Char-Broil Charcoal Grill CBCA-2020/D

by Greg Elwell
(Oklahoma City, OK, USA)

The question you have to ask yourself when buying a grill is if you're a marathoner or a sprinter.

If you want to hurry up and throw some steaks on the grill or cook a bunch of burger fast, then a gas grill might be more your speed. But if you can take your time for a little more flavor, then I recommend a Char-Broil charcoal grill.

I've had my Platinum Series A-Frame Cart Grill for a few years after finding it on sale for about $60 at Home Depot. While the Weber is a popular choice, I chose Char-Broil for the lower price and the addition of side tables, which are very helpful when cooking more than one food.

Two things you need for your grill, if you plan to use it regularly, are grilling gloves to withstand the heat of the fire and a charcoal starter to get it going faster and more reliably. The Char-Broil certainly holds enough charcoal, though once you've put food down on the grill, it is difficult to add more briquettes to keep the heat going.

Still, with a little forethought, there's nothing you can't cook on this grill. I've even added a rotisserie, so I can slow roast chicken and gyro meat. That did involve some drilling and after-market modifications, but it's a nice addition.

One quibble I have is the lid. Unlike the Weber, which features a removable lid, the Char-Broil is hinged, which makes pre-planning necessary to "aim" the smoke, if you're barbecuing. If you undo the hinge, the rounded square shape still makes angling difficult.

The wheels and the undercart, however, are a major convenience. Being able to tilt and roll the grill out into the yard is nice, rather than muscling the whole thing up, and if you have a chimney starter or other grill gadgets, you can store them in the undercart.

For the price, I think the Char-Broil can't be beat. There are a few minor issues, but nothing so major that it can't be used on steaks, burgers, vegetables, roasts, etc. It's not perfect, but it's well worth the price.