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i'll start this review by saying I have sold grills for years and am a huge fan of the big guns such as Weber. Sadly do to living in a condo i can only have electric grills. In the past Char-Broil has made some sub-par items. Not this time. This is THE best electric grill option for under five hundred bucks. the people bashing it have obviously never grilled or assembled somthing as much as legos.
1ITS EASY TO PUT TOGETHERAll these people on here complain as to how hard it is to put together. WHY? It took me a bit over an hour and a half working slowly and I didnt even curse once. Thats a miracles in and of it self. Simple tools, easy instructions, and not a ton of steps. There is a bit of lining up holes at one point but thats it. If you even have the slightest ability to put things together you'll be fine. Putting together Ikea furniture is WAY harder than this.
2IT HEATS UP BLAZING HOTAnother complaint was that it didnt heat above 150 degrees. Mine will get to 600 degrees if left for a bit, within 20 minutes probably. It says in the manual don't keep lifting the hood it lets the heat out. This is true. If you keep it closed you should have not a single problem.AND I even use an extension chord which it suggests against and it still heats fine. Cooked a full london broil in under 12 minutes.
3ITS ELECTRIC NOT CHARCOALKeep in mind its an electric grill. Its not gonna taste like a charcoal or gas grill. Wood chips help but its still not the same. But it is your best option by far if you dont have another option.
This grill is awesome for what it is. Ignore the bad press seriously. Char Broil has done right by this one. If your in an apartment or condo and dont want to drop $500 dollars on stainless steel electric monsters this is your grill. Happy Grilling
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The Bottom Line: 3 Stars and Rising.
The Patio Bistro does its intended purpose. I like this grill the more I use it. It gets, hot, is easy to clean, and has a nice large cooking area. With time my rating may improve as the painfull memory of assebly fades into the past. This would be a nice choice for use where charcoal and propane grills are not allowed.
As of this writing I have owned the Patio Bistro Grill for a little over 1 month. I own and have used various charcoal and gas grills, smokers, and barbeques over the past 30 years. I consider myself as very experienced in outdoor grilling.
This remainder of this review will be in two parts.
First the Good! The Patio Bistro Grill Does Cook Food quite Nicely: 4 Stars
Once assembled the Patio Bistro is quite a nice little grill. It has a nice large grilling surface, and heats quite adequately for grilling and roasting. Once the lid is closed, the temperatures easily rise to over 400F.
I never let it get much higher than that, though I expect it would get above 500F if left on its own.
Heating time is quite reasonable. When compared with a charcoal grill it is very quick (if you include the time it takes to light the charcoal).
I have roasted chickens, grilled hamburgers and steaks, and, using a non-stick pizza pan as a griddle have cooked bacon, eggs, and toast quite easily.
The grill surface is fairly generous in size for an electric grill; useable for cooking a dozen burgers at a single time. It even comes with a removable warming rack located at the rear of the grill.
The knobbed electric dial used to specify cooking temperature has a nice range, and the included on/off light is usefull for levelling off interior temperatures once they have been reached.
The grill surface is relatively easy to clean off, and cools quickly when unplugged. The greatest virtue of Electric Grills is in not having to buy, carry, store or ignite fuels, and KNOWING that the grill is turned off, simply by ungplugging the unit.
Second the Not So Good: Assembly: 1 star
As other reviewers have stated, this grill is unnecessarily difficult to put together.
In this day and age of premanufactured and buyer assembled products, there should be no need to designe something that requires so many different tools, different fasteners, and lengthy instructions.
It took me the better part of 90 minutes to assemble this correctly. The instructions were only marginal.
Also, Once Assembled the whole product can be a bit wobbly, so you will spend time tightening and retightening nuts and bolts.
The Bottom Line: 3 Stars and Rising.
The Patio Bistro does its intended purpose. I like this grill the more I use it. It gets, hot, is easy to clean, and has a nice large cooking area. With time my rating may improve as the painfull memory of assebly fades into the past. This would be a nice choice for use where charcoal and propane grills are not allowed.
Best Deals for Char-Broil Patio Bistro Electric Grill
As a condo dweller, I've been a fan of the earlier model Patio Caddie for years. Reliability, fast/high heat generation, and never running out of fuel have been huge advantages. I've known about infrared grills for years, but knew they cost up over a grand. 'Saw this new Infrared Bistro model and had to have it! I gave my beloved Caddie to my son (who loves it!) and got this new model.
Putting the grill together was logical and straight forward. It did not go together instantly, but what's the big deal? I took it step-by-step and it came together just fine. When completed, the Bistro looks good; much more substantial and better styled than the ol' Caddie. Plus, the grill size is substantially larger.
'Plugged it in, turned up the power, and WOW! This sucker was up over 550 degress in about ten minutes. As I'd done before, put a small handfull of hickory chips into a foil pouch, poked a few holes in it, and tossed it on the grill and closed the lid. In a few more minutes the awesome aroma of hickory smoke wafted through the patio. Our first test was marinated sirloin skewers. As the meat hit the grill the intense sizzle was terrific. These cooked fast and clean, with that terrific hickory smoke essence.
I've now been using this grill almost daily for a couple of weeks with chicken, beef, pork, veggies, and shrimp and I love it! Guests are amazed.
Honest reviews on Char-Broil Patio Bistro Electric Grill
I read ALL the reviews before purchasing this grill. I was sick and tired of my gas grill not being able to function in the cold, not being able to provide a high enough pressure to cook anything, running out of propane. I didn't even use it last summer! I saw this grill on display at a store and it was love at first sight. Then I started researching it. Then I bought it.
Assembly: The instructions are the easiest, best-written instructions for assembly of anything I have ever seen. And the nuts and bolts are all individually packaged and labeled so you know you have everything to start off with. It took me an hour to assemble, watching TV at the same time, leaving to check e-mail intermittantly. Someone who was hurrying through it could do it much faster. I never had any questions at all about the instructions.
Ease of use: I have to use a fairly long extension cord, about 20 feet, to reach the grill in an area near my porch light. It very quickly heats up to 550Fsay about 15 minutes. I get nice grill marks. The cooking surface is simple to clean; it virtually just wipes right off.
Small footprint: it takes up very little space on my patio. I ordered the specific cover for it and it looks very nice. Much better than even the smallest gas grill and big propane tank.
Lightweight yet sturdy: It feels well-put together, not fragile and rickety. I am very happy with the looks and quality.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Char-Broil Patio Bistro Electric Grill
It's not gas. Once you understand that this is a sweet grill with plenty of cooking area. I have had this for three weeks--done dogs, burgers and a pork loin. Everything cooked to perfection.
Construction: Great assembly manual. It said "about an hour" and that's what it was. After opening the package I spent 10 minutes familiarizing myself with the parts and procedures. After that actual assembly was 45 minutes. I'm no mechanical genius, but I can follow directions.
Production: If you need instantaneous response a la gas, this grill is not for you. If you can accept a slower heat up (15-20 MIN.) this will suit you just fine. I have found that the best way to work with it is to preheat the grill about 25-50 degrees above your desired cooking temperature. After you place your food on the grill and close the lid it will be just about where you want it. There is no doubt that the grill takes longer to recover lost heat from opening the lid than a gas grill would, particularly after you put your food on, which is why you want to preheat it higher than you need. However, I have not found that to be a problem. It's all about the learning curve---and it's just not that steep.
I am quite happy to have freed myself from the gas grill and would buy this again in a heartbeat.
UPDATE: After going through a winter season with this grill I'm going to have to give it up. Here in coastal NC we grill year round (avg. Jan. high, 52), but this grill just wasn't up to the challenge when the temp dipped at all. Way too long to heat up and absolutely impossible to get back to temp after opening the lid to turn the meat. My original review still stands if all you do is grill "in season".
FYI: My new solution is a Weber Q120. Small, portable and no big propane tank. Uses those disposable tanks you can get in any hardware store. Fired it up just to test it. 300 degrees in 5 minutes. Full review in a couple of weeks...and an update after winter. ;-)
