Like its predecessor, Spirit II is a workhorse that delivers solid performance and is easy to use, easy to clean and available in two and three burner configurations. Increasingly cuckoo for color, Weber offers Spirit in black, ivory, red, sapphire, exclusive mocha versions for Lowe’s and exclusive stainless steel versions for Home Depot. Before wrapping up, let’s take a look at how the Weber Spirit II E 310 gas grill holds up against other models.
The Spirit II is also a particularly simple grill to assemble, maintain, and use. Instead of being made from porcelainized cast iron, the grill grates on the Genesis E-325s are made from thick stainless steel rods. The advantage of stainless steel is its resistance to rust and corrosion. However, stainless steel doesn’t hold as much heat as cast iron. So it’s possible the E-325s might not deliver as dark a sear on foods as the Spirit II models. But for the average home griller, the difference in performance between the two would hardly be noticeable.
The now-discontinued Char-Broil Advantage 3-Burner Gas Grill from Lowe’s met the low expectations we set upon seeing its sub-$200 price. It cooked burgers acceptably, but to get an even cook we had to shuffle the patties around from hot spots to cool spots. Unable to keep a steady low temperature, it burned the barbecue chicken. To this grill’s credit, Blackstone Adventure it made a nice indirect-roasted chicken—but then again, every tested grill did. Assembly was a pain, with unclear instructions and multiple fasteners of different sizes and types. And this model’s bizarre design, with a fixed panel running across the front of the grill, means you have to sneak around the back of the thing to replace the tank.
If a burner seems to be running cool or creates patchy flames, use a thin piece of wire (many grills come with one attached to a chain) to clean out the gas ports (the little holes in the burner). There’s nothing inside the burners to break, so don’t feel like you have to be delicate. Wirecutter editor Signe Brewster bought the Weber Spirit char broil performance II E-310 in 2019. It’s her first grill, and she’s loved using it in the summertime. “I mostly use it for pizza (on a pizza stone) and brats, plus veggies in our grill basket pick. Among those experts, Joe Salvaggio of Big Apple BBQ spent two hours explaining the fundamentals of gas grill design, function, materials, and maintenance.
That makes it much easier to install a new tank and unhook an old one, because you’re not scrabbling around a small, dark enclosure to find the hoses and brackets. This design also allowed Weber to put a sturdy shelf under the grill—a handy place to store pans, bags of wood chips, a small cooler, and other stuff you may need while grilling. Plus, one of the side tables folds down, making the grill more compact for storage when it’s not in use (it’s 43 inches wide with the table down). For our 2022 update, we relied mainly on market research and meta-analysis. Most new grills worth considering are still produced by the same companies whose products we’ve tested in previous years. And with each new version of the models we’re familiar with, the most important characteristics—such as quality of materials and construction—are the same.
For very thick cuts of meat, we recommend adding a bit more salt. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because the law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock. 3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker char broil performance and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club.