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(4.6 / 5)
If you ever worried that it would be impossible to find infrared grilling at a reasonable price, then Char-Broil has a grill you should probably take a look at. This two burner grill uses Dual Tube stainless steel burners to give you an excellent infrared cooking experience which means great heat distribution that avoids the flare up and hot spots that can frequent other types of grills.
Here we have a 320 square inch main cooking area with a swing out warming tray, so you have enough space to make a good meal for a small family so do not expect a feast. With a price around $250 though the investment is entirely appropriate. With a build featuring stainless steel burners and porcelain coated iron grates, you have heavy duty durability to back up your precision cooking.
A nice grill for anyone who wants their food to retain its juiciness without too much effort required. Easy to use, convenient to store, and you don’t have to break the bank for high-quality grilling.
Main Characteristics
When it comes to propane grills on the lower end of the price catalog, you can either shoot for a grill that has a good amount of variety at the expense of quality or you can look for a grill that aims to do one thing extraordinarily well.
This grill happens to belong to the latter group and what it does well is accomplished a precision heated cook. That is primarily because this two burner grill with 18,000 BTU’s uses infrared technology to cook your food in a convection method that holds in the juices and gives you an even cook without any pesky heat spots or flare ups.
Sadly, to find this type of grill for such a low price you have to sacrifice a bit of surface area with a primary cooking surface of 320 square inches six people is about the limit for meal size. There is a 120-inch porcelain coated cast iron swing away rack for warming to give you some extra room. If the price is a very significant criterion for you, then before making the final choice, look at Royal Gourmet Classic and Weber Spirit E330 in the same price category.
The cooking grates are also made from porcelain coated cast iron which makes a world of difference over normal iron grates when it comes to cleaning and heat retention. This sits above a single doored cabinet that opens to find shelving and extra storage space. Finally, we have four caster wheels, two with locks for mobility and stability.
Pro’s
- Conveniently priced infrared grilling gives you superior temperature control for juicy evenly heated fully cooked meals
- Easy ignition heats up with the touch of a button
- Nice durable mix of high quality materials for a low priced grill
Con’s
- Cooking area is enough to feed a small family but if you need a large surface look elsewhere
- With only two steel burners and no other side or rear burners the versatility is pretty poor
- Very simple design won’t exactly inspire any envy on the surface level
Design
The design of this grill is relatively basic resemble a silver jukebox with wings. Those wings are the foldable side shelves which provide a nice amount of extra work space as well as allow this grill to be stored easily.
The shelves and the base are the only part of this grill that is black though you can find models with the colors reversed. The lid is made of a stainless steel design for an excellent addition to quality in a design where stainless steel makes regular appearances. It is not normal to find such high-quality material in such a low priced grill, but you do sacrifice for it with the lack of grill space and versatility.
If you are looking for a grill with cool knobs and displays this grill is sure to disappoint with only control for each burner the design is sublimely simplistic. That aside though this is a sturdily built grill with high-quality materials that go beyond what you would expect to find in this price range.
Special Features
For a grill in this price range you don’t expect to find many juicy special features but this grill is not your normal grill.
Infrared grilling is a special feature in its own right canceling out the need for special devices that send the juice back into your meal since its made to keep those juices in from the start. This grill has a convenient grease tray that makes for easier cleaning. Which goes well with the porcelain coated grates that are easy to clean as well as rust resistant.
A grill that excels at temperature control has to have a thermometer for reading, and there is one conveniently placed on the lid of the grill. Following up the list of got to haves is the Surefire electronic ignition system that makes sure you are not waiting around to get started. Nothing too spectacular, but just enough to bring even more value to this infrared grill.
Warranty
When you move away from the major players in grilling the warranties, start to suffer, and this grill is no different. Without a lifetime warranty, the price makes a bit more sense. We have a five-year warranty on the stainless steel burners.
Moving down, we have a two-year warranty on the firebox and lid. Every other part including the paint has your standard one year warranty. These all cover manufacturer defects and workmanship issues.
Image Credit: Amazon.com
Char-Broil Signature
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Summary
If the idea of infrared cooking excites you, then this grill is worth a good long look. We do not have crazy surface space though for the price space rivals that of grills that cost hundreds more.
We also do not have the versatility of a side burner or rear rotisserie burner. On top of that the design is supremely basic so don't expect too much applause. However if none of that interest you and you are only looking for a grill that does the most important thing a grill can do extremely well.
A grill made of high-quality materials with a price tag well under the quality of food it can create. That might be the grill for you. It's just not the grill for ten of you's.