Customer Reviews

Char Broil Patio Bistro Infrared Gas Grill

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Taking my time, it took me a little over two hours to assemble this grill, but it was worth it, for the large skinless/boneless chicken breasts that I grilled on it came out crisp on the outside and very juicy moist in the inside - very delicious. Amazing taste from only using sea salt and Malabar pepper corns from a ginder to season the chicken. Of course, I sprayed avocado oil on the grill and chicken too before grilling, which kept everything from sticking. Turning the knob to the lightning bolt automatically starts the grill, which I set to no. 4 to pre-heat for 15 minutes before laying the chicken on the grill at 600 deg. F. With the lid up, the temperature dropped to 500 and increased to 550 with lid down for cooking until done when the internal temperature of the chicken reached 165. Once the chicken was removed, the control knob was moved to the no. 5 position to burn off any residue at 700 degrees for 15 minutes. After shut down, the grill took 20 minutes to cool down. It is the perfect size to take with you in the trunk of your car to do offsite grilling. I am very satisfied with this gas fueled product.

This was a replacement for a 9 year old Char broil that quit. Assembly went really well. The parts were well laid out and all the hardware parts were in a packet with individual parts held together in groups of each type. I like the hand screw to hold in the propane tank to the grill. My old one did not stay on so I used bungees to hold it to the old style Char Broil we had replaced with this one.

I did the initial 15 minutes on level 5 to burn off oils from manufacture. I then grilled some Costco burgers @ 4-5 minutes on each side and they turned out really juicy. Then afterwards I cleaned the grate and sprayed if with nonstick grill spray. The main thing about these infrared grills is to make sure that you keep all of the little slots clear for heat to get to the food; otherwise the cooking can get uneven. Now I will order a cover since the generic one I brought got shredded in a high wind storm. I will have to remember to remove the cover during high winds. We are very happy with this grill and I am hoping that it would hold up well over time.

UPDATE 3-24-11

We are still really enjoying this grill. Its small size is great. I have cooked Boneless skinless chicken and boneless country pork ribs. The chicken turned out really juicy although you will need to turn the chicken that is thicker for one more 5 minute go around to completely cook. Otherwise it would still be a little raw on the inside top. The ribs were 1/2 hour per side and they turn out perfect on level 2 per the instructions. I have learned to setup a timer that runs for 10 minutes after I turn off the gas so that it would be cool enough to clean. The temp has been around 200 after 10 minutes of 40 Degree temp outside, but it cools fairly fast after opening the lid, so cleaning it is not too hard. I then spray with Pam after it is cleaned off. The actual Char Broil grill cover for the Bistro is really nice. It has a strap to help hold on the cover and it is very well made and has held up in 25 mph winds without the problems I had with the cheap generic cover that got shredded per my initial review.

I had been on the search for a small grill that wouldn't take up space with cheap plastic shelves and accessories I will never use. This grill is the perfect fit.

It took some effort to assemble, but not as difficult as flat pack furniture. Surprisingly metal! I thought everything was plastic these days, but the only plastic here is found on the handles and the wheels.

Just under the control knob there is a handle that makes it easy to move even when it's hot. The grill heats up real fast making it good for quick grilled meals. My first meal included 4 ears of grilled corn and two large steaks with a bit of room to spare.

My only criticism is that the grease trap underneath seems to conflict with the wires for the electric ignition.

First, I will provide a brief description of my previous grill, which is as a basis for comparison in case you are debating this grill versus other larger and more traditional grilling systems. Then, I will provide a summary of my findings related to the other comments you see throughout the review thread. Sorry for the long thread, but I'm hoping folks will find the confirmations and/or rebuttals of the findings of others to be helpful.

I bought this grill to replace a commercial series stainless char-broil gas grill that I had for five years and used extensively. While the older grill was good as compared to grills in its class/price range, it was subject to the typical ills of long-burner systems with flavorizer bars to reduce flareups. It was only moderately effective, so costco steaks (1" thick with a 1/4" fat edge) tended to cause massive flare-ups and if not managed carefully, burned the steaks beyond recognition. I am not exaggerating when I say that I had 1.5 ft high flames coming out the back of the grill one time when I wasn't paying close enough attention. The fat melts and flares up horribly. While I really liked the cast iron grates, they were rusting pretty badly at the five year mark. The grill did do a good job of imparting that gas grill flavor, and was perfect for ribs and other long-cooking items at low temperature.

Now for the Patio Bistro. First, a summary of the other comments you may have seen, and the ones I saw commonly stated all turned out to be true.

1. Assembly is not difficult, but is time consuming. Took about and hour. Lots of parts. Some people complained about parts not fitting together well, but mine were perfectly aligned and no problems. One trick, and I do this with everything I assemble after lots of ikea assembly experience, is to wait to tighten all the nuts until everything is together. One annoying design feature is that the wire lead for the ignitor partially blocks the drip tray. Also, as another customer mentioned, the caps are already installed on the wheels. I broke one of the caps trying to get it off- they are super tight. Very annoying. Char-broil would probably replace it if I asked, but I don't care enough to spend the time to do so.

2. You can't see the flame, so the first time I used it, I thought it was lit and didn't realize for sure it wasn't until I smelled gas. To turn it off, you have to turn the knob past the ignitor. It ignited with gusto, displacing the grate. Kinda scary. But now I know to hold the ignitor in the on position until I see the flames flare out around the round burner protector, and there is also a hole on the back of the grill you can look in for confirmation. I don't see it as a problem once you get used to it.

3. The grill is 'not infrared'? I don't know what the technical definition of infrared is, so I don't know if this is true. I previously thought infrared grills used those white ceramic flat burners with little holes in them. This grill does not, and instead uses a round gas tube that is covered by a round metal shield to prevent flare-ups. Some sites describe infrared as a technology that uses high heat and high efficiency, without referring to physical burner characteristics. The grilling surface is stainless and has a flat bottom with many small holes. So far, following the manufacturer instructions and burning off the junk after each use has kept the holes clear and functional.

4. The heat is intense. (Some people alternatively claim that they have not enough heat, but surely those grills are defective). This thing gets up to 700 degrees in less than 15 minutes.

5. Food is cooked fast and evenly. Definitely true to me, almost to a fault. Heats up way faster and more evenly than my previous grill, and cooks burgers the best I've ever had. Back to our Costco steaks- the good news is no flare-ups (a huge benefit). The bad news is that the recommended instructions left the outside seared beautifully and the inside bloody. Had to cut the steaks in half for the second round to get decent results. This technology is awesome for your standard grocery store steaks and burgers, but is a little tougher to use for thick cuts of meat. I've only had it a week, so it may be possible, but I haven't had thick steak success yet. Burgers and thin steaks- awesome. One catch is that the 'gas' flavor is not as intense as my previous grill, but the flavor is still excellent.

6. Some people complain that the cover (available for purchase separately) is poor quality, and it's about $30. I purchased a different Char-broil cover Char-Broil 2186140 Patio Caddie Grill Cover for $10 and it seems to be decent quality and good fit.

7. The grill is heavy, especially with the tank. There is a handle under the control knob, but moving it with that handle is not easy, especially if the surface is not perfectly flat (like, say, my patio).

8. FYI, this does not come with a gas tank. Factor this into the cost. The good news is that as a result, it can be shipped at a reasonable cost.

Overall, this is an excellent grill. I would buy it again. Small, efficient, and although it is relatively thin and not as sturdy as my previous commercial series grill, it is built for a small family and would probably last 3-4 years. I kinda miss having shelves, but I have a small patio and I'd rather have the patio space.

If the feature that brought you to this grill was size, but you want higher quality, check out the Weber Q series such as the 320 Weber 586002 Q 320 Portable Outdoor Propane Gas Grill(at double the price). I would personally prefer to spend less and replace a little sooner than go super-fancy and then hang on to one a long time. If that is not also your mentality, then this may not be your grill (but the Weber may be).

This was the best cooking grill I have ever used. Unfortunately, just as another person posted, I had a couple of instances where the grill had minor explosions upon ignition.

The first was once when the flame blew out while I had stepped away for a minute... so I opened the lid, took out grate and and blew into burner. Put grate back in and turned the burner to ignite... big flame -POOF-... scary but no harm done.

A few weeks later. The grill would not lite, so I used a long nosed striker to lite it... per the instructions.... -POOF- again... singed arm hairs that time.

The third time... after working perfectly for months, I went to start the grill and turned on the gas and moved the valve to ignite. Ignite it did, the whole grill became engulfed in flames. Had to use an extinguisher to put it out.

Needless to say after 25 years if grilling and no experiences like this... I finally chose to blame the grill.

Assembly: between me and my girlfriend took about an hour(we are good at putting things together). Save some time and use a power drill and 3 socket wrenches(14mm,10mm,8mm). You are the quality control here if its flimsy you didnt assemble it tight enough(mine is rock solid).

Size: I could cook 5-6 large steaks easily. I choose to leave out the top rack as I only use it for bone in chicken. I have a hutch near my grill so I dont miss the side tables(went from a 4 burner monster). I wont miss replacing the propane tank every couple months. very portable and easy to move around.

Usage: First off this thing gets hot really fast. I timed it and in 6 minutes I was at 600 degrees and in 12 it was pushing the needle past 700(guessing 750-800). Make sure when you light the grill you pause in the lighting zone of the knob and despite what the manual says you can see flames down there on high.

Cooking: Words can not express how well this thing cooks. The first day I got it I grilled up some beef tenderloin. There was 3 cuts about 1" for the smallest and 4" for the largest it cooked the smallest in about 7min and the largest in 12. I have cooked this exact tenderloin on my gas and charcoal grill before and lemme tell you they have nothing on this grill. It was the most tender juicy meat I have tasted and have no fear of flare ups(I left it on high all the way through). My GF agrees that this grill will make any reg joe into a steakhouse chef.

Clean up: was easy I left the grill on high while we ate and it turned everything to white power and wiped clean after.

Don't have a clue what makes one gas powered grill an "infrared" grill and one just a "gas" grill. Always understood infrared to be associated with a portion of the light spectrum. But the heat gets evenly dispersed to a very hot temp if wanted, and helps it cook all around. Took me and my daughter less than an hour to put together, and I tried it out on some salmon. squeezed some lemon juice, sprinkled some dill and then some course salt, grilled for about 5 min's (fillets) and it came out very good. my 12 year old had some left over the next day for lunch. she loved it. nothing fancy, but for whatever reason it was cooked and moist and lots of flavor. Don't know what the "warming" rack is there for, too small to do anything with, but oh well, you might find it useful, I didn't really. sorta wished it had some type of table or cable to hang the steel grill cleaner, some place to put your brush, but thats no deal breaker, it would complicate the assembly process. So I need to make a BBQ table, gives me an excuse for another project....

Looks great! Heats up quick! Sears food to lock in juices! I did alot of research... Hands down best bang for buck! 3 of my friends also got this grill with rave reviews as well. Stop reading reviews and buy at once!

My last grill was a humongous beast with 3 burners and two shelves as well as a side burner. It was, at that time, the smallest grill I could get with electronic ignition (a must-have for me after several near-singes trying to light my previous gas grills). I didn't need the side burner; I never used it. The plastic cheapie shelf's mounts bent during the first use, so the shelf was nearly useless. Overall, it ticked me off that there was all this extra stuff that I didn't need, that didn't seem to work that well anyways.

So, I was very happy to find Char Broi's Patio Bistro grill, specifically because it offered a smaller package. Most of the time, I'm just cooking for myself, sometimes my husband and very rarely 3-5 additional friends. For that, this grill is perfect. The heat is even. I don't know what the "infrared" technology is, but it really does seem to produce a more even heat and better searing than grills I've owned previously. I also really like that the warmer rack (generally used for hot dogs or buns) doesn't move when the lid opens. Other grills seem to incorporate the warmer rack into the hinge for the lid so that it moves when the lid opens and closes, often resulting in hot dogs rolling off. This one stays put when the grill is opened and closed. It's a minor feature, but it really saves you some hassle. It's a great product concept.

As for assembly, I was very daunted by the reviews I'd read here that assembly would be a long and arduous process. For me, working alone, it took around an hour and a half. I didn't scan the instructions to start or anything, but I did pull all the parts out of the box before I got started. Most of the bolts, nuts, and other tiny parts are vacuum sealed into a labeled organizer. That particular touch made assembly much easier. Here's a couple of tips that I learned by trial and error:

* Use a power screwdriver. If you don't own one, go get a Ryobi ZRHP53LK TEK4 4V Screwdriver (my driver of choice) or similar. It makes assembling anything go much faster. I've even used mine to drill screws into my drywall instead of lugging the drill out.

* Pay attention to the bolt sizes in entirety. For the first attachment, I used the right diameter bolts but wrong length.

* Keep a cup or small dish handy to corral extra bolts or nuts as you go.

* If you can get someone to help you out, there are definitely times when it'd be easier with two people. Sometimes it was tough to hold parts in place while attaching them together.

Assembly could have been even easier if CharBroil had used the Ikea method of labelling nuts and bolts with "A", "B", etc. identifiers instead of only using measurements. That's a minor hassle though. The instructions really were fine, and I had no significant trouble figuring them out.

But, the one problem I ran into during assembly (and the reason I'm giving this four stars instead of five) is a factory mistake. The wheels came with the decorative hubcaps pre-installed. (For reference, in the product picture, the wheels are black and the hubcaps are silver.) The way you attach the wheels is to secure them to the axle using a clip and then pop on the hubcaps both to hide the clip and keep it in place. The hubcaps snap into place using three pegs that pop outward and lock into the assembly. Because the wheels came with the hubcaps preinstalled, there is no way to get the wheels to stay on the axle, as you can't get to the part to secure the clip. I called CharBroil about this, and they admit it was an error at the factory. They claim that you can pop the hubcaps back out, but my husband and I both prying at the snap-in posts with a screwdriver have not been able to remove the caps. When I told the representative on the phone that I'd like to have replacement wheels and caps (separated) sent out to me, she said that I should be able to remove them and to try harder. I/We *still* can't get them decoupled, so I've been using the grill with the wheels just placed on but not secured. So, right now, if I roll the grill around, a wheel is pretty likely to come off. In my opinion, this is CharBroil's mistake, and rather than expecting the consumer to fix their mistake, they should be willing to send out the part unassembled or, while telling customers to "try harder", to somehow compensate you for the trouble, e.g., offer a 20% coupon off accessories as an apology. The representative was perfectly pleasant and polite, but I'm just kind of shocked that their scripted response for this is to tell customers to keep trying rather than to do anything to correct the problem.

Overall, I think this is a great product. The factory issue (and moreso, how the company is handling the error) unfortunately keeps it from being perfect.

Many reviewers already wrote about the construction of this grill so I won't get into it that part of the review. I purchased this grill a few weeks ago but didn't really get a chance to grill with it til this past memorial weekend. I was very impressed by how this grill performed. The first thing I noticed was the grill got really hot. The things I bbq'd were burgers, boneless chicken breasts and ribeye steaks. I do not grill burgers very often so I'm not so good at being able to tell how long to grill them but they turned out pretty juicy. The grill left some nice sear marks on the burgers which made them look nice. After grilling burgers, i grilled some chicken marinated in honey mustard sauce my wife made. The chicken also cooked very nicely and evenly. Even though a lot of the sauce burned onto the grill, it came out pretty easily after a little scrubbing. After devouring the chicken, we moved onto the ribeyes. Steaks, fortunately, are very easy to cook. I left the grill on medium high (4) and grilled one side for 4 minutes then flipped once and grilled the other side for 3 minutes. The steaks came out perfectly and I received many compliments from my guests.

For those of you who have limited space or want a grill that you can put away inside the garage for the winter months, i highly recommend this grill. *2 thumbs up*