Weber Summit Smart FS38X S Gas Grill Review

First Impressions of the Weber Summit Smart FS38X S

Assembled, it has the presence of a kitchen island that happens to roll. Stainless runs the whole 74.70 inches of it, lid down. A shelf runs out to the left and another to the right. Six casters carry the 275 pounds, and three of them lock.

Weber publishes no build time. What it does publish is an exclusion. The $99 professional assembly it sells through Angi does not cover Summit grills. Set aside a Saturday, and recruit somebody strong.

Then the panel, which is the part nobody else has. A high-definition screen sits in the middle of the control strip. Burner buttons flank it on both sides. You light this grill by touching glass.

First cook was a thick ribeye, seared on the main burners, then moved under the broiler. That second step is the one worth describing. The crust darkened evenly across the steak’s whole face, with no grey band under it. Six tool hooks held the tongs while it rested.

Key Features of the Weber Summit Smart FS38X S

Two feature sets live on this grill and they barely speak to each other. One is combustion hardware, and it is unusual. The other is the connected layer Weber leads its marketing with. Read them apart before you weigh them together.

• Top-down infrared broiler: A 16,000 BTU element fires downward from the lid onto the meat surface. Weber’s claim for it is caramelization right out to the edges of the cut. Most gas grills offer no burner in that position at all.
• Integrated rotisserie, included: The spit is built in rather than bolted on, and Weber calls it heavy duty. It turns directly under the broiler. Large cuts brown on the side facing up as well as down.
• High-definition touchscreen: The screen ignites the grill, sets heat levels and reports what the cook is doing. Burner control buttons sit alongside it for people who would rather press than swipe.
• SmartControl technology: Weber’s system asks what you are cooking, then shows where on the grates to put it. It sets the heat level itself and prompts you through the next step.
• Weber Connect on a phone: Remote monitoring, graphs, and alerts for flipping, finishing and serving. Weber adds features to it over time rather than freezing it at launch.
• Smart probes in the box: Probes ship with the grill and feed the app while the lid stays shut. Weber never states how many arrive, so count them before planning a cook.
• Five stainless steel burners: 65,000 BTU total, under 681 square inches of primary grate measuring 19.25 by 35.75 inches.
• A 12,000 BTU side burner: A separate ring for pans, rated well clear of a warming burner. Sauces and onions stop competing with steaks for grate space.
• Solid rod cooking grates: Rod, not tube, and 9mm across in stainless steel. Nothing is coated, so nothing can chip away over a decade of brushing.
• Stainless smoker box, included: A large box for wood, which can sit anywhere on the grill or come out entirely. It is the cheapest route to smoke on a gas cooker.
• Two side tables and six tool hooks: Weber counts two tables and six hooks on this cart. That is enough ledge for a platter, a tray and every tool.
• Weber Crafted compatibility: Add the frame kit and the grates accept pizza gear, woks and Dutch ovens. A rust-resistant griddle insert drops in separately.

Heat and cooking performance

Begin above the food, because that is the part worth the money. A 16,000 BTU element in the lid points at the meat, not the air. Browning normally happens where food touches hot bars. Here it also happens on the face you are looking at.

What sits below is competent rather than extraordinary. Under the grates are five stainless burners rated at 65,000 BTU between them. The primary grate covers 681 square inches, which Weber puts at 33 burgers. Those figures buy capacity, and plenty of cheaper grills reach them.

The rotisserie is where the two halves finally meet. It turns large cuts under a downward-firing burner, so the browning follows the meat around. A 372 square inch top grate sits above all of it for resting and holding. Weber never adds those two tiers together, and neither should you.

Build, handling and durability

The mass is the specification here. 275 pounds of stainless steel, 74.70 inches wide, standing 52.50 inches tall with the lid down. Lid up, the tallest point reaches 60.30 inches. Measure the gap under a pergola before ordering.

Grates are solid rod at 9mm, in stainless rather than coated iron. That matters over years rather than seasons. A porcelain layer can chip and expose what is underneath. Solid stainless has no layer to lose in the first place.

Six casters make 275 pounds movable on a flat patio and useless on a step. Half of them lock, which a cart at this mass genuinely needs on a slope. On cookbox and lid, Weber promises 15 years before rust or burn through.

Running costs, upkeep and value

Start with what the $5,299.00 actually includes, because two expensive things are already in the carton. The rotisserie is integrated rather than sold as a kit. The smoker box is a stainless unit, not a foil tray. On most grills both are line items you add later.

Then the things that are not included. A rust-resistant griddle insert is $219.99, cut from $269.99. A Weber Crafted griddle adds $99.99, a spare triple-sensor probe $29.99. The 20 lb tank is yours, though Weber ships the grill free above $99.

Upkeep is straightforward for a grill this size. Solid stainless rods take a hard brush and a grate cleaner, listed at $10.99. Nothing here needs protecting from chips, and nothing wants a wipe of oil. The broiler overhead is the one surface a kettle owner will not expect to clean.

Now the warranty, which complicates all of that. Cookbox and lid get 15 years. Burner tubes, cooking grates and Flavorizer bars get 10. Everything else gets 5, and Weber Connect components get 3.

Read that ladder downward and it becomes an admission. The parts Weber sells this grill on carry the shortest promise in its own table. Metal outlasts glass, and Weber has written down by how much.

Possible Weber Summit Smart FS38X S Complaints

• Weber will not build its own flagship for you. The page offers $99 professional assembly through Angi, on qualifying grills from $399 up. The same block excludes Summit grills by name. You meet that on delivery day, with 275 pounds crated and nobody to call.
• The control surface has the shortest warranty on the grill. Weber Connect components are covered for 3 years while the cookbox is covered for 15. Ignition runs through that screen, so a year-four failure is not a lost convenience. Keep the receipt, and keep a cover on the panel.