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.
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.
Buy Char-Griller 5050 Duo Gas-and-Charcoal Grill Now
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.
Read Best Reviews of Char-Griller 5050 Duo Gas-and-Charcoal Grill Here
My dad bought me this grill as a house warming present when I moved to Texas in October of 2010. At this point it is less than 10 months old. Originally it worked great. I have used the gas side, the charcoal side and have smoked ribs and chicken using the attached fire (smoke) box.A few comments about the assembly. Lots of parts but it goes together easily enough.
1)The smoke box just kind of hangs on the side with no real support built in. Pretty flimsy.
2)The tabs that hold the charcoal grill rack are very weak and I actually broke one off during installation.
3)The stainless indirect food racks are flimsy and are held in place by screwing a nut onto a screw. The nut is not fixed and the screw and nut assemblies continue to loosen and come undone through use.
5) The unit is rusting out terribly in the side burner side wall of the gas chamber. .
6) (The Biggy). This unit must have some kind of design flaw. Three times now, the unit has completely caught on fire. The first time it happened I was cooking burgers for the family. Eight to ten burgers. The side walls, bottom, and grease tray completely became engulfed in flames. I was able to put the fire out with a hose but thought I was going to have to call the fire department. I completely cleaned the unit thinking that I had overused it. It happened again two uses later and then again when I was out of town and my wife and sons had to deal with it. I won't let them use it when I am not around now and am going to call Lowe's to see if it can be replaced or returned.
I know a thing or two about grills and was in the barbeque restaurant business for 9 years. I have never seen anything like this. Please post if you have had the same problems.
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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.
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