Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Weber 4431001 Spirit E-320 Propane Grill, Black

Weber 4431001 Spirit E-320 Propane Grill, BlackAlmost bought several different lower end grills. No looking back. I'm a Weber believer.

Spirit E-320 is not commonly found in stores. Think they like to push you up to the Genesis line to gain the side burner.

Assembly, smooth and easy. Great packing too. Took about 2 hours. But I enjoy these projects. Would rather assemble it myself right the 1st time then have some 16 year old kid do it cut corners.

Great overall design, perhaps a little small on grilling space if you are cooking for a big party. But for 99% of my needs (family and small groups of friends) its is perfect. Temp controls are very good, and cooking over the whole grill is even. Food sear marks are a thing of beauty.

I don't know for sure but I would swear it is way more efficient burning fuel. Tank seems to last 2x+ compared to my old sunbeam. Perhaps it cooks so much better that you don't cook food as long?

Side Burner: Works great, set in low prevents wind from blowing the heat away from the pot/pan

Cons: Placement of the burner knobs makes for very limited work space on the right side. And especially if you are using the left side burner. Casters are a little small if you move your grill a lot.

Recommendation: Buy the Weber cover to go with.

There are several reasons why the grill Weber Spirit E-320 is great:

1. The heat distribution (using the 3 burners or using only 2 -the front and the back-) is very even.

2. The construction and the materials are very sturdy.

3. There are almost no flare ups (I only got some after leaving meat with a lot of fat unattended for a while).

4. The cooking area is really big (536 sq. in. of total cooking area = 424 primary cooking area + 112 warming rack area). We are a family of six (4 adults, 2 children) and in the grill there is room to cook for many more.

5. It is very easy to operate and maintain.

6. The assembly was simple. At a slow pace and working alone, it took me 2 hours and 30 mins. to put it together (add 30 more mins. to clean all the cardboard).

7. It comes with a side-burner, which is convenient.

You should note that this grill comes with "Porcelain-Enameled Cooking Grates" (similar to this Weber 7525 Porcelain Enameled Grates) instead of "Porcelain-Enameled Cast-Iron Cooking Grates" (like this Weber 7526 Cooking Grate). I am pointing this out because in some stores you might see the model E-310 with cast-iron grates (apparently Weber does not commercialize it like that anymore). Additionally, the pictures and the wording can be confusing or not clear enough.

Buy Weber 4431001 Spirit E-320 Propane Grill, Black Now

I searched around and found Amazon to have the lowest price with free delivery which is quite costly on other sites. Received the grill when Amazon said I would, in good condition. I found the assembly of this grill to be the easiest I have ever put together, as most grills have so many nuts, bolts etc, this had one package. I was done in about 1 hour. All the parts fit together without having to force anything.

We have used this grill almost every day since getting it and we are amazed at the difference in the way this grill cooks as compared to our previous grill, which was a Char-Broil Stainless Steel Commercial from Lowes. There is no comparison, the Weber is soooooo much better. A minor point but a good one, the igniter actually works, the first time every time. I would highly recommend this grill. It's pricey, but so far (about a month) it has been worth every penny.

Read Best Reviews of Weber 4431001 Spirit E-320 Propane Grill, Black Here

Most definately the the best grill I have ever had. The entire surface heats up evenly and you can crank it up to whatever temp you want for great searing. The hardware that came in the unit was the wrong package so Weber overnighted the correct package. I agree with the previous reviews on assembly.

The Spirit 320 is all any homeowner will ever need. The cooking surface is plenty big enough for entertaining a small party which is all I ever have. I like the fact that it has 3 burners and not 2-I think that makes a big difference in cooking. I HAVE to have the side burner since I use it all of the time which is the added benefit to this unit. The warranty is superb as well as customer service. Replacement parts can be purchased locally when needed. The price on Amazon is the best out there especially with the free shipping. It took longer to get here than I anticipated, but it was free. I considered buying the Member's Mark from Sam's club until I read the reviews on this one, looked at the warranty comparison and the components-a no brainer. The extra money for this is very well spent.

Want Weber 4431001 Spirit E-320 Propane Grill, Black Discount?

I had a Charbroil followed by a Kenmore gas grill. Both were purchased without my input. Each lasted around 5 years before the harsh Midwestern weather and unavailability of replacement parts forced me into replacing them. I went with this model because of reputation and the large number of favorable reviews on this site. Plus I feel that replacement parts should be easy to get if I need them. I'll break down my experience thus:

A. Delivery. Ordered the grill on the Monday before Christmas with regular shipping. It arrived three days later in good shape.

B. Assembly. Packaging was very thorough and all the parts were intact. I went over the instructions a few nights prior to actually assembling this to get a feel for them. The actual assembly went well, with no stress (I skipped the beer too, which may have kept confusion at bay). The instructions are a step-by-step graphical layout, with a minimum of text. Very intuitive. They also have suggested tools for the job. I would also add scissors, a flashlight, and needle-nose pliers to things you will probably need. The hardware bag also included a small wrench for door adjustment, and a key for tightening bolts; though a 7/16 socket will also do the trick. Allow 2 ½ to 3 hours for assembly.

C. Operation. I couldn't get the lighter to work until I changed to a fresh battery, then the grill "whoomped" into life. I let it preheat for about ten minutes, which was probably five minutes too long. When I got back out the grill was at maximum temp, so I had to dial WAY back on the heat and leave the lid off. All I cooked was a couple of frozen hamburger patties and they cooked well in a nice amount of time. It's winter, so between the darkness and the fog, it was tough to see what I was doing. But from what I could tell, the grill works exactly as promised.

As with all new grills, there is a learning curve involved. Also since I am writing this at the end of December, it will be a few more months before I am able to grill outside on a regular basis again. But just by what I have experienced so far, I highly recommend this grill for anyone looking to have something decent for a change.

(UPDATE)

After almost six months of using this grill, I am still amazed at it's performance. I have cooked burgers, chicken, vegetables, tuna steaks, regular steaks, butterfly chops, and last weekend was the acid test: a rack of ribs. In the past, I have had to babysit my grills cooking ribs because the temperature would creep up or down and I would need to adjust accordingly. We set the Weber on 250, and that needle didn't move for the almost 4 hours we cooked those ribs.

This grill cooks everything consistently and dependably with no apparent hotspots. Weber should change the model name to "Sliced bread" because that's how great it is!

One procedural note: until I bought this grill I was unaware that burn-off should take place before cooking and not after. It seems that leaving the greasy gunk on the surfaces acts as a seasoning and also keeps weathering at bay.

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