The Weber Spirit II E-210 barbecue fits perfectly into the definition of a small-sized compact grill perfectly suited to use on small balconies. Another change you can find is that there’s only one foldable shelf (the one on the left). There are no longer 2 foldable side tables as on the previous model. This is a downside for customers who lack storage space. On the other hand, the gas bottle will now be visible on the side of the barbecue while it was hidden inside the cart on the previous one.
Use the side tables to keep platters, seasonings, and tools within arm’s reach while the food is cooking. Hang your essential grilling tools on the hooks for easy access and organization of your backyard workspace. The build quality on the Spirit is the same high quality as you’d expect from Weber. The open cart design allows for extra storage, especially if you choose the natural gas option, and the cast-iron grates work well in extending the life of the machine.
It took my colleague, Molly Price, and I just over an hour to finish building the Spirit II. The Spirit II is similar to the $850 Weber Genesis II E-310. It also doesn’t have a spot to hide the propane tank like the Spirit II’s competitors. That isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but it looks less streamlined since you can easily see the tank versus hiding it behind a couple of doors. At least in the case of the Spirit II, it’s for a good cause. Mount the propane tank to the scale and little indicators on the side tell you how full it is.
To keep your grill in tip-top shape—quite possibly for years after its decade-long warranty expires—be sure to clean it regularly and thoroughly. And in our indirect-cooking test, the Spirit II E-310 turned out a pair of flawless roasted birds char broil performance that were deeply browned with skin so crisp, it puffed up like a balloon. We had no issues with the meat sticking to the flat, porcelain-coated iron grates or problems with flare-ups, grease fires that produce charring and acrid smoke.
Grill, bake, and even stir-fry on the newly designed… Weber claims their new Infinity Ignition is significantly enhanced, more robust and consistent. They back up the claim by increasing the warranty on the ignition from two to ten years. You fire Spirit II up by turning the left control knob to HIGH then pressing the ignition button. A crossover flame runs from left to right to ignite the middle and right burners. Throughout our limited time testing Spirit II, we were impressed by the flawless ignition performance.