On top of all that, this grill is particularly easy to assemble, maintain, and use, and its finish comes in four colors (black, white, red, and blue). Next time you cook, brush the cold, soot-covered grills clean, wipe them with a wet paper towel or rag, and then proceed. That goes against the common advice to clean the grates while they’re hot.
The front of the grill does seem to be a bit cooler than the middle and back, but overall, the unit performed reliably. Its size makes it perfect for a large family or frequent host, and its high-quality construction will stand up to years of use. Wirecutter editor Signe Brewster bought the Weber Spirit II E-310 in 2019. “I mostly use it for pizza (on a pizza stone) and brats, plus veggies in our weber gas grill grill basket pick. Zero complaints except for cleaning it at the end of the summer, but I’m sure that’s an issue with all grills.” Signe also reports some difficulty igniting the burners, potentially due to buildup in the tubes or ports. We wish the bars of the Spirit II E-310’s warming racks ran front to back, parallel to the main grates, like they do on our upgrade pick, the Genesis E-325s.
Weber’s warranty covers burner hoods on the 2022 Genesis models and all parts on the Spirit II models for 10 years. Or you could find third-party options that claim higher performance and long lifespans (though we haven’t tested these claims ourselves). After years of testing grills, we can’t think of a better deal for a great grill than the Original Weber Kettle, which has been our favorite charcoal grill for almost 10 years. Cooking with charcoal is not as convenient as turning a dial and walking away, but we love a Weber kettle for its simplicity and durability. It’s a classic backyard staple, and it can fit up to 12 burger patties to feed a crowd—the same as the Spirit II E-310, but for less than half the price. She recalls one particular instance when she grilled fajitas for 25 guests for her partner’s birthday.
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 weber charcoal grill inside the burners to break, so don’t feel like you have to be delicate. Even though we didn’t officially test the Spirit II E-210, we did test its predecessor, the Weber Spirit E-210 (our former top pick).
However, we’re bummed that Weber decided to move the propane tank hook and gauge from the side (where they sit on the Spirit II and previous Genesis models) to under the firebox inside the cart. We can only imagine the crawling and contorting one must do to hook a full tank of liquid propane in that small cabinet. The weber bbq Genesis E-325s is the only one of our picks that we haven’t physically tested, but we did check it out in person at a few different stores. When we visited Bering’s in Houston, we took measurements and got a thorough rundown of the grill’s features from a helpful staff member with a wealth of grilling knowledge.
The key to using the Q 1400 successfully is to wait a sufficient amount of time for the grill to come to temperature. Once you do, the 189 square inches of cooking space can handle the grilling needs of anywhere from one person to four or more—depending on what you’re cooking up. In our Lab, we observed fantastic sear marks after grilling up steak and zucchini slices. In spring 2017, we kicked off this grill guide by putting six gas grills through a battery of tests.