The Spirit 2 was introduced in 2018 and came to be an enhanced version of the Spirit grills. Spirit II features models that improved on the popular models of the Spirit and addressed any flaws in the earlier version. Most small and average-sized grills have two separate burners, controlled independently, or one burner with independently controlled halves.
To answer the question quite clearly, I believe the Spirit II would be the better grill to buy. The warranty speaks for itself and the look is slightly more modern. They both contain the GS4 grilling system which is a game changer for Weber. The only areas where you might prefer the Spirit over the Spirit II is the cabinet door for storage and the larger Spirit E-330 which includes a side burner.
I may have been using grills for practically my whole life, but I will be the first one to admit that I absolutely hate cleaning up after a cookout. Therefore, I was interested to see just how easy it would be to clean and maintain the Weber Spirit II E 310 gas grill. One of the interesting features of the Weber Spirit II E 310 review is that it has just two wheels instead of the typical four wheels. Yes, it can make moving the grill around a little trickier, but it’s nice to have that added stability while grilling. This is especially true if you are balancing food items on the two side tables on either side of the grill – another nice touch. If you grill regularly or you enjoy grilling on weeknights, when time is at a premium, you should invest in a gas grill.
With side tables for placing serving trays and spices, the Spirit II adds convenience and simplicity to everyday life, and nobody left hungry. With its excellent GS4 grilling system, tech-friendly twist (with the iGrill 3) better warranty options and compact footprint, grilling becomes a lot more versatile. Having said that, regardless of which model you choose, with Weber you can expect nothing less than the best grilling experience. If you’re interested in the Weber Spirits it is probably worth checking out the differences of the Spirit to the Genesis series as well.
Then we placed the chicken in the middle in the indirect heat zone. Click here to learn more about the essential technique of 2-zone cooking. While the Weber Spirit II E-310 is Weber’s entry-level gas grill, it packs a lot of punch performance-wise and was our best-reviewed gas grill for putting gorgeous sear marks on burgers. It’ll also thoroughly cook your chicken and create picture-perfect asparagus spears.
Open the door to the world of grilling with crazy good food and friends coming together. The compact open-cart design and the practical folding side table makes it fit even on small spaces, and you have all the basics you need to get familiar with gas grilling. So whether it’s a busy Monday or a relaxed Sunday – invite a couple of friends over, push the ignition and enjoy the special atmosphere that surrounds the grill. 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. Among the competition in our 2017 test, the Napoleon model in particular had noticeable cool spots toward the front of its grates.
After about 10 minutes of cooking, we compared how well each grill had seared the burgers, and we looked for excessive charring or patties that were still unacceptably raw. All of our picks are propane-gas grills, since propane tanks are portable and can be purchased almost Blackstone Adventure anywhere, and they don’t require any special hookups in your backyard. To monitor the cooking temperature, we generally don’t rely on thermometers built into the hood. Instead, we placed our digital thermometer in the middle area, and it registered a cooking temp of 295°F.
This may have a lower price, but the E 310 outclasses it in cooking surface area, power, and the number of burners, so there is no competition, really. 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 all three of the grills we recommend, guarantees all parts on its Spirit II series for 10 years. So we expect our top and budget picks to hold up for at least that long.
This one doesn’t, nor did any grill in our test group, so you’ll need to buy one separately. Weber’s dedicated Spirit II cover costs about $80, and a well-regarded generic cover costs about $30 (both at the time of writing). Of course, you may also have concerns about how each of these fuel choices might impact the environment. There’s no easy answer, but we discuss some of the considerations in the sustainability section below.
It’s doable, but it requires more attention from the griller to make sure the chicken (or roast, or what have you) is evenly cooked. Cooking with indirect heat on a three-burner grill is more hands-off because the food sits over the middle burner, which you leave turned off. The right and left burners surround the food with heat—basically creating an outdoor oven. But with a two-burner grill, cooking with indirect heat means the food gets heat from only one side, while it sits over the other, inactive burner.