Customer Reviews

Char-Griller 5050 Duo Gas-and-Charcoal Grill

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I used a Weber charcoal grill for years. I used it to grill and smoke. I loved the taste of charcoal, but finally got tired of the hassle. When I saw the duo, I thought my prayers had been answered. They were....but not really.

This is definitely the most versatile grill on the market (I added the smoker box) but they could have done so much more to make it a 'great' grill. When I saw the price tag, I was worried about the craftmanship. My worries were justified.

First, the materials that the grill is made out of are pretty good. The steel is heavy, the grills are solid, and the frame is rigid. The problem is the design and craftsmanship. A previous reviewer complained about the wheels being cheap plastic. Chargriller must have taken the advice, because the wheels that I have are fairly solid. It took about 2 hours to put the grill together by myself. While putting it together, I noticed the charcoal side and smoker are far from air-tight, not good for charcoal and smoking. You want a very tight charcoal grill so temperature can be controlled precisely by the dampers (the Weber I had was as tight as a drum). This grill is far from air-tight. The area around the lid has about a 1/4 inch gap and the smoker has many many areas where the pieces don't fit together perfectly. There are also a few holes in the smoker where screws for the feet would have gone (the smoker can also be a standalone grill). All these gaps and cracks make it nearly impossible to control the heat. With all the dampers closed, I should be able to smother the fire/coals/wood, but the grill burns at 400+ degrees even with all the dampers closed!!!

Other Cons:

- When the lids are open, the warming racks go up/back right over the lid. Anything that drips off the warming rack goes right down the lid and onto the ground behind the grill. I found this out the hard way after an afternoon of cooking burgers. What a mess!

- There are no bumpers around the grilling perimeter. One bad spatula or tong move and your meat will slide right off in any direction! They should have at least put a bumper in the back!

- The joints aren't tight. Any grease that drips down on the propane side in the corners between the bottom and side pieces of the grill goes right between the two pieces of metal and drips on the propane tank.

- No natural gas option

Pros:

- Propane, charcoal, smoker, side stove. Nuff said

- Cover that was ordered separately covers everything, including smoker box.

- Lots of grilling surface

- Grill plates are nice, solid, iron.

All in all, I would have paid $500 for this grill if it were of better quality. I'm not to upset, because I feel I got what I paid for, a substandard grill at a low price.

Ok, so this is for the grill, NOT the price. Amazon's price on this item is WAY too high but that isn't what the review is for... I got mine at a sporting goods store for under $250 so shop around.

This is a fantastic grill, it is really versitile.

Pros:

- Allows you to cook with charcoal, gas, or smoke (with the optional side firebox)

- The 3 burners on the gas side are close to the cooking surface which makes it really easy to control the cooking temperature.

- The side firebox somes with cooking grates for grilling 1-2 steaks

Cons:

- The grease pan is difficult to clean

- The ash tray can be cumbersome to remove

- It could really use some better wheels, this is a HEAVY grill if you have the firebox attached and moving it around is tough.

- No option for using natural gas as a fuel source

The Cons are all relatively minor in my opinion. This is a great grill, I'd buy another one for sure.

I did not purchase the grill on Amazon, way too much money. Lowes has it for $329. Only problem is the wheels. Chargriller customer sevice wasn't helpful. I purchased new steel wheels and a 1/2 diameter metal steel rod and it fixed the problem. I plan on purchasing the side fire box and will install wheels on the other end of the grill. With the side box it makles it very heavy to cart around.

My husband and I searched and searched for a grill that could do both charcoal and gas. I found this one on Amazon. I love the fact that it offers a smoking option. The burners on the gas side fire up easily and on the charcoal side you can raise and lower the rack you put the charcoal on. It's heavy enough that it hasn't once tipped over from strong winds.(I've had that problem with other grills I've had.) I also like the fact that the gas and the charcoal are completely separate. You can smoke meat on the charcoal side while you are cooking on the gas side. I've had the grill for almost a year and it still works great!

On the con side...

-It rusts easily, even with putting vegetable oil on the surfaces like it directs you too. You have to clean out the charcoal ashes after every use and it's not the easiest to clean. The rack that holds the charcoal doesn't come off the rack that catches the ashes, so rust is bound to form. You will definitely need the cover, unless you plan on storing it inside out of the elements when not in use. A heads up on the cover...although it fits the grill perfectly, it doesn't have elastic on the bottom to stop it from coming off in the wind. We used a couple bungee cords to hold the cover on and that is working great.

-The grease drip pan on the gas side doesn't fully come off making that difficult to clean as well.

Even despite it's cons, I would recommend this grill. It serves it's purpose for the quickness of gas, but also the flavor of charcoal.

First and foremost, I like this grill. For the person that grills occasionally, (once every couple weeks) this could be the grill for you. But for the hardcore BBQ enthusiast who barbecues at least twice a week, this grill leaves a lot to be desired. I have owned it for about a year now and here is my assessment:

What I like about it:

The grill is a great price for what you are getting. Gas, Charcoal, and Smoker. The cooking space is fairly good. If you get the gas and charcoal sides going together, you can definitely cook for an entire party. The quality of the grill materials are adequate. The storage area below and in front are convenient, however more would be better. The side burner is awesome and extremely useful for cooking sides or heating up the charcoal chimney. On the charcoal side, there is a lot of versatility in that you can raise the charcoal grid up or down closer or further to the food, and the grilling surface is divided into sections so that you can get at the charcoal while cooking if need be, and it works well for indirect cooking.

What I don't like:

The grill was kind of a pain to put together. I added the optional smoker barrel which was especially difficult. As other reviewers have indicated, on the charcoal/smoking side there are many leaks, cracks and holes where air flows through making it nearly impossible to control the temps. Furthermore, the weld on the handle side of the smoker firebox is virtually nonexistent and when I pull the handle to move the grill it pulls the entire side open. I am not a welder so I can't fix it, and it contributes to air leaks. I barbecued tonight and nearly four hours later the coals are still smoldering with all of the vents closed completely! Bad for real barbecuing.

The grill is difficult to move around if you need to. I added wheels to the other legs which helped tremendously. The gas side flame is a little to week. I wish it got a little hotter for searing steaks and chicken breasts. Also, there is no control of the vent on the gas side which would be nice. Also on the gas side, my cut out for the propane tank is not big enough so the tank always sits in there off kilter. I can force it in but when I do, it is nearly impossible to remove. As a side note on the negative side, don't plan on doing beer can chickens on this grill. The top "warming rack" combined with the low lid height isn't big enough to fit a chicken upright. I forced one in and made it work but it was touching the top of the lid.

In conclusion: I would recommend this grill for the novice who just wants the mediocre of both worlds gas/charcoal. I would not recommend this grill for serious Q. I plan on getting rid of this grill and getting a nice Weber-type gas grill for gas, and a ceramic grill such as the Big Green Egg or more likely the Primo Oval XL for charcoal. Thanks for reading and happy barbecuing!

...no joke - and we grill a lot.

It is steel, so you will have to take care of it, like you would your cast iron skillet (those of you who don't use one, maybe this isn't the grill for you).

Season it a few times and keep it covered in bad weather and she's sweet.

Others on here are right though, you can definitely find it cheaper.

Of course you can pick it apart just like the $2,500 stainless monsters, but for the money you can't go wrong with this combo.

I've had the grill now for 3 months, and it has been absolutely amazing; however, I'd suggest shopping around (the Amazon price was $100 more than I paid for it and $60 more than I paid for the side fire box). This grill seriously does it all. It was easy to assemble; it took my wife and I 90 minutes or so (and we had a movie on, so a focused couple could easily do it in half that time). Don't fret when the entire thing is oily; that's a vegetable oil coating for protection. It has an amazing amount of cooking space, and heats very evenly. It's nice that the charcoal height is even adjustable while grilling (though oven mitts recommended to raise/lower the charcoal height). This grill has made cooking so easy during the week (gas side), and so enjoyable on the weekends (charcoal side). I've cooked for 30 people with this grill in half the time of my old one. Seriously, a fantastic product at an amazing price.

Pros

--Option of either charcoal or gas, or both

--Side burner for lighting charcoal chimney (or preparing side dishes)

--Optional side fire box smokes a damn good brisket

--Relatively easy to assemble

--Quality made

Cons

--Can get heavy to move around (especially with side fire box attached)

--Expensive on Amazon. Shop around.

All in all, the most amazing grill I've ever owned. Seriously consider this when weighing your grill options.

I bought this grill with high hopes (but not enough knowledge.) It had exactly what I needed, gas for convenience and charcoal/smoke for cooking low and slow. For the first 6 months I loved it! I smoked brisket, ribs, pork shoulder and other BBQ treats (I am a Texan, so I have a legacy to uphold) every other weekend and had good success. I bought the manufacturers custom cover. Sadly, within the first year the outside was covered with rust, even with regular use of the cover. Within 18 months the metal ledge inside the gas side of the grill that hold the grates up had rusted though, making the grill unusable. I called Chargriller and found that they warranty the charcoal side of the grill body for 5 years, but the gas only 1. Both sides are made of the same material. Obviously they were aware that the materials used on the gas side were not up to snuff.

I have spoken with their service department and they are nice, friendly and ultimately of no help. After they pointed out I had no warranty i said "So, I guess I am out of luck." The rep said "well, that doesnt sound very good." I said "But it does describe my situation, right?" She couldnt help but agree.

Sometimes a great seeming product at a great seeming price is just too good to be true.

I got this grilled ($309) from Amazon last year before the price went up. The shipping was free then. For the price I paid, this Char-griller duo provides all the functions I need. You can't beat that. I even got a rotisserie rod from Char-griller. With a slight modification, I was able to add the rotisserie on the charcoal side of the grill.

The cleaning of the charcoal ash is a little messy. Otherwise, I have no complaint.

I bought a Char Griller 5050 less than 18 months ago and love the grill. However, yesterday we uncovered the grill to use it for the first time this spring and half of the base is rusting very badly.

I hardly use the grill during the winters and keep it covered with the grill cover they sell for it at all times it is not used and we wash the grill down to keep it clean at regular intervals. It seems remarkable that it should be rusting at all with a grill so new.

I contacted the company and they will NOT assist with the rusting problem.

Summary, like the grill but it is falling apart way too quickly. Buy a Weber, it will last longer.