You Get What You Pay For?

[Timcee]

I love my charcoal grills/smokers.. Decided to try out a gasser and ended up getting a Charbroil Big Easy SRG (infrared smoker, roaster, griller) where it has a chamber to add wood chips to it too.. it was good for about 7 months (mainly doing burgers and chicken parts) until ....The other day... I went to do burgers on it.. Started off fine and added my second round of 99% fat free turkey burgers.. Looked at the grill and saw an awful lot of smoke coming from it.. Thought "hmmm, this thing is doing way too much smoking.." Opened the lid and WHOOOSH!! Flames everywhere!!!
I hurried back in the house and like the "rib guy" from the news who ran back into the burning apt to save his ribs.. I ran to save my burgers.. got gloves, opened and WHOOSH again!! Fire everywhere! Turned off the gas and unplugged it.. Had to shut the lid, and just wait for 10 min for everything to die down (kids broke my extinguisher handle..Great time to find out) All died down but all was ruined... Sucks

Kicker is.. Charbroil has asked for pics and I sent them in, now they're asking for more.. A manager say's that seems like it was a grease fire and him judging by the pics that showed the grate charred with meat that I scraped off the grill after the fire died down. (btw I'm quite religious in the cleaning of my 7 grills :-/ )
They want to send me parts to replace on the grill?? I'm a week out before TG and had planned to do Turkey on it to try it out (supposed to produced good "oiless fried turkey") at this point I'm not hopeful with all the runaround and I guess lesson learned that sometimes you really do get what you paid for... Smoke turkey it is!

[Danjohnston949]

Timcee, Can you identify where it started? Bottom of the grill burners, near a gas connection, or some place where grease from previously cooked burgers accumulated unnoticed? From you description it almost sound like a gas line or connection cracked or loosened up! This would cause undo smoke and heat in the wrong places! Perhaps your local gas or utility Co. Would Bring Their Sniffer and check your grill out, Fire Dept.'s also have Sniffers (leak detectors) and probably help you diagnose the Problem Prior to Big Bird needing to be put on! The detectors are also available through stores like Harbor Freight and others REASONABLY PRICED +- $ 30-40. 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀. Eat Well and Prosper, Dan

[Max Good]

We like many Char-Broil products, but this ain't one of them: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment...er-and-roaster
This has to be a big disappointment for you right before Turkey Day. On the upside, sounds like you have plenty of back up to deliver the bird next week.

[morganjim]

I just had to take a 3 year old stainless infrared commercial Char-Broil POS to the dump. The bottom rusted out completely and fell down. Had flames from the burner blasting away just above the fuel tank. This all after spending $120 to replace the crappy infrared grates that also rusted out.
​Char Broil again? Nope Nope Nope!

[Timcee]

Yea you can say that again... Nope Nope Nope... Customer service was sucky and it was a $200 lesson.. Thank god not a $2000 lesson.. Happy Holidays!

[Timcee]

Danjohnston949 Hey Dan and guys.. Sorry computer took a crash on me and didn't get another one until Christmas! Needed a good reason to get one and couldn't have been a better reason..
Sadly I'm pretty much OCD when it comes to cleaning and my grills are immaculate. Unless otherwise noted not to clean (i.e PBC)
So I'm not sure how 99% fat free turkey burgers could do a grease build as Charbroil stated it must've been.. They looked at pics I sent where the burger were charred on the grill grate bc of the flames and said I also probably didn't clean my grates.. I loved the assumptions from not even having it sent in or just common sense that of course the grate was charred with meat if I had 4 ft flames roaring everywhere..

They sent a new grate and I asked for a new gas line but I'm sending it to the dump. .. Not taking my chance on it again..

Btw Happy Holidays!

[Timcee]

We like many Char-Broil products, but this ain't one of them: http://amazingribs.com/bbq_equipment...er-and-roaster
This has to be a big disappointment for you right before Turkey Day. On the upside, sounds like you have plenty of back up to deliver the bird next week.

I wish I had seen that before.. Oh well.. $200 later.. Definitely had plenty of back up and it turned out great.. Sorry CB.. Customer service wasn't that great either so def one less customer..
Happy Holidays!

[jholmgren]

Hey Timcee - sorry to hear your issues with the CharBroil. I had that same one for 3 years before it rusted out on me. To replace it, I rolled the dice on a little Weber Spirit - I think it was on sale for like $299 about 2 years ago. It has been just about the best little gas grill I've owned, and I've really never been a huge Weber fan.

It's nothing fancy, but it is holding up to the PA weather great and is the only gasser I've owned where the igniter still works after the first year. We use it about 1-2x a week on average, great for quick weeknight cooks.

Jim

[Timcee]

Hey Jim,

I've never heard of that one.. I gotta look it up as I'm a grill junkie.. Although I'm quite afraid of the gas grills now.. Kinda scarred me..lol.. I'm looking into a Santa Maria style grill that's gonna be built by one of the locals, so that's the next on the list for purchase.. after that I need to slow down or the wife will be kicking me out.. lol

[morganjim]

Once kicked out it will be hard to take all those grills and smokers with you. I'm in the position of possibly having to move to Texas but keep the Georgia home as well. Perhaps go home on weekends. Either way, an apartment is not the easiest place to smoke at.

[Timcee]

You're absolutely right.. The apt situation is not the best for doing your own grill thing, which is why sadly for me and happily for my buds I've given away a few grills to bring in some new ones.. It all works out in the end, and plus I also still get to use them occasionally if I'm needing to..