The key to using the Q 1400 successfully is to wait a sufficient amount of time for the grill to come to temperature. Once you do, the 189 square inches of cooking space can handle the grilling needs of anywhere from one person to four or more—depending on what you’re cooking up. In our Lab, we observed fantastic sear marks after grilling up steak and zucchini slices. In spring 2017, we kicked off this grill guide by putting six gas grills through a battery of tests.
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. Even though we didn’t officially test the Spirit II E-210, we did test its predecessor, the Weber Spirit E-210 (our former top pick).
This grill is a splurge, but it receives praise and rave reviews thanks to its functionality, high-quality construction, and superior grilling abilities. If you’re serious about grilling, you seriously need to purchase the Summit S Burner Gas Grill. If you’re looking for a well-built gas grill to sizzle your steaks and serve up perfectly charred hamburgers, the Weber Spirit II E-310 is our top pick for a gas grill. I would recommend it to friends or family in the market for a grill as the best grill you can get.
But in our research we found that the design and the materials that make up the grilling system (firebox, burners, burner hoods) are what determine heat distribution. The Weber Q 2200 Propane Gas Grill is one of our top picks for portable grills by any brand. Though a bit of an investment, the gas grill pays off weber charcoal grill with its convenience. It’s easy to start, easy to use, and heats up quickly and powerfully, delivering 12,000 BTUs of heat per hour. The 280-square-inch cooking area consists of porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, which should be enough to serve three to four people (pretty good for a portable model).
We don’t recommend grills with side burners because we don’t think that extra feature is worth the $100-plus markup. We think you’re better off saving over $200 with the Spirit II E-310. If you want to splurge on a grill with exceptional temperature control and a dedicated searing zone, go for our upgrade pick, the Weber Genesis II E-325s, instead. Gas grills run on either liquid propane (most common) or natural gas—both fossil fuels.
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). When fresh air and the sear on a juicy grilled burger combine, it’s pure warm-weather delight. To help you keep the good vibes (and food) going, we’ve hunted for gas grills that are durable, easy to clean, and simple to control. After cooking burgers, barbecue, and chicken on seven top-rated grills—and researching dozens more—we recommend the Weber Spirit II E-310.
We noted that it takes a little trial and error to get the grill where you want it to be, and while it wasn’t a top performer, it still might be a worthwhile option if you’re looking for something small and inexpensive. If you can afford to spend a bit more, we recommend our Best Budget option, the Weber Spirit II E Burner Gas Grill. While its spec sheet is nothing to scoff at, we were equally impressed with the performance of this grill. It started up easily thanks to its electronic ignition system, and the heat was easy to adjust using the four knobs on the front of the unit. During testing, we found that the flame was very responsive to the dials from high all the way down to low.
Marks and grilled-on food were easy to remove but you’ll definitely need a scraper to get this done. Everyone on the test day got a sample sausage and they all agreed that these were pretty much perfect. They had a gorgeous char on the outside but we succulent and tender on the inside, maintaining the right amount of moisture. However, you might be wondering why there’s relatively few slices of veg on the grill. This won’t be a problem if you’re mostly grilling burgers or sausages, but could be if you’re grilling slices of veg or smaller meat dishes like chicken wings.
Though both are relatively clean-burning fuels, propane emits fewer greenhouse pollutants than natural gas—though the difference is negligible. However, propane is more efficient because it burns hotter than natural gas. Additionally, propane tanks are inexpensive, reusable, and available at most hardware and big-box stores. The gas tank mounts externally (see the top photo in this section), instead of in a cabinet underneath the grill, as is typical (such as on the previous-generation Spirit). That makes it much easier to install a new tank and unhook an old one, because you’re not scrabbling around a small, dark enclosure to find the hoses and brackets.