The Complete Buying Guide to Weber Grills: Every Model Explained

To keep our results as fair as possible, all the chickens are as close as possible to 5.5 pounds. To test the grill with a midrange cook time and medium heat settings, we grill a whole chicken. We preheat the grill on high for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium and turn off burners to create an indirect heat environment.

Maybe an electric grill isn't exactly what you're looking for, but since Weber is behind the Pulse, it's a worthwhile grill to consider. The Pulse reaches up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, with the ability to control it through an app. The grill features a dual grilling zone, which can hold up to 12 burgers. Like the charcoal version of the Summit, the gas model is as feature-rich as it gets. It carries everything from the Genesis and adds burners, BTUs and some very handy automatic lights on the hood for nighttime grilling.

Plus, assembling this portable gas grill took us less than 10 minutes, a welcome change to the 2-hour assembly time of most full-size gas grills. The Smokey Joe’s 147 square inches of cooking space is about average for a portable charcoal grill. While the cooking surface is compact, there’s enough room to handle a half-dozen burgers or a couple of steaks.

Char-Broil's three-burner stainless steel model comes in at almost half the price of the Weber model above. At $550, you'll get a liquid propane and natural gas grill that can handle most cooking challenges with ease. In 1979, Weber introduced a one-letter alphabetic code representing the model year weber charcoal grill of Weber charcoal grills. The code was stamped into the lid damper of each charcoal kettle; for the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, the code was stamped into the lid damper and all three charcoal bowl dampers. The porcelain coating prevents food from sticking, so the grates don’t need seasoning.

If you're willing to spend a little more for extra features than the Weber Genesis EPX-335 is what you seek. Newly redesigned for 2022, this propane grill offers a large 787 square inches of cooking space. It also boasts three main burners rated at 39,000 BTU, a 13,000 BTU sear burner and a 12,000 BTU side burner. Starting with the 1994 model year, Weber switched to a two-letter alphabetic code representing the model year of Weber charcoal grills, using the word “AUTHORIZED” as the key. As with the previous code scheme, this two-letter code was stamped into the lid damper of each charcoal kettle. For the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, the code was stamped into the lid damper and all three charcoal bowl dampers.

Most of Weber’s gas grills are compatible with iGrill 3 app-connected technology, which consists of a small Bluetooth unit on the front of the grill. The unit connects up to four compatible meat thermometers, sold separately, to a smart device, allowing the chef to monitor meat temperatures remotely. Once you've picked out the best gas grill for you, don't forget accessories. You'll want to look at grill covers and pick up grilling tools like a grill brush, a thermometer to check for food-safe temperatures and liners for the drip tray. What we noticed most in testing this grill is how quickly it got up to temperature compared with other models.