Meco Swinger Charcoal Barbecue Grill

Nice controlled grilling functionality

Rating:

By Anonymous

I needed a new charcoal grill for the deck and after a lot of looking around bought the Meco Swinger. Overall I like it but there are some things that could need improvement. Here’s a breakdown of my experience with it.

The control that you get with the cooking is awesome. This is because of the grate heights and the various vent options, as well as the ultra tight fitting lid. This works better than any other charcoal grill I’ve owned or used in the past. It really almost compares to the much more expensive Weber gas grill I used to own. While gas was nice, the flavor I get with this charcoal model is much better. With a little experimenting I can really get the taste I’m looking for, and this is important to me (I’m a bit of a picky chef). I can sear in the juices and give the meat a nice, crusty appearance. This is the most important quality, in my opinion, and the biggest reason I rate the Swinger as high as I do.

Now for the not so good. I have assembled several grills in the past, both propane and charcoal. Since this one took me over two hours it was much longer than any other model. The instructions are poor and there are a lot of little things to put together. This all adds up to frustration on my end. Meco should have pre-assembled the top and bowl parts before shipping it out. One thing I would recommend is to have a cordless drill on hand because hand screwing everything in was exhausting.

Even though assembly was not fun, that is fading into my memory every time I use the Meco Swinger. I have to dock them 1 star because of their shoddy instructions but I still give it 4 stars. It’s a great charcoal grill and you will love it once you get it together. It is affordable and delivers excellent results.

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Char-Griller 2222 Pro Deluxe Charcoal Grill Smoker

Well built grill smoker combo at a good price

Rating:

By JB Gregorio

The Char Griller Pro Deluxe is a well thought out charcoal grill and smoker that has a very reasonable price. I simply don’t know why anyone spends a lot of money on a Weber or other expensive brand. You can get a lot of grilling value for less money, in my opinion.

While most grills have shoddy construction, this Char-Griller is built of heavy steel and the cooking grates are cast iron. These look like they will last for a long time. I like the grilling surface as well. It is quite large and easy to get to when hot. The charcoal grate is adjustable up and down, and is also easy to take out for cleaning. The warming shelf is another thing I like as it holds a good amount of food. My prior grill just didn’t seem to have much warming space but I assumed this was the case with all grills, but not this one. Another thing I really like is the built in thermometer. It is very accurate when using it as a smoker or grill.

There are a couple things I don’t like about it that have caused me to give it a 4 star rating. The hooks for the charcoal grate are kinda small and not up to par with the other components. The legs underneath don’t seem as solid as the body either. Not that they have broken down on my unit but I will keep an eye on them.

Really though, these are minor gripes and for the money you can’t go wrong with the Char Griller Pro Deluxe. It’s easy to use for smoking and grilling, and produces great tasting food time and time again. The price is another plus and many reviews I read were right on in their praise for it. I recommend it to everyone who asks about it.

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Ducane Meridian 5 Burner Propane Gas Grill

Only a small problem with this grill

Rating:

By Gordon Bugg

Have had a 5-burner model since 2006 and use it frequently. The only mechanical problem has been the automatic igniters which became erratic after about a year, but the unit allows manual ignition as well. Cooking, etc is great and I would recommend the grill. However, the only issue I’ve hit (for those who repair things themselves) is the very minimal information on the grill included in the owners manual. Not even an exploded view with parts numbers. I just replaced the fire box (after 4 years) and Ducane customer service was excellent as far as ordering and shipping parts, but according to them it really is “figure it out yourself”. Have just had a frustrating series of calls to try to find out the sizes of the 1/2″ machine screws that hold most of the unit together - a couple of them had crystallized from the heat and shattered when I tried to remove them. Called the Ducane number to see what size they were. They were helpful and provided some numbers which I hope will work, but basically could not tell me where I could go for any detailled info, and I couldn’t see paying $40+ for a hardware kit when I only needed three machine screws. A minor point, but for their otherwise great customer service it was a letdown.. Would still recommend the grills though…

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George Foreman GLP80V 80 Square Inch Nonstick Electric Grill

This Foreman is a great value

Rating:

By Joe Banfield

My wife and I were looking for a new grill for a while. We looked at many different electric grills and decided on the George Foreman GLP80V as it had a big 80 square inch grilling surface. Also, it is made by what we consider the best company out there. We have used it for a month now and have grilled chicken breasts, burgers, steaks, porkchops, and much more.

We both agree that this Foreman has made our barbecue outings much easier and faster. We don’t need a full sized gas model so this one makes perfect sense for us. The larger surface area is wonderful. We can cook multiple meals at the same time. It is also much easier to clean than we thought. My only complaint is that you cannot remove the plates for cleaning but it doesn’t take long to remove any leftover food.

Overall I highly recommend the GLP80V if you don’t need a full sized grill but still want to have enough space for a large meal. I actually enjoy using an electric one versus gas, and I can easily store it when I’m done.

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Broil King Monarch 40 Gas Grill With Side Burner

Excellent gas grill

Rating:

By W Fuccillo

We did quite a bit of research before we decided to buy the Broil King Monarch gas grill. One thing I definitely wanted was to avoid any of the barbecue grills that were made in China, even though they are typically much cheaper. I read a lot of reviews on this model and on the company, Onward Manufacturing up in Canada and the vast majority were positive. Also, the price was just right for our family. I can say that I am impressed with this grill in the way it cooks and the ease of cleaning it up.

We are usually grilling on it a few times per week during the warm months. I have grilled meats like chicken and steak as well as vegetables with much success. It fires right up and gets to the right temperature very fast. The surface seems to be evenly heated which is probably a big reason the food tastes so good. I haven’t had any flareups either, which is a nice change from our old grill.

Assembly wasn’t bad either and it looks nice on my deck. The frame looks like it will last for many years. Overall I’m very happy I decided to buy this one. I think for this price range it is the best model you can find. I even think it matches up to some of the more expensive propane grills. I would not hesitate to buy it again and I always recommend it to friends when they come over.

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Char Broil M2 Four Burner Gas Grill with Sideburner

Assembly is tough but the grill is great

Rating:

By Doug Williamson

The Char Broil M2 gas grill is very nice for the price. It has four burners and puts out 48,000 BTU’s so it has all of the cooking power we need for our family. The biggest complaint is that this grill comes in a box with basically no pieces put together, so it took us the better part of an afternoon to assemble it. The directions were pretty good and we did take our time to make sure we did it right but it could have had more things pre-assembled. But now that it’s together we really love grilling with it. It heats the meat quickly and evenly, with very precise controls on the 4 burners. The M2 also looks great on my deck when I’m not using it.

I have grilled many different things on it and this model has a very adjustable temperature from one side of the grilling surface to the other. I can put different types of food on at the same time and have no problems with getting them just right. This is a nice upgrade to my prior barbecue grill and a big reason why we love it so much. We are always cooking different things at the same time.

Overall we are very satisfied with the Char-Broil M2 and would definitely recommend it to anyone else. If you don’t want to spend a fortune but still want one of the best grills for the money then check out this one.

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Cuisinart GR-4 Stainless Steel Grill and Panini Press

George Foreman grills are no longer the best

Rating:

By Gregory Heck

We bought the Cuisinart GR-4 griddler indoor grill and think it is time for George Foreman to step aside. This is a great grill and functions 4 different ways: as a panini press, contact grill, open grill, or standard griddle. We no longer have to wait for nice weather before doing some grilling which is nice. It is honestly one of the most used barbecue grills I have ever owned.

It’s a very small and compact unit so it fits nicely on our countertop. I have grilled up some chicken and steaks and found the meat to taste great. It leaves the juice inside which is just the way I like it. The griddler also adjusts automatically for the thickness of the meat, and you can turn the heat up or down depending on your needs. I find it is easy to use and a feature I really like is the cooking plates can be removed. Easy cleanup is the name of the game with this Cuisinart.

Overall I love the GR-4. While it is a little more pricy than the Foremans I looked at I thought it was worth it. It got great reviews and I can see why. Well worth it.

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Bradley BTIS1 4 Rack Outdoor Barbecue Smoker

Best barbecue smoker we found

Rating:

By JB Fischette

For starters the Bradley 4 rack fully automatic smoker is the best choice you can make. I used to have a barrel smoker for a few years and I needed to find something that was a little less involved to use. I wanted to smoke overnight without having to constantly add wood so I looked around a bit. After reading some reviews I decided to go with the Bradley BTIS1.

I can say after using it for over a year that it is one awesome machine. I have smoked many things including ribs, pork, brisket, chicken, and other various meats with complete success. The flavor is outstanding and everyone I grill for really comments on the taste. It is that good.

One thing is you need to buy the Bradley briskets but I usually find them online for a cheap price. I will buy a box of various flavors to mix it up as I do quite a bit of smoking, especially during the summer. I thought about going with the 6 rack unit but really didn’t need that much space. This one will do for an average user.

Now the only fault I have found with the Bradley smoker is it doesn’t produce a smoke ring like my other smoker did but it doesn’t affect the flavor at all. I highly recommend it and once you use it you will never do any standard grilling again. I gotta give it 5 stars.

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Weber Summit S-670 Propane Stainless Steel Gas Grill

Outstanding barbecue grill!

Rating:

By Doug Holtz

Our family loves the Weber Summit S-670 gas grill. Our former grill was ready to be retired from use and we wanted to replace it with a highend model. We looked at a lot of grills and read many reviews. Of course, Weber was consistently the highest rated brand so we looked over their lineup. We do quite a bit of grilling so we needed more than 4 burners. This lead us to the Summit S670 and we are glad we found it.

For starters you get a very even temperature across the entire cooking surface, which is huge by the way. This thing is big enough to cook for your whole neighborhood which is a plus because we have a big family. Now we find ourselves hosting most of them which is fine as we have the grill to handle it.

Searing burning is another big draw to this model and one that sets it apart from their other large grills. After using it for a while I can say this is a must have. I LOVE seared steaks as it really seals in the juices. It’s like eating out at a fine restaurant each night. We also like the smoker box as you can slow smoke like the pros. While we don’t use it as often as we’d like it is definitely a great option for this Weber. If you haven’t had a smoked piece of meat before you are really missing out.

One downside to this unit is the price. It is not inexpensive by any means but if you are looking for a higher end barbecue gas grill you could spend upwards of $4000. I say skip that and pay half for this one. Just make sure you have the room for it as it is big and quite heavy.

If you are looking for a large grill with a huge grilling capacity then the Weber S-670 is a great choice. You get 6 high powered burners and a whole host of other features that make it a great bargain even at this price.

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Char-Griller 2123 Wrangler Charcoal Grill Barbecue Smoker

Every deck should have this grill

Rating:

By Derek Blanton

There are a few reasons that I decided to choose the Char Griller Wrangler grill. For starters, I wanted charcoal as I just love the taste it produces. Also, the price was just right especially when compared to other barbecue grills in the same category. For a little over $100 you get a smoker/grill combo that produces great tasting food. My next consideration was the overall size as I don’t have a large area. While it isn’t a huge model it isn’t as small as some of the other grills like the Weber Kettle. Even though it doesn’t take up a lot of space, the grilling area is decent. I think it will give you 640 square inches which is plenty for our family. We even use it for family functions with no problems.

My one complaint was the assembly as this seemed to take a while. As long as you have the right tools you can get the job done but I’m not the most handy guy. I would have preferred to have it pre-assembled but I found the best price online so this wasn’t possible. Not a huge deal but I docked them one star for it.

Also, if you move it around a lot you will want to make sure you hold it securely. Don’t grip it by the shelf as this will likely break off. It’s solid when you are grilling on it but you need to be careful if you have to haul it anywhere. This is no problem for me because I never move it.

Overall I’m pleased with my new Char-Griller Wrangler. I use it as a smoker and regular charcoal grill with much success. Highly recommended in this price range.

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