After about 10 minutes of cooking, we compared how well each grill had seared the burgers, and we looked for excessive charring or patties that were still unacceptably raw. All of our picks are propane-gas grills, since propane tanks are portable and can be purchased almost char broil performance anywhere, and they don’t require any special hookups in your backyard. To monitor the cooking temperature, we generally don’t rely on thermometers built into the hood. Instead, we placed our digital thermometer in the middle area, and it registered a cooking temp of 295°F.
Those are parts that should be easy to find and can be purchased for a reasonable price—preferably from the company that made the grill. Any solid grill maker will have those available for purchase, even if your grill is 15-plus years old. We grilled the chicken with the lid down for 45 minutes, occasionally checking for charring, and redistributing the pieces as necessary. After 45 minutes, we flipped the chicken parts, slathered on a coating of barbecue sauce, and closed the lid for another 15 minutes. Throughout, we monitored the grills’ temperatures according to their built-in thermometers; the goal was a steady hold at 375 °F with little or no burner adjustment. 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.
A dedicated rotisserie burner is usually located on the back of the firebox, slightly above the cooking grates; some models use the grill’s main burner(s). This feature allows you to roast meat (a whole chicken, for example) very evenly, yielding a flavor that some people prefer to that of grilled food. Spirit II has four legs, two wheels and a lower open-air storage rack. Spirit II continues to be a solid, dependable tool for aspiring backyard pitmasters and pitmistresses.
We cooked a full grate of burgers on high heat and chicken pieces at a low temperature. We also roasted whole chickens indirectly on both low and high heat to see whether the grills could create browned skin and perfectly cooked meat without charring. In 2018 we repeated these tests, with the then-new Weber Spirit II E-310 and our upgrade pick at the time, the Weber Genesis II E-310 (predecessor to our current upgrade pick). Aside from its superior cooking power, this grill has some wonderful features, which include a Bluetooth-enabled thermometer that will send alerts directly to your smartphone.
Open the door to the world of grilling with crazy good food and friends coming together. The compact open-cart design and the practical folding side table makes it fit even on small spaces, and you have all the basics you need to get familiar with gas grilling. So whether it’s a busy Monday or a relaxed Sunday – invite a couple of friends over, push the ignition and enjoy the special atmosphere that surrounds the grill. The Spirit II E-310 also exhibited the most consistent heat across the entire cooking surface in the 2018 test, just as the original Spirit had done in 2017. Among the competition in our 2017 test, the Napoleon model in particular had noticeable cool spots toward the front of its grates.
This grill has ample amount of cooking space for smaller crowds and families. This grill also features a porcelain-enameled cast iron cooking grates, fold down left side shelf, tool hooks and LP tank gauge. In 2021, Weber introduced a line of smart grills that we chose not to test. The app also has recipes and a step-by-step feature that sends alerts to your phone when it’s time to tend to your food. All of these extra gadgets require power, and the Genesis Smart Grill takes 10 batteries. The Wi-Fi module alone uses six D batteries, but there is an option to power that part (and only that part) with a power bank.
It also gives an indication how quickly the grill reaches its maximum temperature. All of the products below have been tested and are highly recommended. Attention to detail such as this is one reason the Weber name commands higher prices than many mass market brands. Weber’s price tag also includes quality construction and the best customer service from a manufacturer in the business, on call seven days a week from 7am to 9pm CST.
This item is offered by one of our Exchange Plus Partners – a trusted, third party paired with us who ships directly to you when you order on ShopMyExchange.com. The Exchange sells and handles payments for these items, and you can find information and track the status of items purchased from Exchange Plus Partners on your AAFES order details page. weber spirit 2 Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. Now, I do want to quickly compare the Spirit II E 10 and Genesis II – the former is a higher end option. However, apart from the fact there is slightly more cooking area and the BTUs are higher, I wouldn’t waste my money but stick with the Spirit II E 310 instead.