Weber Spirit EPX-435R Review

Summer is the obvious time to gather friends around a barbecue, but is it possible to add a real dose of technology to the occasion? That is the promise of the Weber Spirit EPX-435R, an imposing gas barbecue fitted with the Weber Connect assistant. The question is whether that counts as a gadget or as a genuine ally at the grill.

The Spirit EPX-435R is a four-burner model, so this is a particularly large barbecue, measuring 132 x 65 x 118 cm and weighing 46 kg.

It arrives in a substantial box on a pallet and has to be assembled by the buyer. Assembly took around an hour and a half without any particular difficulty. The instructions are clear, even if the number of parts to put together remains considerable.

Once built, the Spirit EPX-435R does full justice to the Weber name with excellent build quality. The manufacturer uses metal for most of the structure, which immediately reinforces the sense of robustness.

The main lid uses a wide handle that keeps heat at a distance effectively and gives access to the cooking area. The cook box itself is a cast unit. There is also a mounting point for the rotisserie supplied with the Spirit EPX-435R.

The central control panel carries four large knobs for the different burners. They are simple to operate and the settings prove precise. The two controls outlined in red engage the Sear Zone, for a quoted 40 per cent increase in power.

The gas bottle sits in the storage compartment behind the metal door, resting on a plastic support, a choice that may come as a surprise given how much a bottle weighs.

The barbecue also has a grease tray with an aluminium container to collect cooking residue. The whole assembly can be withdrawn from the rear, which makes upkeep easier.

To the left of the bottle, a space allows some of the accessories that Weber sells separately to be stored. The one disappointment here is the absence of hooks or dividers that would help organise that area.

The shelf on the left-hand side conceals a side burner, which is particularly handy for preparing a sauce or heating a side dish.

The right-hand shelf can be removed in order to accept different accessories from the Weber ecosystem. That is also the side on which the connected module of the Spirit EPX-435R sits. Both shelves have a handle for moving the barbecue as well as hooks for hanging utensils.

The whole thing rests on four castors that are wide and sturdy enough to move the barbecue easily. The two front castors each have a brake to hold the Spirit EPX-435R firmly in position.

Build quality is therefore beyond reproach. The only real regret is that Weber did not do more to optimise the storage space beneath the barbecue.

The main advantage of a gas barbecue such as the Spirit EPX-435R lies in how convenient it is to use. Once the bottle is connected, it is simply a matter of turning the controls to light the different burners and begin preheating.

Getting to grips with it is notably simple. Once the burners are lit, a few minutes are enough for the temperature inside the cook box to climb rapidly.

The Spirit EPX-435R offers a particularly generous cooking area, and Weber recommends it for preparing meals for 10 to 12 people. The brand's accessory ecosystem is also very complete, with pizza stones, planchas and various grates available as options.

When it comes to cooking, the Spirit EPX-435R proves quick and effective. The aluminium bars placed above the burners limit flare-ups when fat drips down, and they also vaporise part of that fat to add flavour to the food.

The upper rack allows some items to be kept warm, or vegetables and side dishes to be cooked more gently.

The supplied rotisserie performs its role well. A few flaws were noted, however: its power cable is particularly short, the spit slightly chipped the paint of the barbecue at its mounting point, and the motor becomes very warm during use.

Despite its many possibilities, the Spirit EPX-435R remains particularly approachable, including for people who are new to this type of barbecue.

The Spirit EPX-435R is a connected barbecue, and all of its intelligent functions rely on the module installed on the right-hand side along with the Weber Connect application, available for Android and iOS. Connecting the module presented no difficulty.

The application is divided mainly into two parts: management of the barbecue itself and a large catalogue of recipes. Selecting a dish brings up tailored guidance, covering both the preparation of the food and the management of the cooking. Every step is set out in detail, in the manner of a conventional recipe app.

The module first of all reports the temperature inside the Spirit EPX-435R. That information is displayed directly on its own screen and relayed to the application. An additional cooking probe is also supplied, and it is inserted directly into the meat in order to follow its core temperature and gauge how far cooking has progressed.

The application brings together all of the useful information, including the temperatures recorded, the cooking time and the recommended resting time. It also acts as a timer, which removes the need to watch the barbecue constantly.

While cooking a chicken on the spit, for example, the application suggested placing a container of water beneath the meat and then guided the whole preparation. Users can also consult the temperature curves recorded by the various probes through a particularly legible graph. It is necessary to stay close to the barbecue, though, since tracking is handled locally with the smartphone. The application is simple to use and the instructions are clear, and it proves especially useful for anyone who has not fully mastered the subtleties of barbecue cooking.

In that session the spit-roasted chicken came out evenly cooked, tender and not at all dry. Potatoes were also reheated on the side burner, despite the use of a fairly large pan.

Weber Connect does not, however, control the burners: their settings remain entirely manual. The system therefore does not turn the Spirit EPX-435R into an autonomous barbecue.

Even so, the connected functions are not simple gadgets. Weber Connect behaves like a genuine cooking assistant, well thought out and able to help the user avoid mistakes.

Looking after the Spirit EPX-435R is relatively simple. The grease tray and the plate located beneath the cook box can be withdrawn from the rear so that they can be cleaned more easily.

The cooking grates and the aluminium bars placed above the burners are also removable. The outside of the barbecue presents no particular difficulty to clean. Being able to remove most of the elements likely to come into contact with fat makes upkeep after use considerably easier.