The Coolest Pieces of Gear We Tested This Week

Are you one of those people who says goodbye to their grills after Labor Day? More than half of grill owners crack up their cookers year-round, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. I’m usually a charcoal guy, but that can be too fussy for game day wings, especially when you start sniffing winter. To make things easier, I’ve set aside the kettle and started using Char-Broil’s Commercial Series Tru-Infrared.

Char-Broil’s offered infrared cooking for years now and it can solve a lot of the issues associated with cooking over an open fire, namely flare-ups. A quick review of how the tech works: Over the four tubular burners is a perforated sheet of 443R stainless steel that cuts off the air flow turning the energy into infrared heat—the feeling when you step into the sunlight. In a standard grill you’ll get more convection heat (think: the fan moving hot air inside your kitchen oven) which helps cook the food, but also exposes the flame and when fat meets that, you get flare-ups. 

Out of the box the assembly was manageable (sold exclusively through Lowe’s, they’ll put it together for you, too) and I was impressed with the build quality, especially the coated cast iron grates that’ll hold heat in and deliver a good sear. The side burner comes with a griddle cover, which is a nice touch if you’re into smash style burgers, bacon, or topping things with a fried egg. The four burners push out 32,000 BTUs over 525 square inches of cooking surface (plus another 200 inches for the warming rack) which is about enough for about two dozen, four-inch burgers. 

This grill slaps on sear marks very well with virtually no flare-ups, despite cooking up fatty burgers. If you’re a charcoal grill fan, you might complain the flavor isn’t the same—which is an age-old argument—but that should be offset with the ease of use. The push button ignition is consistent, and a built-in tank scale gives you an idea of how much fuel you have left. It’s always a good idea to ignore the temp gauge mounted to the hood because even the most accurate ones won’t tell you the temperature down near your food. — Sal Vaglica, Senior Editor

[$500; charbroil.com]

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