The Lowdown
The Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill takes Weber’s legacy of gas grilling excellence and infuses new technology that’s a welcome addition to the gas grill design that has become a bit stale without any major changes in the past few years. We enjoyed cooking on it, and we would recommend it if you’re shopping for a new gas grill.
Overall
Pros
- Solid gas grill that screams Weber quality
- Innovative smart grilling features
- Three burners for great sear
- Gorgeous stainless steel design
- Nice control knobs
Cons
- Smart features aren’t as “smart” as you might be used to if you are coming from a smart pellet grill
- 424 square inches on the main cooking surface may not be large enough if you are used to (and have accessories for) cooking on something larger
Weber is known for high-quality gas grills, and its newest entry into the market is no exception. Following smart home trends, Weber has released their first line of smart grills, and we’re happy to report that the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill is what you’d expect from Weber, given their reputation. Weber’s line of smart gas grills starts at $849.
For their line of smart grills, Weber took their experience from both their Weber Connect accessories and the Weber SmokeFire pellet grill and integrated their smart cooking module into their Weber Smart Grill models.
The smart cooking module doesn’t interface directly with the grill controls; it monitors the temperature of the grill just above the grates and the internal temperature of your food, thanks to the included temperature probe. You can use two temperature probes at once, but only one is included with the grill.
Check out our full review video:
Thanks to the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill’s smart grilling module, you can connect your mobile phone to the grill via the Weber Connect app and follow along with guided grilling recipes informed by the grill’s temperature and the internal temperature of your food.
Even if you’re a complete novice to grilling, the Weber Connect app will help you grill a great steak, thanks to its hand-holding. It takes you through every step, including preheating the grill, seasoning, putting your steak on, flipping it, and taking it off the heat, and letting it rest. This is the Weber Smart Grill’s true selling point.
Smart features are nice, but let’s talk about what Weber is most famous for — their gas grills. Weber sent us the Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill. The Spirit series is one of Weber’s least expensive smart gas grills, and while it doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles that Weber’s Genesis or Summit lines have, it can grill with the best of them.
The Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill has a stainless steel finish that looks sleek on my backyard patio. It has three burners that put out a total of 32,000 BTU per hour, controlled by three knobs on the front of the grill. The knobs have a great feel to them and lock between the on/off positions to reduce the risk that your kids won’t accidentally turn the gas on.
The burners feature a crossover ignition system that allows the next burner to the right to ignite using the flame from the burner to the left rather than requiring an igniter at each burner. This is one less piece to replace years down the line, and it works well.
The three burners allow for three cooking zones where you can vary the temperature between them; however, with only 424 square inches on the main cooking surface, it’s not easy to separate the food enough to take advantage of the temperature differences. While smaller than the Weber Genesis I’m used to cooking on, the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill was able to grill a bunch of burgers and hot dogs — enough to feed a neighborhood BBQ on the Fourth of July.
The Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill also offers 105 square inches of space on the warming rack above the main cooking surface, which is a nice place to warm buns or cook corn slowly. The interior of the grill is spacious, and you can easily fit a large roast inside.
My biggest concern with the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill is the square footage of the main cooking surface. As I mentioned, I’m used to cooking on a Genesis, which has around 100 square inches more cooking space. This is totally a personal preference, though.
There’s a compartment underneath the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill that’s a nice place to store your grill brush and any other utensils. Inside the compartment is the D-cell battery storage that powers the smart grilling hub and the AA battery compartment for the igniter. The Spirit has four wheels with two that lock, so you can move it where you need it to be and lock them in place. While nice to have, the wheels aren’t heavy-duty, so I wouldn’t recommend moving it around too much.
Assembly of the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill was pretty simple, especially thanks to the Bilt App, which has step-by-step assembly instructions and 3D models of each step so you can zoom in, rotate around, and make sure you’re doing it right. It took me about 2 hours to assemble on my own, but I’m sure it would have been a lot quicker if I’d had help.
Bilt App screenshots:
We’ve had a lot of practice cooking on the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill, and I have to say that I was impressed by the step-by-step cooking guide on the Weber Connect app. We cooked several dishes from seafood to steak and were delighted by how easy it was to follow and end up with a great meal. The app will alert you when it’s time to perform the next step, so you can multi-task without forgetting about your food and burning it. Even if you don’t want to follow a step-by-step recipe, the Weber Connect app allows you to set manual alerts when your food reaches your desired temperature, allowing even pros to utilize the smart features.
Check out some screenshots from the Weber Connect app:
Honestly, there are few reasons to find fault with the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill. Yes, as I mentioned in the review video, the smart features may not be as “smart” as you’re expecting if you’re comparing them with a pellet grill, but that’s not really possible with a gas grill due to the safety issues involved with gas.
Yes, the Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill’s main grilling surface is slightly smaller than I’m used to, but it may be perfect for you! We have a vegetable basket (you can see it in the pictures) that had to be turned diagonally because it doesn’t fit straight back and forth on the grill.
The Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill takes Weber’s legacy of gas grilling excellence and infuses new technology that’s a welcome addition to the gas grill design that has become a bit stale without any major changes in the past few years. We enjoyed cooking on it, and we would recommend it if you’re shopping for a new gas grill.
The Weber Spirit SX-315 Smart Grill sells for $849; it is available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample
What I Like: Solid gas grill that screams Weber quality; Innovative smart grilling features; Three burners for great sear; Gorgeous stainless steel design; Nice control knobs
What Needs Improvement: Smart features aren’t as “smart” as you might be used to if you are coming from a smart pellet grill; 424 square inches on the main cooking surface may not be large enough if you are used to (and have accessories for) cooking on something larger