Char-Broil Urban Grill Review

Char-Broil Urban Grill: Low Priced, Compact Size, Questionable Infrared

Nothing’s more popular on the gas grill market right now than infrared technology. The intense heat of 1600 degrees sears steaks to perfection, and cuts cooking time in half when compared to traditional gas grills. Every manufacturer wants a piece of this booming market share, and Char-Broil is not one to be left behind.

In a sucessful attempt to gain entry into the infrared grill market, Char-Broil designed a new line of innovative grills. These grills don’t use traditional infrared burners and are designed to be lower cost alternatives to the high performance ceramic burners found on most infrared grills.

So how you ask did Char-Broil do it? Don’t be fooled by Char-Broil’s marketing gimmicks, a single quality infrared burner can cost more than a whole Char-Broil Urban grill. To accomplish the task of branding it an infrared grill, Char-Broil designed a new technology based on a thin sheet of perforated steel that emits heat through both infrared and flame.

To understand the marketing hype Char-Broil places on these infrared grills, you have to know a few basics about infrared cooking. Infrared is the wavelength of heat transfer just below red visible heat. Burners that emit the proper wavelength of infrared heat for cooking turn bright red at temperatures above 1200 degrees; whereas, the Char-Broil infrared system does not.

Char-Broil Urban Infrared Burner System These grills emit a weak infrared radiant heat in the upper end of the wavelength called mid-wave infrared. Yes, technically this technology can be called infrared, and yes, you can mislead consumers to believe it is the same as more expensive ceramic infrared burners. However, the fact is, heat absorption to food in this wavelength of infrared is close to zero. In fact, most of the heat transferred to the food on this grill is done through the perforated holes in the metal and by contact with the grates.

This presents several problems with this grill. For one, it is misleading, and only cooks as good as an average traditional gas grill. Secondly, as this grill gets used, the cooking performance will decline. As food and grease begin to clog the pin size perforated holes, heat from the burners will have a much harder time getting to the food. The only solution to this is to take out the parts and brush them clean on a regular basis. To many gas grill users, this eliminates some of the convenience associated with a gas grill. Lastly, as very common with Char-Broil grills, the low quality 430 stainless exterior and internal parts will rust and deteriorate after only a short period of time.

The good news about this grill is that it is fairly inexpensive at 269 dollars, puts out 20,000 BTU’s, and can reach about 700 degrees. It has high, even heating, and rarely flares up. Plus, the Char-Broil Urban is built for small spaces and is great for a patio or balcony.

Hopefully it isn't hard to see that the Char-Broil Urban is a cleaver design that easily lures potential buyers into the infrared grill market. Unfortunately, it's really nothing more than a traditional Char-Broil grill with a thin perforated grate between the food and the flame. The Char-Broil Urban grill cooks a dequately and has high, even heating. Althought it doesn’t truly cook with infrared and is made from low quality materials, it is a very low price.

Char-Broil Urban Grill

Char-Broil Urban Grill Image