Once the last burger in the basket reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit, the batch is finished. A good burger in this test is one that has both a nice outside char and a slightly pink center. Grilled chicken should have a crispy skin and meat that is cooked through fully but not dry. We perform this test in three rounds, giving us a solid average cooking time for each grill. Whole chickens are cooked on indirect, medium heat until both breasts reach 165 degrees F. That’s an aesthetically pleasing compromise, but reaching through the side bars and around the panel to open and close the tank was frustratingly difficult.
We checked each grill’s ability to maintain a uniform, gentle cook by grilling a cut-up whole chicken over medium heat. This two-burner grill is great for grilling novices or for folks with limited space. However, it lacks some of the versatility—and heat output—of our other picks. weber bbq The Ducane Products Company began as the Ducane Brothers Metal Fabricating in 1946. It moved three years later to Little Ferry, New Jersey and manufactured warm air furnaces. This article was updated by Camryn Rabideau, a freelance writer and product tester for The Spruce Eats.
Both times we tested it, we found the grill was really easy to use, as it’s easy to light, has immaculate temperature regulation, and practically operates itself. It was the fastest pellet grill to reach 500 degrees, achieving it in under 10 minutes. It was also one of the better pellet grills weber charcoal grill when it came to searing steaks. This iconic brand’s grills are well-made, sturdy, easy to use, and come with a generous warranty. We tested popular models of pellet, gas, charcoal, and electric grills at our Lab where we thoroughly analyzed every feature and each grill’s overall performance.
The smart features may be helpful for some people, but we didn’t find them worth the price increase. The gas tank mounts externally (see the top photo in this section) instead of in a cabinet underneath the grill, so replacing the tank is easier here than on other models. A sturdy shelf under the grill and a side table, which folds down for storage, give you some outdoor “counter space” while you’re cooking. To some extent, all grills run cooler toward the front of the grate, but in our tests the Spirit II E-310 offered the most consistent heating across the entire grate surface. After 10 minutes, the burgers at the rear, the hottest part of the grill, were medium-well, and those at the front were medium-rare to medium. (If your diners have various preferences, this difference might even come in handy.) In contrast, lesser grills produced nearly raw burgers in the front and well-done patties in the back.
The total count on three-burner grills tends to vary between 30,000 Btu and 40,000 Btu. Our research, however, convinced us that whether those British thermal units are applied efficiently, steadily, and evenly across the grates weber charcoal grill is just as important, if not more so. They’re compact, yet they remain big enough to accommodate a complete family dinner (say, chicken breasts, corn on the cob, and another vegetable) or burgers and brats for a party.
For that reason, Weber offers generous warranties; years for the cookbox on almost all their full-sized models. Other grill parts, like the knobs, grates, and burner tubes have slightly shorter warranties, ranging from three to 10 years. Charcoal grills are much cheaper, however, and they can burn hotter than gas grills, creating a better sear. But charcoal takes time to light, and you have to be comfortable with moving around coals and fiddling with vents to control the grill’s heat. It offers the same quality as our top pick, but it’s more compact. The E-210 has a cast-aluminum firebox, an enameled steel lid and open cart, and two side tables.