At first glance this is simply a cosmetic design change but in reality the change is much more important. This can seem like such a simple feature, but it isn’t every day that you find it. And, it doesn’t matter if you grill occassionally or on a frequent basis, being able to tell just how much fuel is in your propane tank is going to make your life a lot easier either way. Once you begin to use this grill, you will realize just how handy it actually is. For instance, you can create a high sear zone on one end and a low temperature, finishing zone on the other.
In fact, the Genesis II E-310 didn’t sear our burgers as darkly as the Spirit II E-310 did. That’s okay, though—this grill is an exceptional performer, period. This led us to surmise that the smaller Spirit model concentrates the burners’ heat better. We had no issues with the meat sticking to the flat, porcelain-coated iron grates. And we had no problems with flare-ups, the grease fires that produce charring and acrid smoke. In spring 2017, we kicked off this grill guide by putting six gas grills through a battery of tests.
With their acquisition of iGrill digital thermometers, Weber is addressing this issue. Spirit II is “iGrill3 Ready” with a mounting place on the right side shelf for an optional iGrill 3 digital thermometer. This Bluetooth device enables you to place one digital probe at the cooking surface to dial up the correct oven temp, and one probe in your food to monitor internal meat temp. Surprisingly, however, there is no read out on the iGrill 3 itself. Check out Weber’s iGrill 3 video below that shows how to install this optional thermometer on their Genesis II.
And though stainless steel grates are more rust-resistant than cast-iron ones, it’s still a good idea to follow this cleaning advice to keep them in tip-top shape. If you have limited outdoor space or don’t want to commit to a larger grill, the Weber Spirit II E-210 is a smaller, two-burner version of our pick, and it’s a great choice. The Spirit II E-210’s smaller grate (measuring 360 square inches, compared with the Spirit II E-310’s 424 square inches) might make grilling for a crowd a challenging endeavor.
This can also work well for low and slow cooking or if you want to cook something over indirect heat. Well, this amounts to about 15 burgers, a couple of racks of ribs, and about three whole chickens, depending on the size of the birds. I don’t enjoy opening and closing doors while trying to keep an eye on the grill. The multiple tool hooks are certainly a great option and isn’t something that you always find with grills, even on high end ones. The first is that it allows me to easily transfer food from platters onto the grill with minimal hassle.
Additionally, propane tanks are inexpensive, reusable, and available at most hardware and big-box stores. 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. Once your grill has a rusty hole in the firebox, it’s destined for the scrap heap. Since the Spirit II E-210 has only two burners, indirect cooking may present a bit of a challenge.
If a burner seems to be running cool or creates patchy flames, use a thin piece of wire (many grills come with one attached to a chain) to clean out the gas ports (the little holes in the burner). There’s nothing inside the burners to break, so don’t feel like you have to be delicate. Wirecutter editor Signe Brewster bought the Weber Spirit Blackstone Adventure II E-310 in 2019. It’s her first grill, and she’s loved using it in the summertime. “I mostly use it for pizza (on a pizza stone) and brats, plus veggies in our grill basket pick. Among those experts, Joe Salvaggio of Big Apple BBQ spent two hours explaining the fundamentals of gas grill design, function, materials, and maintenance.
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Upgraded with the strong GS4 grilling system and iGrill capability, this BBQ grill is sure to take you to the next level. Finally, be aware that a few parts of a grill are consumables, so you char broil performance will need to replace them occasionally. The burner hoods (metal “tents” that sit over the burners and guide grease away from the flames to prevent flare-ups) are usually the first to go.