Spirit E-310 + GrillGrates = Good Choice?


 
B

BrockSamson

New member
Do you guys think a Weber Spirit E-310 and a set of GrillGrates would be a good setup?

I'm used to a big 4 burner Ducane 4400 but I will leave that at my parents house and will need to get something else for my condo. I mostly just need a small but good all-around basic grill. I don't need anything fancy like a side burner or rotisserie. The Ducane has both and I never used either of them. I have a good sized 12x7 balcony so I can fit almost anything but I will normally only cook for 1-4 people so I was thinking that a smaller grill makes more sense. I must also admit that I have some bad grilling habits. I cook steaks Brazilian style with lots of coarse salt that falls through the grates, burgers with too much cheese that drips through the grates, and chicken where I pour marinade from the bottle during cooking and, you guessed it, a lot of it goes through the grates. Despite this our Ducane has held up wonderfully and has only required basic cleaning (600f+ then wire brush before cooking) and replacement of the flavorizer bars.

It seems like the 3 burner Spirit E-310 and 4x 17-3/8 Grill Grates (I think this is the right quantity and size?) as replacement grates would work well for me but I'm not 100% certain. A Spirit E-210 is probably big enough for my daily needs and I like the folding side tables but I'm worried that 2 bars and a lower BTU might not be enough heat or control. A Genesis is of course higher quality but it's also bigger and more expensive and I'm not sure if it's really worth it for me. Does it get noticeably hotter and more consistent then than a Spirit or does a sear station really make a difference? Are there any other brands or models that I should consider? I know Weber has a good reputation and I'm literally just around the corner from their building but I'm also not opposed to alternatives if they make more sense.

What do you guys think?
 
people will disagree with me, but I've never been able to get a spirit hot enough to do steaks properly (I like a good sear). particularly thinner steaks. maybe you need to heat it up for a very long time, but the btu's just don't seem enough. never had that problem with a genesis though.
 
Might want to check with the condo association and make sure you can use a gasser. You may find yourself surprised to you can only use electric. If you can use a gasser maybe check a Q3XX series. Great product, perfect size for your needs and skip wasting money on grates. That Q3XX will do everything you want very well (except maybe a rotisserie).
 
Matt, That's my biggest concern with a Spirit E-310 and especially the smaller E-210. The Ducane is 48,000 BTU and that's a pretty big difference! I don't really want the extra size or cost of the Genesis but it is higher quality with higher BTU and maybe that sear burner really is worth it in the end? At the same time if I use just 2 burners on the Ducane I still get good results, it just takes longer.

LMichaels, I did check with the HOA but it's a good reminder to everyone so thanks for that. In my case propane and surprisingly even charcoal is permitted. Fire pits and natural gas are not. I'm going to miss that fire pit :( Anyways, I actually really like the Q series, I believe my friend has one (or something that looks very similar) and it works well, but I always come back to the fact that with the stand it's nearly the same footprint as the Spirit anyways. Are there other factors I should be looking at with the Q?
 
BrockSamson said:
Matt, That's my biggest concern with a Spirit E-310 and especially the smaller E-210. The Ducane is 48,000 BTU and that's a pretty big difference! I don't really want the extra size or cost of the Genesis but it is higher quality with higher BTU and maybe that sear burner really is worth it in the end? At the same time if I use just 2 burners on the Ducane I still get good results, it just takes longer.

LMichaels, I did check with the HOA but it's a good reminder to everyone so thanks for that. In my case propane and surprisingly even charcoal is permitted. Fire pits and natural gas are not. I'm going to miss that fire pit :( Anyways, I actually really like the Q series, I believe my friend has one (or something that looks very similar) and it works well, but I always come back to the fact that with the stand it's nearly the same footprint as the Spirit anyways. Are there other factors I should be looking at with the Q?
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webers last a lot longer than cheaper grills so that should be a factor. if you can use charcoal perhaps buy a cheaper/smaller propane grill for normal days and just get a weber smokey joe for times you need higher heat. I've can sear steaks beautifully on my smokey joe when I go camping and such. my parents have a grill with a sear station and I do like it, but if you get enough btu's you really don't need it and it does take up space on the grill which is the major downside since I find I rarely use it.
 
My personal opinion is spirit < q3200 < genesis.

Before buying a spirit I would hunt down a good condition genesis silver/gold and do this:

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?573...000-3000-and-other-important-refurb-questions

I only have the baby q100 (single circle burner), but can imagine that the q3200 'circle burner with a burner in the middle' would prove challenging when roasting veggies and searing steaks at the same time. There are some tricks with trivets and roasting pans but that's not as easy as a fully separate indirect side for cooking.

Craigslist has excellent quality genesis' pretty often. I would either cough up the money for a new one (go with porcelain hood rather than SS to save some $) or find a mint used genesis before going with a new spirit.

Cook quality aside, my personal opinion is that the spirit is built to a lower standard than what I expect from weber.
 
I just noticed you're allowed charcoal.... I would go with a Q for quick cooks and veggies, even a single burner q2000 would be sufficient, and a 22.5" performer for weekends and when you have guests.
 
I've had a propane Spirit E-310 for a couple months. At first I had issues with searing due to not letting it warm up enough, Weber states 10 minutes is enough. I found an extra few minutes warming up solved the problem. It will reach 575 on the hood after 12-15 minutes depending on the ambient temp, and will properly sear a steak.
 
Something else I thought of, the Q grate/burner design doesn't cater well to messy cooking. Since there are no flavorizer bars a lot of the drippings get directly on the burners. If you're pouring marinades and cheese through the grates of the Q you'll probably need to clean the burner holes a bit more often.
 
Thanks for the replies so far, it's really helping me. I think because of my messy cooking that Jacob is right and that the Q won't be a good fit for me. It did give me an idea though. If I got the Spirit and it just wasn't working out then I may be able to swap it for the Ducane. Even if it wasn't strong enough for my steaks it should still be great for the burgers, chicken, and veggies that my parents would cook. The Ducane is a little bigger than I prefer but it's still smaller than a Genesis and I know it would work great, not to mention saving a lot of money. I just need to measure it and check about the GrillGrate sizes to see if it would still be worthwhile.
 
Also, these older style genesis silver/golds have an entire tray for the bottom that slides right out. Not just the drip pan but the entire bottom part of the grill under the burners. It makes messy clean up extremely simple.. Anytime I cook fish I slide it out, scrape out chunks, and rinse it off.
 
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