Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). 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.
Both Spirit and Spirit II grills are priced at the higher end of the spectrum (when compared to other grills in the market. Among themselves, Spirit II is more affordable). We may earn a small commission through products purchased using links on this page. Shelves are usually made of stainless steel or painted steel (some using a powder-coating process), though a few are made of plastic. Plastic and stainless steel may prove more durable than paint coatings. Evaluates the temperature after a 10 minute preheat using thermocouples.
They cooked fast at two minutes per side, although the front row needed an additional minute. We’d prefer overall, even heat from the front to the back of the grill, but we appreciated how quickly and easily Spirit II cooked this popular item. The burgers were remarkably juicy, perhaps due to the fast cook time. When the Spirit II grills were released Weber added three of the GS4 upgrades but did not include the newly designed burners. Of the three upgrades that do come with the GS4 the most important is the more reliable ignition system.
This one doesn’t, nor did any grill in our test group, so you’ll need to buy one separately. Weber’s dedicated Spirit II cover costs about $80, and a well-regarded generic cover costs about $30 (both at the time of writing). weber spirit 2 Of course, you may also have concerns about how each of these fuel choices might impact the environment. There’s no easy answer, but we discuss some of the considerations in the sustainability section below.
Though there’s no debating that, some experts argue that lump charcoal (not briquettes, which can have added chemicals) is potentially carbon neutral. If you want to read more about comparing grilling fuels, we found helpful articles from The Atlantic, Slate, and NPR. Check the grease trap after every use (or before every use), and don’t let it get too full.
The only thing that you need to be careful of when cleaning is the flavorizer bars. Make every effort to avoid scratching it – so only use a stainless steel brush if you absolutely have to. What’s more, avoid using metal on it – stick to plastic cleaning tools. The center mounted thermometer gives you an char broil performance idea of what the internal temperature is for the cooking chamber and whether or not it is holding up as you need it to. Let’s start of this gas grill review with the things that I like about the design. It boasts a compact, lightweight design that works well for a small family or even a mid-sized one.
Then we placed the chicken in the middle in the indirect heat zone. Click here to learn more about the essential technique of 2-zone cooking. While the Weber Spirit II E-310 is Weber’s entry-level gas grill, it packs a lot of punch performance-wise and was our best-reviewed gas grill for putting gorgeous sear marks on burgers. It’ll also thoroughly cook your chicken and create picture-perfect asparagus spears.
It’s doable, but it requires more attention from the griller to make sure the chicken (or roast, or what have you) is evenly cooked. Cooking with indirect heat on a three-burner grill is more hands-off because the food sits over the middle burner, which you leave turned off. The right and left burners surround the food with heat—basically creating an outdoor oven. But with a two-burner grill, cooking with indirect heat means the food gets heat from only one side, while it sits over the other, inactive burner.