What is the spirit of gas grilling? From a person who is into barbecue, my friend Kevin of Wilson Bay BBQ says that “Grilling is what we call hot and fast cooking — hot dogs and hamburgers, tri-tips and steaks. It’s the crowd pleasers that bring people together in the backyard”. While Kevin masters in the low and slow BBQ– I've also enjoyed hanging out around a gas grill with him. Some sausages, beer, maybe a vegetable with some quality steak, it’s all in the spirit of grilling.
This is a review of the Weber Spirit — an entry-level gas grill that Weber launched in the early '90s. Through the 20+ years of the Spirit’s heritage, Weber has gone through multiple iterations of two- and three-burner options with open- and closed-cart designs. Currently, in the lineup of Weber models, the Spirit is available as the E-210, E-310, S-315, E-330 and SX-315. To decode these Spirit model numbers:
- “E” stands for enamel
- “S” stands for stainless
- “SX” is a stainless smart grill that is quite flashy
- The first number following the dash denotes the number of burners
- The rest of the numbers stand for the cart design and other features hidden within the mystic runes of the Weber grill manuals.
Three years ago I picked up a Spirit after seeing America’s Test Kitchens endorsement of the E-310. Praised for its performance and quality materials, I didn’t ask many questions before I bought the cheapest version– the Spirit E-210. Sure my experience with the grill has been great, but I’ve made a few observations over the years of use that may help you decide if the Spirit is the best gas grill for you.
And most importantly, if you're on the fence about propane in the first place, I want to argue why a small grill is better.
Weber Spirit: What We Think
If you're looking for a good gas grill, the Weber Spirit isn’t the cheapest among a larger lineup of entry-level offerings. However, when you stack the Spirit next to cheaper competitors, Weber wins out on quality build materials where it counts. The Spirit touts a hefty enameled cast-aluminum grill box, a double-walled steel hood with an enameled shell, thick cast-iron grill grates and a single air vent at the rear. Disregard BTUs and aesthetics for a second; the design specifications of the Spirit are all compounding forces that make it an outstanding platform for expertly grilling a wide range of foods.
The downsides to the Spirit are entirely aesthetic — because of the enameled hood and stainless steel side shelves, it will show grime quickly and needs a cover to keep it clean. Additionally, the open cart design of some Spirit models won’t hide your propane tank and accessories away from the elements. I however don’t mind the aesthetics because the Spirit has been an excellent grill for trying out new recipes, and over the years I’ve developed a feel for the grill that makes cooking on it like second nature to me.
The small size isn’t limiting
Insert your short king joke here, but even my two-burner model has 360 square inches of cooking space. (Plus some additional area in the warming rack, but who uses that?) In real-world measurements, that’s enough for 12 burgers at once ... or a few pounds of steak on one side, a cast-iron skillet full of potatoes on the other and some zucchini in between. If you're routinely cooking for 2 – 4 and only occasionally cooking for 12, I can confirm that even the smallest Spirit will get the job done.
It has great heat retention
While I’m not testing R-values here, a few details in the design of the Spirit make it excellent at retaining heat output by the 26,500 BTU burners:
- Hefty enameled cast-aluminum grill box, measured 6mm thick
- Thick cast-iron grill grates, measured 10mm thick
- Double-walled steel hood with an enameled shell
- A single air vent at the rear, measured around 11mm at the widest (it’s a scooped shape)
Not to char the name of other grills here, but manufacturers using thin stamped aluminum or steel just won’t maintain a perfect oven-like environment. Have you ever eaten some burnt grilled potatoes that were also somehow underdone at a dinner party? Well, that's a result of a grill that is compensating for poor heat retention with high BTU burners.
It’s kinda capable of low and slow
Even with my two-burner version of the Weber Spirit, it is possible to “smoke” ribs using the Basics with Babish gas grill technique. With one indirect burner turned all the way down low and a fleet of wood chip-filled tin foil pouches, the Spirit can maintain a 250°F smokey environment for 6 hours. Sure, ribs smoked on a propane grill won’t impress a backyard pitmaster, but they're still so delicious.
The open cart design is easy to move around
With the multiple versions of the Spirit, there is a very crucial style choice to be made: Do you want a grill with an open or closed cart? My version, the E-210, is an open cart design with one set of large 7.5 inch wheels.
The alternate option — the Weber Spirit E-215 — has a closed cart to hide away the propane tank. The closed cart looks a little cleaner but has 4 plastic caster wheels. If you have an uneven deck or plan on moving the grill through rocky environments, the two-wheeled design is far superior to any plastic casters. Caster wheels are easy to roll on level surfaces, but in my experience, the wiggle of the caster wheels leads to the wobble of the grill grates.
While easy to clean, you might need a cover
Over my three years of owning the Spirit, it's sat on a covered patio. I hate grill covers and don’t use one, which means it takes the spirit about a week to look completely filthy. While the matte black Char-Broil classic wears grime-like armor, the Spirit’s enamel and stainless steel makeup means it shows every smudge.
On the plus side, the grill box, flavorizer bars and grates (all the important components) are super easy to keep clean. Sure, I’m still working through the different grill cleaning methods, like cleaning without a grill brush as opposed to deep cleaning with a brush. I treat the grill grates just like I treat my cast iron: by keeping a good season of polymerized fats. And with the grill box, it’s easy to scrape any char goop down into the handy dandy Weber drip tray holder at the base.
Expect modest searing temps
When it comes to searing, the Spirit II tops out just shy of 600°F at full blast. This is based on a laser thermometer measurement taken at the grill grate, which will heat up to the 450°F to 500°F that Weber recommends to sear steak when given time to pre-heat.
While this small grill churns out more than enough heat for some tasty grill lines, if you want to get a seared crust on a thick tomahawk and still eat it rare, the smallest Spirit might not cut it. My friend who has a fully kitted out Genesis III with a sear station told me that it rips up such a mean char that he never turns it on high — but that's what a 39,000 BTU-per-hour input will get you.
The cast-iron grill grates are great
As previously mentioned, the grates on the Spirit are cast iron that measures to around 10mm thick. Not previously mentioned is that the grates are reversible. One side is flat and wide — which is great for transferring heat to a sheet pan or skillet — the other side is pointed and perfect for creating sear lines on a steak. Seriously, after using cast-iron grates there is no going back to clunky, thin stainless racks.
The Weber Spirit is a master of modesty
The Spirit isn't a massive and flashy centerpiece for your deck ... and that's why I love it.
A gas grill is for throwing some tasty meals together quickly and cooking with a temperature-controlled consistency you can trust. It’s there when you need it — especially if you have a backup propane tank at all times.
My Spirit II has been an outstanding starter grill, and thanks to the small size, it's not getting replaced should I embark on a quest to capture more BBQ flavor with a charcoal grill or perfectly smoke meats with a pellet smoker.
