Too big and you’ll be wasting fuel, too small and you’ll be eating dinner last. For grilling, the two important rules to follow are that you’ll need about a pound of meat per person and that you’ll need 72 square inches for each of those servings. For a family of four, 400 to 500 square inches is sufficient—that allows enough room for sides, extras, or the occasionally dinner guest without being too big a grill for everyday use. The SmokeFire weber charcoal grill EX4 has a 20-pound pellet hopper, as well as a DC-powered engine designed to prevent auger jams. The grill is also equipped with a number of smart features like two meat probes that let you keep an eye on the doneness of your food and allows you to control and monitor the grill from your smartphone via Wi-Fi. It can even walk you through the grilling process, letting you know when it’s time to flip food—a handy option for novice grillers.
And it performs on a par with the three-burner version, the Spirit II E-310. Like our top pick, the two-burner Spirit comes with a cast-aluminum firebox, an enameled steel lid and open cart, two side tables, and a 10-year warranty. At 513 square inches (26 by 19 inches), the cooking grate on the Genesis E-325s is big enough to grill an entire meal for a family. The E-325s can easily fit all of the parts from two whole chickens in a single layer, something that would be a tight fit on the Spirit II E-310 (and impossible on our budget pick, the Spirit II E-210). With previous Genesis models, we found that because the burners were spaced out over a larger cooking area, they didn’t sear food as darkly as those on the Spirit II E-310.
This grill is a splurge, but it receives praise and rave reviews thanks to its functionality, high-quality construction, and superior grilling abilities. If you’re serious about grilling, you seriously need to purchase the Summit S Burner Gas Grill. If you’re looking for a well-built gas grill to sizzle your steaks and serve up perfectly charred hamburgers, the Weber Spirit II E-310 is our top pick for a gas grill. I would recommend it to friends or family in the market for a grill as the best grill you can get.
Weber’s warranty covers burner hoods on the 2022 Genesis models and all parts on the Spirit II models for 10 years. Or you could find third-party options that claim higher performance and long lifespans (though we haven’t tested these claims ourselves). 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 weber gas grill almost 10 years. Cooking with charcoal is not as convenient as turning a dial and walking away, but we love a Weber kettle for its simplicity and durability. It’s a classic backyard staple, and it can fit up to 12 burger patties to feed a crowd—the same as the Spirit II E-310, but for less than half the price. She recalls one particular instance when she grilled fajitas for 25 guests for her partner’s birthday.
That’s not necessarily a problem in itself, because you can oil iron grates and season them as you would a cast-iron skillet. But if they were originally porcelain-coated (as is the case on our top pick and budget pick), you may end up with chips of porcelain in your food, and that’s not a good thing. Again, you can replace grates with factory parts or third-party alternatives. Finally, be aware that a few parts of a grill are consumables, so you will need to replace them occasionally. The burner hoods (metal “tents” that sit over the burners and guide grease away from the flames to prevent flare-ups) are usually the first to go.
However, we’re bummed that Weber decided to move the propane tank hook and gauge from the side (where they sit on the Spirit II and previous Genesis models) to under the firebox inside the cart. We can only imagine the crawling and contorting one must do to hook a full tank of liquid propane in that small cabinet. The Genesis E-325s is the only one of our picks that we haven’t physically tested, but we did check it out in person at a few different stores. When we visited Bering’s in Houston, we took measurements and got a thorough rundown of the grill’s features from a helpful staff member with a wealth of grilling knowledge.
Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs. If you do want to buy a new grill in the spring or summer, you’ll generally find the best prices around major sale holidays like Memorial Day or even Father’s Day. 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. With over 40 offices worldwide, Weber understands what makes a barbecue a success all over the globe. Our innovative bbqs are perfect for any occasion and are created by barbecue enthusiasts, for barbecue enthusiasts.
If you prefer staying at home on your balcony check our electric barbecues. For everyone that values convenience but doesn’t want compromise, there is no better option than a gas barbecue. What better way to spend a lazy afternoon on a hazy summer’s day, than grilling a delicious meal for friends and family on one of Weber’s premium charcoal, gas or electric bbqs. Whether you’re savouring the sounds of a sizzling steak, or relishing the rich aromas of roasting ribs, a Weber bbq is a mark of quality and innovation. Yes, you can smoke meat on a Weber charcoal grill, also known as a kettle grill. The simplest way to use your kettle grill as a smoker is to place all of your charcoal briquettes on one side of the grill and your meat on the other.
The front of the grill does seem to be a bit cooler than the middle and back, but overall, the unit performed reliably. Its size makes it perfect for a large family or frequent host, and its high-quality construction will stand up to years of use. Wirecutter editor Signe Brewster bought the Weber Spirit II E-310 in 2019. “I mostly use it for pizza (on a pizza stone) and brats, plus veggies in our grill basket pick. Zero complaints except for cleaning it at the end of the summer, but I’m sure that’s an issue with all grills.” Signe also reports some difficulty igniting the burners, potentially due to buildup in the tubes or ports. We wish the bars of the Spirit II E-310’s warming racks ran front to back, parallel to the main grates, like they do on our upgrade pick, the Genesis E-325s.
Since the Spirit II E-210 has only two burners, indirect cooking may present a bit of a challenge. 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.