First, I will provide a brief description of my previous grill, which is as a basis for comparison in case you are debating this grill versus other larger and more traditional grilling systems. Then, I will provide a summary of my findings related to the other comments you see throughout the review thread. Sorry for the long thread, but I'm hoping folks will find the confirmations and/or rebuttals of the findings of others to be helpful.
I bought this grill to replace a commercial series stainless char-broil gas grill that I had for five years and used extensively. While the older grill was good as compared to grills in its class/price range, it was subject to the typical ills of long-burner systems with flavorizer bars to reduce flareups. It was only moderately effective, so costco steaks (1" thick with a 1/4" fat edge) tended to cause massive flare-ups and if not managed carefully, burned the steaks beyond recognition. I am not exaggerating when I say that I had 1.5 ft high flames coming out the back of the grill one time when I wasn't paying close enough attention. The fat melts and flares up horribly. While I really liked the cast iron grates, they were rusting pretty badly at the five year mark. The grill did do a good job of imparting that gas grill flavor, and was perfect for ribs and other long-cooking items at low temperature.
Now for the Patio Bistro. First, a summary of the other comments you may have seen, and the ones I saw commonly stated all turned out to be true.
1. Assembly is not difficult, but is time consuming. Took about and hour. Lots of parts. Some people complained about parts not fitting together well, but mine were perfectly aligned and no problems. One trick, and I do this with everything I assemble after lots of ikea assembly experience, is to wait to tighten all the nuts until everything is together. One annoying design feature is that the wire lead for the ignitor partially blocks the drip tray. Also, as another customer mentioned, the caps are already installed on the wheels. I broke one of the caps trying to get it offthey are super tight. Very annoying. Char-broil would probably replace it if I asked, but I don't care enough to spend the time to do so.
2. You can't see the flame, so the first time I used it, I thought it was lit and didn't realize for sure it wasn't until I smelled gas. To turn it off, you have to turn the knob past the ignitor. It ignited with gusto, displacing the grate. Kinda scary. But now I know to hold the ignitor in the on position until I see the flames flare out around the round burner protector, and there is also a hole on the back of the grill you can look in for confirmation. I don't see it as a problem once you get used to it.
3. The grill is 'not infrared'? I don't know what the technical definition of infrared is, so I don't know if this is true. I previously thought infrared grills used those white ceramic flat burners with little holes in them. This grill does not, and instead uses a round gas tube that is covered by a round metal shield to prevent flare-ups. Some sites describe infrared as a technology that uses high heat and high efficiency, without referring to physical burner characteristics. The grilling surface is stainless and has a flat bottom with many small holes. So far, following the manufacturer instructions and burning off the junk after each use has kept the holes clear and functional.
4. The heat is intense. (Some people alternatively claim that they have not enough heat, but surely those grills are defective). This thing gets up to 700 degrees in less than 15 minutes.
5. Food is cooked fast and evenly. Definitely true to me, almost to a fault. Heats up way faster and more evenly than my previous grill, and cooks burgers the best I've ever had. Back to our Costco steaksthe good news is no flare-ups (a huge benefit). The bad news is that the recommended instructions left the outside seared beautifully and the inside bloody. Had to cut the steaks in half for the second round to get decent results. This technology is awesome for your standard grocery store steaks and burgers, but is a little tougher to use for thick cuts of meat. I've only had it a week, so it may be possible, but I haven't had thick steak success yet. Burgers and thin steaksawesome. One catch is that the 'gas' flavor is not as intense as my previous grill, but the flavor is still excellent.
6. Some people complain that the cover (available for purchase separately) is poor quality, and it's about $30. I purchased a different Char-broil cover Char-Broil 2186140 Patio Caddie Grill Cover for $10 and it seems to be decent quality and good fit.
7. The grill is heavy, especially with the tank. There is a handle under the control knob, but moving it with that handle is not easy, especially if the surface is not perfectly flat (like, say, my patio).
8. FYI, this does not come with a gas tank. Factor this into the cost. The good news is that as a result, it can be shipped at a reasonable cost.
Overall, this is an excellent grill. I would buy it again. Small, efficient, and although it is relatively thin and not as sturdy as my previous commercial series grill, it is built for a small family and would probably last 3-4 years. I kinda miss having shelves, but I have a small patio and I'd rather have the patio space.
If the feature that brought you to this grill was size, but you want higher quality, check out the Weber Q series such as the 320 Weber 586002 Q 320 Portable Outdoor Propane Gas Grill(at double the price). I would personally prefer to spend less and replace a little sooner than go super-fancy and then hang on to one a long time. If that is not also your mentality, then this may not be your grill (but the Weber may be).
I had been on the search for a small grill that wouldn't take up space with cheap plastic shelves and accessories I will never use. This grill is the perfect fit.
It took some effort to assemble, but not as difficult as flat pack furniture. Surprisingly metal! I thought everything was plastic these days, but the only plastic here is found on the handles and the wheels.
Just under the control knob there is a handle that makes it easy to move even when it's hot. The grill heats up real fast making it good for quick grilled meals. My first meal included 4 ears of grilled corn and two large steaks with a bit of room to spare.
My only criticism is that the grease trap underneath seems to conflict with the wires for the electric ignition.
Buy Char-Broil TRU Infrared Patio Bistro Infrared Gas Grill Now
This was a replacement for a 9 year old Char broil that quit. Assembly went really well. The parts were well laid out and all the hardware parts were in a packet with individual parts held together in groups of each type. I like the hand screw to hold in the propane tank to the grill. My old one did not stay on so I used bungees to hold it to the old style Char Broil we had replaced with this one.
I did the initial 15 minutes on level 5 to burn off oils from manufacture. I then grilled some Costco burgers @ 4-5 minutes on each side and they turned out really juicy. Then afterwards I cleaned the grate and sprayed if with nonstick grill spray. The main thing about these infrared grills is to make sure that you keep all of the little slots clear for heat to get to the food; otherwise the cooking can get uneven. Now I will order a cover since the generic one I brought got shredded in a high wind storm. I will have to remember to remove the cover during high winds. We are very happy with this grill and I am hoping that it would hold up well over time.
UPDATE 3-24-11
We are still really enjoying this grill. Its small size is great. I have cooked Boneless skinless chicken and boneless country pork ribs. The chicken turned out really juicy although you will need to turn the chicken that is thicker for one more 5 minute go around to completely cook. Otherwise it would still be a little raw on the inside top. The ribs were 1/2 hour per side and they turn out perfect on level 2 per the instructions. I have learned to setup a timer that runs for 10 minutes after I turn off the gas so that it would be cool enough to clean. The temp has been around 200 after 10 minutes of 40 Degree temp outside, but it cools fairly fast after opening the lid, so cleaning it is not too hard. I then spray with Pam after it is cleaned off. The actual Char Broil grill cover for the Bistro is really nice. It has a strap to help hold on the cover and it is very well made and has held up in 25 mph winds without the problems I had with the cheap generic cover that got shredded per my initial review.
Read Best Reviews of Char-Broil TRU Infrared Patio Bistro Infrared Gas Grill Here
Taking my time, it took me a little over two hours to assemble this grill, but it was worth it, for the large skinless/boneless chicken breasts that I grilled on it came out crisp on the outside and very juicy moist in the inside very delicious. Amazing taste from only using sea salt and Malabar pepper corns from a ginder to season the chicken. Of course, I sprayed avocado oil on the grill and chicken too before grilling, which kept everything from sticking. Turning the knob to the lightning bolt automatically starts the grill, which I set to no. 4 to pre-heat for 15 minutes before laying the chicken on the grill at 600 deg. F. With the lid up, the temperature dropped to 500 and increased to 550 with lid down for cooking until done when the internal temperature of the chicken reached 165. Once the chicken was removed, the control knob was moved to the no. 5 position to burn off any residue at 700 degrees for 15 minutes. After shut down, the grill took 20 minutes to cool down. It is the perfect size to take with you in the trunk of your car to do offsite grilling. I am very satisfied with this gas fueled product.
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This was the best cooking grill I have ever used. Unfortunately, just as another person posted, I had a couple of instances where the grill had minor explosions upon ignition.
The first was once when the flame blew out while I had stepped away for a minute... so I opened the lid, took out grate and and blew into burner. Put grate back in and turned the burner to ignite... big flame -POOF-... scary but no harm done.
A few weeks later. The grill would not lite, so I used a long nosed striker to lite it... per the instructions.... -POOFagain... singed arm hairs that time.
The third time... after working perfectly for months, I went to start the grill and turned on the gas and moved the valve to ignite. Ignite it did, the whole grill became engulfed in flames. Had to use an extinguisher to put it out.
Needless to say after 25 years if grilling and no experiences like this... I finally chose to blame the grill.
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I originally purchased another grill that I returned because it was too small.I began my search again and I read the review and purchased this fryer. It was the perfect size for my needs. It was simple to use and just the right size. It was easy to assemble. I cooked fish and fries for about 5 hours without incident. I practiced the day before to make sure I had a feel for the temperature. This fryer is great and I'm glad I took a leap of faith. This is a great product for the money. It's sturdy and professional looking which is important when your trying to raise money for your church.
