Best features of the Weber Pulse electric BBQs

Only got a balcony? Then this powerful electric BBQ is the one for you.

These new electric BBQs from Weber are absolutely ideal if you have a clause in your agreement which bans the use of live fire, so are perfect for apartments with balconies and crowded urban living. They are also really handy to take with you on holiday in the caravan; there’s no messy charcoal to take with you, just plug in and away you go. Don’t try and use them inside because they do produce smoke when you are cooking as the fat drips onto the elements, giving you that distinctive BBQ smokiness.

 The Pulse 1000 is 1.8kw, with one element, but the 2000 is 2.2kw, with two elements, which for the extra money, around £135, is well worth the extra investment if you are planning on doing a lot of barbecuing. Both the 2000 and the 1000 are available just to stand on a table top or complete with a stand which has a stainless steel side table and an underneath shelf, so a really handy extra.

The 1000 has one element so if you don’t cook for many then this would be ideal but the 2000 has 2 elements meaning that you can cook a more varied selection of dishes as they are independently controlled. The 2000 having 2 elements makes it possible to have direct and indirect areas of cooking so you can sear over the direct heat then move to the indirect to finish cooking without burning the outside before the inside is cooked.

As you would expect from Weber the construction is top quality with the lid being especially well insulated so it heats up quickly and retains the heat really well, meaning that you use less electricity. You don't even have to watch and wait for it to come up to temperature as it beeps when it has reached the desired temperature.

There is a cover available for when it’s not in use over the winter, though why wouldn’t you use it in winter, barbecue food tastes just as good in winter as it does in summer! Check out our video showing how to rotisserie a crispy skinned Asian style duck on the Genesis II E-310 gas barbecue. The cast iron griddle is perfect for cooking breakfast, pancakes or delicate fish fillets which would otherwise fall through the bars on the grate. Cast iron does get about 50C hotter than the surrounding grill so don’t go by the temperature shown on the digital read-out.  

They have an integrated iGrill which links via Bluetooth to your smartphone; just insert the probes into your meat and the app will send an alert to your phone when the food has reached the correct temperature; so no more continually having to check. The iGrill comes with 2 probes but has the capacity to hold 4; they have reinforced leads so you can put the lid down on them safe in the knowledge that they won’t be damaged. 

The digital temperature read-out on the front is really clear and the whole front panel which contains the electrics pulls out so it can be taken inside and stored in a dry atmosphere. The electric can be a disadvantage as you obviously can’t cook in a power cut and if you are trying to BBQ in the rain you will need to be undercover. But apart from these minor disadvantages the Pulse can produce food just as tasty as that cooked on a traditional charcoal barbecue. Watch our videos where we compare porterhouse burgers and sticky Oriental chicken wings cooked on 3 different Weber barbecues, the electric Pulse 2000, gas Spirit II E-310 and the charcoal 57cm MasterTouch. The resulting burgers cooked on the Pulse were identical in taste to the burgers cooked over charcoal; the fat dripping from the burgers onto the heating elements produced the distinctive BBQ smokiness. There was no noticeable difference between the 3 BBQs with the chicken wings.

All in all if you love BBQ but don’t want the mess of charcoal or can’t have live fire then these Pulse barbecues are an excellent alternative, producing food equal in taste, and much quicker.