Our guide on this web page helps you determine the model based off this. All models of the fully loaded Gensis II Special Edition comes commerical grade 9 mm Stainless Steel Cooking Grill Grates, and the Weber iGrill 3 (app-connected digital thermometer). With usual Weber perfection, it looks elegant and is built tough with a combination of cast aluminum, enamel & stainless steel. The cast-iron grates are porcelain-enameled for better heat transfer and service life. Some of them are also reversible, providing you a thin side and a wide side. Large cuts and steaks can cook well on the wide side while the thin side can be used for more delicate cuts and fish.
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. After about 10 minutes of cooking, we compared how well weber genesis 2 each grill had seared the burgers, and we looked for excessive charring or patties that were still unacceptably raw. I draped the ribs across the Genesis II’s metal warming tray that sits above the grill grates.
A good one costs $400 to $900, but it will serve you well for years. 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. Hands-on time, reviews, and availability concerns led us to dismiss grills from lesser-known brands like Huntington, along with well-known names like Cuisinart and KitchenAid. And the Cuisinart and KitchenAid grills appear to be afterthoughts next to their respective brands’ main areas of expertise, with materials and design to match. A grill that is both durable and easy to repair creates much less waste than a cheapo grill that ends up in the garbage.
While the Weber Genesis II E-310 only has three burners, the experience grilling on it is on par with top-rated gas grills that are much larger and more expensive. The black color finish porcelain-enameled hood has a center-mounted thermometer to monitor cooking temperatures and has painted cast-aluminum end caps. The iGrill 3-ready Genesis II SE grills feature a motion-activated, handle-mounted light for added visibility during night-time grilling and a fuel gauge on propane gas models. Weber added two new models to its Spirit line of gas grills in 2020, but we ultimately chose not to test them. One of them, the Spirit S-315, is similar to the Spirit II E-310 with regard to the specs, and with a few cosmetic differences—and higher price tag. The S-315 has a slightly higher Btu output than our pick .
The Genesis II line, on the other hand, has more premium offerings that bundle in extra features with greater quality and durability. If you are looking to use your grill more often or consider yourself weber charcoal grill a lifestyle griller, a Genesis model might be for you. If you are a grilling enthusiast and have been looking for the right new gas grill, you have most likely already heard of the Weber brand.
Three is the sweet spot—not too crowded inside, not too big outside. And you can cut the middle burner but still get even, radiant heat from the sides, for indirect cooking. After that I arranged the patties on the grill in a rectangular pattern with 1.5 to 2 inches spacing between them. I inserted one of the iGrill probes into the center, front patty. I closed the hood, and gave the burgers a flip after 6 minutes.
BUT….paint completely peeled off vertical gray sheet metal panels that shield propane tank. PLUS, a TERRIBLE design flaw…openings on left end, rear and above propane tank allow raccoons and other rodents to enter cabinet and trash, grease tray. I love cooking outdoors over live fire and smoke whatever the weather, using various grills, smokers, and wood-fired ovens to produce epic food.
These burners are tapered to maintain an even flow front to back and therefore and even heat inside the grill. This sits between the right and middle main burners to give you a boost in power for better grilling. This is a great feature on the Weber Genesis, which tends to be a bit underpowered. There is a nice side burner, which is actually powerful enough to heat a large pot. A feature I recommend for more than just occasional warming. It’s great if, for some reason, you find yourself unable to cook indoors.
A few of the 1 and 2 Star reviews, as well as many of the 3 and 4 Star reviews, took the time to complain about the one serious design flaw in the grill. The redesign of the Flavorizer bars, which protect the burner tubs was, in my opinion, a bit silly. The new Flavorizer bars have a small semi-circle punched out at the base to allow people to see the flames and make weber charcoal grill sure the burner tubes are lit. I love Weber grills and have been using them for about 20 years now. I have a lot of experience under my belt using their gas and charcoal grills as well as their charcoal smokers. If you’re paying attention to the model numbers you’ll notice that the middle digit has increased, indicating a feature bump with the same number of burners.