With 424 square inches of primary grilling space, the three-burner Spirit II E-310 can easily accommodate 12 large hamburgers, two whole or cut-up chickens, or a large cut for smoking, like brisket. For instance, you can sear steak or fish on one side of the grill and cook vegetables on lower heat on the other. We grilled the chicken with the lid down for 45 minutes, occasionally checking for charring, and redistributing the pieces as necessary.
On top of all that, this grill is particularly easy to assemble, maintain, and use, and its finish comes in four colors (black, white, red, and blue). Next time you cook, brush the cold, soot-covered grills clean, wipe them with a wet paper towel or rag, and then proceed. That goes against the common advice to clean the grates while they’re hot.
A small barbecue such as the portable charcoal barbecue from the Smokey Joe series is the perfect size for any beginner. Small enough to be easily controlled, but still large enough to cook several things at once, this small design is also easy to clean and store. The porcelain coating prevents food from sticking, so the grates don’t need seasoning. Only very old models of Weber grills would require seasoning, and because they are very old, that surely happened a long time ago. If you purchase a new Weber grill, you don’t need to worry about seasoning it.
Weber’s warranty covers burner hoods on the 2022 Genesis models and all parts on the Spirit II models for 10 years. Or you could find third-party options that claim higher performance and long lifespans (though we haven’t tested these claims ourselves). After years of testing grills, we can’t think of a better deal for a great grill than the Original Weber Kettle, which has been our favorite charcoal grill for almost 10 years. Cooking with charcoal is not as convenient as turning a dial and walking away, but we love a Weber kettle for its simplicity and durability. It’s a classic backyard staple, and it can fit up to 12 burger patties to feed a crowd—the same as the Spirit II E-310, but for less than half the price. She recalls one particular instance when she grilled fajitas for 25 guests for her partner’s birthday.
Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. She is perfectly happy to leave all that behind to be a full-time kitchen-gear nerd. Check the grease trap after every use (or before every use), and don’t let it get too full.
With the Genesis II E-310, we didn’t notice a significant upgrade in performance over that of the Spirit II E-310. In fact, the Genesis II E-310 didn’t sear our burgers as darkly as the Spirit II E-310 did. As for maintenance, the Spirit E-310’s flat grates were easy to keep clean with a grill brush, and its grease trap was easy to access for dumping and washing.
If you would like to try out something new, how about a wood pellet barbecue that combines the ease of electric barbecuing with the rich and smoky taste of a variety of pellet options. Weber was founded in 1952, with the launch of the pioneering Kettle bbq, and we have continued to create successful inventions since then, such as the Flavorizer bars. All of our high-quality barbecues weber gas grill and barbecue accessories are the product of decades of refinement by Weber’s talented designers. You should avoid this if you’re using it, because water entering the cook box will make the fire go out. Weber grills are weatherproof, meaning they can be left out on your patio year-round when not turned on. However, they will last longer and hold up better if you put a cover on them.
The grill has 529 square inches of cooking space across its enameled cast iron cooking grates, providing plenty of room for all your burgers, steaks, and veggies—we found it ample enough for a family of five. The Weber Spirit II E-310 provides the unrivaled combination of top-notch grilling performance, a versatile three-burner design, durability, and a relatively affordable price. It excelled at every test, producing the best sear on our burgers of any grill, and equaling or outdoing the others in our tests involving barbecue chicken and whole roasted chickens.
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. In 2018, we tested Weber’s new Spirit II E-310—successor to our previous pick, the first-gen Spirit E-310—against our upgrade pick for the best gas grill. More than anything, which bbq you choose depends on the type of food you like to cook and where. Whether you regularly cook for a crowd or simply cook for one, you need the right size grill.
Most of them cost four or five figures, well above our established price range of $400 to $900. The Spirit II E-310 (and every grill) should come with a grill cover. This one doesn’t, nor did any grill in our test group, so you’ll need to buy one separately.