On balance, propane or natural gas are probably better choices if you favor no-fuss cooking or you grill often . If you’re an occasional griller or you enjoy getting hands-on with your cooking, charcoal is an economical choice that, with a bit of practice, produces great results. Our tests were designed and run by Wirecutter senior staff writer Lesley Stockton, who has a decade of experience in professional kitchens, much of it spent on the grill station. Senior staff writer Tim Heffernan, who wrote the original version of this guide, helped with testing, along with senior staff writer Michael Sullivan. Sam Sifton, then food editor of The New York Times, also joined in the testing and added his extensive knowledge.
The Spirit II models, for instance, come in a lighter design and use only 2 sturdy wheels, where their predecessors used to use 4. On top of this, these grills came with a few color options for the lid. An introductory line of offering, the grills under this series comes with the iconic GS4 grilling, ignition, 10-year warranty, and flavorizer bars that prevent flare-ups. The characteristic feature of these grills is their affordability, intelligent design and size options.
Along with all its other upgrades, the Spirit II allows for a better warranty than the Spirit. While the Spirit series grills are backed by a 10-year warranty, the Spirit II covers its grills with a whopping 10-year comprehensive warranty and wins hands-down in this department. With it getting sunnier by the day, BBQ enthusiasts are firing up their char broil performance grills and setting up their grilling gear. If you’re familiar with the grilling game, the name ‘Weber’ rings a sound bell. For those of you who are relatively new, I would like to take some time to tell you how and why Weber produces some of the best grills out there. Improved durability will have you up and grilling in no time, every time.
Over the coming years, Weber introduced a line of charcoal, gas, and even portable grills. Flavorizer bars reduce flare-ups and improve heat distribution to enhance barbecue flavor. These Flavorizer char broil performance bars feature a new design that allows you to easily see the flame. The main cooking area of the grill rounded to the nearest 5 sq. Not including any searing burners in the main cooking area.
If it spills over, you’ll be cleaning grease out of the inside of your grill for an hour. Even though we didn’t officially test the Spirit II E-210, we did test its predecessor, the Weber Spirit E-210 . And one of our guide writers, Lesley, owned the Spirit II E-210 for years before passing it off to a friend (to make room for long-term testing the Genesis II E-310).
Thanks to the GS4 grilling system, which provides high-performance burners and upgraded ignitors, it’s a plenty powerful model with impressive heating elements, too. For those looking to watch it work, it’s even compatible with a Bluetooth-enabled iGrill 3 thermometer that can send grilling updates from the Spirit II to your phone. This three-burner propane grill is usually listed at $479, but shoppers can pick up this wheeled cooker for $30 off at $449. This price cut is more rare than a $2 steak, with true discounts on grillsbeing extra hard to find so far this year. The storage space has enough space for the tank and your grilling accessories too.