One thing I was happy to discover was that the built-in thermometer on the lid, often useless on other grills, was surprisingly accurate at telling the air temperature at grate level. In fact, for most cooking it worked well enough that there was little point in using the air probe to monitor the air temperature inside the grill. The Genesis E-325s is the only one of our picks that we haven’t physically tested, but we did test its predecessor, the Genesis II E-310. We also checked out the new Genesis model in person at a few different stores.
Once the last burger in the basket reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, the batch is finished. A good burger in this test is one that has both a nice outside char and a slightly pink center. Grilled chicken should have a crispy skin and meat that is cooked through fully but not dry. We perform this test in three rounds, giving us a solid average cooking time for each grill. Whole chickens are cooked on indirect, medium heat until both breasts reach 165 degrees F. That’s an aesthetically pleasing compromise, but reaching through the side bars and around the panel to open and close the tank was frustratingly difficult.
If you do want something a bit cheaper or smaller, we’ve also tested and recommend the Q 1200. MELISSA COOKSTON can still remember her parents trying to cook over “a towering inferno” of fire in their Weber Kettle Grill in the 1970s. To test the grill with a midrange cook time and medium heat weber bbq settings, we grill a whole chicken. We preheat the grill on high for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium and turn off burners to create an indirect heat environment. What we noticed most in testing this grill is how quickly it got up to temperature compared with other models.
Thermometers built into the lid of a grill aren’t fully reliable. They’re usually positioned several inches above the cooking grate, and as a result they don’t accurately report its temperature. Consider getting an inexpensive infrared thermometer to gauge the temperature of your cooking surface. The Weber Spirit II E-310 excelled at every test, producing the best hamburgers—deeply seared, evenly cooked—among all the grills we tested. And it outdid or equaled the competition in grilling barbecue chicken and whole roasted chickens with crispy golden skin. Inside the grill, your grate material is also very important.
While a giant 6-burner grill may not be for everyone, the Monument Denali is the perfect balance of modern thinking, a good price point, and quality that I would expect from our top pick. Like any smart modern grill, the Denali has temperature probes to accurately cook your food and uses an app to connect those probes to your phone. You can set the app to alert you when your food reaches the correct temperature or after a certain time limit. Here, Meathead Goldwyn’s reference cookbook Meathead is a big help.
Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). The Genesis E-325s also has a foldable upper rack that extends the length of the main cooking grate and expands to be 11 inches deep.