My Dad just bought a new Weber grill for himself and asked me if I wanted his two year old Char Broil three-burner infrared grill. I said sure as my Grillmaster is rusting from the inside out.
I haven’t used it yet but online commentary doesn’t look good. Many people regret buying this kind of grill as apparently the heat diffuser that separates the open flame from the food is a pain in the ass to clean.
So…any experiences, comments, tips or tricks? This seems gimmicky to me but I am going to giver her a whirl. It’s been immaculately maintained, so no rust yet.
I’ve had one for a few years now. It’s the one that’s called “red” and has the half barrel shaped trough under the grates.
Cooks great with no flare up at all. Want some smoke flavor? Just drop some wood chips between the grates. No need to soak them in water first. Gets hotter than hell too.
Only problem with mine is that the trough is showing signs of rust. :mad: I had a cover for the grill, but stopped using it. So water can get in and sit in the trough. I need to call about a replacement I guess.
Thanks for the response, Gary. I’ve eaten food off this grill at my parents house several times, and it seems okay…haven’t noticed anything spectacular. I have to say though that cooking meat is about the only thing my Dad can quasi-get right so in my hands I might experience a difference from a “normal” grill.
I can’t understand why they call it “infrared”. It’s totally marketing. There’s nothing “infrared” about it…it’s just defrayed indirect heat using diffuser inserts between the grates and the flames with pinholes in them to reduce flare-ups (I guess). I’m trying to figure out if there are any other significant advantages to this grill that are going to outweigh the egregious cleaning of those little pinhole things between each use that make this thing worth using. Yes, I know it was free. But it’s only two years old, in “almost new” condition and apparently my Dad hated it enough to go back to a traditional Weber grill, so there’s something negative about it.
I’ve had one of these for about a year… It’s alright. I can understand the comments about cleaning the grates, but the grill comes with a pretty handy tool to do it. I scrape the grates with this tool about once every 3 or 4 uses and I’ve never had an issue with clogged holes. The grill is really convenient, and gets super hot really quick. The “infrared” cooking just means the cooking is done through radiation and conduction, not convection (there’s not much hot air moving around in the grill).
I will say this: It’s REALLY important to properly season the grates… I didn’t and they began to discolor and rust almost immediately. Now that I’ve cleaned them up and keep 'em greasy, I haven’t had a problem.
They make, or made, two types. The one with the flat plates with the holes was called a Quantum, the one I have, with the solid trough under the grates, was called Red. However, looking at their website I can’t find any good photos, and some sites seem to show the Quantum series as discontinued.
I have one of their Red series grills. It sits right next to my Weber Summit Series gas grill. The Weber blew one of the burners and melted a couple of the knobs. We were having people over so I had to get something quick.
I actually like it a lot. I think though that this may be different than the one you have as the clean up is a piece of cake. You just remove the defuser (no holes) and spray it with a hose and maybe a quick going over with a wire brush.
I still plan to fix the Weber, but no rush… this one works just fine and is even easier for smoking. Ok, not true smoking, but adding some wood chips while grilling.
Well those reviews aren’t encouraging and it definitely isn’t the same as the one I have.
But… you paid exactly $0 for it. Use it a few times and see what you think. If you like it, great… if not sell it for $0 + $x and take the $x and use it toward a new grill that you have fully researched. Maybe even find an internet message board somewhere where you could pick the brains of smart people who love to grill (wish I knew where to direct you for something like that).