I have a Lyftime grill and pit. However was looking for a grill the wife could use for weekday fish/chicken stuff without having to use a charcoal fire, since she has no clue about it.

Purchased a Charbroil Tru-Infrared two burner for her to use on the patio. Well, relatives are in from being stationed in Indonesia, and the request is Kobe ribeyes tonight. Picked up some from HEB, and threw them on the new grill (intentioned for fish). My SIL thinks her tummy gets upset over real charcoal.

I never thought a gas driven grill could ever do close to a real coal fired pit for steaks. Gotta compliment the Tru-infrared. I have the model with the cast iron grates as the cooking surface. We were very satisfied/surprised at the quality of grilling.

I will never get away from the real grill in most cases. However, for those that can't take a real fire pit "for their tummy's" or don't have the time for a real fire, the Tru-infrared grills are the sheet.

Just a heads up to those thinking about a propane grill. The old standard has been raised in that regard.

Of course, nothing beats a real grill, but this is the next best I have seen.

My parents have one and it works great

Have had mine for a year and I love it. I grilled burgers between quarters last Aggie season. Time from when I tuned the grill on till the burgers were done was less than 10 minutes. Came out perfect and juicy

I have a stok island and my parents also have a stok grill, both propane. They have cast iron grates and little interchangable cutouts for a pizza stone, Veggie tray, etc. I've never had a single problem or complaint from either one. They reach temp very quick and hold it almost perfectly. Cost to product quality ratio is incredible, even for a brand I had never heard of

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My SIL thinks her tummy gets upset over real charcoal.

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Torbush.

Sarge,

I was thinking of picking one up this weekend (on sale at Academy), but I've read negative reviews re grease plugging the emitter plate holes. Have you had any issues with that?

If it's a Charbroil Infrared, I don't see how the grease COULD plug up anything. Under the grates is a trough which should catch literally everything. I've had the 3 burner for 3.5 years now and love it. No issues at all. Grilled some awesome salmon on it last night.

Kobe

Yes, grease will get down into and clog the emitter holes, and you will need to clean them out every so often. When you're done grilling, turn your burners up to high and run for 5 min or so, and you can burn out some of the grease from the holes. Even when there is blockage, it still seems to do a damn good job grilling.

It really isn't too much of a hassle to clean the plates though. It wouldn't deter me from buying another one if I had to.

I own a CB Tru and results have been positive. I was leery at first (wife bought it as a gift) cooks fast and even. No issues with flames or plugging of any holes and I am 6 months into using mine.

I passed on buying a CB Infrared due to bad reviews as well. Glad it is working for you though.

Bumping this thread 'cause I'm in the market for a good propane grill for cheap, everyday cooking (still recognizing there is no sub for good lump charcoal or wood). Wonder how everyone's Charbroils the holding up and if there are any new recs out there.

Still using it (Charbroil Tru Infrared), as with my charcoal grill and pit.

It is very easy to use, especially for quick grill needs. Very, very pleased with it overall.

Grease does not clog the emitter plates IF you take off the cast iron grates and clean the emitter plates from the crusties that fall off during cooking. This needs to be done after stuff like hamburgers especially. You can grill a couple times in a row with steaks and such before cleaning. The grills come with a scraper engineered just for the emitter plates and cast iron grates. Cleaning takes just a couple of minutes, so no big deal.

Grilling fish is really easy with this grill. Even heating, and quickly adjustable.

Still recommended after six months or so of use.

[This message has been edited by Old Sarge (edited 11/9/2013 10:25p).]

Got one this summer, love it. Be aware that they have a few models that look alike but aren't created equal. The models exclusive to lowes are the way to go according to amazingribs.com

edit: not on a phone anymore so here are the articles that explain the different models

[This message has been edited by ccard257 (edited 11/10/2013 12:16p).]

I got one years ago. Maybe mine was an early model but it blew. Didn't hear evenly and didn't get as hot as a regular gas grill, much less charcoal. Maybe they have improved the design, but I only ended up using mine maybe a dozen times.

I'm a little concerned reading the reviews. Seems the concensus is they're awesome for about 6-12 months, function just the way they're supposed to, then the materials start to break down due to low-quality steel and poor workmanship. Unfortunately it doesn't look like there is anything in between the CharBroil and expensive-ass Solaires and such. At this point I think I'm going to hold off on infrared. I can't afford even $300 if it only lasts a year.

I really have to wonder about anyone who has a grill break down that fast. I use my gas grill fairly regulary, once a week on average, more in the summer. It is a CB from Lowes, though not an IR. I use it enough that it was worth plumbing it to natural gas. I've had zero problems in 22 months. Internet reviews are full of knuckleheads that burn wood, never clean anything, don't preheat, etc. That said, I have heard very good things about the IR grills.

Also, final rant--it is okay to use gas, wood, offset cookers, barrels, don't apologize for your grill. My wife calls our back yard the BBQ museum because there is a grill for almost every need!

Bought one of the infrared ones a few weeks ago. Works great, cooked some great steaks. I really like it so far, no problems either.

You have a good point, horse.