There are tons of grills out there. It can be a pretty hard to decision to choose between charcoal or gas. Personally, I love the smoky flavor charcoal grills produce, but they can be a real pain to get going. That’s why most people opt for propane, yet they compromise on flavor.
Luckily, hybrid grills exist. The problem with these grills is they can be rather expensive. In some cases it might be better to buy two seperate grills instead. In this review we found two economical options that still pack a punch. Hybrid grills are such that they have two fuel sources. The most common are charcoal and gas, but infrared and gas options do exist.
Without further delay, let’s jump into the hybrid grill reviews.
#1. Char-Griller 5050 Charcoal/Gas Hybrid Grill
This dual charcoal/grill comes with a generous 1260 square inches of cooking space. It has 3 burners with 40,800 BTUs output. There’s also space to accommodate a side burner with 12,000 outputs for additional cooking. Yes, it’s a beast. But, does it perform like one? Let’s find out through this review.
Product Features:
It’s fitted with electric ignition to throw the entire ass-kissing hassle out of the window. Yes, one can fire it up at the push of a button. With 1260 square inches of grilling space that can easily achieve up to 500-degree temperature plus a warming rack can help you please everyone at your barbecue.
The two grill barrels are separate. So, you can cook meat on one side, and ribs or hamburgers on the other side. The grill gates are constructed from solid iron. They are porcelain coated to retain heat. The underneath shelf offers plenty of storage space.
In Use:
I opted for expert assembly on this one. He came with a $60 price tag. Well, watching him assemble, I regretted my decision. Hold on! Don’t get me wrong. He was good at his job. I regretted losing $60 because I could have assembled it on my own. It does come with an instruction manual too. So, I didn’t really need an expert. It wasn’t a science project at all. Remember, its four different units in one frame, so assembly will take a couple of hours when there’s no one to watch your back.
Once it was all set up, it looked like a beautiful piece of equipment. I love the fact that it gives me so much versatility in food preparation. Both sides of the grills have worked perfectly fine for me, and the BBQ food was nothing, but tasty. I have fired it on both sides and cooked up to 60 burgers at a time. The grill heats quickly and fairly. Moreover, it imparts flavor to the food, which is cool.
The Good:
It comes with a lot of features for its price range. The flexibility of using charcoal or gas alone makes it worth the money. Moreover, it’s a heavy-duty piece of equipment that’s built to last. It has a rugged construction, and it’s pretty easy to clean. I have been using it for a few months now, and it still looks like brand new. I oil it every time after use.
The heat control on this equipment is pretty precise. Once done with the cooking, the removable charcoal tray allows one to dump the ashes for trouble-free cleaning. It comes with a 5-year burner warranty. You also get a 1-year warranty on all the other parts.
The Bad:
The firebox is not a part of the deal. So, some extra dollars will go over there. Others might include the firebox in the deal, but the price of the firebox will be subtly added to the cost of the item. Given the good quality and affordable pricing of Char-Griller 5050, it’s clear that the company didn’t choose this route. If this deters you, consider a smoker grill combo grill instead.
Housed in a 150 (approximately) pound body weight, it’s not geared to be moved around. Even with the wheels, I found it to be a bit of a challenge to move it around. I am a semi-skinny person, so most of you should have no problems over here.
Use it more to get the best out of this product or else it will start to rust in some areas. I plead guilty over here. On the bright side, I am using this hybrid grill quite regularly these days. Of course, you will do this too if you value your wallet.
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Char-Broil Charcoal Gas Hybrid Grill
If you love the flavor of charcoal grilled foods and the convenience of gas grilled food, this hybrid will offer you the combination of both in a single, normal sized grill. Well, not everything is sunshine and rainbows over here. Just like any other product, this equipment has its share of downsides as well. So, let’s run you with the pros and cons of this product before you bite the bullet and spend your cold hard cash.
Product Features:
This hybrid is perfect for versatile cooking. It lets you cook with charcoal or gas on the same grill, just not at the exact time. It converts from gas to coal in a flash with no extra accessories needed. Push a button, and it will fire up.
Preheat it for a while, toss the burgers on the grill, and they will sizzle. It comes fitted with a thermometer that tells you how hot it is before and while cooking the food to ensure that you don’t overcook or burn anything.
In Use:
The package came with a lot of moving parts. However, the instructions were easy to follow, so the grill went together well without me throwing an arm and a leg. The main cooking chamber was pre-assembled for the most part. So, it wiped out a lot of work. It took me two hours though to assemble it from start to finish. That being said, I wasn’t rushing at all.
Gas or charcoal, I had a blast cooking on this grill. I use the coal barrel to cook when I have lots of time in hand and the gas part for a quick grill. In both cases, it heats quickly and evenly. Just make sure to move the food around to ensure that it cooks better. Truth to be told, I use the gas barrel more often.
It took me a while to realize that the cooking temperature on this unit is controlled by the quantity of coals that we use. Yes, there are no vents or adjustable coal tray in this product. Fully loaded coal will get you intense temperatures.
The Good:
It’s well designed, nicely packed, and works fine as well. It’s sleek, stylish, and straight forward controls have been a hit with the masses. Moreover, it has a sturdy metal built. For what you get, it’s pretty inexpensive.
It comes equipped with a professional grade cooking temperature thermometer to prevent overcooking of foods. Other than the 550 square inches of grilling space, you also get five years warranty on the burners. It’s seemingly lightweight, so I was able to wheel it around like a breeze.
The Bad:
You can’t adjust its height. This feature is missing on this equipment. So, it’s better to watch the food closely while it cooks. The side tables do not fold. If they would have incorporated this feature, it could have saved valuable space.
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Rounding Up These Hybrid Reviews
I wouldn’t say that both the grills are outstanding performers because these are not really the top of the line products. They are affordable, mid-level products that suit most wallets. You can always find a better smoker, better side burner, better charcoal grill, or a better gas grill. If you buy them in isolation, you will end up paying a lot more.
These units offer an economical way to attain all in a single construction. In a side-by-side contest between these two finalists, it’s hard to pick a winner. Hence, I choose to include both the products in this review. See which combo unit is perfect for you to best-fit your personal needs.
Last Updated on August 6, 2020 by Judith Fertig
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