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One of the best-known names in outdoor cooking appliances, Weber is well regarded for its lineup of charcoal, gas, and portable grills, which are renowned for their top-notch performance and durability. I had the opportunity to put Weber’s formidable reputation to the test by running one of its most popular gas grills, the Spirit II E-310, through its paces on my back patio.
I used my experience researching dozens of grills, testing 33 of them and conducting more than 100 hours of hands-on testing to review the Weber Spirit II E-310. My rigorous testing began with unboxing and assembling the grill, then continued with 3 days of grilling chicken breasts, shish kebabs, steaks, and burgers. It concluded with a routine cleaning of the cook box. Once the smoke cleared, I found that, aside from a few missteps regarding aesthetics and an omitted feature or two, the model lives up to its namesake.
Weber Spirit II E-310 Gas Grill: At a Glance
Rating: 9/10
PROS
- Powerful 10,000-BTU burners produce plenty of heat for the cooking surface
- Durable Weber construction with heavy-gauge sheet metal, cast-iron grates, and stainless steel burners
- Features flavorizer bars, Infinity ignition, and an improved grease management system
CONS
- Open cabinet design makes ugly propane tank and storage area fully visible
- Lacks some features found on cheaper grills, including a side burner
Get the Weber Spirit II E-310 grill at:
What is the Weber Spirit II E-310 grill?
The Spirit II E-310 is part of Weber’s line of entry-level Spirit gas grills, which sits below the brand’s mid-tier Genesis line and high-end Summit line. Spirit grills come in two-burner and three-burner options in either propane or natural gas, and finish options include stainless steel or the classic Weber black enamel paint.
It has 529 square inches of cooking surface (424 square inches on the main cooking surface and 105 inches on the cooling rack) supported by three 10,000 BTU burners. Two side shelves are included for food prep, both of which can be folded down when the grill isn’t in use.
The E-310 is also compatible with the Weber iGrill 3 thermometer system (sold separately), which allows you to monitor food temps via your smartphone. Like many of Weber’s newer grills, the Spirit II E-310 features its GS4 system, which includes a reliable Infinity electronic ignition for starting the grill, flavorizer bars that are designed to instill more smoky flavor into food, stainless steel burners, and an improved grease management system.
How easy is it to assemble the Weber Spirit II E-310?
Unless you buy a preassembled gas grill off the showroom floor, you’re going to have to assemble it yourself, a process that can be tedious and often frustrating. Luckily, Weber makes putting the Spirit II E-310 together an easier process by putting its assembly instructions on the Bilt app. By downloading the app and scanning a QR code on the Weber manual, I gained access to step-by-step 3D instructions with animations, which I found to be much easier to follow than a standard paper manual (though Weber also includes one if you prefer to go old school with the assembly). With the help of Bilt, it took me a little over an hour to assemble, which is fast for any full-size gas grill.
Cooking Performance
One of the things I like best about Weber grills is their ability to reach high temperatures and cook evenly. I expected the Spirit II E-310 to follow suit, and I wasn’t disappointed. With its three 10,000 BTU burners, the E-310’s cooking grates reached temperatures in the mid-500-degree Fahrenheit range. While that’s not as hot as the 600-plus degrees I’ve recorded on some Weber Genesis grills, it was certainly hot enough to achieve nice grill marks on my burger and steak test subjects. Just as importantly, the three burners create an evenly heated cooking surface, which is crucial when grilling kebabs and other items that take up more real estate on the cooking surface.
Weber really touts the GS4 cooking system in its gas grills. And while I initially perceived GS4 as a marketing gimmick, it’s really not. The Infinity ignition lights up all three burners instantly, eliminating the need to push the ignition repeatedly to get the burners lit (an issue with ignitions found on other gas grills). The stainless steel burners produce ample heat and look like they’ll hold up longer than standard burners. I was also skeptical about those flavorizer bars, but they really do add smoky flavor to the meat by vaporizing meat juices as they drip onto them. This worked particularly well with fattier meats, such as burgers and steaks.
The mark of a good grill is its ability to produce tasty food. In that sense, the Spirit II E-310 delivers. Thanks to those flavorizer bars and the grill’s ability to produce high max temperatures for searing, my burgers and steaks came out juicy with a nice outer crust and beautiful grill marks. It also excelled with more delicate foods such as chicken and veggies. Its ability to maintain even heat with the lid down resulted in tender and evenly cooked chicken kebabs, and it evenly cooked squash and zucchini.
Post-grill cleanup is also easier with the E-310 thanks to a thoughtful design feature. Older Weber models require you to remove the burners and heat deflectors to clean out the bottom of the grill. With the Spirit II E-310, however, you can slide out the entire bottom of the cook box. Cleaning the grill is certainly still a chore, but it’s not such a big one.
Design Hits and Misses
The Spirit II E-310 features a simple yet smart design. The large side shelves provide plenty of space for prepping food going on and coming off the grill. I also love the fact that the shelves fold down, giving the grill a much smaller profile when not in use.
There are a few misses with design. The original Spirit E-310 grill sat on an enclosed cabinet that held the propane tank with some room left over for storage. The Spirit II E-310 grills have an open undercarriage, which means the ugly propane tank and anything you’re storing on the shelf is fully visible, which is a big negative for anyone who cares about the aesthetics of their outdoor living space. Weber still sells the old cabinet version, the Spirit E-310, but you’ll pay about $50 more, and it isn’t compatible with the iGrill cooking system.
I do like the large pair of wheels on one side of Spirit II E-310, which make it easier to roll the grill from place to place; the original Spirit grills are equipped with small casters. However, you need to use one of the side shelves to lift and roll the grill, which is awkward. As with previous versions of the E-310, this one also lacks a side burner, a feature that’s more common on cheaper gas grills. While I rarely find myself using side burners, their omission could be a deal breaker for anyone who relies on them for cooking sauces and side dishes.
Durability
Weber gas grills come with a higher price tag than other gas grills but for good reason. The Spirit II E-310 uses higher-quality materials and has a sturdier build than other grills. More affordable grills I’ve tested use flimsier sheet metal, thinner-gauge cooking grates that wear out more quickly, and lower-quality paint coatings that chip or peel after a few months of use, causing the steel beneath to rust.
Weber’s Spirit II grills have heavier-gauge sheet metal, stainless steel burners and heat deflectors, and heavy-gauge cast-iron grates. And, of course, they also feature Weber’s signature porcelain-coated enamel finish that makes the hood virtually impermeable to rust. While some may complain that this grill has too much plastic in its construction, Weber strategically uses it to make its grills much less susceptible to corrosion. All of this adds up to a grill that will last significantly longer than most other gas grills.
During assembly, I also noticed how nicely all the pieces fit together and the plentiful number of bolts and screws holding everything tightly in place. As a result, the Spirit II E-310, like other Weber grills, feels rock solid. There’s no swaying when you’re moving it or grilling with it, and the hood lines up nicely with the base.
Is the Spirit II E-310 worth the money?
As three-burner gas grills go, the Weber is on the pricier side at about $570. You can find grills similarly equipped for around $400 and some for as little as $200. Some of these lower-priced grills also have features the Spirit II E-310 doesn’t have, such as side burners, cabinet storage, and a stainless steel hood.
Yes, there may be other grills with more bells and whistles that cost less, but the Spirit II E-310 beats those other grills where it counts—performance and build quality. It gets hotter, cooks more evenly, and has higher-quality parts and a sturdier construction design than most other grills in its class, making it worth its steeper price tag.
Should you buy the Weber Spirit II E-310?
How serious you are about grilling, the number of people you’re feeding, and your budget dictate whether the Spirit II E-310 is right for you. While the Spirit II E-310 is an excellent gas grill for the money, if you have a large family or host a lot of guests at your backyard soirees, then this model’s modest 424 square inches of main cooking surface may not be large enough to handle your cooking needs. If that’s the case, consider Weber’s Genesis E-325S, which has a much larger cooking surface. Or if you prefer covered storage or additional burners, the previous E-310 or the E-330 may be better options.
That said, if you use your grill regularly to cook for a family of four or to handle the cooking duties for small backyard barbecues, the latest version of the E-310 is well suited to meet your needs.
Though the Weber Spirit II E-310 may appear to be an entry-level grill on the surface, it does give you the ability to up your grilling game if you choose through its compatibility with Weber’s iGrill cooking system. Plus, since the shelves fold down, it won’t hog your deck or patio if you happen to have a smaller outdoor living space. It performs well, is easy to light, and heats its cooking surface evenly. And thanks to the grill’s durable construction, you can expect to get a lot of life out of it—even if you occasionally forget to cover it or put off cleaning it.
In head-to-head testing with nine other grills, the Weber Spirit II E-310 earned the top spot on the list. All in all, its well-rounded features and consistently great cooking performance make this grill a great buy.
Where to Buy the Weber Spirit II E-310 Gas Grill
Get the Weber Spirit II E-310 grill at:
Meet the Tester
Tony Carrick is a freelance writer specializing in home improvement, landscaping, technology, home security, and design. His articles have been featured on such sites as Popular Mechanics, Futurism, Field & Stream, 360 Reviews by U.S. News & World Report, Domino, and more. Carrick has conducted rigorous product testing on everything from power tools to home security systems to backyard grills. With each review, his goal is to help readers determine whether a product meets their needs and if it is or isn’t worth its price tag.