What are the differences between a Weber® Spirit and Genesis II?
19th Mar 2018
The Differences between a Weber Spirit and Genesis II
Although they may look similar, there are in fact many differences between the Spirit and Genesis ranges. This post will explain not only what those differences are, but what they mean for your barbecue in an attempt to make your decision between a Spirit or a Genesis that much easier, or just to satisfy your curiosity on the matter.
The difference's between the two ranges:
Size... whereas the Spirit range only reaches up to three burners, the Genesis II range comes in sizes as large as six burners. The largest spirit (the Spirit Original E-320) can serve anywhere up to seven people, the Genesis II E-610, in contrast, can easily serve over eleven people. If you are looking to cook for larger parties of people the benefits of all this extra space simply can't be overlooked.
The next big difference is the lid - the lids on the Genesis II range are porcelain-enamelled and double-walled, whereas the Spirit lids are only single-walled. This double-walled lid stores a layer of air between the two walls and helps keep the barbecue insulated. Thus, the double-walled lid leads to better temperature regulation and reduced fuel consumption.
The cooking grates on the Genesis II range and the Spirit Original...
are cast iron, cast iron can reach temperatures up to 60% hotter than other metals and retains the heat well. The Spirit Classic E0210, however, usually comes with porcelain-enamelled steel, which does not hold heat as well as cast iron. At Riverside, we equip all our Spirit E0210s with a free upgrade to cast iron GBS® (Gourmet Barbecue System®)cooking grates.
Still, on the topic of grates, all of the grates in the Genesis II barbecues are GBS®ready, with a 30cm removable section of the grate in whichWeber® GBS® accessoriescan be placed. With so many accessories available, from apizza stoneto awok and steamer set, getting adventurous with your barbecuing has never been easier. From the Spirit range, however, only the Original E-320, and the Classic E0210 - if purchased from Riverside, come equipped with GBS® compatible cooking grates.
The Spirit barbecues come equipped with removable warming rack, allowing food to be moved up from the main grate to the warming rack, freeing up space on the grill and keeping food warm until it is ready to be eaten. The Genesis II range, however, features a tuck-away warming rack, allowing the rack to be folded up in order to be used, or down when not in use to save space. Additionally, in the Genesis II LX range, this warming rack doubles as an Elevated Tiered Cooking System (ETCS), and when folded down can be used to cook kebabs,additional accessoriescan be purchased that clip into the system.
Venturing below the cooking grates we come to the Flavorizer™Bars, the Flavorizer™Bars on all of the Spirit barbecues are porcelain-enamelled steel, as are the Flavorizer™Bars on the Genesis II barbecues, the Genesis II LX barbecues, however, are fitted with 18 gauge stainless steel bars. The warranty on the porcelain-enamelled bars is two years, whilst for the stainless steel, Weber® guarantees for five years against rust or burn through. Furthermore, the Genesis barbecues have stainless steel heat deflectors underneath the Flavorizer™Bars, which reflect the heat back up into the main body of the barbecue, increasing productivity and decreasing fuel consumption.
The Spirit barbecues all have an electronic crossover ignition, whereas the Geneses have an electronic ignition. As the Spirit's ignition is crossover this means that in order to light each burner the previous burner must be lit. In the Genesis II, however, each burner has its own igniter which means that burners can be lit individually, and the LX range takes it one step further, putting the actual ignition in the knob meaning that no ignition button needs to be pushed to turn on the burner.
Both the Spirit and Genesis II range have a Grease Management System (GMS), funnelling grease from the body of the barbecue into a drip tray below. In the Spirit range, this drip tray is on the left-hand side of the barbecue, whereas in the Genesis II barbecues the drip tray and funnel are located centrally. This central placement of the GMS allows for more effective draining of the fats and grease.
All of the Spirit Orginal barbecues have an enclosed cart design, the Classic E0210 has a gas bottle screen to keep the barbecue looking stylish at all times. The Genesis II range has two different cart styles, however, both carts have an easy access cubby hole to store gas bottles. The first is the open cart design, with easy access to the drip tray and a metal rack for storage, the second is the enclosed cart design, as seen on the LX models which keeps all clutter out of the way. All of the Genesis models have two fixed side tables, additionally, the LX models have an additional side burner with a fold-up cover in the right-hand side table.
Last, but most certainly not least, all the Genesis II barbecues are iGrill 3 ready. There is a space on the right-hand side table where aniGrill 3can be attached to the barbecue itself. The iGrill 3 has space for four probes and comes with two, and allows you to monitor the temperature of your meat as it cooks. You can download the iGrill app on your phone, select the meat you are cooking and how well done you want it and receive an alert on your phone when your meat is at the correct temperature.