Some average-size grills have up to four burners with corresponding controls large grills often have six. Additional burner controls generally allow the cook more flexibility. Size category for the grill, based on CR’s measurement of the main cooking grid area. Portable grills are grouped together regardless of cooking area, though typically these are small grills. Factors include grate material, wheels or casters for moving the grill, and useful features such as electronic ignitor.
But unlike the Spirit II E-310, the Genesis sits on a closed cart (equipped with double doors) that glides on four casters for easier mobility. If you’re looking for a big grill that has a larger cooking area and more fire power, consider the Weber Genesis E-325s. 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 (like those on the Spirit grills and previous generations of the Genesis), the grates on the Genesis E-325s are made from thick, stainless steel 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.
But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us. The easy-to-read fuel gauge located next to the gas tank lets you see how much fuel is left in the tank. The Spirit II grills have the same GS4 system and 10 year warranty of the more expensive Weber Genesis grills. It only takes two minutes to watch and gives you a close up look at all of the features. I find it much easier to roll the Spirit II grills around, especially over a surface like a back deck where there are lots of uneven surfaces from the spaces between boards. The original Spirit grills are mounted on four small caster wheels, two of which are locking.
One of the most distinct differences between the Spirit and Spirit II is in its cart design. While the Spirit comes in a cabinet design, the Spirit II is of an open-cart style. For many, aesthetics char broil performance is as important an element as functionality in a grill. An aesthetically pleasing grill comes with an elegant design, manages space well, and blends in well with its surroundings.
But we are saying that if you do, the warranty and customer service are absolutely worth the small premium you pay for Weber grills over cheaper brands. 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. That way, you could easily char broil performance slide a spatula under stuff that’s warming. As it is, the warming-rack bars run edge to edge, and you have to awkwardly jimmy a spatula in there sideways. The gas tank mounts externally (see the top photo in this section), instead of in a cabinet underneath the grill, as is typical (such as on the previous-generation Spirit).
Look for grills in the $400 to $900 range with a cast-aluminum firebox (which holds heat well and won’t rust). If you want your grill to last, don’t cheap out on a budget model. But also don’t overpay for extras you won’t use, such as a rotisserie or a side burner. Hands-on time, reviews, and availability concerns led us to dismiss grills from lesser-known brands like Huntington, along with well-known names like Cuisinart and KitchenAid. And the Cuisinart and KitchenAid grills appear to be afterthoughts next to their respective brands’ main areas of expertise, with materials and design to match. The Spirit E-310 comes in smart, easy-to-control, features the iconic GS4 grilling system and integrates well with technology.
Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive. Register your grill and gain quick and easy access to manuals, replacement parts and warranty. Easily fold down the left side table of the grill whenever you want to save space and need extra room to work with. Just click the button and flip the table down – making it ideal for smaller balconies. I hope you found this review helpful on your grill buying journey! If you are still interested in the Spirit grills after reading this then there is another model that you owe it to yourself to look at, the Weber Spirit SP 335.