If you want to splurge on a grill with exceptional temperature control and a dedicated searing zone, go for our upgrade pick, the Weber Genesis E-325s, instead. This little two-burner grill puts a mean sear on steaks, chops, and burgers. It provides good heat control and can maintain a steady medium to medium-low for grilling chicken pieces with rendered skin and sticky glaze. With almost no fiddling on our part, the Spirit and Genesis grills we tested both produced perfect barbecue chicken, while other contenders produced either flabby barbecue or charred chicken and burnt sauce. And in our indirect-cooking test, the Spirit II E-310 turned out a pair of flawless roasted birds that were deeply browned with skin so crisp, it puffed up like a balloon. Ah, fresh air and a juicy grilled burger—pure warm-weather delight.
We put a bunch of the bestselling models through their paces by using them to cook up burgers, whole chickens, ribs and more. On gas grills, most of your searing comes from the contact with the grate. The Weber’s ceramic-coated cast-iron grates have a triangular form to them, flat faces up on side A, the pointy edge on side B. Weber suggests the flat side for searing and the pointy side for delicate food that might stick. In reality, you’re probably going to pick one side and never flip it.
She’s written close to a dozen pieces on all styles of grills and done firsthand testing of smokers and grills featured in her articles. Ariane Resnick, who also updated this article, is a special weber bbq diet chef, certified nutritionist, and bestselling author. She has more than 20 years experience in the food and writing spaces and believes in a joy-filled approach to health and wellness.
There are plenty of more powerful and more expensive grills out there. If you were thinking of a pricier model, consider putting that extra money toward a pair of rattan rockers. From your new perch, you may realize that the Weber E-330 is a near-perfect basic grill that, with a side burner and the sear burner, gets a turbo boost, Volvo style. A harder and faster sear would be welcome, as would more control over the sear burner’s heat, which is essentially on/off. A little compartment for wood chips and chunks that could slide in next to the left burner would be grand for creating a bit of smoky goodness. Not to sound ungrateful, but the logistics of shipping the grills and smokers I review are almost always a pain in the butt.
We monitored the grills’ temperature for the hour-long cook, and we noted the depth and evenness of browning at the end. We restricted our search to grills that burn propane from refillable tanks. But you can find versions of all of our picks that work with natural gas. They didn’t perform well, and we knew that they wouldn’t be durable. Ultimately, if you want to spend less, we recommend that you get a smaller, two-burner grill or consider a charcoal grill or portable grill instead. The Weber Spirit II E-210 is a smaller, two-burner version of our top pick; the materials and build are identical.
Salvaggio is an independent retailer who carries grills from many manufacturers, so he was able to speak freely about what he saw as the relative strengths and weaknesses of various models. Co-founder Matt Van Horn is the president of June while the company’s other co-founder, Nikhil Bhogal, is the senior vice president, technology and connected devices of Weber. Van Horn continued to focus on the June Oven while Bhogal works with Weber R&D programs and new products. George Stephen’s passion for deliciously prepared meals drove his creation of the Weber Kettle and the Weber Grill Restaurants. Drawing from nearly 70 years of classic outdoor grilling, you’ll taste the difference that decades of inspired grilling expertise make.
Engineered to seamlessly fit your 2016+ Genesis and Spirit 300 and 400 series grills. We remove the outer membrane on a rack of pork back ribs and season it with an all-purpose rub we use for ribs and chicken. Then, the ribs are placed on the grates for at least three hours with the lid closed the entire time. Thanks to on-board Weber Connect support, this grill has smart abilities too.
The grill was able to achieve high temperatures as well as larger models, and was even able to sear meat. Lastly, we found it easy to weber gas grill assemble and attach a 1-pound gas canister. Our tester called it “pricey, but worth it” for anyone who regularly grills on the go.