George Stephen, the founder of Weber®, invented the revolutionary kettle grill in 1952. To top it off, this grill has two side tables—both 23 inches wide, and they don’t fold down. So triple-check your space to make sure you have room for this 61-inch-long grill before you buy. In our test group, the Spirit II E-310 had the most well-thought-out instructions, with clearly labeled parts. Even if you lack much experience with this sort of work, you’re likely to assemble it easily. Among them was Joe Salvaggio, who has run Big Apple BBQ, one of New York’s leading grill shops, for over 30 years.
Sun, rain, snow, hail, and wind are bound to take a toll on the outer surface of your grill, so it’s important to pick a material that’s very durable. While stainless steel can discolor from high heat, it won’t rust or corrode with rain and snow. Enameled or powder-coated steel is durable, but eventually, it can crack or chip, leading to rust underneath. That impressive performance begins the moment this arrives at your door. After a straightforward set-up, all you need to do is push the ignition button and connect it to the Weber Connect app on your phone.
The 280-square-inch cooking area consists of porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, which should be enough to serve three to four people (pretty good for a portable model). The Napoleon Rogue 425, typically priced around $800 at this writing, is the Canadian company’s flagship model in the $400 to $900 range. It has a cast-aluminum firebox, porcelain-coated cast-iron grates, and three burners. On paper, the Rogue 425 has a lot going for it, but we were disappointed in its performance. Despite showing heat at 650 °F on our burger test, it failed to achieve a good sear; the grill also struggled to hold a steady temperature on our barbecue-chicken test. Napoleon’s signature is its wavy grates, and they do look cool, but they’re harder to clean than straight grates.
My medium rare steaks were perfectly cooked, and the burger patties were browned evenly across the entire range. The addition of the burner to the side meant I could cook up some delicious BBQ beans at the same time as the meat, and I didn’t need to bounce from inside to out to keep everything cooking. I made three racks of ribs one night over indirect heat, taking up almost every bit of its 529-square-inch cooking weber bbq surface without overwhelming it. I also appreciated that size, efficiently cooking for two like my E-310 does at home and capably handling larger parties. The warranty covers the firebox and lid assembly for 12 years and covers the stainless steel burner tubes, cooking grates, and Flavorizer bars (burner hoods) for 10 years. To get the longest life out of your grill, be sure to clean and care for it properly.
The grills were rated on various attributes including heat control and retention, size, features, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value. We also sent popular Weber grills to our expert grillers and home product testers, who tested each out for weeks to determine which grills are truly the best. Each grill was rated on setup, heat retention, heat control, size, versatility, and overall value. Our testers then offered additional insights on each grill’s strengths and weaknesses.
As you might know, starting a charcoal grill usually begins with simply getting the coals warmed up in a chimney starter. It comes with an auto-start gas ignition that consistently lit the coals for us. You can place the lid in different positions for the best top damper placement, with the bottom damper easy weber bbq to adjust when your flame gets too hot. During our smoking test, we were able to keep the grill within a range of 10 degrees for several hours, making this a great option for cooking with indirect heat. Food cooked on our Char-Broil test unit was good, though slightly less crispy and seared than the Weber.
We also tested whether each grill could act like an oven—a nice feature in the hot summer months, when you don’t want to warm up your kitchen, or during the holidays, when oven space is at a premium. By contrast, budget weber bbq grills usually have fireboxes made of thin, porcelain-coated or painted carbon steel, so they are prone to rust and don’t hold or reflect heat efficiently. Charcoal, gas, and wood pellets all have their pros and cons.
Since wood pellet grills work by indirect heat, you’ll be able to smoke food as well, without any accessories. You will need to make sure there’s an electric outlet nearby since most need to be plugged-in for the ignition and the auger. It’s an anecdotal round, so there isn’t a connected thermometer set or software capturing specific data. We preheat each grill on high for 10 minutes before turning it down to low, indirect heat.