How To Determine The Age Of Weber Grills & Smokers

We tested popular models of pellet, gas, charcoal, and electric grills at our Lab where we thoroughly analyzed every feature and each grill's overall performance. The grills were rated on various attributes including heat control and retention, size, features, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value. We also sent popular Weber grills to our expert grillers and home product testers, who tested each out for weeks to determine which grills are truly the best.

Co-founder Matt Van Horn is the president of June while the company's other co-founder, Nikhil Bhogal, is the senior vice president, technology and connected devices of Weber. Van Horn continued to focus on the June Oven while Bhogal works with Weber R&D programs and new products. Our R&D department develops high-quality, fairly priced grilling equipment. You should avoid this if you’re using it, because water entering the cook box will make the fire go out. Weber grills are weatherproof, meaning they can be left out on your patio year-round when not turned on.

Weber’s dedicated Spirit II cover costs about $80, and a well-regarded generic cover costs about $30 (both at the time of writing). If you’re buying a grill, your first decision is which type of fuel works best. When we first started working on this guide, back in 2017, we spoke with more than a dozen experts before opening the valve on a single propane tank. Sign up to receive new product news, exclusive offers, grilling tips & recipes, and more from Weber and its affiliates / subsidiaries! That greatly depends on your overall budget and how many people you are planning to feed during your next cookout.

Consider getting an inexpensive infrared thermometer to gauge the temperature of the cooking grates. Of the many brands of grills on the market, Weber is one of the best thanks to its reputation for making reliable and durable high-performance weber charcoal grill gas and charcoal grills. While buying a Weber grill is a smart choice, there are many different models to choose from, ranging from Weber’s classic charcoal kettle grill to its high-performance gas grills and newer smokers.

And just like the Genesis models, both Spirit models have the same bones—burners, side tables, and overall dimensions. The Spirit Smart Grill connects to Wi-Fi, and it lets you monitor the meat probe through the app. But unlike the Genesis Smart Grill, the Spirit Smart Grill doesn’t monitor the fuel level. A grill that is both durable and easy to repair weber charcoal grill creates much less waste than a cheapo grill that ends up in the garbage. We chose grills with fireboxes made of cast aluminum because the firebox is a major part of the grill, it’s difficult to replace, and aluminum is resistant to rust and corrosion. Cheaper grills have thin enameled steel fireboxes that are prone to damage and holes from rust.

Since this code scheme was also used for gas grills as early as 2005, it’s likely this code scheme was also used that far back for charcoal grills, too. But the earliest known example I’ve seen is this weber charcoal grill special edition 18.5? Jim Beam kettle with date code BL from 2012. If you’re looking for a well-built gas grill to sizzle your steaks, the Weber Spirit II E-310 is our top pick for a gas grill.