But thermometers in the lid are several inches above the cooking grate and don’t accurately report the temperature on the surface where you’re actually cooking your food. Consider getting an inexpensive infrared thermometer to gauge the temperature of the cooking grates. This grill’s overall compact size suits almost any patio or deck. Yet its three-burner grilling surface is big enough to cook a complete meal for a family or a dozen burgers for a party. With its thick, rust-proof cast-aluminum firebox, this grill will last for years.
Such a feature allows you to stick to your preferred timing. For instance, you can create a high sear zone on one end and a low temperature, finishing zone on the other. Or, you can create areas of direct and indirect heat with each side burner, which is gives you more cooking options such as when dealing with ribs and roasts. I have to say that the open cart design is a plus in this case. 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.
Our journalists combine independent research with 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 . To keep your grill in working order, take time to do some simple cleaning tasks, as well as the occasional deep scrub-down, every time you cook.
Factors include grate material, wheels or casters for moving the grill, and useful features such as electronic ignitor. Evenness of heating over the grill’s surface at the highest and lowest setting using all main burners plus the evenness after a 10 minute preheat, using thermocouples. After years of testing grills, we can’t think of a better deal for a great grill than the Original Weber Kettle, which has been our favorite charcoal grill for almost 10 years.
Compared with our pick, the Spirit II E-310, the entire Genesis E-325s is almost a foot longer, and its cooking area is about 20% larger, easily accommodating 15 burger patties at a time. Instead of having porcelainized cast-iron grates , the grates on the Genesis E-325s are made from thick, stainless steel Blackstone Adventure rods. The stainless steel grates could create slightly lighter sear marks on your food than cast iron would deliver, but the difference should hardly be noticeable. 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.
Portable grills are grouped together regardless of cooking area, though typically these are small grills. Located on the propane tank or the grill itself, this reveals at a glance how much propane remains in the tank. Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. Blackstone Adventure Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. She is perfectly happy to leave all that behind to be a full-time kitchen-gear nerd. Of all the fuels mentioned here, charcoal emits the most carbon into the atmosphere.