Weber Summit S-670

As the company's flagship gas grill, the Weber Summit S-670 comes absolutely packed with features. Not only does it have ample space to satisfy the culinary desires of a large group of people with ease, but it also provides a variety of interesting tools and functions to open up a whole new world of opportunity for your grilling. A dedicated searing burner, an infrared rotisserie burner and a wood chip smoker burner provide you with a range of options that are rarely found on consumer level outdoor grills, and while the Summit S-670 may come with what appears to be a large price tag, its quality rivals, and at times far exceeds, that of commercial grills of almost twice the price.

Unboxing and Building

When considering delivery of the Summit S-670, bear in mind that this is a big, heavy grill. It may be worth giving your delivery guy a few dollars to set the box down close to where you intend your grill to stay, as chances are he will have a crate trolley or something similar to help move large boxes. Nevertheless, it is inevitable that you will need to move the grill in some fashion, and at around 300lbs you will probably need the help of a couple of other people to do this safely.

The unit comes very well packaged, and many will be pleased to hear that the S-670 ships almost fully constructed (although, personally, I like the construction ritual) - just a few screws here and there, and then it's just a matter of a little simple plumbing to get the gas hooked up. Easy to read instructions make this a straightforward exercise, and you can quite feasibly be set up for grilling less than an hour after delivery.

Build Quality and Durability

The steel framed Weber Summit S-670 is constructed from eye catching stainless steel in the shroud and the doors at the front of the grill, as well as the side preparation tables, but the sides and rear of the main body of the grill are made from slightly less appealing painted cast-aluminium. However with the weight of this beast as it is it may have been for the best to hold off on adding a few more pounds, and the aluminium will easily be able to take a bit of punishment from the elements.

The plastic control knobs feel a little cheaper than the rest of the grill, and may also be a little disappointing aesthetically speaking, but they are extremely functional. The lights on each knob may look a little gimmicky from the outset, but actually prove themselves very useful when grilling without the benefit of daylight.

This sleek monster is as it looks and feels, and that is sturdy and durable. This is reflected in the warranties offered by Weber, which vary dependant on the part in question but run as long as 25 years for the stainless steel and cast-aluminium body panelling. This grill comfortably stands testament to Weber's famously high build quality standards.

The Grill in Use

As an all in one cooking station, the Weber Summit S-670 performs remarkably well. Weber grills are well known for their cooking qualities, with high and consistent temperatures readily available, and this grill is no disappointment in that regard. In less than ten minutes you can have it pre-heated to 600F to 700F, and ready to cook your food to its succulent best on the expansive 624sq in. grilling surface. The high quality stainless steel cooking grates are key to the even heating of the grill, as they allow the heat to transfer around the grill and into the food with little resistance. 

The flavorizer bars mounted over the burners, which are also of stainless steel construction, provide a very clever system of infusing your food with those distinctive barbecue flavours, while also protecting the grill (and the griller) from dangerous flare ups. It may be a valid point to say that the S-670 is unremarkable in its general cooking performance as a Weber grill, but that is only because it comfortably lives up to the very high standards set by Weber. The bottom line is, the cooking quality of this grill will surely not leave you disappointed.

Additional to the six main burners found under the grates, a seventh flush mounted side burner is available underneath the preparation surface on the right hand side of the grill. This burner is rated at a whopping 12,000BTU, and although it may prove to be a little too powerful for some applications even at its lowest setting, it's a great option to have when you want to heat a pan of sauce or boil some vegetables but don't want to take up precious space on the main grilling area.

Sear Station

The sear station is perfect for when you want to sear your steak, chicken, fish, or whatever else you please. It's a dedicated steel tube burner with a 10,600 BTU rating that's found in the center of the grill, and will give you the high searing heats you need on demand. This is a great feature of the Summit S-670, and one which can really take your meals to the next level in terms of taste and texture.

Infrared Rotisserie

The rotisserie on the S-670 is impressive in its performance, and smart in its design. It uses a very suitable infrared 10,600 BTU rear burner as a primary source of heat, and the motor which turns the rotisserie bar conveniently pops up from a small door on the left preparation tray which leads to a very speedy set up time. The rotisserie does a great job of cooking a couple of chickens to perfect succulency and juicyness with the correct indirect cooking techniques, in fact it's well enough positioned to handle foods up to around nine inches in diameter. 

Smoker Box

The smoker box is an interesting addition to the Summit S-670. As the name implies it is simply a box into which you can put soaked wood chips, with a dedicated 6,800 BTU burner underneath to create delicious smokey flavors and aromas to infuse your food. For those of you who aren't very experienced with using smoker, this little feature may be a stand-out for you. It may take a little bit of experimentation to get the wood chip sizes and the temperatures right for ideal smoking conditions, but once you do find the right balance it can really add a whole new dynamic to your cooking. For the rest of you, who may be quite used to using a dedicated smoker, it's possible that the smoker box may disappoint slightly in its effectiveness. Don't get me wrong, the box does do a very commendable job, but it's important to remember that this is a smoker designed to work inside a grill, rather than a smoker designed solely to smoke your food as well as possible.

"Gimmicks"

As with the other grills in its range, the Weber Summit S-670 has a few handy little features that may turn out to be more useful than they initially seem. As mentioned earlier the burner control knobs light up in operation, and together with the handy pair of lights embedded in the handles of the shroud altogether makes grilling in low light conditions a much easier job. The propane tank level indicator is another very handy extra, especially when you consider the size of the grill and the amount of burners available and how much that can drive up your fuel consumption. 

Finally, while electronic burner ignition systems have a bit of a reputation for being fiddly and unreliable, that which is found on the S-670 appears to be of good quality and will do the job more often than not. It's always best to have a box of long safety matches and a holder close at hand though, as a jibby ignition system can be one of the most frustrating things in the world when you just want to get grilling.

Cleaning

The least favored part of any grilling excursion is the clean up required afterwards. Who would want to do anything other than recline with a belly full of delicious meats and vegetables? Scrubbing is certainly not a desired activity! Alas, for all the features packed into the Summit S-670, self cleaning is not one of them. All the same, it's clear some thought has been put into the cleaning process at the design stage to make it as problem free as possible. 

The cooking grates and flavorizer bars simply lift out of the grill for easy rinsing, and as with the rest of the grill some soapy water and a selection of cloths and brushes make pretty easy work of the cleanup. Just remember to leave the grill cool down before you start cleaning, but don't leave it too long or you risk making the job more difficult for yourself. All in all the main issues with grill cleaning tend to stem from certain areas being hard to reach, but the Summit S-670 is well enough designed to make this somewhat of a non-issue.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Unfortunately, the S-670 suffers from the same design flaw as its sisters in the Summit family - a tendency to channel rainwater from the outside down towards the drip tray inside. It appears to be an unusual oversight on Weber's part, and while it makes no difference to how the grill performs, it has the potential to leave you with a sticky mess to clean up if the weather catches you off guard. In my opinion, however, this issue is not a deal breaker.

The cheap disposable drip tray design means that cleaning the tray after every use is not necessary, and it can easily be dumped and replaced at will, which removes the source of the potential mess from the grill entirely. On top of this, the Summit S-670 is not only a great quality grill but also a reasonably big investment, and so I would strongly recommended that it be protected as such by stretching an extra few bucks for Weber's Summit 600 series grill cover.

In Conclusion

The Weber Summit S-670 may be more grill than necessary for most people, but those who would find themselves wanting a little more from their grills will know who they are, and the Summit S-670 is for them. The cooking quality, size and variety of features blow most grills of a similar or greater cost out of the water, and the expected lifetime of the grill means that this one off purchase could potentially end up cheaper than buying smaller, lower quality grills every two or three years.

This is a big grill, so anyone who's found themselves struggling for space on what they already consider to be a large grill may find the S-670 makes their cook outs and far more enjoyable occasion. If the wide range of features draw you to this grill but the size seems a little unnecessary, it may be worth taking a look at its little brother: the Summit S-470. However those who require every square inch of grilling area they can possibly get will undoubtedly find themselves extremely happy with what the Summit S-670 has to offer.

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