Finally I dialed all three burner knobs down to their lowest setting and closed the lid. I cooked two racks this way; the first I ran for 3 hours, the second for 3 hours 30 minutes. On both the CharBroil SmartChef and Weber Genesis II, the ribs were too thin to shield their probes from ambient hot air under the lid. As a result I fell back to cooking by time instead of hitting a target thermometer reading.
For those with limited space but a lot of mouths to feed, it’s worth noting that more deluxe versions of the grill offer a side burner built into the table on the right. These burners have a flush cover, so when they’re not in use they can still be used as a table, but they offer an additional cooking surface without expanding the grill’s footprint. The other gas-grilling weak spot I hoped this Weber could overcome is obtaining a good, hard sear. I picked up a ribeye and let the grill preheat for 15 minutes, which left the heat deflectors glowing orange.
Weber provides and amazing 10 year warranty for the heart of their grills (i.e. Burners, Ignition, Lid and the Cookbox). Furthermore, the porcelain enamel grates and flavorizer bars of the II series are warrantied for 5 years. On stainless steel versions of grates and flavorizer bars on II SE and II LX series you will get the 10 year warranty. 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.
One of the questionable decisions made with the previous Genesis II was the complete elimination of sear burners. Many gas grills cannot effectively produce intense searing temps and need additional sear burners to get that truly weber charcoal grill mouth watering steakhouse sizzle. With its shiny black enameled exterior with chrome accents, the Weber Genesis II E-210 looks handsome and solidly constructed. The built-in thermometer in the lid is large and easy to read.
The lids feel heavy and sturdy, the handles strong and secure. The new tapered burners that provide consistent gas flow from front to back for even heat distribution. To my eye, the lids appear just a short and squat in-person as they do in photos. A member of The Virtual Weber Bulletin Boardreports that the grate to lid height is 1″ shorter than 2016 models.
The SE-335 is Weber’s best three-burner grill with the added Sear Station of 9,000 BTU and a side burner of 12,000 BTU. Now, you can cook outside without having to prepare in the kitchen. This is essential if you plan to store your Weber Genesis II outdoors where it is subjected to the elements.
GS4 consists of Infinity Ignition, tapered-quadrangle shaped burners, and a redesigned grease removal system. The Genesis II E-310’s deep grate saves space on your porch or deck and still allows you to cook a lot of food. Although the E-310 has three stainless steel burners, you can buy other Weber Genesis II models with up to six burners. While the numbers don’t point to any discernible difference, the burners on the updated model are more powerful overall.
I’m liking the look of the twin stainless steel side shelves, too as it feels like something from a professional kitchen. Weber has used high-quality materials throughout like porcelain-enameled cast iron, and stainless steel. With this grill, Weber has taken all the features people love about gas grills and ‘premiumized’ them. This brings us to the LX grill with the largest cooking surface, the six-burner Weber Genesis II LX S-640. It costs $2,000 and scores almost as well as the four-burner model above, although its temperature range wasn’t as wide. At 6 feet long, it takes up about as much space as a couch.