Customer Reviews

Cuisinart CCG-100 GrateLifter Portable Charcoal Grill

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Length:: 2:20 Mins

Our family loves to grill. Whether it's charcoal, propane or electric it's a great way to cook. It's been a while since we've used charcoal, not because we don't like it, but because propane is just quick and easy for weeknight dinners. So when I was given the opportunity to try out the Cuisinart GrateLifter Portable Charcoal Grill I was more than happy to do so.

When it arrived I immediately opened it and put it together. This was the easiest grill I've put together in a long time. It was about 10 minutes from opening the box to the last step of placing the grate on the grill. At this point I was happy with both the quality and construction of the grill. The weight is nice, without being to heavy and it's still small enough to be portable like it claims.

We used it to grill the first time this weekend and overall I have no complaints about it's cooking ability. I have to admit, that cooking with charcoal after cooking with propane for so long was a wake up call. I probably overcooked our chicken a bit not being able to adjust the heat, but it was still good. I also used the GrateLifter feature several times to re-arrange the coals so there were no hot spots and to add more charcoal in. I agree that this feature is a very useful addition!

Clean up was easy. I cleaned off the majority of stuck on food while the grill was still hot using a brush similar to the Weber 12-Inch T-Brush and then when the grate was cool I rinsed it a bit more in the kitchen sink. With the coals any that had burned down to ash were brushed into the center so they would drop into the collector to be emptied.

For me this grill was almost a 5 star product and what kept it from being 5 star was that while this is called a portable grill, one of the features I expect is missing; a lock. Now I know that if you are carrying it by the side handles the chance of the top coming open is zero, but put this in the back of a truck, car, RV or similar and there will be the chance of it tipping over and coming open. The last thing I want to find is charcoal and ash spread out for me to clean. For most this will not keep them from buying the Cuisinart GrateLifter Portable Charcoal Grill and it shouldn't, but it was worth mentioning.

If you do decided to buy this grill, be on the look out for the attachable side tables. Currently they are listed on the Cuisinart Website under Outdoor Grilling (Item# CST-152), but not yet available for purchase. I can see that they would come in very handy, especially when using this grill on the go.

When it arrived I was a little nervous because a few loose nuts, bolts and washers fell out of the box. As I removed the rest of the grill a trim piece, another few washers and bolts and thermometer fell out of the box. All were loose in the package. I then took out the instructions and the parts bag - which had the rest of the screws, wingnuts, and washers. One of the washers (they are plastic) was stapled as part of the staple holding the parts bag together. Next, I realized that the instructions didn't match the parts at all. There are not four wingnuts and four adhesive backed washers. There are two adhesive backed washers and two wingnuts. Two are already installed. (This will all make sense when you are looking at it.) Not a big deal. I was able to easily figure it out, but it did not match the pictures at all. Installing the top on the base requres turning it 90 degrees to get the handle to fit under the base. Next, I figured out how to assemble the trim pieces surrounding the thermometer. (This obviously fell apart during shipping, but I was able to find all of the pieces and put it back together.) Finally, I was left with one small screw, nut and washer. Where did they come from? I inspected the grill and found one of the screws was missing on the side handles. There are three screws holding each side of each handle on. I put that back together and everything was assembled. (Two stars on assembly quality and instruction.)

Finally, I grilled. It worked great for a few burgers and buns. I let it burn for an hour initially to burn off the brand new smell of the inside parts.

It works great and is easy to adjust temperature. It gets VERY hot, and I had to use oven gloves to open the top. Once it was fully cool, I was able to dump the unused coals and move it.

Five stars for the grill. Two for assembly and shipping (no damage to the box or anything else to explain the problems.) This yields four stars for me since I was able to fix the assembly issues.

This charcoal grill will not disappoint you. If it seems pricey - It is worth every penny! I truly enjoy barbequing with this grill. It makes cleanup of the ashes a breeze. Even though this is considered a portable grill - I use it as my main grill. It is so convenient.

Received the product last Wed. The box arrived intact without any sign of damage. The product was packed nicely in a sturdy box. Upon assembly, I found out the following defect. The front left screw hole wasn't aligned properly. It was impossible to attach the leg to the grill. The right lever to engage/disengage the graterlifter felt apart. I could correct these defects easily, but is this the quality that we should expect from Cuisinart? This is a clear biq production defect. Let's hope this is just an isolated incident and the replacement that I requested would meet the quality that I expect from Cuisinart.

Our family loves summer cookouts and we've always owned a charcoal grill that gives the foods that great flavor that you never get with a gas grill. I've owned so many different brands of charcoal grills over the years and I've never had one without something I didn't like about it. My biggest complaints have always been with the grill design itself- handles that are flimsy for lifting, can't really control the heat temperature even with vents, trying to lift a hot grate full of food to add more coals or wood chips, and especially the clean up!

Cuisinart has designed the BEST Portable Charcoal Grill I've ever owned in the 34 years I've been grilling outdoors! I've owned both portable and standing grills and I definitely prefer the portable ones. You can always buy a stand for your portable to make it a standing grill, and Cuisinart makes a great stand for their portable grills, but you can't beat the portability when you want to take your grill with you on picnics, games, camping or to the beach!

When I first opened the box, putting it together took about 3 minutes. After positioning the grill on the base stand, making sure to maneuver the stand around the ash frame, also making sure the bottom vent bar is UNDER the frame bar of the stand, there are only 4 screws and wing nuts to tighten around 8 plastic washers (you'll see 2 washers have sticky backs to stay in place on the base stand), and you're done. This portable grill is a sturdy 23 pounds with heavy sturdy long solid bar handles for lifting. The grill is perfecly sized for both portability and for grilling a family sized dinner. The grill itself is 25 inches long, 17 inches wide and 16 inches high. The grate is 17 1/2 inches long by 13 inches wide. I fit 2 whole cut up chickens on this grate, or 12 burgers, or 4 large steaks or 6 medium steaks! The size of the grate is really made for full, complete family meals!

The entire grill body and grate is made with a heavy porcelain enamel coating, which means easy cleaning with soaking in soapy water with a dish rag. No more scouring forever with mesh soap pads! This is a dream for me, as I have always hated the scouring of those grates, and I always use a coating of oil (Pam now makes a great one for the intense heat of grills) on the grate to avoid the scrubbing. There is a 16 inch by 12 inch tray for holding the coals and a large 5 inch hole underneath for ashes to go into the large 6 inch by 2 inches deep removeable ash collection bin.

For perfect cooking temperatures, there are two large vents, a bottom vent above the ash bin to make the coals hotter and a top 12 inch vent to let out the heat. There is a temperature gauge on the lid for Fahrenheit 100-600 degrees and for Celsius 50-300 degrees, so you can maintain and watch whatever temperature you need. This is a feature that always makes for perfect results on the grill!

Cuisinart has made the PERFECT design for the grill grate itself! I have always hated when I need to add more coals or wood chips or just move the coals or ashes around with a hot grate full of delicious food. This grill has a lift system! With 2 levers- one on each side that you push at the same time, you can engage the lift system or release it! When engaged, you open the lid and the grill grate lifts up and back as well, sitting 6 inches above the coals. When not engaged, the grate sits 3 inches above the coals. What a great feature for not having to disturb your arranged food! In addition to this great feature, Cuisinart designed the lid to be easily removed by sliding out 2 cotter pins on two small hinge bars. This is not only great for cleaning, but I have a friend who likes to put in more coals than normal for her children to make toasted marshmallows with a higher flame that would ruin the lid. With this feature, she can remove the lid and make her little fire without damaging the lid! Cuisinart thought of everything when they made this portable grill!

Before using this grill for the first time, you have to start your coals, opening both top and bottom vents, keeping the lid closed for 15 minutes. This heat cleans the internal parts and dissipates any enamel paint odors. Cuisinart has a 30 day damage to enamel warranty as well as a full 3 year free from defects warranty. In 34 years of owning charcoal grills, this is THE BEST DESIGNED GRILL I have ever owned. With an easy set-up, precision air flow, exact temperature readings, grill lift system, coal tray, large ash bin, sturdy portability, removable lid, easiest non scouring clean up and a 3 year warranty, all I need now is to find a fabulous Grilling Cook Book and I'm already looking at Bobby Flay's!

Overall, the grill deserves slightly less than 4 stars; it appears to be a decent charcoal unit with issues as noted, but works reasonably well for its primary intended purpose.

(1) Assembly Issues: As has been noted earlier the front screws do not quite match the hole they are supposed to go in to. For me this was an issue of applying enough pressure and pulling to get the screw in there, but it needless crap to put up with. Remove some points. Otherwise, the assembly is easy.

(2) Finish. My unit arrived with a chip in the outer green enamel and a rust spot. This is the issue with online shopping. Ideally, I'd like to return it and get one without the (even small) chip; but do I really want to go through the trouble and wait again? No. That's why I really wanted to buy this unit in a local store but could not find a retailer that actually stocked and sold it. Cuisinart looses more points.d

(3) Grate-lifter system is a little flimsy.
For me this wasn't a big selling point to begin with because I use a charcoal chimney to start the coals. The mechanism is nonetheless a bit flimsy for those who may be interested in this feature. The instruction clearly state to remove the cooking grate and start the chimney in the charcoal pan itself. So, I have to touch the "dirty grill" anyway! But, I can see where this might come in handy when *adding* coals to an already hot grill.

But, if you put up with all this, you get a grill that seems to work as well as expected in this price range for its primary intended purpose -- grilling.

My feedback for Cuisinart:
* Improve your fit and finish. You should protect your already established name.
* Add a "lock" of some sort to hold the lid in place when transporting the unit.

After years of using what i would call "disposable" portable grills I wanted something sturdy to last. I also wanted a larger grill area and this grill meets both those expectations. Important for me was the legs and/or stand base it sits on. Not flimsy and made very sturdy. Can stand up to the abuse of consistantly being tightly packed in a trunk, cargo area etc along with many other items. There is no worrying about cheap, loose, or wobbling legs when you arrive at your destination. The grill grate also is sturdy and not flimsy. In fact the whole grill in general is certainly above any other portable grill I have owned in terms of being sturdy. Along with the larger cooking area it certainly puts it above any other tabletop grill.

The reasons it doesnt get a five star. The coal tray is of the flat tray, preforated type instead of the grill type. This type of tray does not allow (in my opinion) for maximum air flow. That not to say the grill doesnt get hot because it does and it cooks well. Vents work well too. However it does tend to get cooler in an area or two especially when driipings may fall on the coals and into the tray in a specific area. This would never happen to me on any other grill that utilized a coal grill instead of a coal tray. And also the fact the the coal tray is not very deep nor is it too far away from the food. This does not allow for a multi layer/s of coal. Also the tray (vs a grill type) doesnt allow for burned coal to easily fall away. The combination of these three issues concerning the tray adds up to the fact that it does not allow for very good extended grilling times. This creates more work with the adding and moving of coals vs other grills. Yes the gratelifter helps with this but still more work so it kind of negates the fact. It cooks great and happy with it but this one fact is a draw back for me and what I use the grill for. I am even considering getting a grate that would fit where the coal tray goes and using it instead. However if (like most people) you get it hot, cook your food and maybe some seconds, and your done, then this would not be an issue at all.

The other reason for not a five star is the price. As said, it is certainly well built. Will stand up to some abuse and seems it will last years if (like anything else) maintained well. However it is pricey. More cost than I think it should be. But on the other hand i'm tired of the "disposable" grills. Its kind of a catch-22 between throwing money away on garbage or spending too much for something better.

Bottom line. If you want a portable tabletop and only use the grill few times a year/season then I'd say the cheaper grills would be the way to go. In that sense (with not much use or constant packing) you would probably get a long life out of the cheaper ones anyway so why over pay for something better. However If you have the nead to grill with a portable tabletop many times and/or nead it to withstand the constant moving around etc... then in that case I'd say yes to purchasing this grill even though you would unfortunately get stuck paying more than I think its worth but what can you do.

This grill works great! It is a good size- not so huge that it won't fit in your car to carry with you on a trip, but not so small that you can only cook one thing at a time. I also really like that it is a charcoal grill. I have a small portable gas grill, but the taste just isn't the same as when charcoal is used.

I also really like that there is a temperature gauge on this grill. I don't have another grill with this feature, and I think it is fabulous to know what temperature you are cooking at, so you know when to put in and take out your meat. And, as the grate lifts fairly easily (sometimes it gets stuck, though- be careful!), it's easy to add more charcoal to heat the grill up quicker.

I do think the assembly instructions were a bit hard to follow. Not sure if it was just me, but I don't think the parts exactly matched what we were given! Also, it was hard to screw the grill onto the base. This is because of the air hole handle thing (sorry- that is not a correct term, but it's the part that you open and shut to either let in or block out air) is in the way, and you have to bend it so that it goes under the base's bar before you can screw it on properly. Or, at least, that's what *I* had to do to get it to work. Other people may have done differently!

Overall, a good grill with a few assembly issues. But the food tasted great coming off it, and that's the important part!

This portable bbq grill come with lots of features for its size.
The Goods:
- Very sturdy construction
- Temperature gauge included
- Side locks which lifts grill tray for easy access to charcoal
- Changeable vents on top and bottom of grill case allows good control of air flow
- Handy tray at bottom to collect ashes, makes cleaning a snap

The Bad:
- Larger than expected for a 'portable' (not by much though)

For something called "portable," there is quite a bit of surface area to work with on this grill. My dad commented on this, as he has a lot of experience with a portable grill that could not cook much food at a time. I think that is what I want to make most clear in this review. This is not a little toy. This is like a monster appliance. It will fit in the car and can be popped onto a park table or a relatively small balcony, but it is quite weighty and is not as easy to move around as the smaller options. With that said, I think it is a good trade-off, because the extra size makes this grill much more versatile. A fairly large family could easily make dinner on it and there doesn't need to be a large area devoted to storing it while not in use. Its significant size also makes it more difficult for someone to grab and run off with.

Oh, and they will want to! The green finish is beautiful and typical of Cuisinart kitchen products. Almost everything feels unusually solid, with thick metal and thoughtful design. Airflow control is super simple for a novice (me), and the thermometer in the lid allows you to precisely control the temperature. I found this control very impressive and intuitive. Since the grill may be placed on many surfaces, it's also important that it doesn't make a mess. A convenient tray at the bottom catches the ashes for easy disposal, and after cooking greasy burgers, we didn't find any stains around the grill. I would not have any reservations about using this on a deck.

The one con I have is the GrateLifter system controls. Great idea, but the knobs that allow you to select whether or not you want the grating to lift with the grill lid are not constructed as well as the rest of the unit. In fact, one of mine came completely loose out of the box, meaning I had to hold it up every time I opened the lid to prevent the grate from lifting on one side and tilting the food over. I can probably fix this simply with a washer to tighten it up (the knob is simply held in place with a spring pin), but I found it disappointing. It could be a very isolated defect, and I will let you know if I contact Cuisinart for repairs. Regardless, this is weakest point of the construction.

Other than that small issue, this is an amazing grill and is a joy to operate. If you want to make delicious food and impress all your friends on a grill that's easy to move and store, I recommend it.

Edit: I purchased another of these and the spring pins were okay out of the box, but that element is still the weakest link of an otherwise very nice design.