Another great thing besides the reliable temperatures is the fact cast iron cooking grates are super quick to warm up. It’s considered a serious upgrade from your average propane gas grills, great for replacing your current grill, or for pitmasters looking to expand their grilling options. One of the stand-out features of this particular propane gas grill is its compatibility with the iGrill 3 smart technology. Hi Mk, there should not be any issues in grilling only one or two steaks at a time on the Genesis.
If you’d like, we are happy to troubleshoot with you to see whether any of the ways that you’re using the barbecue may be causing some of the issues you’re having. Our reviews and buyers guides are always either based weber genesis 2 on reviews we’ve done ourselves, or aggregated from trusted sources. Our mission is to empower you to find the product you’re looking for and get exactly the information you need to make the right buying decision.
The takeaway is that you can expect some trial and error before you find the path to delicious ribs from this Weber. For this test I started all three of the grill’s burners and left them running full blast for 10 minutes (lid closed). In the meantime, I seasoned one rack of St. Louis-style pork spareribs (3.6 pounds) with ordinary dry rub mix sourced from the local supermarket. The Genesis II relies on what Weber calls the “GS4 High Performance Grilling System,” which involves three propane burners each rated at a robust 37,500 BTU. The Char-Broil SmartChef, by comparison, has three gas burners as well, but they provide less oomph at just 25,000 BTU apiece. You do get a small side burner with Char-Broil’s SmartChef grill, a feature Weber includes on various grills across its product lines, but not on this one.
That same high setting and preheat time on the Char-Broil SmartChef Tru-Infrared yielded an internal temp of 457.4 degrees. Likewise, medium power on the Genesis, especially cooking with indirect heat, was much cooler than I expected. This resulted in unacceptably long cooking times even when all its burner knob markings were parked dead center of its dial.
With more time and family personnel available they gradually began increasing the length of their season and daily hours. That’s why I’m surprised by the unpredictable behavior the $850 Weber Genesis II E-310 demonstrated on our tests. This isn’t to say this is a bad product, it’s simply that you’ll likely need to learn its quirks before you achieve the best grilling results. In contrast, the Char-Broil SmartChef over the same time period came out much better.
That means if you’re standing in front of the grill, you’d have to open an app just to read the temperature on the thermometer directly under your nose. Apps and Bluetooth connections can be great additions to cooking hardware, but in cases like this, they also get in the way. The iGrill 2 has an easy-to-read LED on its base that displays temperature; having no readout on the iGrill 3 is straight-up dumb. The Genesis II follows Weber’s hallowed three-burner Genesis line, and there’s some nice thinking here.
Hi there, we’re sorry to hear you’re not enjoying your barbecue! We want you to get the best from your purchase, so we’ll gladly give you any hints or tips that may improve your experience. Hi Tony, we are extremely disheartened to hear that you’re not happy with your Genesis II. We absolutely want you to get the best results with our products, and we are happy to help where we can.
I bought a small wood chip box that sits nicely under the grates, load it with wood chips, and can add a nice smoky flavor to foods, such as with this spatchcock chicken. All these parts are high-end, featuring superior construction and functionality. They aren’t individually groundbreaking, but together they provide a noticeable step-up from your average gas grill, and even from lower-cost Weber barbecues. If you’ve ever lit a gas barbecue with a match, you know how great a push-button ignition system is.
Weber has put everything they have into making this a premium product. To back that up they even offer you a 10-year warranty when you purchase the Genesis II. That is quite a vote of confidence that they have shown in this product so it must be worth a try.
This grill also has a little bit more power than the E-310, but not as much space or features. Since you’re going to be dropping a few hundred dollars on this grill, it’s important to know how the customer service holds up. What makes the Weber Genesis II E-310 a superior grilling experience is its ability to be paired to a mobile app.