Char-Broil Performance TRU Infrared 480 3-Burner Gas Grill with Side Burner and Cabinet

My experience. Had it for a few weeks now. I've cooked about six or seven times now.Pros: Price. 1) Amazon sells this on prime for good prices some of the time. I've seen it go up and down. Time your purchase right and you'll have a bargain. 2) On balance, the meat you cook will be juicer with the infrared. I was somewhat dubious of the infrared hype. I think anyone can overcook or get it right on almost any grill, but if you get it right on this grill (and for me that means using your own thermometer), the things you cook will retain more moister.Indifferent: I was a bit worried about the cleaning experience people have had with the grill. I found that if I took the advice about letting it rip on high for 15 minutes after cooking you turn the stuff that might clog the grates into ash. They say that this grill cooks faster with less gas. It is faster, but the need to clean this way may erase that "less-gas" benefit. A really thick cut -- an inch or more-- will take more time to cook through while avoiding the problem of burning the outsides. So, you'll need grates without direct (or much) heat. With something like that cooking times probably even out compared to conventional grills. Thinner cuts will be faster.Cons: 1) Do you want something like this shipped to you? It's really too heavy for most services/ delivery persons so expect some risk of a banged up product. They package with this in mind. The black base housing rings around the fire box and the lesser parts. That's smart, but mine arrived with a ding or two in those parts. This meant that one or two of the screws wouldn't go into warped parts. It hasn't made a difference thus far, but who knows what happens down the line. Keep in mind, once you open this sucker its very unlikely you can send the parts back in the original box. I didn't try, but short of them sending new tailored boxes for the returnable parts it would have been more than the usual headache. 2) Assembly and assembly instructions. My god, use words in your instruction books Char-Broil! It's all pictures, and some of these pictures are a little disorienting, especially as you construct the base. Oh, and assembly itself is no small task. Chances are, if you've got something upstairs, you'll do better than an inexperienced store clerk, but don't expect instant gratification. A few magnetized screw drivers are a must, as you can expect to drop some screws and to work at awkward angles. They recommend a power-drill with a screw attachment, but the truth is you will have few opportunities to use it unless yours is very small or has some creative extensions. All that said, it's not mission impossible. 3) Might have wished for a longer burner warranty, at least as a sign of confidence. 4) Bought a grill cover a week ago. Before this and one good rain I founds stains on my 'stainless' steel.I've detailed the cons, but overall, I'm happy with the purchase. I'm hoping it lasts for many years.

I've owned this grill for a couple of months now and have ran 2 bottles of propane through it. I'm very impressed with the performance of it. The infrared grates are really an amazing feature and I don't think I'll ever buy another grill that has your standard grates on them. They really do prevent flare ups, I haven't seen one yet. It's nice to be able to fill the grilling area full of burgers and not have to worry about some becoming scorched from flare ups. I've cooked pretty much every kind of meat on it and it's all turned out great. It does cook faster than most other grills which I consider a plus. The entire surface area of the grill is pretty much evenly heated. I've had it full several times and have not noticed any low temp or hot spots. The infrared plates are kind of a pain to clean but it's not too bad as I only have to do it every 3 or so times I cook and it's a nice trade off not worrying about flames coming through. I haven't used the side burner so I can't comment on it but it makes a pretty good flame so I'd assume it's on par with all other side burners.The overall fit and finish of the grill is pretty good, but it also has the reasons why I don't consider this grill perfect. Mine came with paint already removed and bare metal showing in 2 spots on some of the black areas. Another thing which stumped me for awhile was that the 2 side panels that connect to the back panel did not have their holes drilled in the same spot from the factory. On one side the holes were a whole inch higher. I had to drill my own holes to get it to assemble properly. Not something you need to do on a $300 product. Quality control was really lacking on the fit and finish department of my grill.Another problem I occasionally have that seems like a common problem is that when I go to light the grill the auto igniter won't make a spark. You have to twist the battery compartment till it will catch right and ignite.Overall I would still highly recommend this grill. If Charbroil would take the quality control a bit more serious I would consider this grill to be perfect. I'm sold on the infrared plates and will never own another grill without them.

This is a solid grill. I'm happy I purchased it through Amazon. It arrived in 2 days and only took about 2.5 hours to assemble. There are definitely a ton of parts and a lot of step to follow, but overall it was fairly straight forward. I was able to assemble it all myself, but the main part of the unit is one big piece which is fairly heavy. I'd recommend having another person help with lifting that part (and the directions will recommend that as well).So far it has worked well. It definitely gets really hot and seems to give a more even heat than my past CharBroil grill which I used for over 7 years.A COUPLE COMPLAINTS:- There are 3 thermometers installed just over the temperature knobs. I do not believe that these thermometers give off acurate readings. Within minutes of being turned on, all thermometers read about 600 degrees. Even if I turn 1 or 2 burners off and the others down to low, it will typically never drop below 500 degrees.- Also, on past grills there was a range that each knob let you adjust the flames (from high to low). On my other grills I was offered a wide range and you could tell the difference between high and low to a great degree. On this grill the range is fairly small (only about a 1/4 turn of the knob). So the result is that I don't see much difference in the high setting as compared to the low setting - or at least not as much as I would like.Otherwise, I am happy with the grill.