Weber Lumin: How I almost burnt down the hut when testing the electric barbecue
7.7.2023
Translation: machine translated
Lumin is an electric barbecue designed for balconies or loggias. In other words, anywhere where coal or gas are prohibited but there is a power socket nearby. It is not without danger...
I'll tell it like it is: today, electric barbecues are in no way inferior to their flaming gas and charcoal brethren. The fact that a flame alone is supposed to enable "real barbecuing" is complete nonsense. Where sufficient heat is generated, meat, sausages, cheese and vegetables can be grilled. I even get the smoky flavour thanks to wood chips. The Lumin from Weber has a special tray for this and a setting on the dial. However, smoking needs to be practised, as with any barbecue. It almost ended in disaster for me, but more on that later.
Easy to use, simply equipped
The Lumin is an electric grill with a 65-centimetre-wide grid that can be operated with either two cast iron grids or one cast iron grid and a chrome steel tray. The bowl, in turn, is suitable for steaming, indirect grilling or smoking ingredients. I tested the version without a stand, which was no problem on my balcony as I quickly converted the small side table into a barbecue table. There is a thermometer in the lid and a control dial on the side for checking. Unfortunately, Weber is following the unspeakable trend of "settings instead of levels": Instead of a scale from 1 to 10 or from 0 to 300 degrees Celsius, there is "keep warm", "steaming" or "half power". What suggests simple operation is in fact a loss of control. Control that I would like to have with a grill. However, there is only one level between keep warm and full power. I also miss having different heat zones that I could control individually.
Source: Simon Balissat
I like the two cast iron grates supplied much better. After a heating time of ten minutes, they are hot enough to leave nice grill marks on the meat or sausage. The Lumin heats up quite well, the thermometer integrated in the lid showed me up to 300 degrees. However, this figure should be treated with caution. Experience shows that thermometers in barbecue lids are about as accurate as the weather forecast in April. The electric barbecue doesn't manage too much heat, but it is almost impossible to char meat within a short space of time.
Source: Simon Balissat
Where there's smoke, there's fire
Which brings us to my smoking experiment. As already mentioned, Weber provides you with an extra bowl for this. I place a handful of smoking chips in it. Because the Weber smoking chips explicitly state that I should soak them in water, that's what I did on my first attempt. The result: too little smoke was produced to smoke the salmon. On the second attempt, I went to the other end of the spectrum...
Source: Simon Balissat
. and filled the smoking bowl with dry wood chips. That was far too much: in addition to a lot of smoke, a jet of flame shot out of the back of the barbecue. I almost set fire to the balcony. It was only thanks to a damp kitchen towel as an improvised fire blanket that I was able to control the situation. The pork chops were smoked within minutes and - as my scout leader used to say with burnt sausages - "kissed by the flame". The mishap was undoubtedly my fault. I should have followed the instructions:
- Put a handful of dry smoking chips in the container
- Place on the "Smoke" setting until smoke develops
- Then switch down to the medium level
With a little practice, smoking will also work. The third option is to fill the container with water and steam the vegetables... I haven't tried this as there isn't enough space and I prefer my vegetables from the oven anyway.
Source: Simon Balissat
Cleaning is very easy, as is usual with barbecues: heat up and clean the barbecue with a steel brush. There is also a drip tray at the bottom of the heating elements for excess fat. The inside of the grill gets dirty very quickly, but I don't really care. I affectionately refer to it as a patina...
Conclusion: Good average with loss of control
The Lumin does what it's supposed to do - and does it well. I particularly like the cast iron grill. The smoking function is also a plus, although I almost burnt the house down. There are deductions for the fact that I "only" have three heating levels and that I can't control the two zones separately.
Which brings me to the question of price: You pay a hefty price for the Weber Lumin. For smaller households, there is the cheaper Weber Q, Outdoorchef offers a Weber Q for even less money.r offers an electric kettle grill for even less money, but with a steel instead of cast iron grate. If you want full control, then the Weber Pulse may be a candidate. Here, Weber proves that they are not only capable of turning dials with cryptic functions, but also allow you to control your grill to the exact degree. <p
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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