Can a Weber Searwood Replace a Gas Grill?

Pellet barbecues give outdoor cooks another option beyond traditional gas grilling, combining hardwood pellet cooking with the ability to smoke, roast and cook at higher temperatures.

For Australians who already own, or are considering, a Weber gas BBQ, that raises an obvious question: can a Weber Searwood replace a gas grill altogether? The answer really comes down to how you like to cook, the flavours you enjoy and how often you use your barbecue.

In this guide, we’ll compare the Weber Searwood with a traditional gas BBQ, look at where each performs best and help you work out whether a Weber pellet smoker could become your main outdoor cooker.

What Is the Weber Searwood?

The Weber Searwood is a pellet barbecue designed for cooks who want the smoky flavour of hardwood pellets without giving up the ability to grill at higher temperatures. Pellets are fed into the barbecue as fuel, where they are burned to create heat and smoke while the system manages the cooking temperature.

The Weber Searwood range is built for more than low-and-slow smoking. With a temperature range of 180°F to 600°F (around 82°C to 316°C), it can be used for smoking, roasting, baking and high-heat searing.

Features such as the Rapid React™ PID controller help maintain and recover cooking temperatures, while DirectFlame™ cooking allows food to be seared and browned over higher heat. Digital controls make temperature adjustments straightforward, while Weber Connect™ uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to let you monitor the cook and access features such as cooking graphs and readiness alerts.

That means the Searwood can move from a long, low-temperature smoke to roasting, baking or high-temperature grilling on the same barbecue. 

How Does a Weber Gas BBQ Compare?

A Weber gas BBQ uses LPG or natural gas to create heat through gas burners. Controls vary between models, but gas lets you increase or reduce the heat directly as you cook. Once ignited, gas barbecues heat quickly and are easy to manage, which makes them particularly practical for everyday outdoor cooking. 

For weeknight meals, that simplicity is hard to overlook. You can fire up the BBQ, bring it to temperature and start cooking steaks, burgers, sausages, seafood or vegetables without much preparation.

Weber’s gas BBQ range includes everything from compact Q models through to larger Spirit, Genesis, Summit and built-in barbecues. Features vary between models, but the overall appeal is consistent: fast start-up, straightforward operation and reliable grilling performance.

Weber Searwood vs Weber Gas BBQ

Flavour

One of the biggest differences is flavour. The Weber Searwood burns hardwood pellets, giving food a more noticeable smoky, wood-fired character. That makes it especially appealing for cooks who enjoy traditional barbecue flavours or want to experiment with different pellet varieties.

A Weber gas BBQ delivers a more familiar grilled flavour without adding the same wood-smoke character as pellet cooking. For steaks, sausages, seafood and other everyday meals, that classic barbecue result may be exactly what you are looking for.

Cooking Versatility

Versatility is where the Searwood stands out. Its 180°F to 600°F temperature range allows it to handle low-and-slow smoking as well as roasting, baking and high-heat searing. That makes it suitable for dishes such as brisket, pulled pork and ribs, while still giving you the flexibility to cook at higher temperatures.

Gas BBQs are particularly well suited to fast, direct cooking. Steaks, burgers, sausages, seafood and quick family meals can all be cooked with minimal setup, making gas a practical choice for regular weeknight use.

Convenience

Gas has the advantage when speed is the priority. Burner ignition is straightforward, heat can be adjusted quickly, and there is no need to load pellets before cooking.

The Searwood needs pellets in the hopper and involves a little more setup, but it adds dedicated pellet smoking and digitally managed cooking across a broad temperature range. For someone who enjoys longer barbecue sessions or experimenting with different techniques, that extra preparation may be well worth it.

Temperature Control

The two systems also manage heat differently. The Searwood uses digital temperature management, including its Rapid React™ PID controller, to regulate and recover cooking temperatures during a cook.

A gas BBQ gives you direct control through its burner knobs, allowing you to increase or reduce heat as needed.

Both approaches provide dependable temperature control, but they suit different habits. Gas gives you immediate manual adjustment, while the Searwood is designed around setting and maintaining a chosen cooking temperature over time.

Can the Weber Searwood Replace a Gas Grill?

For many people, yes. The Weber Searwood has enough cooking versatility to become a primary barbecue, especially if you enjoy smoking, roasting, searing and experimenting with different cooking techniques rather than sticking mainly to quick grilling.

Its pellet-fuelled cooking also gives food a distinctive wood-fired flavour, which can be a major reason to choose it over gas. For people who enjoy weekend cooking, entertaining or dishes such as ribs, brisket and pulled pork, its ability to smoke, roast, bake and sear may be enough for it to become their main barbecue.

That said, a Weber gas BBQ may still be more convenient for households that regularly cook quick weeknight meals and want minimal setup. Some people may even prefer to own both, using gas for fast everyday grilling and the Searwood for longer cooks or occasions where smoke flavour matters more.

There is no single best choice for everyone. The better option depends on how you cook, how much time you want to spend at the barbecue and the kind of results you enjoy most.

Who Is the Weber Searwood Best Suited For?

The Weber Searwood is likely to suit you if smoked meats and longer weekend cooks are a regular part of how you barbecue. It also makes sense if you enjoy trying different techniques rather than owning separate appliances for smoking, roasting and high-temperature grilling. 

Its digital temperature management is particularly useful for cooks who want to set a target temperature and maintain it across longer cooking sessions. If that sounds like your style of outdoor cooking, you can explore the Weber pellet smoker range to compare the available options. 

Who Should Choose a Weber Gas BBQ?

A Weber gas BBQ is a strong choice for people who cook outdoors regularly and value speed, simplicity and dependable everyday grilling.

Gas is especially practical for weeknight meals, when you want to get the barbecue started quickly without loading pellets or planning a longer cook. Heat can be adjusted directly through the burners, making it easy to move between different foods and cooking temperatures as needed.

For households that mainly cook steaks, burgers, sausages, seafood, vegetables and other quick meals, a gas BBQ may be the more convenient fit, particularly when fast start-up and direct heat adjustment are priorities.

If fast start-up and simple operation matter more to you than wood-fired flavour or low-and-slow smoking, you can compare the Weber gas BBQ range to find a size and configuration that suits the way you cook.

Choosing Between the Weber Searwood and a Gas BBQ

The Weber Searwood and a gas BBQ solve slightly different cooking needs. If wood-fired flavour, low-and-slow cooking and experimenting with different techniques are priorities, the Searwood may be the better fit. 

If most of your outdoor cooking involves getting dinner on the table quickly, gas may still make more sense. For some households, having both provides the flexibility to choose between quick grilling and longer pellet cooks depending on the occasion.

If you’re still comparing the two, Oasis Outdoor Living has been helping WA customers choose outdoor living products since 1990 and is an official Weber Store partner, with both Weber gas and pellet barbecue ranges available through its Midland store.