Napoleon’s signature is its wavy grates, and they do look cool, but they’re harder to clean than straight grates. Extra burner aside, it performs the same as previous Genesis models.We grilled a grate full of burger patties on the Genesis E-325s over the three main burners—leaving the fourth searing burner turned off. The burgers came off the grill with slightly paler sear marks than the ones we cooked on the Spirit II E-310, just like with the previous Genesis models we tested.
Look for grills in the $400 to $900 range with a cast-aluminum firebox, which holds heat well and won’t rust. If you want your grill to last, don’t cheap out on a budget model. But also don’t overpay for extras you won’t use, such as a rotisserie or a side burner.
Ariane Resnick, who also updated this article, is a special diet chef, certified nutritionist, and bestselling author. She has more than 20 years experience in the food and writing spaces and believes in a joy-filled approach to health and wellness. weber genesis grill Sun, rain, snow, hail, and wind are bound to take a toll on the outer surface of your grill, so it’s important to pick a material that’s very durable. While stainless steel can discolor from high heat, it won’t rust or corrode with rain and snow.
If you do want something a bit cheaper or smaller, we’ve also tested and recommend the Q 1200. As you might know, starting a charcoal grill usually begins with simply getting the coals warmed up in a chimney starter. It comes with an auto-start gas ignition that consistently lit the coals for us. You can place the lid in different positions for the best top damper placement, with the bottom damper easy to adjust when your flame gets too hot. During our smoking test, we were able to keep the grill within a range of 10 degrees for several hours, making this a great option for cooking with indirect heat. The Sear Zone on the Genesis E-325s has an extra burner between the middle and right-side burners, which puts out the same 13,000 Btu as the others do.
Our reader survey revealed high satisfaction with Weber grills’ performance and reliability. Of the 1,000-plus Wirecutter readers we surveyed, over 60% said they owned Weber grills. And of those Weber grill owners, 69% reported that they were extremely satisfied, and another weber traveler 29% reported that they were moderately satisfied. At the 2017 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Expo, we interviewed senior product managers from almost every major grill maker in attendance. And in 2022 we surveyed over a thousand Wirecutter readers about their grill use.