The plates are thin on one side for more delicate grilled veggies whereas the thick side is ideal for large steaks. One of the biggest advantages of the Weber Spirit II E-310 grill is its ten-year warranty which could make this worth the splurge. For those reasons and more, gas has become a popular fuel for outdoor cooking, as well as indoor.
And we roasted whole chickens indirectly on both low and high heat to see if the grills could create browned skin and perfectly cook meat without charring. Sam Sifton, editor of the Cooking section of The New York Times joined us for these tests. In Blackstone Adventure 2018 we repeated these tests, pitting the new Weber Spirit II E-310 against our upgrade pick, the Weber Genesis II E-310. As the family sits down for dinner, or a couple of friends come over for a bite – this three burner grill will do its magic.
On top of this, these grills came with a few color options for the lid. Both grills have porcelain-enameled grates, two stainless steel burners, and an efficient grease management system. It’s iGrill compatible, includes the GS4 grilling system, and has an improved char broil performance grease management system for a few $$ extra cost. Overall, the Genesis models offer more burners, heat output, and better key features than their respective Spirit models. For this reason, the Genesis models are priced higher than the Spirit grills.
Evenness of heating over the grill’s surface at the highest and lowest setting using all main burners plus the evenness after a 10 minute preheat, using thermocouples. An enclosed cabinet keeps the tank safe from external elements and provides storage space for grilling accessories. The Spirit E-310 comes with 3 stainless steel burners and heat output of 32,000 BTUs. A stainless steel work surface is made of cast aluminum that is rust-resistant and durable fitted with built-in hooks for tools.
These are tent-like metal lengths which stand above the burners and allow for a more even distribution of heat across the grill surface. They also act as a channel to help the dripping run-off in a way that’s easier to clean and cut-back on flare-ups which could otherwise cause burning to food. Packed with features such as powerful GS4 grilling system, iGrill capability, and convenient side tables for placing serving trays. Since the Weber Spirit E-210 sports an enclosed-cart design, the fuel tank is housed within the grill, except the Spirit II E-210, in which the fuel tank goes to the side. The clip serves as a fuel gauge as it measures the weight of the cylinder and lets you know before you run out of gas. Spirit E-210 has two stainless steel burners which collectively output 26,500 BTUs of heat.
Finally, at its current price of around $500, it’s a terrific value. Porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grates are easy to clean and help spread heat evenly across the cooking surface. The porcelain coating usually makes such grates easier to clean than other surfaces, and the grates should resist rust as long as their porcelain coating isn’t chipped. The Napoleon Rogue 425 ($750 at the time of this writing) is the Canadian company’s flagship in the $400 to $750 range. Like the other models we tested in that category, it has a cast-aluminum firebox, porcelain-coated cast-iron grates, and three burners.
You’ll also find that some indoor grills can be used outdoors, as well, coming with a special pedestal that can be removed when you bring it indoors. There are a couple of design areas where the Weber Spirit II E-310 is lacking, though. The three burners are enough for a small family but perhaps not for larger groups or parties. There is also no side burner, which is a bummer because it limits your ability to multitask with different dishes at the same time. The easy-to-read fuel gauge is an unusual but welcome feature that makes this grill much easier for novices to navigate. The app will alert you when grilling is done and it’s time to eat.
It has been Weber’s legacy to produce all Spirit models in an enclosed-cart style, except the Spirit II grills, which all come in an open-cart style. If you’re a beginner, you should always go for a Spirit grill instead of a Genesis one. However, most connoisseurs prefer Genesis grills over the Spirit models.