"Cleaning it is a pain" Not really. In fact, it's pretty easy since the grates come off and the infrared panels come out too. I clean it after every use and is very easy. I could see it becoming a pain if you: use lots of sweet/syrupy sauces and NEVER clean it. Then yes, things could get crusty. If you don't have time to clean it after EVERY use, just leave it on high heat for about 10 min after cooking and all the crud brushes off pretty easily.
"It Rusts" Still no problem here. If you don't clean it, let it sit in the rain, and never treat the grates, yes, you will get rust just like every grill. If you take care of the grates by wiping them/spraying them with vegetable oil after every other use, they will hold up just fine. Same with the infrared panels. If you keep your grill outside...clean it, oil it, COVER IT.
"Flair-ups still happen" No. They don't. This is one thing that I really like about this grill. No matter how many greasy burgers you have going, you don't have to worry about opening the lid and being surprised with a huge bon fire. This grill doesn't "catch on fire" like others.
My Thoughts: The only reason I'm not giving this a full five stars is because of two things:
First: it takes about 10-15min to get it hot enough to start cooking...which is pretty standard for most grills. However, Some people say that it can't produce a good sear. If you want something seared, best to wait over 20min...it works, you just have to be patient.
Second: The heat is a little uneven. Granted, it only takes one or two uses to grasp the heat distribution, it can be a tricky at first. The back edge gets hotter than the front but the center is very even. If you're cooking something, just keep an eye on what's happening in back...you'll probably have to swap the front meat with the rear stuff half way through cooking. If you wanna visually see how the heat is distributed, go out an buy a cheap loaf of white bread. Turn on the grill and then line the entire grill surface with the bread. Give it a few minutes then turn it off and flip over your now toasty bread. Now you can see where the heat is.I am a grill fanatic so when it was time to pick out a new one, research was a borderline obsession of mine. I settled on this IR grill from Char-Broil.
The major, most important thing to consider about this grill is that it cooks much more quickly than your standard LP grills and is a lot more like charcoal in that sense. You need to "relearn" grilling times to an extent but once you do, you'll have the best grilled foods you could possibly imagine! Here are the things I love most about it and really helped make my mind up about this one over its competitors.
Best Features:
-Temp gauges at the grilling surface: I've never seen this on any other grills before and helps to keep an eye on the temperature where it matters: at the surface. You don't measure your stove top temps at the hood, do you? Exactly.
-Folding shelves: this allows the grill to become extremely compact and makes for easy storage out on the porch. It also makes it an ideal choice for people in smaller residences like apartments, condos, townhomes, etc.
-Infrared: By far, the most important thing! It's not all "marketing hype", it truly makes a huge difference! IR will sear the outside of the food and "trap" the juices inside, making EVERYTHING more juicy than you can even imagine! Plus, it makes really cool sear marks. Like I said, pay attention to cook times, though, as stuff cooks extremely quick on this. If you don't have one, I'd suggest an instant read thermometer as well.
There simply isn't a better grill in this size or price range. Period, bar none. And if you need a bigger grill, I'd look at Char Broil's Quantum grills that are bigger instead of straying. One of the best purchases I've made in a LONG time!
Buy Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves Now
Pros: Very well designed and manufactured~ Good fit and finish~ Sturdy, solid grill~ The infrared is a completely unique cooking technique that works and works well~ The top, front door, grates, burners and infrared emmiters and hardware are all stainless steel~ Seems to use less propane than conventional gas grill~ Temp gauges seem to be accurate and solid~ Allows you to burn woodchips or natural wood charcoal directly on the grates its amazing and soo easy to do!!~ The best grill I have ever owned....or used for that matter!!~ If your in the market for a $300 grill, buy this thing!Cons: Not too sure about the Surefire start system as of yet. The button has to be pushed just right but once it is... click click boom its lit!~ Ikea has nothing on Char-Broil in the "Uhhh I have to put ALL OF THIS together?" catagory~ If your not a handy person with a good set of basic tools, you better hope your friend or neighbor is!~ I am a handy person and this was a pretty long build to do by my self(3+ Hours). I don't know if this is really such a con, but for some it may be so i figured I would mention it. One reason it takes so long is because it is a well built grill with a lot of heavy duty hardware and support brackets ~ LOTS OF PARTS TO ASSEMBLE!
Read Best Reviews of Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves Here
This grill isn't going to cook 30 steaks at once, but if your space and/or budget is limited it really is a good option. Electronic ignition works like a charm, grill heats fast, easy to use, easy to clean. Very sturdy and good looking.Another reviewer has noted the assembly required. The cover of the instructions says 30 minutes. I doubt it!! The two of us accomplished it in 2 hours 15 minutes. That included unpacking and inventorying the parts. The grill parts are well packaged and arrived in perfect condition.
The instructions could be improved, but we were able to figure it out. A couple of places are very difficult to get the screws into--especially at the top of the fascias. The caster wrench provided doesn't really do the trick.
We needed 3 sizes of Phillips screwdrivers, one right angle screwdriver, pipe pliers (to attach the casters), small crescent wrench and a pocket knife.
Great grill for the money, though. The burners heat hot and fast and you may find grilling times shorter depending on what you were using before. We are very happy with our purchase and highly recommend this grill.
Want Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves Discount?
How can I begin explaining how awesome this grill is! After a couple years of having rust as a condiment I began the search for a new grill. I was intrigued by this "Infrared" stuff and decided this was the way to go. I decided on this one because of its size; after all, it's just me and my wife. We were hesitant at first because we've always owned the larger grills but we went ahead with the purchase. All I can say is WOW!Assembly: A little more involved than other grills but not complicated. I'm not a rocket scientist and did well. However, if you buy it somewhere that will assemble it for you, it's worth a couple extra bucks.
Cooking: MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS AND SEASON THE COOKING SURFACES! This is the first time I've ever done that and it truly makes a difference (more on this later). It is true that if you're used to cooking on an open flame grill you'll have to re-learn your cooking times. The first thing I cooked on it was steaks and I swear. . .they were better than any I've had before. Ruth's Criss has nothin' on me! I cook my steak medium and usually this means warm pink in the CENTER. My steaks were warm and pink THROUGHOUT! The searing capability of this grill is phenomenal! Nothing but a good, melt in your mouth, juicy steak! No flare ups meant no charred corners or fat. When we were done there were no little burnt pieces pushed to the side.
Clean up: Another huge plus! This is where seasoning the cooking surface comes in. While cooking, nothing sticks turning your food does not mean tearing your meat apart. We all have cranked our grills on high in the hopes of burning off the crud. Well with this grill, it truly turns everything to ash! Clean up is quick and simple!
So if you value your grilling get this one. Infrared will help make you a true master! Infrared cooking is simple and almost worry free. If this size is too small for you they do make larger ones.
My hat's off to you Charbroil!
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