Best features of the NEW Weber Spirit II gas BBQs

Make the most of your gas BBQ with these hints and tips

This new Weber Spirit II is a great mid-range gas BBQ easily capable of cooking for an average size family or a medium sized party. The burners are smaller than the Genesis but the grill is quicker to heat up and easily maintains temperature, just remember the old saying ‘if you’re lookin’ you ‘aint cookin’, so remember to keep the lid closed.

 This new BBQ also features the G4S high performance grilling system which gives you absolute confidence in the quality of the ignition system, burners, Flavorizor bars and the grease management system. The electronic ignition is guaranteed to fire every time, just make sure you check the batteries periodically. It also comes with the Gourmet Barbecue System (GBS) as standard which allows you to insert various accessories into a removable circle in the centre of the grate. This enables you to extend your repertoire to stir fries, stews and also to put those lovely caramelised sear marks on your steaks.

The cast iron cooking grates are the best quality you would expect from Weber and guaranteed to last for years. There is also an elevated cooking rack at the back of the grill which acts as an area of indirect cooking enabling you to do a quick cook on the main grate and a slow cook on the top. Contrary to most people’s belief it is not a warming rack, with the lid down the heat circulates so your grill is just like your kitchen oven.

King Prawn Pad Thai

The cart has a handy lower storage shelf, two stainless steel side shelves with tool hooks and a stand with a strap to keep the gas bottle secure. It’s easy to move the BBQ as you move the whole lot together and don’t have to detach the gas bottle as you have to with earlier gas barbecues. As with most of the Weber BBQs there is a thermometer in the lid which records the temperature from just underneath the lid, so anything placed on the warming (elevated cooking) rack will be cooking at the temperature shown on the dial. With these new Spirits there is provision to place an iGrill3, which are absolutely invaluable if you are cooking chicken, no more risking salmonella. The iGrill pairs to your smartphone via the Weber app and will send you an alert when your food has reached the required temperature. The iGrills have provision for 4 probes so can easily cope with multiple cooks.

The only downside with this grill is the lack of side burners, but all things considering it is well worth the money if you are just a novice griller or don’t mind doing bits in the kitchen then this is the BBQ for you. Check out our videos on our Youtube channel featuring this new BBQ and the dishes which have been cooked on it: pad thai cooked in a wok, Thai style chicken or chicken escallope. We have also cooked a couple of dishes on this BBQ, the electric Pulse 2000 and the charcoal MasterTouch to compare the results, so check out the porterhouse burgers and the Oriental sticky chicken wings recipes.