denying that it is expensive. At just shy of £2,000, it is an investment. It will open up a lot of culinary doors, such as smoking and cooking a pizza, not just grilling. Everything you could need - apart from the gas canister - is available to buy on the Weber UK website. There's plenty of support, should you need it, from online chats to user guides and recipes.

The built-in smart tech is what elevates the price, but this is something which should give you the confidence to try cooking new things. There are plenty of recipes to try in the app as well as on the Weber website, and it removes the guesswork of when the food is ready to eat. As well as this smart feature, there are loads of other features such as the meat probe, LED lights and expandable top cooking grate, which make it a top choice.