Showing posts with label gas smoker reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gas smoker reviews. Show all posts

Friday, January 2, 2015

Reviews of O-Grill Portable Gas Barbecue Grill Model 700 Oran

O-Grill Portable Gas Barbecue Grill Model 700 Oran
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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O-Grill 3000 BBQ grill by Iroda that sell for $189 and is available at various retailers.

Some tech facts on the O-Grill 3000...

1.) weighs in at a hefty 24 lb.

2.) provides 9450 BTUs of heat and has 225 sq inches of cooking surface on a professional looking porcelain-enameled cast-iron grill.

3.) dimensions... diameter about 22-23 inches with height of 8.5 inches with legs retracted (about 12 inches with legs extended)

4.) has a handy snap-shut carrying handle

5.) usable as is with the 1 lb propane tank and also with a 20 lb propane tank by using a special adapter (not included).

6.) easy to reach and remove grease catcher

Some thoughts on the "O-Grill 3000"...

Having used this unit several times over the past couple weeks I can say I'm very pleased with it's overall design and function...

1.) it is small but its 24 pounds gives it a solid and sturdy feel.

2.) the propane port is in an easily accessible location, as is the spark generator. Being able to use the standard 20 lb propane tank is a obvious advantage if your going to use this BBQ consistently on your patio.

3.) the handle and retractable legs makes this unit readily portable and its compact size and propane tank options allows for easy transportation from home to beach/cottage etc.

4.) I was really impressed with the cooking surface... the grill surface heated up quickly and was hot enough to leave a nice deep sear mark on whatever your cooking. Also the surface seemed to heat up uniformly with none of the 'cool' spots that tend to allow uneven cooking temperatures.

5.) because the grilling surface and grease catcher are easily removable it makes clean-up easier than most of the larger standard shaped BBQs.

Conclusion:

A small BBQ grill that seems to be well designed, attractive and from a cooking perspective, preforms as well as I'd hoped. Time will tell how it holds up over the summer and longer.

As it is... 5 Stars.

Ray Nicholson

raynicholsonsreviews@hotmail.com

@ralannicholson

P.S.

If you buy this BBQ you might want to consider getting the companion

O-Grill O-Dock Collapsible Table made specifically for this BBQ. It's extremely light weight and sets up (or collapses) in less than 5 seconds... fits the O-Grill perfectly.

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We have had this grill for over a year and we love it. We've taken it many places as well as cook at home.No problem with any kind of meats. It has plenty of room to cook for hambs and hot dogs for 6 people. We Toke it to the amusement park yesterday instead of sandwiches. It was so easy and quick.

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This grill does a great job cooking. Only problem is the metal(Chinese?) that makes up the screw-in female connection on the regulator is too soft and the threads will strip very easily. I have used portable propane grills for a very long time and these gas fittings have to be good to insure that a good connection can be made and product will last. Don't expect too much help from Pro-Iroda customer service either. There are far better grills out there for less money.

Honest reviews on O-Grill Portable Gas Barbecue Grill Model 700 Oran

Been using the O Grill for about a year. The small propane canisters last about 10 (20-30 min short grill sessions). I bought the hose for larger propane tank attachment, but never needed it. The ignition sparker lasted about 6 months of weekly use before failing is not an easy battery replacement fix, just decided to buy a cheap Bic wand lighter for $1 is fine.

Great for a few hot dogs, clams or oysters, and hamburgers, terrible for steaks, ribs, or slow even flame cooking. Has some very uneven cooking hot and cooler spots that requires frequent attention and food movement. would have preferred a design of 2 mini burners rather than 1 large one, but that would cost more money and redesign.

I always unscrew the mini propane tank after use, notice about the 5-6 time was hard to screw back in, some threads got stripped on the propane tank (who cares it's disposable after about 10 uses). so make sure when you screw

Really need a small table or chair, squatting down on the floor to grill is very uncomfortable and the dog gets too close to the food.

Hard to clean grate, make sure you use veggie oil with tongs and paper towel to rub grate before cooking or food debris starts caking up pretty thick, black, sticky, on the grate.

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Got this grill from Barbecues Galore back in August 2010, along with the collapsible O-dock table and grill carry bag, and the adapter hose for a regular 20lb propane tank which is what we use with it. Perfect grill for 2-4 people, it cooks evenly, has a wide range of flame adjustment from a high that will sear with the best of them down to a nice even low flame that will slow cook more delicate items. I prefer cooking on it to a larger conventional grill because the temperature adjustments are so even. If you are cooking for more than 4 people I think you'd have to do a lot of cooking in batches, which to me is troublesome.

We use this grill at least 1-2 times a week as our primary grill at home because our backyard doesn't have room for a full size grill, and it's been reliable and pleasant to cook on. The piezo igniter still even works after 3 years. I've only used it with the portable camp gas cylinders once, and it seemed to cook fine with those. We leave the adaptor hose for the 20lb tank pretty much permanently screwed on which removes any risk of cross threading or stripping the threads on the the grill inlet. The included drip tray on the grill is great, we line it with foil and it makes cleaning up after cooking really easy.

We leave the grill set up outside on the O-dock outside year round, in the sun sun and rain, which has contributed to some light rust on the inside and top surface of the grill, and some pretty bad rust where the grill burner screws onto the two internal brackets in the bottom of the grill. Considering it's left out in the weather all the time with no protection I don't consider the rust a negative, leaving the grill out in the weather year round is pretty rough on it, but if/when it finally gives up the ghost and we buy a new one I'll treat it a bit more nicely and give it some protection from the weather. The plastic surface of the O-dock has faded in the sun a little but shows no signs of becoming brittle. I was dubious about the dock at first but really glad we bought it, it has little indents that hold the grill's feet in place and makes a really stable cooking platform and the plastic surface wipes clean easily.

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Friday, December 26, 2014

Toolbasix 68X22X37 Black Pvc Grill Cover Review

Toolbasix 68X22X37 Black Pvc Grill Cover
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
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This cover is a great price, but it won't stay on my grill. It falls off at the least little bit of wind. Super flimsy. Would not purchase again.

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The best thing about this cover is that it is inexpensive. It works for a while but it is VERY thin plastic sheet and it is EXTREMELY prone to tearing. There is no toughness to the material whatsoever. Once you get that first tear, its days are numbered and it unravels more with every use. It's not possible to not tear it eventually by accident...you are bound to snag it on one of the corners of your grill at some point.

However, I previously had a more expensive fabric grill cover that I bought from Home Depot that didn't last too much longer. So at least expectations are lower with a five dollar item like this.

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This is not an expensive cover, but does the job and is the right size! I was pleasantly surprised. Looks good...

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Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Music City Metals 91001 Steel Wire Rock Grate Replacement Reviews

Music City Metals 91001 Steel Wire Rock Grate Replacement for Select Gas Grill Models by Arkla, Broilmaster and Others
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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This is the first time I've used their products, but this is the second summer for them and they are holding up fine. I would recommend them to anyone needing replacement grates for their grill.

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I have a gas grill in Romania that needed a new grate. This one fit exactly after cutting off one row. It is of good quality and of heavy enough steel to last several years. It is a far better grate than the one that came with the grill.

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Saturday, October 18, 2014

Cheap CoverMates BBQ Grill Cover

CoverMates Small Grill Cover : 32 x 24 x 40 Khaki
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $45.00
Sale Price: $34.99
Today's Bonus: 22% Off
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I used this cover for one full summer and it's now full of snow.

The cover remains flexible right into sub freezing weather so that I can put it on and remove it in the New England snow. Looks nice too.

There is some fading on the top due to the sun.

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This is a very nice cover. The material is water resistant and it has good ventilation so there is less of a problem with moisture under the cover. My only complaint is the elastic cording at the bottom. It makes the cover difficult to put on or remove. It looks like it should have been a draw-string which I would prefer. I am considering modifying mine to make it easier to use.

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I returned the cover because it was not the same as the description. It was supposed to have an adjustable drawstring bottom closure but it was only an elastic bottom. I ordered the correct type directly from the company.

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This cover is of higher quality than the Weber Cover. It fits my smaller weber gas grill and has elastic on the bottom that keeps it secure in wind.

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After having several of those ill fitting vinyl grill covers over the years, the CoverMates Grill cover from the Cover Store is fantastic. The material of construction looks like it will last for quite some time. It fit our new gas grill perfectly which should make it last longer than the last several grills I have owned.

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Monday, September 29, 2014

Review of Eastman Outdoors 37206 Outdoor Gourmet 18-Inch Carbon Steel Wok

Eastman Outdoors 37206 Outdoor Gourmet 18-Inch Carbon Steel Wok
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $59.95
Sale Price: $44.39
Today's Bonus: 26% Off
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Bought this for a large annual family reunion several years ago. Works great for making large quantities of scrambled eggs and frying bacon. Everyone at camp loved it. Works best on the large single propane burners. Works best if you start warming it and pour in a small amount of oil and coat the inside surface using some paper towels or a clean rag.

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I have a large outdoor wok burner, 65000 BTUs, which I got from a RV cataloge.

This pan works great, easy to clean, does the job.

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I have a 14" and a 24" wok that I use often. This wok is a nice shape, but feels a lot thinner than my others. My others are solid and don't deform at all. This one flexes easily (one finger pressure). I'm not sure how it will perform yet, but the lack of heft gives me some concern.

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I bought this to go along with the Eastman Outdoor Portable Kahuna Burner. It works fabulously! We use it when we go camping to cook breakfast, fajitas, etc. Heats up very quickly (be careful) and cooks evenly and fast. I love these woks and would highly recommend them.

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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Best 3/8" OD x 12-3/4" Weber Crossover Tube for 3 Burner Grills Deals

3/8' OD x 12-3/4' Weber Crossover Tube for 3 Burner Grills
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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Instead of buying an entire burner set I bought just the cross over pipe. It worked perfect and it was not a big problem on the installation .

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Well, it's a Weber part and like the original.... Not much to say except that a different design might prevent the holes from getting clogged in the future. But, replacing a part or two after many years still beats replacing the whole grill. You might consider inspecting and replacing the ignitor while doing this part. Also, there are at least three different lengths in the crossovers, so take care in matching the length to what you have. The parts lists and cross-references have a lot to be desired.

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Instead of having to buy all 3 burners with the crossover

like i would have from Lowes,Home Depot,Sears,Ace Hardware,

etc. for $49.95, I was able to get just the crossover for

about 8.00

Thanks Amazon,

Lee

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Great deal for a part that usually is sold in a kit with all the other burner tubes. I just needed this one part and fit perfectly in my 15 yr old weber Genesis silver B

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Found this item and placed my order on a Tuesday and received the part on Thursday. Two days, WOW!! Worked perfectly and I did not need to replace the ntire burner, just the one bad part.

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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Buy Commercial Super Skewer Barbecue Skewers - 21" Length (8-pack) FREE

Commercial Super Skewer Barbecue Skewers - 21' Length FREE STANDARD SHIPPING IN USA
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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Can't rate the product because it was given as a gift and I haven't heard whether they have been used or not. However the delivery was very fast and I give the seller 5 stars.

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Friday, August 8, 2014

Bradley Smoker BTAL12 Alder Flavor Bisquettes, 12-Pack Review

Bradley Smoker BTAL12 Alder Flavor Bisquettes, 12-Pack
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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The alder bisquettes are one "flavor" of the several types of wood chip discs that work with the Bradley smoker. All are good, and you can read about the different types of wood and which are best (in the reviewer's opinion) for each type of smoking. The Bradley smoker is a very good product, and it has helped me make much better barbecue. I have the electric one with four racks, and it works fine, whatever wood you use. The only problem is that on cool or cold days, the heating element is a bit weak, and can't always get the temperature fully up to the desired temperature. That is a timing issue, not a cooking or safety issue, so it can be worked around fairly easily. Literally, you can put the meat on the smoker, fill it with bisquettes, and forget about it for several hours. Use a remote thermometer so you don't open the door, and your are a few hours away from some fine pulled pork or ribs. So, if you want to try home barbecue, try the Bradley smoker, and use whichever of the types of wood bisquettes you prefer.

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Saturday, August 2, 2014

Gas Grill Universal Rotisserie Motor Bracket MB-1B Reviews

Gas Grill Universal Rotisserie Motor Bracket MB-1B
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $3.99
Sale Price: $2.99
Today's Bonus: 25% Off
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This did NOT work on my grill, but to be fair, my grill is not a well known model being bought through an ALDI's. I would have to drill higher holes for this to mount above the edge of the railing indentation for the rotisserie spit. I did test it and It worked perfectly on my neighbors grill who bought hers grill from a more known brand. My fault I guess for owning a more obscure grill...

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Universal, it's not, but you can drill some new holes in the bracket and it will serve your purpose. It's the only thing I could find to do the trick for my grill an it was not expensive. It was cheaper than having one made. My Grill MFG does not make a rotisserie..

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This is a nice simple bracket for most rotissefie motors. I had to drill new holes to make it fit but worked great.

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Had to drill two holes in my grill to get it to work. Did not properly fit my Weber grill.

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Discount Rosle Barbecue Fork

Rosle Barbecue Fork
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $36.00
Sale Price: $29.99
Today's Bonus: 17% Off
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I am very pleased by each piece of Rösle kitchenware that I own. This one is very solid and has not bent or scratched, even with some serious use. A great quality product in a day where most kitchen products are junk. I strongly recommend.

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Monday, July 14, 2014

Buy Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves

Char-Broil TRU Infrared Urban Gas Grill with Folding Side Shelves
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
List Price: $349.00
Sale Price: $298.99
Today's Bonus: 14% Off
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Had this grill for a year so far and I wanna address some points people brought up:

"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.

**** Edit July 2013*****

So I've now had this grill for about 3 1/2 years and wanted to give everyone an update how it's held up so far...surprisingly well. The first year I had it, I took care of it all the time and kept it covered always. Year 2, got a little bit lazy but still took pretty good care of it. Year three, I forget to cover it sometimes and am getting lazy in cleaning the infrared grates. That all being said, it still works perfectly fine. I don't have anything rusting out the bottom and all the elements still kick on....I've only needed to change the ignition battery once.

The infrared grates are the only things that seem to be aging a bit. They were starting to get gunked up with some charred food (and got a little smokey as a result), and started to see some rust...but that's mainly attributed to me breaking rules 1 and 2 above. I sucked it up and brushed the crap out of them and they seem to be working much better. Regardless, I'll probably need to replace them in another year or so (In year 4 or 5). Other than that, seems to be going well.

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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!

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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!

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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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Honestly speaking I don't typically do reviews or endorsements because quite simply most products just don't do that much to impress purchasers. You buy a car and expect it to work, and it does work done. A product performing the way it's supposed to isn't overly impressive, where as a product not performing as expected certainly gets a rise out of purchasers. Now when it comes to the Char Broil Magnum 340 OMG! I bought a grill and I expected it to cook food, but boy were my expectations set way too low. Others have written how well this grill performs, and I'm a believer now!

I had a smoker grill designed to convert to a standard grill for cooking steaks and chops, and it wasn't worth a dime. I had owned standard full-size grills in the past (most recently one of the Charm-Glow grills from a national home improvement store but it went under national recall and parts weren't readily available), but thought the convertable smoker would be ideal. Since realizing the smoker was no good, it was time to buy another standard grill besides, I don't really have a need to make too many pulled pork sandwiches or my own bacon). I spent a lot of time doing research, reading reviews, and talking to employees of local home improvement stores until I found one that owned one of the larger Char Broil infrared grills. He swore by it. My only decision was how large a grill to buy. Since I mostly cook for 4 people and fewer, this grill became the perfect choice.

First off the fit and finish of this grill are great. Build time is approximately 1 to 1.5 hours depending on how fast you're moving, if you've laid the parts out ahead of time, and you're working alone (time would be less with another person assisting). One suggestion to purchasers don't fully tighten bolts until toward the end of assembly. There are certain connections that are easier to accomplish if the parts already on the grill have some give to them.

As for the performance: There's plenty of real estate on the grates to easily cook medium size steaks, potatoes, and grilled vegetables enough for four people all at the same time. The dual burners allow you to create a fast grill on one side and a slow grill on the other in order to cook at different temperatures. The warming rack enables you to move plenty of food off the cooking surface as things are done enabling you to take all the food to the table at the same time (there's little worse than hot vegatables and a cold potatoe on the same plate). As for the way this grill cooks meat be sure to read the little grey book that comes in the box. It will tell you that for a 1.5 to 2 inch steak, cook it on high for between 4 and 6 minutes on each side. For the inaugural grilling session, I bought a 2 inch thick boneless ribeye (steakhouse cut), and followed the directions exactly by cooking for 4 minutes on each side. The steak came out perfectly. After cooking and resting the meat for a minute or two, I sliced the steak across the middle and the juices ran freely. While resting the meat, hardly any juice at all formed on the plate, which attests to the searing ability of this grill. Looking at the steak across the cut there was 3/8ths of an inch of full cooked steak around all edges, and a perfectly pink warm center everywhere else within the steak. Excellent!

If you're in the market for a new grill please do yourself a favor and take a look at the Char-Broil Commercial Infrared line. It's well worth your consideration.

Born-Again-Griller,

John

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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Review of 21st Century B24A2 Universal Heat Distribution Plate

21st Century B24A2 Universal Heat Distribution Plate
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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Have used the grill all summer and it seems to be doing a good job. Helps keep the flare up down.

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I was ready to buy a new grill because the heat distribution plates had rusted out. The rest of the grill was in pretty good shape, but Sears wanted about $50 with shipping for new plates, about 25% the cost of an equivalent grill new. Got this universal set of heat distribution plates and they were easy to install. I only ding the plates a star as I now can't light my grill from above like I used to, the slots are too small. I now have to light from the side, which is they way you are supposed to anyway So maybe I am better off.

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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Best Cast Iron Grill Pipe Burner Deals

Cast Iron Grill Pipe Burner
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $32.95
Sale Price: $20.34
Today's Bonus: 38% Off
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I've only used them a few times, but these burners seem to be exactly what I got with the grill when it was new. They are hefty, fit perfectly, and burn evenly. The heat/intensity controls work fine with these burners, and I can easily use low heat all the way through a serious searing burn. Just what I was hoping for.

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Friday, June 20, 2014

Review of Stok SGA3070 Rapid Charcoal Starter

Stok SGA3070 Rapid Charcoal Starter
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
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Gets charcoal going very quickly, the only negative is the battery.

The chimney comes with a battery case that holds 3 AAA batteries. I used this once and it's very weak. I HIGHLY recommend using a Ryobi tek 4 rechargeable battery. Works much better. My last comment is I wouldn't recommend using the chimney without the fan as it doesn't have many vent holes so the charcoal doesn't have good air flow.

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First of all, I like most of the STOK products but this one didn't last more than 2 months. The concept is good but it just doesn't hold up to heavy use (we grill 3-4 times a week). Go with the trusty weber instead.

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I love grilling both with gas and charcoal but the time it takes to get charcoal ready (20 minutes in a charcoal chimney) kept me from more routinely grilling with charcoal.

I found this charcoal chimney and really liked the idea adding the blower to speed up the combustion of the charcoal, supposedly to get you cooking in as little as seven minutes. If I had designed a charcoal chimney, it would likely be just like the STOCK Rapid Charcoal Chimney. Unfortunately, executing the design has left some things to be desired.

A standard charcoal chimney allows you light the newspaper and return in 20 minutes and you are ready to grill with about 2/3s of the chimney filled with charcoal. The STOK charcoal chimney requires that, after lighting the newspaper, you return in a few minutes to turn on the blower fan to then rapidly heat the coals. This wasn't clear to me when I bought it. I hoped it was more along the lines of a `set it and forget it' approach like a normal chimney. A challenge is timing exactly when you turn on the blower. If you turn on the blower fan a couple minutes too soon you will blow out the newspaper embers. Turn it on a couple minutes too late and you might as well wait the standard 20 minutes that a normal charcoal chimney takes . . . so all in all it doesn't save much, if any time, if you have to be so mindful and it takes you away from other cooking tasks. It takes more attention than a normal charcoal chimney and this is a significant concern as the chimney is not located in the same place that you are preparing a meal. Often one is preparing a meal inside the house while the chimney is starting up outside. It is quite a pain to have to run outside to turn on the blower.

I did find the detachable blower very useful as a way to perk up the coals in the grill, once I was cooking. If you can affix it to an air intake on the grill you can turn any grill into a pseudo jet grill to get nice high temperatures, which was my other hope for this chimney. It is perhaps an equally useful feature of this chimney. I actually cooked a great steak by simply leaving the blower running in the chimney and adding a small cast iron grill atop the chimney. Nice and hot, no other grill required.

In truth, I may try to fine tune the timing of turning on the blower, if it would allow me to get coals in 10 minutes, versus 20. However, I've had to replace the AAAs in the blower fan EVERY time I've used it, even when I only used it for a few minutes to heat the charcoal. Even after replacing the batteries, the fan is occasionally unresponsive. It isn't reliable and I've largely stopped using it as a result.

20 minutes isn't too long to wait . . . but I am still looking for a better solution.

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