Update: Char-Broil Red

It's been two weeks and I've spend a lot of time cooking on and testing out my Char-Broil Red 3-Burner. What I have to say is that this grill cooks very well. It heats up quickly, gives an even heat, and produces good food. You may have to get used to the differences in the way this grill works but a few tries and you won't have a minutes trouble. The trouble is going to come later. In the last two weeks I have cooked on this grill 10 times. I heated it up to high temperature every day. I would say that I put it through the kind of use that the average person would in perhaps two months. In this time the porcelain coating on the U-Emitter (trough) component has begun flaking off (see the picture). There are about four dozen holes in the porcelain now and several are showing signs of rust. Normally I would suggest a coating of oil on the metal to reduce rust development but the U-emitter gets so hot that it burns off all oil. Other people have reported this same problems and for those who have had this grill for several months the problem is more pronounced. I would assume that for most people replacement of the U-emitters will be needed well within the two year warranty period for parts on this grill. Under warranty the parts will cost you $8 shipping. Without the warranty the U-emitter runs $40 a piece.

The other issue that I have noticed is the nature of this grill's flare-ups. The RED doesn't produce flare-ups often, but under the right circumstances it can make for a pretty good fire. Since nothing drains from the U-emitter if you are grilling fatty foods at a low temperature (for example beef ribs) the grease will build up and pool in the U-emitter until the grill is turned to a higher temperature. I did up several pounds of beef ribs and once they were off, turned the grill to clean. With more than a cup of beef fat in the grill the grease caught fire and drove the grill temperature off the scale of the thermometer (reaching over 900 degrees F.). While this didn't damage the grill it did make a pretty good mess.

Functionally this is a good grill. Obviously, however the U-emitter simply can not withstand the intense heat focused on it to create the infrared heat that is this grills claim to fame. I will continue testing this grill out for the next few weeks and let you know more of my findings.

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