Customer Reviews

Char Broil T480 Three-Burner 40,000 BTU Gas Grill, with Sideburner

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I purchased the Char-Broil T480 3-Burner 40,000 BTU Gas Grill I did so for several reasons: features, reliability and price. For me the Char-Broil had more of what was important than any other grill I looked at.

Assembly:
On a difficulty rating I'd give this a 7 and I've put together everything from Bikes to Ikea Furniture. Out of the box this didn't scare me, but it did take about 45-60 minutes from start to finish.

Use & Features:
It has an electronic ignition for all of the burners. My only complaint so far is that the button is rubber and dried up very quickly from the heat. Mine detached from the grill, but still works as long as it doesn't get lost.
The warming rack although a great idea, hasn't really been useful to us. Even though it's raised up on the back portion of the grill it takes up too much space and makes getting to what is grilling beneath it very difficult.
The side burner is great for heating up sauces, baked beans, making grilled onions or even frying bacon.
Temperature gauge on outer front is useful. I'm not sure of accuracy, but it has helped me pre-heat the grill when I do things like tri-tip or beer can chicken.
The two wheels on the bottom make it easy for me to maneuver around on our deck and also for storing.

Grilling:
I used to be a firm believer of grilling only with briquettes, but when you want to do it as often as we do it's just not possible. During the summer we use the grill about 2-4 times a week and during the winter we still use it at least once a week. I have become very comfortable with this grill, knowing how long to preheat, how long to cook and what works best. The 3 separate burners allow me to heat only the grates we need. Most often it's one for just a small dinner, but we have had all three going when cooking for a large crowd.

Clean-Up:
After cooking I give the grates and initial scraping with the Mr. Bar-B-Q Wide Grill Brush and then I usually turn the burners I had been using up to HIGH for about 60 seconds. This seems to burn off any excess food and keeps it ready to go for next time. As long as you take care of this grill you should be able to get many years of service and delicious food from it!

Storing: We purchased a cover for it since we do have it out year round (and in rainy Seattle no less). This Weber 7555 Premium Cover, although not meant for our grill, has been our favorite one. The quality of the materials and weight of it have kept ours clean and covered even through some pretty bad storms. We figured it we were investing the money in a grill; we should invest in this too.

I've had this grill for 2 years. It hasn't worked properly since we purchased it. We purchased it assembled at a local store. The ignitor is useless. It never works...and sometimes just clicks constantly...very dangerous. Rust is the biggest problem...clean-up is a nightmare. I have huge chunks of rust after storing this thing in a garage throughout the winter and with a cover during spring and summer. It's crazy! Wish we would have went with a different grill...cooking wasn't too bad...although the temperature gauges are worthless...it's either really hot, or really low...doesn't seem to be a lot in the middle. Sorry...bad grill. Don't buy.