It puts out the same 13,000 Btu as the others, for a combined total 52,000 Btu across the four burners. By contrast, the Spirit II E-310 puts out 30,000 Btu and the E-210, 26,500 Btu. No matter the brand of grill, we don’t like to fully rely on built-in thermometers. 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.
The sounds, smells and taste of cooking with a barbecue speaks to us of our long history of preparing hot food in the wild. At Weber, we are passionate about creating bbqs that embody this experience, and can roast, sear, grill and smoke to perfection. There is nothing close to the taste of freshly cooked food, served piping hot from a Weber bbq. weber portable grill You can just brush the grates down with a grill brush if they have any debris on them. Additionally, oiling the grates can result in them becoming sticky once the oil has heated beyond its smoking point, which will inevitably happen. If you’re experiencing issues with your food sticking to your Weber grill, oil the food, not the grill grates.
The Char-Broil Performance Series 2-Burner Gas Grill is another option that didn’t quite make the cut for our top picks, but it’s still worth mentioning. This grill is one of the more compact options we tested, with just two burners and 300 square inches of primary cooking space. It’s lightweight and mounted on four caster wheels, and while it was extremely easy to put together, we found it was a bit wobbly during operation.
It’s available in both propane and natural gas configurations, and each burner features individual Snap-Jet ignition. There’s a reason Weber is nearly synonymous with classic, quality grills. The brand has been around since the ’50s when the founder first invented the kettle grill. To find the best gas grills for your backyard cookouts, the PEOPLE Tested team spent several days testing 13 different full-size gas grills. In the first round of testing, we used each grill to cook hamburgers and buns, as well as grilled onions, and after comparing all the results, we selected the 10 top performers to move onto round two. In the second round of testing, we cooked skin-on fish filets and steak, evaluating each grill on its ease of use, performance, cleaning, design, and value.
The S-315 has a slightly higher Btu output than our pick (32,000 Btu versus 30,000 Btu, respectively). But other than those minor variations, it looks like the S-315 would perform about the same as our pick—and wouldn’t be worth the higher price. At about 20 inches x 20 inches and a little more than 22 pounds, Weber’s 18-inch Jumbo Joe is compact enough to make it the smart choice for small spaces and travel. The charcoal grill features a metal bracket that keeps the lid locked in place during transit—and holds it in place during cooking, as well.
Its racks are made from porcelain-coated cast iron, and it has an open-cart design with two wheels for easy portability. Yet its three-burner grilling surface is big enough to cook a complete meal (meat or fish and a couple of veggies) for a family or a dozen burgers for a party. With its thick, rust-proof cast-aluminum firebox, this grill will last for years. The Spirit II is also a particularly simple grill to assemble, maintain, and use.
Weber’s dedicated Spirit II cover costs about $80, and a well-regarded generic cover costs about $30 (both at the time of writing). If you’re buying a grill, your first decision is which type of fuel works best. When we first started working on this guide, back in 2017, we spoke with more than a dozen experts before opening the valve on a single propane tank.