Overall, the two-burner Spirit II is the same depth and height as the three-burner model, but the E-210 is 4 inches smaller width-wise. That may not seem like much, but if you’re working with a small patio area, every inch counts. 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. During testing, we found that the Napoleon Prestige 500 didn’t respond as well as other grills to temperature changes, and it didn’t deliver good searing on the main grill, either. All the food was cooked, but it didn’t blow us away, especially given its high price tag. Further, we struggled when it came time to clean the grill, as it’s very hard to remove debris and grease from underneath the burners.
The Weber Genesis E-325s puts out more heat per square inch than our pick, and the main grate has a 20% larger cooking area. Weber also redesigned its expandable upper warming rack, with bars that run front to back (rather than side to side), so it’s easier to slide a spatula under the food. Instead of porcelainized cast-iron cooking grates, the Genesis E-325s has a grilling surface made of thick stainless steel rods (these won’t make a huge difference in your grilling results).
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 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.
Weber’s dedicated Spirit II cover costs about $80, and a well-regarded generic cover costs about $30 (both at the time of writing). If you’re buying a grill, your first decision is weber bbq which type of fuel works best. When we first started working on this guide, back in 2017, we spoke with more than a dozen experts before opening the valve on a single propane tank.
If you grill regularly or you enjoy grilling on weeknights, when time is at a premium, you should invest in a gas grill. That’s more than twice the price of a quality charcoal grill, but if you prioritize speed and convenience, the higher price is worth it. A grill that is both durable and easy to repair creates much less waste than a cheapo grill that ends up in the garbage. 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.
It’s available in both propane and natural gas configurations, and each burner features individual Snap-Jet ignition. There’s a reason Weber is nearly synonymous with classic, quality grills. The brand has been around since the ’50s when the founder first invented the kettle grill. To find the best gas grills for your backyard cookouts, the PEOPLE Tested team spent several days testing 13 different full-size gas grills. In the first round of testing, we used each grill to cook hamburgers and buns, as well as grilled onions, and after comparing all the results, we selected the 10 top performers to move onto round two. In the second round of testing, we cooked skin-on fish filets and steak, evaluating each grill on its ease of use, performance, cleaning, design, and value.
The other grills also have easy-access grease traps—not much to ask for, really. But we found the Napoleon model’s wavy grates hard to clean because we couldn’t run the grill brush in long strokes. In our tests, the Spirit E-310’s firebox cleaned up fine, with some Simple Green and hot water, and because it’s aluminum, there’s no concern about rust. While the burgers cooked, we kept an eye out for flare-ups—which can char the meat and create acrid smoke—and looked at the evenness of cooking across the grates.
If a random person walked into our offices off the street and demanded the best grill they could get, I’d point them to this. Beginners will be able to turn out great food without needing to master anything new, and serious grillmasters will find that the Spirit II E-310 is great for acing the basics.