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List Price: $499.99
Sale Price: $348.23
Today's Bonus: 30% Off
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.
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Ok, so this is for the grill, NOT the price. Amazon's price on this item is WAY too high but that isn't what the review is for... I got mine at a sporting goods store for under $250 so shop around.
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.
Best Deals for Char-Griller 5050 Duo Gas-and-Charcoal Grill
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.
Honest reviews on Char-Griller 5050 Duo Gas-and-Charcoal Grill
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.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Char-Griller 5050 Duo Gas-and-Charcoal Grill
I am a twelve month BBQ user. We have had a monster Stainless grill for the last 9 years and have cooked pretty much everything including the annual thanksgiving turkey. Decided this year it was time for a new grill but didn't want just another boring SS monster. Did some looking on the web and found this char-griller with great reviews and for the price at lowes (pre-assembled no less) I figured I would give it a shot. I also got the side firebox (though I didn't set it up for a week silly mistake, what a difference).
When I got it home, I went through and tightened up all of the hardware fastners, which was much better than having to actually build the whole thing from parts. I then read ALL of the direction and followed them very specifically including the all important seasoning phase. It is a good idea to buy this AFTER dinner so you are not tempted to jump right in to cooking on it as you will be disappointed if the seasoning step is skipped. I have since used this grill at least 20 of the last 30 days both gas and charcoal sides.
Setup and installed the firebox the second weekend and WHAT AN AWESOME ADD ON!!! We had some people over for a mini BBW party (yes seemes strange in early April). We smoked a rack of spare ribs for dinner all day on the charcoal side while grilling up burgers and dogs for lunch for the kids.
I wanted to also comment on the convenience of lighting charcoal using a chimney and the side burner. I have watched my father with his old Weber kettle grill for years lighting the charcoal with one of those U shaped electric lighters. This was the biggest reason why bought a gas grll to start with. Using a charcoal chimney in conjunction with the gas side burner makes charcoal grilling as easy as gas cooking and SO MUCH TASTIER!!!
Make sure you get the custom made cover too (which is made to accomodate the side firebox also). Worth the price!
I also decided at just about the one month point to go back and get the extended protection plan. Skipped it at first based on the low price, but now appreciate what a great BBQ this is a want to keep it around for many years. (4 yrs additional for only $60)
In closing this is a great grill at a great price that can be picked up locally with no assembly charge. Thank you char griller and thank you Lowes!!!
UDPATE 12/25/11
I have had this grill for the whole year now and just used it again on Wednesday for dinner. We did SMOKED turkeys for Thanksgiving (best turkey I have ever made!!!) and am still loving it. There are a few quality issues popping up:
1. the coating on the grates have started to disappear and they are rusting a bit
2. ignitor stopped working after about 3 weeks called mfg, they told me to call lowes (extended warranty), Lowes told me to call mfg. Gave up and use a BBQ lighter to start the gas side (rarely use it anyway).
3. have learned what modifications work best for me and have not looked back check out forum for great ideas
4. I did follow the instructions and oiled the grill, I also continuously re-coat with spray vegetable oil which helps to keep the grill in great shape HOWEVER, the side firebox TOP has burned off the paint coating and has surface rusted a bit nothing oil coat can't help but still a bit annoying (admittedly my fires are hot and LONG BURNING but still coating should have held up better)
REGARDLESS of my small issues above, I still HIGHLY RECOMMEND this grill. Based on how much use it has seen this year (5 gas bbq tanks mostly for charcoal ignition, over 500 lbs. of charcoal and about 150 lbs. of smoke wood) I wouldn't mind if I had to buy abother one next year. The meals I have made far exceed the quality of cooking I have been able to accomplish on my $1000 plus gas grills in the past and enjoy the ease of charcoal cooking even after coming home from work. With a good chimney and the side burner (that igniter STILL WORKS) I can be cooking on coals within 10 mins of starting about as quick as the gas side!
Have fun and happy smoking!
Update 9/10/12
So the grill has pretty much rusted/rotted COMPLETELY away. About the only part which has not rotted is the base. I called Lowes Service Advantage (since I bought the $40 protection plan) and today about 10 days after my call, I rec'd in the mail a gift card for the total original purchase price including tax. Going tonight to buy another of the same grill. There is no better!!! OF COURSE I AM GOING TO AGAIN PURCHASE THE EXTENDED PROTECTION PLAN. So I get a new grill every two years I can't complain about that. Love it buy it and grill EVERYTHING!
