Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill Review

Looking to buy a portable charcoal grill that fits your budget and your patio? Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill is the grill for you, and it offers you so much more than portability and space.

In this review of the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill, we present detailed information on its performance, ease of use, and possible complaints, to help you make an informed buying decision.

What Makes the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill Good?

It is one of the best small-size and affordable charcoal grills on the market at the moment. Despite the seemingly compact design, the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill has a generous cooking space to hold a dozen burgers. It also has extra features like a side-shelf, bottom rack, etc. for convenient grilling.

Who Should Buy the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill?

• Small Families: The Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill is best for small families. It can cook enough meals for about four people at a time.
• Grilled-Food Lovers on Budget: The Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill costs less than $100 despite being a top-quality design. If you need a grill but can’t afford the more expensive ones, consider buying the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill even as a temporary solution.
• Those Looking for Convenience Grills: The Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill has certain high-end features that make grilling fun. There is a side shelf, bottom rack, and hooks to organize your cooking utensils as well as soon-to-be-cooked foods, all in one place. It also has wheels that make it easy to move around.
• Campers: For camping, you need a small and portable grill. This decision may depend mainly on the size of the group you plan to feed. However, if you camp with just 2 – 5 people, the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill should be a great choice.

Possible Complaints on The Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill

• No One-Touch Cleaning System: While the ash pan is adequate for removing much of the ash and charcoal debris, some might still stick to the walls of the grill. Some charcoal grills have metal blades that wipe the ash off the grill walls into an ash catcher.
• No Heat Gauge: There is no way to measure the approximate temperature of the Char-Griller Patio Pro, and this might affect how well certain foods cook. But with the right timing and monitoring, you can quickly mitigate this shortcoming.

Brand Overview

Company Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
Phone: 912-638-4724
Email: service@chargriller.com

The manufacturer’s website says Char-Griller was founded by a “Georgia brother and sister” who still own the company. Char-Griller prides itself on crafting innovative designs of different grill types and setting their prices cheap enough for every family to afford one. Char-Grill doesn’t want any family to pass up grilled food because of a limited budget. The company also produces appliances such as kettles, Dual Fuel Grillers, Kamado Grills, and more. You can find the full scope on the official company website.

First Impression: What Does It Look Like?

Our first impression of the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill is that it’s compact, sturdy, convenient, and portable. It’s small enough to fit on your patio. The grill is made from heavy-duty steel and cast iron, and the design is innovative. It’s several luxury features offer more convenience than basic plain models. For example, there is the bottom rack for keeping food and other utensils. A wooden side-shelf also serves a similar purpose. The drawer lets you quickly add charcoal while grilling, and also provides easy disposal of ash and charcoal debris.

Key Features

• Bottom and Side Damper: All charcoal grills with customizable dampers offer a wide range of cooking temperatures. The Char-Griller Patio Pro is a charcoal grill with such function. The heat level is essential for getting the best taste out of some foods. Slow-cook some meals, and they’ll take forever to cook. Subject other meals to high heat and they’ll burn without cooking well. The best charcoal grills or any other design should have some flexibility with adjustable heat levels. Using the two dampers, you can quickly increase or decrease heat intensity in the Char-Griller Patio Pro.
• Side Drawer: The side drawer is an innovative feature of this charcoal grill that deserves a separate mention. That’s because not only does it make it convenient to add charcoal fuel while grilling, but it also makes it easy to control the heat level instantly. You cand pull the drawer out and add charcoal, sprinkle water, or leave it pulled out to reduce the heat level quickly.
• Stay-Cool Wooden Handles and Shelves: It’s a vital requirement for a portable charcoal grill to be movable, and to open and close conveniently no matter how hot. It’s also essential for the shelves to remain cool as you’ll be keeping and picking things from there. This Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill has both features, thanks to the wooden protectors.
• Cast Iron Grates and Easy Dump Ash Pan: Iron grates of the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill can withstand any level of heat in the grill. The grates also leave deep beautiful grill marks typical of grilled foods and their ability to retain heat. The natural dump ash pan makes it easy to get rid of ash and charcoal debris.
• Bottom Storage Rack and Wooden Side Shelves: These are where to keep your kitchen tools or food you’ll soon cook. It is a convenient way to manage everything in one place, so you don’t easily misplace things and start looking around. Without provisions to manage everything in one place, pretty much everyone misplaces things ‘twice’ in a while.

Preference-Based Features

• Adequate Cooking Space: I say “adequate” because this is a small-sized charcoal grill with a surprising 250 square inches of barbeque. Anyone buying this grill should understand it cooks only a moderate quantity of food—like for a small family or group. But you’ll still get a generous cooking space while deriving the benefit of a small charcoal grill that is easy to move around, store and use in limited space.
• Several Convenience Features: Any grill with a flat basic design wouldn’t be much fun to cook on. Without some extra features (like in old traditional grills), you’ll have to deal with carrying a barbecue by the handle (if it has stay-cool handles). You’ll also have to figure out where to keep your cooking tools while grilling. But the Char-Griller Patio Pro has wheels for smooth movement, side shelves for keeping your cooking tools, and a side drawer, among others.
• Sturdy Lightweight Design: Char-Griller is known for churning out only sturdy grills despite pricing their products competitively. The materials used for the Char-Griller Patio Pro are of top quality by any standards. The bowl, grates, and legs are made from heavy-duty steel and cast iron—all coated and polished to resist rust.

Construction: 4/5

The construction of Char-Griller Patio Pro is sturdy, and it’s made from top-quality material. The design also includes cool features for convenient grilling. Despite being a small-size charcoal grill, it provides generous barbecue space and extra spaces to store and manage cooking utensils.

Performance: 4/5

With a design that maximizes the amount of heat reaching your food, the Char-Griller Patio Pro packs excellent cooking power. Not only can it generate intense heat, but it also retains heat for long periods.

Cleaning and Maintenance: 4/5

Cleaning the Char-Griller Patio Pro is easy, and you won’t have to dirty your hands. All you need to do is pull out the ash pan and empty it into the trash.

Warranty and Shipping

• Warranty: Char-Griller backs several parts of its products with a warranty. For your warranty claim to be eligible for consideration, you must present a copy of the receipt with dated proof of purchase. The warranties range from 1 to 5 years. Read the user manual for details on warranty terms and what parts are eligible.
• Shipping: Shipping arrangements depend on the seller and your location. Many sellers ship to multiple countries. If in doubt, contact the seller for questions on shipping before placing an order.

Similar Gas Grills to Consider

1. Pro Deluxe LX Charcoal Grill
The Pro Deluxe LX Charcoal Grill is similar in design to the Char-Griller Patio Pro because it’s made of the same material, and has an identical bowl shape and similar extra features. The main difference between the two lies in the size of cooking space, shelves, and the bottom storage rack. Pro Deluxe LX Charcoal Grill has four times the cooking space of the Char-Griller Patio Pro Charcoal Grill. So if you want something similar but bigger than the Char-Griller Patio Pro, this could be it.
2. Char-Griller Table-Top Charcoal Grill
With a 12-burger capacity, this Char-Griller Table-Top Charcoal Grill has about the same size as the Char-Griller Patio Pro. It also costs about the same price. However, the Table-Top Charcoal Grill has side handles instead of wheels for moving it. It also lacks the bottom storage rack and side shelves of the Char-Griller Patio Pro.

Overall Summary

It packs plenty of grilling punch for a small-size grill. With a 250 square-inch cooking space, the Char-Griller Patio Pro is ideal for a small family. The biggest catch with this grill is the blend of size, price, and quality. It’s small enough to fit conveniently on any standard patio, and it’s just the perfect product for grillers with limited space at home.

The construction material is reliable for intensive and prolonged use. It has a design that makes it convenient to use. It has a side-shelf, sliding drawers, dampers, ash catcher, and other cool features for the best grilling experience.