CHARBROIL BIG EASY: Clearing Up the Confusion

NOTE: Through the process of doing research on this grill for personal interest, I found the reviews in this site confusing and different than the listed model. Conflicting comments about this grill served to further confuse the issue as there was a lot of confusion as to what is featured on this grill and what is not. What I have reviewed is the model 4638222 with the added options of side burner shelf and the griddle which fits in where one of the grates fits in- they are interchangeable. The model 4638222 does NOT have a rotisserie as was previously asserted by some.


When my husband first began to talk about purchasing a grill a long time ago, I started observing, asking questions, and interviewing all kinds of grill owners. My purpose was to learn as much as I could about what people liked, did not like, and were wishing that they could change about their grills.

This past year, my husband came home all starry-eyed. I knew that he had found what he had been searching for for so many years. The perfect grill. Since they were offering a 12 month purchase plan, it was attainable for us. So upon requesting more information, I asked my husband for the basic information about this grill, what he liked or did not like about the grill he saw, and then I began my journey into research about this grill.

What I found was not only confusing, but frustrating.

In this review, I will attempt to save you some frustration should you look into purchasing one of these grills for your home.


THE BOTTOM LINE ABOUT THIS GRILL

The grill that we will be looking into in this review is the CHARBROIL BIG EASY 8000 SERIES GRILL.

What did I find so confusing about this grill? Well, for starters, the two reviews in the Epinions category set aside for this grill both describe features on this grill that are not shown on the photo of the grill, nor are they contained in the grill that is featured under that price range. I was of the impression that the photo was of the grill that did not have the rotisserie.

I found this disturbing and frustrating.

As I looked at many of the BIG EASY GRILLS, I began to see many different models, with different numbers, different features, at various stores.

I visited the Charbroil site and was only confused further as all models were distinguished by feature and not model number in the BIG EASY category.

I was told by a customer service rep that the easiest way to do a review was to outline the different features, rate the ones I have tried and just outline the others. Each store chain carries many different model numbers, but they may be the same grill with the same features.

That sounded much easier to understand, so that is the way I have chosen to approach this topic.

Here is the bottom line of what you will find about these grills.


FEATURES YOU WILL FIND IN EVERY BIG EASY GRILL

Here is what you will find in EVERY 8000 series of BIG EASY GRILLS

One shelf on each side

Cast Iron griddle

Propane Tank (you have to fill it)

Three separate burners with large knobs to control each one.

An ignite knob

A condiment cart on the front- wire shelf for salt, pepper, etc.

Stainless Steel burner tent covers which when turned over double as place for smoking wood chips.

Big strong handle for raising the lid, does not get hot

Slots for holding barbecue equipment molded into shelves.

Wide stable wheels (plastic) and covers on the legs so that deck is not marred.


HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN FIND ON CERTAIN MODELS OF THE 8000 SERIES

The following features are found ONLY on certain models- not ALL models of the BIG EASY 8000 series

Extra Side Shelf (at a lower level than the other two shelves)

Extra Burner in Right Hand Side (if facing the grill)

Tilt feature for the propane tank

Gauge to let you know when you are reaching an empty tank.

Cast Iron Grates

Porcelain Grates

Rotisserie

Stainless Steel cover

Deep Dish Cast Iron Pan (can be used for stir fry or even deep frying, so they say)

Temperature Gauge for grill/oven


WHICH GRILL IS PICTURED HERE AT THIS PRICE?

The photo pictured in this category for the CHARBROIL BIG EASY 8000 SERIES GRILL is the basic model. As you can see, there is no burner, no stainless steel cover, no tank tilt, no extra side shelf, no temperature gauge.

From my experience with this grill and my research, I would guess that this model will have porcelain grates, a cast iron griddle, and a free-rotating stainless shelf in the cover to put already grilled food on. The price will go for about $200 and you can most likely find this grill at Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, and other places that carry low budget grills.

NOTE
I have substantiated this guess with manual pages that you can find at the following locations (thanks to the advisor mountainhigh who pointed this out to me):


http://www.charbroil.com/manualResults2.asp?Search=1&Var=Big%20Easy

The manual can be found and downloaded for viewing when you press the model number 4638222.

The grill has all of the basic features I have listed, either type of grates (have to see in person-I have found it with either version), and the griddle is an option you will have to order separately. There is no side burner, that would have to be put in later as well.


WHAT OPTIONAL FEATURES HAVE I HAD THE CHANCE TO USE?

Our grill in this series has the following optional features:

Cast Iron Griddle

Cast Iron Grate (no porcelain)

Side Burner

The price of our model was about $250 from Home Depot.


WHAT DO I THINK OF THIS GRILL?

GRATES: PORCELAIN VS. IRON
I have had the chance to try out several grills of this line. Although many of these grills come with porcelain grates, we did not like them. They stick, do not cook as well, and do not retain the heat like we would like. ALthough the core of the porcelain grates is iron, the porcelain really cuts down the grill quality of the meats used on it. Vegetables are not as nice either.

The cast iron grates are fantastic. They are larger, closer together, and food is less likely to slip in between the slats in it. They do need to be seasoned before first use, but coating with heavy oil (Crisco will do) and heating up for a length of time and cooling off. IF storing grill outside, simply bring the grates inside and store in dry place.

THREE BURNERS
The three burner system is fantastic. You can use the grill as an oven, heating over indirect heat, as well as turning all burners up to grill and sear meats. The burners are easy to use, and the knobs are fantastic to turn.

In order to run each burner, you turn on the propane tank (always turn it off when not in use), then starting with the burner to your extreme left, you turn the gas on high. You twist the ignite dial one or two twists and the flame ignites with no problem. The gas flow goes from left to right.

From that point on, you turn on each burner from left to right. You start at high and then adjust all of the way down infinitely to low, depending on what you are cooking.

You can use one or more burners at a time.

For smoking food, you turn the stainless tent burner covers over and fill them with wood chips.

SIDE BURNER
You light this burner without going through the grill, it has a separate hose running to it. You turn on the propane, twist the burner dial, and then ignite with one or two twists of the dial, and the burner is lit. It works great.

CAST IRON GRIDDLE
Works beautifully. You simply replace one side of the split grate with the griddle and use with either indirect or direct heat. We have used it for many things from stir frying vegetables, to making pancakes. It works quickly and well.

WHEELS
We have not had any problems with the portability of this grill. It is smooth and easy to move.

CONDIMENT TRAY
Nice to use for spice bottles, but we ended up putting our tools there because the hook spots on the shelves do not fit with our tools.

EXTRA SHELF SPACE
These are detachable if you need more space, but they are very handy. I speak of the top extra shelf, as we do not have the lower one with our model.

ROTATING STAINLESS RACK
How handy this is. We enjoy having this available to store cooked food on while continuing to grill.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE
This grill heats up VERY fast, grills quickly and efficiently. We have baked in it, grilled in it, and even used it for frying, cooking and boiling all at the same time. Food turns out fantastically delicious.

I have found this grill to be one of the fastest to heat up and the nicest for even cooking of any that I have seen and/or used. Vegetables grilled on this are fantastic, as is the meat that we occasionally grill. Even the venison steaks that tend to be tough were melt-in-your mouth tender and done to perfection.

The burners are excellent, control is precise, and we even drilled a hole in the front where the logo is and use a temperature gauge for our grill when baking.

The only thing I wish that this grill had was a gauge for the tank. However, that is not really that important. You get about 30 cooking hours from a tank if using full tilt. We will have to learn to estimate, I guess.

INSTRUCTION BOOK
You can choose to assemble this grill yourself, or buy on assembled. Assembly is easy and quick- about 10 minutes or so, if all pieces are correctly tooled.

The instruction book that comes with the grill is good, and covers the important things you need to know about this grill. Assembly instructions are also excellent.

I must say here, however, that the manual is generic and fits ALL of the grills in the BIG EASY series. Many of the options in the manual do NOT come with this grill. The assembly manual is a separate fold out.

You can register the product online if you like as well for warranty service.

WARRANTY

Lifetime on the casting, 5 years on the burner, 10 years on electronic ignition, 1 year on all other parts.


CLOSING COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATION

If you are looking for an excellent grill to fill your needs, THE BIG EASY is an excellent choice. Reasonable in price, and put out with different features, depending on where you purchase it, this grill could meet your grilling needs perfectly.

Because we are mostly vegetarian, we did not opt for the rotisserie feature of the grill, which boosts the price up to $450+. Besides, it is just one more thing to malfunction.

You can find that one at BJ's Wholesale Club as well as Loews.

Beyond that, each store chain has its own model numbers that they carry with different features on each model. You will have to look at each store in your area for specifics. The Charbroil site has a very difficult search engine, but if you look at the manual link I have left above, you will find any model you want to know about.

I can say that the only place we were able to find CAST IRON grates with no covering was at Home Depot. However, many of the models do come either way, from what reps have told us.

I highly recommend this grill to anyone on a budget with high class taste in food. This grill has been a wonderful help to keep our home cooler during the hot summer months.

And a comment to women- if you want your husband to take on more cooking responsibilty, this may be your answer- dinner time could be more relaxing all of the way around! My husband actually LOVES to cook dinner now and then since we got this grill.

WEB SITE
You can find more information on this grill on several sites.

General information:
www.charbroil.com

More specific information on certain models (as well as grilling):
www.loews.com
www.homedepot.com
www.walmart.com

http://www.charbroil.com/manualResults2.asp?Search=1&Var=Big%20Easy

See above link for manuals for specifics about any model number specifically.