The manufacturer has changed their most famous grills series for 2019. Again.
The company has made quite a name for themselves and has become a household name over the last couple of decades. They’re most famous for inventing the kettle grill.
Before starting kettle grills, Weber was a metal works company. But, back to the present. This particular model comes in two forms. One is designed for users who have a natural gas connection, while the one uses liquid propane.
It’s important to carefully consider which one to buy as you cannot convert the natural gas model to the liquid propane model and vice-versa. Natural gas is more cost-efficient in the long run, but it limits your option as your connection determines where you’ll be able to place the grill.
Info
A gas grill that comes in two versions – one that uses liquid propane, the other that uses natural gas.
Features:
- iGrill 3 Compatible
- 513 sq. in. Main
- 3 Powerful Burners
- GS4 Grilling System
- 10-Year Warranty
- Infinity Ignition
- 7mm Stainless Steel Grates
Why Get It?
Shelling out a couple of hundreds of dollars on a gas grill is not a small investment. However, the E-310 promises to give a bang for your buck. The grill features innovative technology and is comprised of top-notch elements. Its well-designed structure gives its user many great opportunities to cook delicious meat and vegetables.
Weber is known for selling some of the best gas grills money can buy, and no one should expect anything less from a company that has started a grill revolution. With Weber, you can always expect durability, reliability, and high-quality workmanship.
The Experience
There are two jobs at which every good gas grill must excel at – producing and retaining heat. If a grill is capable of producing excellent heat, but incapable of maintaining it, the cook must keep the flames burning high, and that’s no good because the surface of the food dries out that way because of cooking too long. With the Genesis II E-310’s, you won’t have such a problem – its heat consistency takes care of it.
Its lid is somewhat on the lighter side, but the evenly radiated heat makes up for that. The setup includes three primary burners made of high-grade 304 stainless steel. Combined, the burners put out 37,500 BTU of heat.
Reaching the preheat temperature of 500° takes about eight minutes. It’s true that the BTU output could be higher a bit higher, but the well-designed structure makes it the Genesis II E-310 better at retaining high temperatures while consuming significantly less fuel than most competing grills.
There are tons of other grills on the market that put out more BTU, which isn’t of much use at all since they’re terrible at spreading the heat evenly across the cooking surface. The structure and design beat the extra-high BTU any day of the week.
The large exit ports on the burners are also to be thanked for the superior performance. Not to forget the sear zone which adds extra 9000 BTU in each gap between the burners.
The cooking area measures at 513 sq. in., while the heating rack is 156 sq. in. Both the main cooking area and the rack are made of cast iron grates. It ought to be sufficient for a proper backyard party cookout.
The setup allows you too simultaneously cook hamburgers or steak over direct fire while using the indirect method to slowly cook chicken or vegetables.
Starting up the burner takes just a push of a button. Weber has branded the system “infinity ignition.” It’s powered by AA batteries and is guaranteed to ignite every time.
Grease Removal
The Weber Genesis II E-310 features an innovative grease management system. It significantly reduces the risk of flare-ups, while removing the grease at the same time. Grease that isn’t vaporized by the flavored bars ends up in a disposable drip tray – funneled away from the burners.
Flavorizer Bars
Another invention patented by the Weber company. It’s another line of defense between the burners and the grease. The bars catch the juice that smokes and sizzles, enriching the meat with that much-adored smoky flavor.
iGrill3 Compatible
Weber just keeps piling up ingenious inventions. Unfortunately, this accessory is sold, but it’s relatively inexpensive and well worth the purchase. It’s a thermometer that’s connected to the side of the grill.
A smartphone app is used to monitor the temperature. It connects to the iGrill3 thermometer via the app. The accessory works by sending alerts to your phone. The user receives an alert when the grill reaches the minimum or maximum temperature. The iGrill3 can read temperatures of four different types of food.
The app lets you know when the cooking is done. No more standing by the grill, checking the color or cutting the meat. There’s also a fuel gauge which notifies you when you need to get more propane.
Technical Aspects and Accessories
Each side features three hooks for accessories. There are also a couple of well-designed side shelves that ought to be of great use. There’s no door – the structure is open. Open grills like this one offer more room for accessories and provide easier access to the grease tray.
Pros & Cons
PROS
- Easy to Use
- Side Tables with Integrated Hooks
- Easy to Clean
- Evenly Cooked Meat, Retains Juices and Flavor
- Easy to Maneuver
- Solid Build
- iGrill 3
- Overall 78%
CONS
- Assembly Takes Time
- No Windshield
Testimonials
“My son has always criticized me for being stingy and buying inexpensive grills and not realizing that I am actually spending more money that way because I could’ve just bought a top-notch grill in the first place. I was a fool not to see that in the beginning and decided to heed his advice, so I started doing my research.
After reading reviews and asking coworkers for advice, I ended up buying this piece of art. The first reason I bought it was because of the natural gas outlet I have.
I never cared so much about the technical aspects and the science, as you can probably tell by the poor logic behind my initial purchases. The Genesis II E-310 turned that around for me.
Never were my steaks so evenly cooked before Weber and never will I visit another steak house again. The Weber Genesis comes to a cooking guide which has helped me become a better chef.”
The cooking guide is a nice touch indeed. It’s good that this grill allows one to put the backyard natural gas outlet to use, so for some, it’s definitely worth sacrificing the grill’s portability. For others, there’s always the option of getting the liquid propane version and moving it around as one pleases.
What to Watch Out For
Assembly
As with all gas grills, the assembly can be a pain in the neck. The whole things weigh almost 200 lbs. It’s a heavy duty setup and one just needs to open it to see why – thick stainless steel.
The process takes up to two hours, so it’s a bit time-consuming. The manual is pretty straightforward, but you’ll have to use some elbow grease to get it done. It’s best to employ a socket wrench as the tool included isn’t really of any use.
A Piece of Advice
Cleaning
Before you fire it up, before you fire up any grill for the first time, make sure to wipe it down with a damp cloth, inside and outside. If you can, get your hands on Weber’s grill cleaner and polish the exterior. The cleaner adds a protective coat.
The protective coat ought to make future cleaning much easier. Wash the grates, place them, along with the flavorerizer bars and the other burners, in the grill and fire it up.
“Burn off” the great at high heat for fifteen minutes. That’s another way of making future cleaning much easier.
Before each use, brush off the grates, while they are hot. That way, it takes just fifteen seconds. Brushing them when they are cold would take much longer. Use a wrung cloth dipped in soapy water to clean the exterior and a dry cloth to polish it afterward.
Grill Brush
No proper grill is complete without a grill brush. When it comes to cast iron grates like these, never use hard steel brushes. Instead, use a brush with brass bristles or stainless steel ones.
This cooking setup can last you a while, perhaps a lifetime, so make sure to replace your brush once a year, at least. As the brush wears out it starts losing its bristles, so make sure to check it regularly.
Conclusion
The Weber Genesis II E310 has all you need for a nice family cookout. It’s a worthwhile investment, undoubtedly, just like most Weber grills. The evenly spread heat and the flavorized bars are there to make sure each cookout is a big success.
Yes, the assembly process is a drag, but considering it only needs to be done once, and the fact that the setup will last you a long time, it’s well worth it. The price point might be a bit higher, but the superior performance, accessories, and fuel-saving properties make it worth every penny.
