This series of Weber propane gas grills have a very sleek design made mostly out of stainless steel, which gives it that stylish look that many Weber models offer. All of the grills in the higher-priced Genesis II LX series have stainless lids and stainless grates, which aren’t as prone to scratching and chipping as porcelain-coated grates. In addition to a side burner, the LX grills have a cabinet where you can stash your grilling accessories and an LED light that shines down from the lid when you open it. The grills in this series also come with electronic igniters, a fuel gauge, and a 10-year burner warranty.
The store carries grills from multiple manufacturers, ranging from $400 backyard portables to five-figure custom built-ins. Because Salvaggio is an independent retailer, he was able to speak freely about what he saw as weber genesis 2 the relative strengths and weaknesses of various designs. With equal performance, 20 percent more grilling space, and brilliant design and construction, the Genesis II E-310 is our top choice for dedicated grillers.
The weber spirit comes with 10,000 BTU/hr output capability. This is primarily due to the two separate burners on the grill. In fact, if you’re grilling something that needs space to cook all sides then I’d recommend using multiple grills instead of just one. The weber spirit is extremely simple to use – it comes with a little side burner which you can turn on and off easily, as well as one ignition switch. I’ve never had to contact customer service for my weber spirit grill – it’s served me admirably for several years now without any significant problems. It’s not cylindrical like most grill designs – I’m beginning to think that with all their different models it’s simply hard to make any new type of shape with propane grills.
About once a year , many grill enthusiasts do a deep clean of the whole grill, soaking the grates in hot soapy water and scrubbing them, and scrubbing down the firebox and rinsing it with a hose. Email updates from our community of grill masters, food enthusiasts, and lovers of outdoor cooking. This is essential if you plan to store your Weber Genesis II outdoors where it is subjected to the elements.
With castor wheels on many designs you will find it easy to move them around the garden to the ideal spot. This stainless steel gas grill is sturdily built, with thick-gauge steel used in the firebox. The hood is covered with porcelain, which boosts the grill’s heat retention. The E-310 does not feel flimsy at all – the side shelves are sturdy, and there are three accessory hooks on each side for your grilling tools. The most important aspect of any gas grill is its ability to produce and retain heat. Its heat consistency means perfect caramelization without overcooking.
The wide, flat grill grates on the E-310 are easy to clean and give your food appealing sear marks. The genesis is the first model of Weber’s propane gas grill line-up. The main benefit from purchasing a natural gas grill is the convenience of having a direct connect to your home’s natural gas line.
The burners are lit by a reliable push button infinity ignition and produce around 13,000 BTUs per burner on the 3 burner models, and are lit by a reliable electronic infinity ignition. The Spirit II E-310 also exhibited the most consistent heat across the entire cooking surface in the 2018 test, just as the original Spirit did in 2017. Among the competition in our 2017 test, the Napoleon model in particular had noticeable cool spots toward the front of its grates. To a degree, all grills suffer this problem, because the burners don’t extend all the way to the front of the firebox, but the Spirit offered the most consistent heating across the entire grate surface. After 10 minutes, the burgers at the rear were medium-well and those at the front were medium-rare to medium . On the Napoleon grill, on the other hand, some of the front burgers were nearly raw in the center, while the rear burgers were well-done.
Digging deeper, gone are the old tube burners, replaced by tapered shape stainless steel burners with heat deflectors that should provide even heat across the entire cooking space. The new burners look good, giving a tidy and quality feel to the bowels of the grill. But is isn’t just the addition of the extra burner in this grill that makes it both new and an excellent choice. The entire cooking system has been redesigned, most notably, the burners with what they call the GS4 cooking system. In the past, burners on a Weber gas grill were the typical stainless steel tubular burners. What this means is that the fire shots directly up into the “flavorizer” bars and are tapered to provide an even heat front to back.
The only disappointment is that the warming rack only holds around six uncooked 4-inch burgers. It would be nice to have a larger warming rack, but the reduced size allows you to reach the middle and back rows of the grill more easily, so it’s an acceptable weber genesis 2 trade-off. Additionally, the warming rack sits 6 inches above the primary cooking grates, so you can flip food over with a spatula without hitting it against the warming rack. You can also fold the rack out of the way when you don’t need it.
Enjoying cooking outside and not having to heat up my kitchen. Really great to see temperature with the guage on the outside of grill. Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. She is perfectly happy to leave all that behind to be a full-time kitchen-gear nerd. Finally, be aware that a few parts of a grill are consumables, so you will need to replace them occasionally.