One benefit of having the 3 burner is that it’s easier to cook different kinds of foods at the same time. We often grill vegetables along with meat, and the wider surface gives us enough space for it all with the ability to have different heat for each one. We use a grilling basket for small or thin vegetables, and the basket alone takes up about 1/3 of the surface of our 3-burner grill. But if you typically just cook one thing on the grill, then the 2 burner is likely fine.
Three burner is a nice to have option if you ever cook for more than two people at a time. My Napoleon is three burner, with IR side and rotisserie burners. I use all of them pretty regularly, especially the side one for small meals/side dishes, or for getting a really good sear on a steak as it gets screaming hot. This is pretty much what I have, although mine is turning 15 this year. https://www.napoleon.com/en/us/grills/products/gas-grills/prestige-series/prestige-500-rsib-p500rsibpss-3
We paid $700 CAD for it on sale so don’t be put off by the price.
I am in the same boat, looking for a new one. Considering the Weber Spirit II E310, maybe a Genesis if I can swing it. I have also considered pellet grills, and the advantages are clear, but I’m not sure I can accept some of the disadvantages as a compromise.
My question is whether more Memorial Day sales are coming, or is waiting another week fruitless? Genesis is $50 off at Home Depot.
Server error multipost.
Happy with my Weber Spirit 3-burner. I got the one with the side burner, but never use it.
A good thing about the 3-burner is that you can use it as a smoker/slow cooker by lighting one side low and putting your meat on the other. (Maybe you can do this with a 2-burner, but I think it might be harder to maintain low temps.) You put the wood chips in an optional metal box made for the purpose, or just in some aluminum foil.
I have to clean mine out and move it out to the deck!
We have a cheap Vermont Castings grill that quit working a few years back; we disassembled / reassembled it and that solved the issue, though a couple years later the same thing happened and we haven’t had the time / inclination to deal with it.
The grates are enamelled cast iron. No issues with maintenance; searing is just fine (not sure why such a device would need an IR burner for searing).
We are thinking of replacing it this year because I was just getting into trying new stuff with it when it died the last time.
I would probably not bother with a “burner” (for pots); I just have never seen the use for it.
You’re not going to get the flavor you would with cooking over charcoal, but with the appropriate marinades etc. the food would be quite acceptable. As someone said, wood chips are your friend: basically you get a bag of wood chips designed for the purpose, soak a handful in water, wrap them up in heavy duty foil, poke a couple holes in the packet of foil, and set that directly on one of the burners. If you’re too near a building you might find the neighbors thing you’re using charcoal though. But something like a chicken, smoked low and slow for a few hours with some nice wood chips… totally yummmm (but you need a thermometer that stick into the meat and can be read from outside without lifting the cover).
The Weber Genesis with stainless grill is a good size workhorse. Mine is now 12 years old and still going strong.
Wrong on two counts. First, why was it ever put away? Second, it isn’t dirty, it’s SEASONED! 
Well, I know you’re just kidding, but my serious answers are that we just don’t use it that much in the winter, and it gets dusty and dirty and wildlife can get into it. Second, there’s something blocking one of the gas pipes, keeping it from getting up to full temperature. That problem cropped up last summer and I never got around to fixing it.
I had a Weber Spirit 3 burner grill- great, but the cast iron grates did eventually rust out pretty seriously. I didn’t use it every night, and it can be pretty humid here, so that’s probably why.
Replaced it about a year and a half ago with a natural gas Napoleon Rogue 425 stainless with what they call a “sizzle zone” searing burner. It’s a separate side burner that gets really, really hot for searing steaks, etc… It’s got a cast iron grate, which is starting to rust pretty badly already. But the main grill’s stainless steel grates are humming along just fine. They’re also thick enough that I get fine grill marks and don’t see any real difference between them and cast iron.
Cost me right at about $1000 with a cover and sales tax from Home Depot.
Here’s the model:
Revision- that’s as close as I could get; that model actually has cast-iron grates.
I can verify that. When we lived in a townhouse, our patios were literally right next to one another. Our neighbor was out of town a lot, being an airline pilot. He opened his grill one summer, and there was a nest inside, complete with baby squirrels. :eek:
Whatever you do, don’t do what I did. I bought a nice Weber three burner, got it all assembled and fired it up for the first time. Turned out some pretty darned good steaks and potatoes. Only later did I realize that I forgot to peel the protective plastic coating off the exterior surfaces, which is now irreversibly bonded to the grill. So it works great, but looks like crap.
The now famous(ish) YouTuber “Binging with Babish” put out a smoking on the grill video today.
Honestly, while he almost always nails his videos, I gotta say his results here looked less than ideal (the final result had little to no “bark”…or at least a pale imitation of what I like to see). That said I think the basics are there.
Charcoal will always be better but I think we can do pretty well with a gas grill.
If you’re new to propane grills, keep in mind that tanks will typically run out in the middle of cooking. Get a 2nd tank so that you can swap it in and keep going.
About tanks: it is cheaper in the long run to refill than to use an exchange service, but some places want almost $50 to sell an EMPTY one. The cheapest is Costco for $30, if you don’t have a membership I think Home Depot has for a few bucks more and still cheaper than Amazon.
Costco is also selling the Weber Genesis for $950, not sure of exact submodel or whether it’s a deal. I just bought mine and went Spirit II E310
My Weber Spirit 3 burner is 11 years old and I just replaced the grates and bars this year. I use it year round and love it. I bought new burners when I got the new grates, in case they crap out and I can’t find them in year or so.
Well, if you have grand to throw around, I would get a Weber Genesis II S-335.
For about the same price this Napoleon grill seems better. An IR burner for searing seems much better than the Weber.
I’ll attest the ir side grill does a great job of searing…