JMHO, but side burners are overrated. I would not pay extra for that. Your money is better spent on more BTUs and more cooking space. Some side space (not a burner) is worthwhile, too. But you're really looking for more burners inside (I believe both the Spirit and Genesis have 3), more BTUs, more control, and more cooking square feet. This is definitely a case where bigger is better. You will never regret getting bigger.

ETA, if you're getting a Weber (or any grill, really), do yourself another favor and drop the $20 (or whatever it costs) for one of their grilling books. As javabytes wrote, the instruction you'll get on direct vs. indirect grilling, multizone fires, and other "tricks of the trade" will be indispensable, and the recipes are, frankly, a bonus. Between the insight you'll get out of the Weber cookbook and the instant read thermometer, you'll be turning out some awesome dishes in no time. Believe me, the tools and the technique are what really matter here. You're off to a good start with your research and questions.

I agree about the side burner. I have the Spirit because of it's size...I don't have a lot of space. I got mine from Lowes...free delivery and a pleasure to do business with. I bought a generic cover at Big Lots...cheap and works great.
My biggest tip....get the kind you can hook up to the gas line in your house. ..not propane tank. I probably use mine 4 days a week and it is heaven to turn the knob and always have gas and no tank to lug. Highly recommend natural gas.
Other tips. ..don't stab meat with a fork and he juice run out...use tongs and spatulas only. Get an instant read thermometer but not the fork kind. I also like my probe thermometer for big things like roasts or whole chickens. Whatever protein you will be cooking always needs to rest before cutting into. I use a metal brush to clean but then I also go over the hot grates with a paper towel dipped in oil (use tongs) ...this cleans as well as wipes off any metal fibers that the brush might have left and keeps food from sticking.
Have fun!

^^ I just grabbed "Weber's Big Book of Grilling" from Amazon for $7 including shipping. It's from 2001 but seems pretty authoritative and has good reviews across the board

Ah good tip on the oil from cleaning - I'll keep that in mind! I will look into the gas line though not sure if it's doable at our house but certainly makes sense if I can!

I read in a blog somewhere that this is a quality thermometer that's very accurate but not break the bank expensive: http://www.thermoworks.com/ThermoPop?color=7

I have that Weber cookbook and it is good. I also recommend Nice looking thermometer and easy to read. It seems expensive though---I think I paid about $15...just make sure whatever you get has a nice long probe so you can get into the middle of a big tri tip.
When you do the paper towel thing, wad it up into a ball and pour a few tbs of oil into a bowl and saturate the paper towel and rub it back & forth over the grates each time...you will see a lot of black on the paper towel instead of your food.

I only buy skinless filets of salmon....if cooking on the plank, do I flip it over? And is the cooking time the same on the plank as on the grates---seems like it would be a little longer.

Flipping would be near impossible. Wood will curve during grilling and fish will curve with the plank.

For a 1" filet that I would broil for 9+ minutes, I'd say 15 minutes on the plank (on coals).

Good cookbook. I have the same one. Also a good thermometer. Should do you well.

Okay, I have a stupid grilling question. We like filet steaks and I buy them about 1.5" thick. When we grill, I can get a nice char on the outside, perfect medium rare inside, yet, yet, they are not hot enough (to my liking, anyway) when plated a few minutes later. What's the secret to getting a steak perfectly medium rare, but also piping hot? Definitely don't want to keep it on the grill any longer than necessary. Weber grill, charcoal

If you are buying a grill at Lowe's do not forget the 10% off coupons offered on EBay, get a cover Webers do rust, and repair parts are more expensive than a new grill.

Most grills are too large,, the Weber Performer works best for me, and the e310, big Genesis just sets,

^^ Thanks all for the help. Ended up going with the Spirit E-310, it was a bit of a splurge to get the 3rd burner but didn't break the bank (also in the process of buying new furniture, etc., so only so much to go around).

Lowe's was great - found a 10% off coupon online that stacked with the free delivery and assembly offer. Grill is already at the house and has been used once with excellent results!

Looking forward to many more outings this summer!

Since you are on charcoal, read tip #12:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/g...void-them.html

Thanks - good tip. Picked up some others also

What? Not in my experience. I've had my Silver B since 2001. I've replaced the burners once and the grates a couple of times (more because I couldn't clean them enough to my liking after several years of heavy use). I might have replaced the flint for the auto-start once. I think I bought new casters for one end of the grill at some point because they got flat on one side because someone (not mentioning who in my house) did not realize that you could unlock them and easily roll the whole thing to where you wanted it.

No way did those purchases come to more than the cost of a new Weber grill. Maybe the Smokey Joe, but that hardly counts.

Those are some good tips. Most of them I knew. I am not as concientious about cleaning the grates as I probably should be, but it gets used almost daily from May 1 to October 31.

Not a stupid question although I have not had that problem. Are you letting them rest before cutting into them --tent with foil when resting and make sure you aren't putting them on a cold plate from the grill. Another thought. ..start on indirect heat to slowly bring inside to rare and then move to direct side for the crust. Also. ...make sure they are room temp before grilling. I let sit out for 45 minutes to an hour. Lmk if any of that helps.

Grills can't get hot enough. Not even the hybrid kalamazoo for 25k. For the best steaks a large, serious, wood-fired pizza oven it the way to go. Get it super hot and use either a cast iron or tuscan grill inside. We have a high end gas grill and it only gets so hot.

But if I were grilling on a grill, I'd load it up with a massive amount of super hot coal, room temp prime steaks and tons of seasoning.