Then we closed the lids for 45 minutes, occasionally checking for charring and redistributing the pieces as necessary (ideally, it wouldn’t be necessary at all). As the chicken cooked we monitored the grills’ temperatures according to their built-in thermometers; the goal was a steady hold at 375 °F with little or no burner adjustment. After 45 minutes, we flipped the chicken parts, slathered on a coating of barbecue sauce, and closed the lid for another five minutes. We repeated this step twice more, rounding out the cook time at an hour flat. Then we had a taste, paying special attention to the breast meat—a long cook can dry it out. The weber genesis features 768 square inches of total cooking space with 526 in direct and indirect heating capacity.
This one, the basic version of the four burner grill, is the cornerstone of the new line. But more than just an added a burner, Weber has redesigned the burners, ignitors and added compatibility for their iGrill 3 Bluetooth temperature monitoring system. The Genesis II Special Edition grills are packed with features. The SE-335 comes with a side burner with a 12,000 BTU burner, and a sear station with a 9,000 BTU burner. The sear station creates a high heat zone on the grill that’s hotter than other areas of the grill, creating restaurant quality sear marks on your food.
On top of this, it’s a particularly easy grill to assemble, maintain, and use; and it comes in four colors . Finally, at its current price of around $500, it’s a terrific value. Both grills feature porcelain enamel cast iron cooking grates and stainless steel flavorizer bars. This model features a primary cooking space of 513 square inches, plus another 156 square inches of cooking space added by the warming rack.
Additional features include 12,000 BTU side burner and 9,000 BTU sear station. The enclosed cart is great for storage and has 2 large wheels and front casters. The Genesis grills are very efficient in design and hold on to heat very well, but withabout 75 BTUs per square inch of primary cooking surface, there are more powerful grills out there. Efficiency will only go so far and we have found that this model, like the previous 3-burner model, is a little slower to heat up and tends to not get as hot as some competing products. We have not, however, found this to be a serious issue with the performance.
Our R&D department develops high-quality, fairly priced grilling equipment. After weeks of research and two days of testing on burgers, barbecue, and whole chickens, the Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″ is our pick as the best charcoal grill for most people. A good gas grill should last a decade or more, provided you clean it after every use and protect it from the elements. Weber, which makes both of the grills we currently recommend, guarantees all parts for 10 years, so we expect our picks to hold up for at least that long.
With a thick, rust-proof cast-aluminum firebox, it’ll last for years. The Spirit II is also a particularly easy grill to assemble, maintain, and use. The weber charcoal grill primary cooking grates are made of cast iron and coated with porcelain enamel. They are wider than the traditional round bars on stainless steel grates.
The black color finish porcelain-enameled hood has a center-mounted thermometer to monitor cooking temperatures and has painted cast-aluminum end caps. The iGrill 3-ready Genesis II SE grills feature a motion-activated, handle-mounted light for added visibility during night-time grilling and a fuel gauge on propane gas models. The propane tank is stored to the side, freeing up the shelf space under the grill and has a tank shield that keeps the tank out of view. Six convenient built-in tool hooks keep your BBQ tools nearby.
This design gives you wide, attractive sear marks on your food, and the narrow spaces between the bars decrease the chance of losing a thin burger between them. These cast-iron grates retain heat more efficiently and longer than a stainless steel grate, making this grill a better choice for slow cooking. While the Weber Genesis II E-310 only has three burners, the experience grilling on it is on par with top-rated gas grills that are much larger and more expensive. The Napoleon Rogue 425 ($750 at the time of this writing) is the Canadian company’s flagship in the $400 to $750 range. Like the other models we tested in that category, it has a cast-aluminum firebox, porcelain-coated cast-iron grates, and three burners. On paper, it has a lot going for it, but we were disappointed in its performance.
Sam Sifton, then food editor of The New York Times, 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. For $200 more, you get an extra burner and enhanced performance. In fact, the midsized Weber Genesis II LX S-340 grill is the best of the Weber Genesis II grills we tested, scoring high enough to make our list of top picks. Heating evenness was excellent, and preheating and indirect cooking were just a notch below that. At $1,300, the six-burner Weber Genesis II E-610 grill has the largest cooking surface of the E-series grills, with room for 28 burgers or more.