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. 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 Blackstone Adventure 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. 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.
This gives you a reading of how much fuel is in propane tank. First off, it means that you never waste any propane – the fuel gauge tells you whether or not your tank is empty before you take it in for a new one. Of course, a pretty important aspect of any grill is temperature control and maintenance.
The E-325s looks sturdy and well built, and it has some new practical features that further justify the higher price tag. Instead of being made from porcelainized cast iron, the grill grates on the weber spirit 2 Genesis E-325s are made from thick stainless steel rods. The advantage of stainless steel is its resistance to rust and corrosion. However, stainless steel doesn’t hold as much heat as cast iron.
The Spirit E-310 comes with 3 stainless steel burners and heat output of 32,000 BTUs. While most models of the Spirit II series are designed to be an upgrade of the Spirit, some common features define the Spirit line up of Weber grills. These grills are backed by a longer warranty than the Spirit grills but have fewer models available. Another limitation with the Spirit II is models in this series do not come with side burners. Started in 1893, with over 60 years in the field of barbeque design and innovation, Weber grills are known for their convenient features, versatile design and consistent performance. With its roots in George Stephen’s famous “Barbeque kettle” designed in 1952, Weber grills have evolved in leaps.
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. That said, the Weber Spirit II E-210 excels at its primary function—straight-up grilling. This little two-burner grill puts a mean sear on steaks, chops, and burgers. It has good heat control and can maintain a steady medium to medium-low for grilling chicken pieces with rendered skin and sticky glaze. Weber covers all parts on the Spirit II E-210 for 10 years, excluding normal wear and tear.
Finally, we restricted our search to grills that burn propane from refillable tanks, the most common fuel by far. But you should note that there are versions of all of our picks that work with natural gas. Just keep in mind that if you don’t already have the proper hookups, installing a natural-gas outlet isn’t cheap or simple.
The Wi-Fi module alone uses six D batteries, but there is an option to power that part with a power bank. We assume the four other batteries power the igniter, LED lights, and fuel gauge. Though the smart features might be useful in some cases, we think that for most people, the functionality isn’t quite useful enough to warrant the several-hundred-dollar price hike . When comparing the two materials—without taking anything else into consideration—cast iron holds more heat, so it will leave darker sear marks on your food than stainless steel.
It’s her first grill, and she’s loved using it in the summertime. “I mostly use it for pizza and brats, plus veggies in our grill basket pick. What’s really great, though, is the built in lid thermometer. The center mounted thermometer gives you an idea of what the internal temperature is for the cooking chamber and whether or not it is holding up as you need it to.
The Spirit excellently combined innovation and performance to get the best grilling results in a smaller footprint. One of the interesting drawbacks is the difference in warranty the Spirit has vs the Spirit II. More on this later. Please provide the following information to see the pricing details and continue the checkout process. Do it Best has been proudly serving the do-it-yourselfer since 1945.
She grilled skirt steak for three hours straight because the small grate could accommodate only two-ish slabs at a time. However, the fajitas were beautifully seared and perfectly cooked. She was never disappointed with the Spirit E-210’s performance—it’s a top-notch small grill. Wirecutter editor Signe Brewster bought the Weber Spirit II E-310 in 2019.