Most Weber gas models have thermometers built into the lid that make it quick and easy to figure out how hot your grill is. Many of those thermometers can read temperatures up to 300° or 400° C, and we’re sometimes asked “How come my grill won’t get that hot?”

The answer is that Weber grills are designed to max out between about 260° and 290° C. This can create a little bit of confusion. Why would we provide thermometers that can give readings above what the grill is designed to reach? The easiest way to think of this is to compare the thermometer to the speedometer in a car. For example, the speedometer in my car goes all the way up to 150 miles an hour, but there is no way I’m ever going to get my car up to that speed.

There simply isn’t a reason to get a gas grill much past 290° C and once you’re past that point the potential for burning food goes up a lot. Also, Weber grills aren’t designed just for quality and dependability, they’re also meant to be efficient, and running a grill at 400° C would mean that a lot more fuel is being consumed while not necessarily providing much in the way of benefits.

Some people feel that their grill has to be really, really hot in order to get sear marks on their steaks and other food, but this simply isn’t true.

Also, while a lid thermometer is a really useful feature to have on a grill it’s important to remember that it’s providing the temperature of the air that’s circulating inside of the grill. The cooking grates themselves are usually going to be much hotter, and it’s also important to remember that you should be using a probe style thermometer to check the internal temperature of what you’re grilling. Our line of iGrill thermometers makes figuring out when your food is ready easier than ever.