The scope of the app is narrow compared to Char-Broil’s SmartChef application. It tracks propane levels, burner status and even tells you if the grill is cool enough to cover. Weber’s app just sticks to measuring temperatures of meat, fish and poultry as you cook.
This exercise shows how much raw power a grill can bring to the table. I ran three such tests of six 5.3-ounce burgers each pressed from the same hamburger press. I flipped all of the burners on high and gave the grill 10 minutes to preheat.
Like the E-310, the E-210 has an open-cart design and an easy-access side-mounted hook and gauge for the propane tank. The Weber Spirit II E-310 provides the unrivaled combination of top-notch grilling performance, a versatile three-burner design, durability, and a relatively affordable price. It excelled at every test, producing the best sear on our weber genesis 2 burgers of any grill, and equaling or outdoing the others in our tests involving barbecue chicken and whole roasted chickens. The Spirit II E-310’s overall compact size (helped by a fold-down side table) suits almost any patio or deck. And yet its grilling surface is big enough to cook a complete meal for a family or a dozen burgers for a party.
Weber provides a 10-year warranty on this grill’s stainless steel burners, which is double the industry standard. All other parts are covered for two years if defective. The Genesis II E-310’s deep grate saves space on your porch or deck and still allows you to cook a lot of food. Although the E-310 has three stainless weber charcoal grill steel burners, you can buy other Weber Genesis II models with up to six burners. If you select a Genesis II grill that has an open cart design, be forewarned that the catch tray will be left unprotected. That means it could be a target for leaves or other debris, especially if you don’t cover the grill in between uses.
We chose grills with fireboxes made of cast aluminum because the firebox is a major part of the grill, it’s difficult to replace, and aluminum is resistant to rust and corrosion. Cheaper grills have thin enameled steel fireboxes that are prone to damage and holes from rust. Once your grill has a rusty hole in the firebox, it’s destined for the scrap heap. Since the Spirit II E-210 has only two burners, indirect cooking may present a bit of a challenge.
For our 2022 update, we relied mostly on research and reporting, as well as our rigorous testing from years prior. We combed big-box home-improvement stores—including Home Depot and Lowe’s—and Big Apple BBQ in New York to view anything new. And weber q we again chatted with Joe Salvaggio at Big Apple BBQ to get his expert opinion of the gas grills available for 2022. Overall, we found that the core function and design of grills we’ve covered in the $400 to $900 price range hasn’t changed.
It’s hard to beat a Weber kettle, but Napoleon holds its own and adds some unique features to make the 22″ Pro Cart a viable alternative. It is absolutely positively without a doubt the best bargain on a smoker in the world. This baby will cook circles around the cheap offset sideways barrel smokers because temperature control is so much easier.
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). I learned that while its burners are mighty, they also offer a wide temperature range which can be unforgiving if you’re not careful. For example, when I turned the Genesis II’s burner dials all the way up, after 10 minutes the temperature under the hood easily cracked 600 degrees (633.7 in fact). That same high setting and preheat time on the Char-Broil SmartChef Tru-Infrared yielded an internal temp of 457.4 degrees. Likewise, medium power on the Genesis, especially cooking with indirect heat, was much cooler than I expected.
But, if you genuinely value the experience of grilling AND you like food that tastes delicious, you’ll want something a little better. For $200 more, you get a third burner and a larger cooking area, bumping the Weber Genesis II E-310, $700, into our midsized category. Performance was similar to the E-210, and indirect cooking was even better. We are very excited to begin the grilling season and finally get these incredible grills into the hands of our customers.