Customer Reviews

Char-Griller 2222 Pro Deluxe Charcoal Grill & Smoker

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have had one of these for 2+ years and use it a lot. Without question this is the best grill I have ever owned. Super-heavy real cast iron grate, loads of cooking space, easy enough to dump the ashes etc., lid sels well etc.

I do not own a cover for it and have kept it outdoors all this time. Still looks decent except the stained wood shelves have lost their finish. Anyone with a tiny bit of ambition could re-stain them. But the painted finish on the grill itself is quite durable.

Space like this gives me a great deal of control. I have room to build a big fire in the middle, keep a cast-iron griddle to one side and use the other edge for "holding" stuff off the direct heat etc. A real winner.

Can be bought cheaper and assembled at Lowes stores.

It's just what I wanted!

I don't give it 4 stars because the warming rack has a poor quality. After the first barbecue it was a little bended and some grill wires got loose.

Pros:
1. The main grill area is 29" by 20". It has 4 small independent cast iron grates as you can see in my customer pictures. Removable at any time. The warming rack size is 1/3 of the main grilling area.
2. If you follow the smoking instructions you will have a great taste on your meats and vegetables.
3. Wood is better than charcoal.
4. It's very easy to clean. You just pull out the dump ash pan and wash it.
5. It's very easy to assembly. Follow the instructions.
6. It has a thermometer. You can keep an eye easily on the temperature.

Cons:
The quality of the warming rack. Personally, I wouldn't stop buying it for this issue but I think that Chargriller could make it better.

Finally, if you have it at your patio or outside of your house I would suggest you to cover it with something, just a precaution. Don't forget to oil the cast iron grates after cleaning. They would last longer.

I love my Chargriller Pro Deluxe!

I've used this unit for a few years now and it does a good job. My issue with this product is replacement parts. The only place you can seem to get parts is from the factory and the shipping is going to cost you as much or more then the parts you need. I've been everywhere and the only place who carries parts is Char-Griller. I needed replacement cast iron grates and for 4 of them it's about 36 bucks but they want 23 bucks to ship them. Stick with Weber BBQ's you can get parts at any store.

This grill is by far the best charcoal / wood burning grill I've ever owned. It was easy to assemble and I have been using it for nearly 8 years on a regular basis.

My char grill goes with me camping and supports meals for over 6 adults who love to cook & BBQ.

It will slow cook too! Building a fire is easy and with practice maintaining the perfect temperature is straightforward.

Using the side fire box "smoker" is perfect for cooking those baby-back ribs for 3 hours while you are busy watching the game or enjoying other adult activities.

After the ribs are finished, one scoop with a flat garden shovel moves the fire back to the main grill area allowing easy caramelizing of your ribs and fast cooks a few burgers for those unexpected gusts who smelled your new BBQ grill smoke.

I had one of these about 5 years ago. It's massive with adjustable charcoal pan and in/out air. If you know how to grill with charcoal, you'll like it--if you're an idiot that thinks your a grillmaster, you will probably screw up dinner on this just as fast as you do on everything else. The only problem I had is that the grates (cast iron) got rusty after the first season, but I'm not exactly vigilant about seasoning cast iron with oil every time. If you slather those suckers up with bacon grease after you grill and brush the grates, you'll be good for a long time. Oh and the air vents remain adjustable. Some cheaper charcoal grills have friction-based air adjustments that cannot be retensioned--this one you can always tighten up. Feels a little wobbly when you drive the wheels over patio bumps, but they all do that. Works great for indirect smoking because it's wide enough to get a big drip pan in the center and many coals on the sides so you don't need to reload charcoal all day, just watch your air and temps. I gave this grill away when I moved to a different state, I kinda regret it. I love old school webers, but this thing was more tweakable and you can lift the charcoal all the way up if you're coals on the verge of dying and you don't feel like lighting off any more.

Exeptional product! As a woman, I generally use a shoe for a hammer and a butter knife for a screwdriver. It looked intmidating when I opened the package, but it was crazy easy to put together. I had it done in 1 1/2 hours and he LOVES IT! He's been grilling every day since I gave it to him! So far the best gift I've given him! One note of advice, all you need is a ratchet set(well, not really sure what it's called, but the thingy with the long handle that makes that clicking sound when you rotate it backwards)and that's all I used!

I have owned this grill for coming up on 7 years. Yes, I do cover it in the Spring and Summer and Fall, and then put it away in a covered shed for the Winter. I have only painted it once, not because it necessarily needed it but I like things to look their best. We have smoked/grilled whole chickens, turkeys (20 lb.), roasts, and everything in between and it has never failed to produce excellent tasting meals. Admittedly, I am not a fan of grilling with propane for a number of reasons (longevity, purchase cost, fuel cost, and dull tasting meals) and find that by using charcoal/wood you have so many more options for grilling and smoking your food.

We started out using Kingsford brand charcoal, then switched to mesquite chunks, and now even cook completely with alder wood for the taste as well as dollar savings. the cast iron grates are wonderful and wire brush easily if needed. I keep them seasoned and have had excellent results. My only bad comment would be about the heavy wire charcoal grate. It has melted out of shape from the fires. This is not a deal breaker in any way, just something to be aware of. I am keeping my eyes open for a cast iron replacement. The grate is a part of the ash pan which easily lifts out for dumping. I do wish it could accomodate a bit more volume of ash but it's quite workable as is. Although this grill has some cut-out portals and screw holes seeming meant to hold a rotisserie attachment, one will not work with this grill.

There you have it - extremely well worth your money. If this one ever wears out I am definitely getting another one and the optional side firebox along with it. I'm done....put one in your Amazon cart and buy it!

This review is of the Pro-Smoker used with the optional side firebox.

First off:

This smoker is good looking and has a large cooking area. It recommends having two people for assembly; I did it easily by myself. Mine came with the small parts packed onto a cardboard sheet and labeled VERY clearly, to give even the most inept an easy assembly experience. Many of the parts are stamped with its orientation right on them, how much easier can it be made? It does take a couple hours to assemble, so allow some time and exercise a little patience.

Its main body is made from cold rolled steel and is very strong. I feel like the included shelves are the weakest components; the supports are not made of quality steel, but are adequate. If you really get into your grilling and smokes, I recommend adding a probe style thermometer into the cover to better indicate the interior temps.

This smoker, like all residential outdoor grills and smokers for less than a grand, is affected by wind. You must keep wind from stealing your heat while smoking. The lower temps used during smoking are greatly affected by wind.

I have owned this smoker now for over three years. I have no issues with rusting or other defects.

Although:

When I first purchased it I had a problem with removing a k-o that allows attachment of the firebox. I significantly damaged my smoker removing this piece. Well, I overcame that issue and soon came upon another; it really didn't smoke to my expectations.

I found that the smoking chamber didn't come up to temps as well as I would have hoped. One side of the smoker was significantly hotter than the other, by over 100 degrees. I had to rotate food and then, even worse, take my food out of the smoker and finish it in my kitchen oven; where is the fun in that? You also couldn't set food close to either side; one was too hot, the other too cool. Thus you could not load up the cooking area to its fullest.

After a lot of research, I found that using charcoal with wood chips is not hot enough to use with the side firebox for smoking (CharGriller doesn't mention this in it included instructions, but it is found on its web site, on its trouble-shooting pages). I found several ideas others used to solve the uneven heating issues, such as inverting the coal pan. I also found some very technical information about smoking principles on a CA BBQ Forum. But the kicker came from a smoker builder out of GA; Lang BBQ Smokers. Mr. Lang has his own design, Reverse Smokers, and boy do they perform. I took the information I found and used a little imagination. With that I was able to create a great little smoker at a HUGE savings over others options.

The Mod:

(This is direct at more die-hard smokers who demand the most from their tools. That being said, these mods are simple enough for almost anyone to do.)

I was out looking at my smoker and knew what I wanted to do, invert the coal pan against the firebox sidewall and turn this into a reverse smoker. But I didn't want to set up a machine shop to accomplish this. I also wanted to still be able to use this as a charcoal grill without hassle. I found that if I held up the coal pan, where I thought it work best form my purposes; there was only a small gap between it and the main body, along its long sides. I thought if I could fill that area I would be off. I looked around at what I had laying around and found an old bed railing. I cut 2 pieces the same length as the coal pan and set them on the bolts that attach the body to the cart. I placed the coal pan over them and it fit almost perfect. I noticed that the bolts that the rails were sitting upon may allow the coal pan to sit a little lower, solving two problems at once (placement of the pan and mounting of the new support rails). I drilled a couple holes in the rails, attached the rails and set the pan on them, and it fit perfectly. I then relocated the smokestack to the firebox side and viola; a Reverse Smoker was born. It fits so well, was so easy to do, used so little additional material and overall works so well that I cannot believe that it wasn't part of the original design.

I also added two large (19 x 12 x 2 inches) broiler pans to add moisture to the smoking chamber. This helps keep the temps more even and add moisture to the foods (at least it helps lesson over drying of foods).

I also now place my wood and charcoal on top of the cast iron grates included in the firebox, instead of using the grate included with the firebox ash pan. This really helps get the temps up in the fire box, thus in the smoker. This has cut my fuel use by more than half, as compared to placing it directly on the ash grate.

You may be wondering why I went through so much hassle. Well, it is because I could not find another horizontal smoker that looked any better at a reasonable price; less than a grand. I really had my heart set on smoking food and I just didn't want to give up on that. I was frustrated, pissed, and then relieved after everything came together. I didn't give up and in the end I have been rewarded with a great smoker at a price I could afford and with great food every time I fire it up. These mods are not for everyone. I wrote this only to show how easily this good smoker could be turned into a GREAT little smoker. There are people who are very serious about smoking and I hope only that this may help some and maybe bring some newbie's into the smokers fold. Yes, it is so worth the effort, you will be amazed.

The mods I made are pictured above with the smoker's description photos. They were all VERY easy, plugging the hole where I relocated the smokestack from was the hardest part, but not impossible. Basically all the additional tools you need are a saw, and a drill and two drill bits, some metal pieces and you're on your way.

Thanks goes to Mr. Lang for creating such a great smoker design. If you want a great smoker without all these mods; try Lang's BBQ Smokers, out of GA, a great value.

This great grill is well thought-out in all its details, and comes at a very reasonable price. I don't understand why anyone buys a Weber.

The Char-Griller is built of heavy steel (not flimsy sheet), and the cooking grates are true cast iron grates (not light wire). The cooking surface is large and easily accessible, and the charcoal grate is adjustable up-and-down, solid, and easily removable. The grates come in several sections, which are easily removed, hot or cold, with the handy cast-iron handle. The warming shelf can be useful, and when it's in the way, it's easy to remove. Air flow is easy to control. Char-Griller's rotisserie attachment lets you roast very large beef roasts, pork loins, or chickens (I did a whole baby lamb!). The shelves, front and side, are handy, as is the built-in thermometer. The storage grate below is large and useful.

There are a few minor things that could be improved. The hooks that hold the charcoal grate are a bit small and fiddly. The side air damper is made of too-light metal, and its control tab broke off. The legs seem a little lightweight compared to the body of the grill. The rotisserie spit runs at the level of the cooking grate, so you can't use them together (a couple of grates will fit, but the charcoal will be too close for the rotisserie if it is the right distance for grilling).

But these are minor. Overall, this is a great charcoal grill and smoker, very reasonably priced.

This is a great grill. It gets hot and cooks the meat so well. You can cook alot in a short span of time and the meat still retains its juices and flavor. You must watch this grill though it gets hot, hot, hot.