Which Char Broil Grills Are Dual Fuel

An Overview On Gas Grills

DUO 5050 Dual Fuel Gas and Charcoal Grill Product Hightlight | Char-Griller

Theres no better way to enjoy warm weather than with a great backyard barbecue. Whether youre cooking for your immediate family or a large group of friends, meat and vegetables taste a little better when cooked over a grill. Gas grills are the quickest and easiest way to cook outdoors since they fire right up in a couple of steps. However, great-tasting meals start with the grill you choose.

When shopping for grills, it can be easy to get caught up in the quality of the construction: make sure the grills cook box has thick and solid walls to keep the heat inside, especially if you prefer to grill year-round. Generally, heavy stainless steel is a good option because it doesnt rust.

But while it is important to choose a sturdy, durable grill since it will be exposed to the elements 24 hours a day, you should put far more effort into weighing the grills cooking ability. Weber Spirit E-210 LP Gas Grill, 2-Burner model has burners that put the perfect sear marks on your meat, if thats important.

Primarily, youll need to look for a grill that offers even heat from front to back, which provides consistency. This will let you use every square inch of burner space while cooking rather than confining all your items to the area of the grill that gets hottest.

Also, look for heavy cooking grids and full coverage from cooking elements. You dont want hot or cold spots on your grilling surface!

The need for rapid, even heating means that you should consider size.

Testing Shows The Double Header’s Soft Touch

For roughly two weeks, we grilled a medley of meats on the Double Header and other gas grills. Throughout our tests, the Double Header took a more gentle approach to cooking than the other grills. With a total power output of 36,000 BTUs across four burners , it was less powerful than the Weber Spirit II E-310 and the Broil King Baron S520 and on par with the Char-Broil Performance XL. This power output, along with the Tru-Infrared plate, resulted in a serious lack of exterior char on the meats during testing on low, medium and high levels. This was a disadvantage in my book: Part of the appeal of grilling outdoors is having meat that has a slightly crisp, grill-marked exterior and smoky, juicy interior.

The rest of the grill tests on the Double Header weren’t as great as the hamburgers. In one test, we cooked ribs on all the grills on low for three hours. Unlike the Broil King and the Char-Broil Performance XL, which required some adjustments to get good ribs, the Double Header cooked up decent ribs on those settings. However, the meat was slightly dry.

Here’s a slab of ribs that cooked in the Double Header on low for three hours.

How Big A Cooking Surface Will Work For You

Next, consider how much space you need to cook on. Make sure youre clear about what your grills specified dimensions refer to. Total cooking space is a term that often includes extra space provided by warming racks.

Check too how much room is provided on both the gas and charcoal sides of the grill. In some cases, like the Blossomz grill, the gas side is larger. In others the Char-Griller 5050, for example its the other way around.

You may want to compromise on cooking space in order for your grill to fit comfortably on your patio or deck. If so, look for options with plenty of power, so you can cook a new batch of food quickly. The higher the figure in BTU, the more powerful the gas side of the grill will be.

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Will Your Grill Fit Comfortably In Your Outside Space

Last but not least, check the dimensions of the grill itself. Will it fit comfortably where you plan to use it? And is there somewhere you can store it when youve finished cooking?

If you plan to keep your grill in a shed or outhouse, make sure it will fit! And if youll need to move it around, make sure the wheels are robust enough to carry its weight.

One option to avoid moving your grill at all is to invest in a good, weatherproof cover. By keeping your grill away from the elements, a cover can prolong its life considerably.

Things To Consider Before Buying A Hybrid Grill

Char Broil Magnum 500 Review

Hybrid grills are among the most versatile models on the market. They can be used for everything from grilled prosciutto-wrapped asparagus to smoked pulled pork. In terms of both flavor and convenience, theyre difficult to beat. They can also be a good choice if you dont have enough space to accommodate two grills.

That said, hybrid units tend to be more expensive than grills that offer just a single fuel source. They also require more care and maintenance, especially if you use both options on a regular basis.

Many grilling aficionados choose to stick with one or the other. If youre on a budget or prefer to keep cleanup simple, then a hybrid grill might not be the best fit for you.

What are the most important features to look for in a hybrid grill? Lets go over the basics.

  • Value: The grill should offer a good value for the money spent.
  • Quality: Look for a sturdy steel frame and heavy-duty grilling grates.
  • Size: Think about how many people youll be cooking for, how often youll use the grill, and which ingredients you plan to cook the most.
  • Heat Retention: A double-walled stainless steel lid should help the grill maintain its temperature.
  • BTU Output: Youll want powerful gas burners that can put a good sear on steak and chops.
  • Other Features: The grill might offer shelving, a side burner, or tool hooks.

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Double Header Delivers Versatility

Labs manager Steve Conaway assembles the Double Header.

The Double Header is aptly named — the grill has four burners that are split between two different fireboxes, aka cooking spaces with their own lids. Each firebox has its own warming rack, too.

These two separate spaces give you a lot of versatility. Use only one firebox if you’re cooking for a small crowd or use them both for a large group. This setup is also effective if you want to cook dishes in different temperature zones.

The grill also features an additional burner on the right, helpful if you want to heat up some barbecue sauce. There’s also a shelf on the left side for tools or dishes, but there aren’t any tool hooks.

The Double Header was also relatively easy to put together. It took about two hours for our labs manager, Steve Conaway, to assemble it. He did note that the heft of the metal used for the bottom of the grill where you keep the propane tank was noticeably less than that of the fireboxes. We used a liquid propane tank, but the grill is dual-fuel-enabled if you want to convert it to natural gas.

Here’s how the Double Header compared with other gas grills we’ve tested this year:

Low Flow With Natural Gas

Low flow with natural gas

A “dual fuel” gas grill is required to convert a propane grill to natural gas. If you’re going to, or have already, converted your grill, make sure that you have the Char-Broil natural gas conversion kit specified for your grill. If your grill is a Char-Broil Dual Fuel®-equipped gas grill model, the specified conversion kit model number is listed on the rating label of your grill. You can also look for a Dual Fuel Natural Gas Conversion Kit. You’ll need to have your model number available.

If conversion to natural gas has resulted in lower than expected temperatures please call your local gas company for a service visit. Only the local gas company can determine if the proper pressure is being delivered to the grill. If your grill has more than 65,000 BTUs, a 3/8 hose may not allow enough gas to flow. In this case a 1/2 hose is recommended.

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How Do You Clean An Infrared Grill

We clean our char broil infrared grill the same way weve always cleaned our gas grills: using the burn off method. Turn the burners to high, close the lid and leave it alone for about 10 minutes. This will burn off any residual food stuck to the grates. Turn off the grill and use a brush to remove anything stuck to the grates.

What Does Char Broil Tru Infrared Grill Mean

Double Play Dual Fuel Gas and Charcoal Grill Product Highlight | Char-Griller

A tru infrared grill converts the hot air generated in traditional gas grills into infrared heat. The heat is distributed evenly over the entire grillsurface and flare ups are prevented from happening entirely.

To me, this means that the meats I grill will get a nice sear, which as a chef is very important. Check out these grill marks from the first time we used it:

Heres what I said about this grill right after we first used it almost six years ago:

There are so many things we love about the new Char-Broil grill. The first thing I noticed are the porcelain-coated grates which are great for preventing your food from sticking.

Next was the side burner which makes it so nice to just heat up a side dish or quickly reduce a sauce. Its also dual fuel enabled, which means you can connect to natural gas at home. We havent done that yet but were definitely going to try it.

But its the Tru-InfraredCooking System that really separates this grill from any others Ive cooked on. It allows your food to cook evenly with no flare-ups. The night before our barbecue, my parents grilled some steaks. They both raved that they were the best theyd ever had on a grill and neither could believe how evenly they cooked.

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Char Broil Magnum 500 Review

The design of Char Broil M500 is really good but you will notice that metal is a bit tin but as long as it doesnt affect performance for this price range that is not a bad thing. The assembly was relatively easy and it took us around 2 hours but with the instructions it is not so bad. We took the conversion kit too and we can say that is really easy to convert Char Broil M500 on your own cause its really not that complicated.

Prepare for around 600 squares of the area for this grill so you can enjoy your cooking. Before we started grilling we notice that there is another feature that we welcome and that is thermometer in the lid. We light up the grill and we were really satisfied when we saw that we get plenty of even heat from the burners that are running for around 500 on low and it heats really fast for this price range. We tested cooking with some burgers and steaks and we must say that not a single piece of meat burned because of the great design of grates. The meat was really good cooked and delicious it could be a little more juicier for our taste but we were satisfied. The burners have one more additional protection from spilling. The only bad thing is that crossover tube on the back that is connecting burners stays lit even if you turn them off.

What Functions Do You Need

The first thing to consider is what you need your grill to do. Generally speaking, the more different cooking areas you need, the larger and more expensive the grill will be.

All the grills on our list give you the option of cooking with gas or charcoal. And all but the Char-Broil Hybrid will let you use cook with both fuels at the same time.

But do you need anything extra? Some grills offer an extra side burner. That can be a good option for heating up sauces or side dishes. But if you dont need that, you may prefer the space to be used for a food preparation shelf.

And with the grill from Oklahoma Joes, youll also get an offset firebox. Thats great if you want to slow-roast brisket or other meats. But it does add extra weight and bulk to the grill.

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Description Of Char Broil Magnum 500

Char Broil Magnum 500 is a dual fuel gas grill with 4 stainless steel burners and it is compatible with natural gas. The power of the grill is 50,000 BTUs and 13,000 for side burner. The design is very good and it has a style cart design with two doors that are made of combination of stainless steel and porcelain. It has two cooking areas that cover 500 squares of primary area for cooking and 180 squares for your secondary cooking space. One of the new features on Char Broil M500 is their exclusive Surefire electronic ignition and Dual Fuel design that is allowing you to convert your propane to natural gas with purchasing of conversion kit. Primary cooking grate and warming rack are made from porcelain. With the conversion kit you can convert Char Broil M500 in less than 30 minutes do its a good upgrade if you own pipes for natural gas.

What Experts Liked

Lot: Char Broil Commercial Series Dual Fuel five burner ...

Culinary Expert

Chernoff is the dining editor of Better, a lifestyle website and print magazine. Her journalism started in the test kitchens of Weight Watchers Magazine. She holds a BA in English from Yale University and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy. She has spent the last few decades styling, photographing, teaching, developing recipes, editing, thinking and writing about food.

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