Char-GrillerDual-Function 2-Burner 24,000 BTU Propane Gas and Charcoal Combination Grill and Smoker with 870 Cooking Square Inches in Black, Model E5030

I've had this grill for a little over a month, and have been using it quite a bit. I'm very pleased. I'm a pretty good handyman, and assembly is a bit challenging, mainly because of the size and weight of the parts. This is a HEAVY grill. Shipping weight is approximately 125 pounds, and that doesn't include a propane tank. All of the main components are sheet metal rather than castings, but it is very heavy gauge. There is nothing about this grill that looks or feels flimsy. The finish appears to be matte powder coat, and is high quality and looks like it should be very durable. It was well packaged and arrived with no damage. The temperature is a bit difficult to regulate on both the gas and charcoal sides. I've found that one gas burner lit and set to its lowest setting gives you a steady temp of about 300 degrees. Both burners on low gives a temp of about 350-375 degrees. You could easily get it up to 500 degrees with both burners on high. The charcoal side is another story. It's almost impossible to keep it below 400 degrees, however I have cooked a range of different meats from shrimp to chicken pieces, to chicken halves, to ribeye steaks, and have been totally happy with the results. You just have to keep a close eye on it. If you completely shut off the air vent the temperature will gradually drop. Leaving the vent closed will eventually snuff out the fire. I only use good quality lump charcoal (no briquets with their binders, additives, and sometimes even coal, believe it or not... YUCK), and there's always a fair amount of unburned charcoal left to give me a start for the next time I use it. I've been using the grill 2-3 times per week and I'm still on my first 20 pound bag of charcoal. I've had several different grills over the years, from one of the cheap square charcoal grills, and several gas grills from a really cheap, basic grill, to a heavy cast pedestal grill, and most recently a KitchenAid all stainless grill that cost just about the same as this one 15 years ago. This Char-Griller grill easily beats all of them in quality and sturdiness. Definitely buy the custom cover if you're going to keep the grill outside. It's very well made and is well worth the price. It even has a section that expands out to cover the accessory smoker box if you decide to add one.

Can't say enough about this grill. The dual functions are perfect. Great size grill, easy assembly, very durable as well. It also comes with instruction suggestions for cook times for certain meats for those less proficient in grilling. It even gives you the suggested number of coals and how to place them for best cooking results. All in all, it's an awesome grill for a great price.

I took my time assembling the grill but overall it took me about 8 hours. Assembly instructions were step by step easy but the diagrams were very small and hard for my 78 year old eyes to see.I have used the gas grill twice and the charcoal section once. Both worked great! Gas grill gets really hot, really fast... over 500 degrees in just a few minutes. I used the charcoal grill to smoke a rack of ribs and they were perfect. I placed a foil pan of water on the grill grates and the ribs on the warming rack. Added a packet a foil wrapped packet of wood chips to the charcoal, and 2.5 hours later I had melt in your mouth ribs.My advice... read the assembly instructions carefully... the diagrams are accurate but easy to overlook a washer or confuse bolt size.

The dual mode gives us the flexibility to opt for charcoal when we have time and propane when in a hurry. Easy to assemble. Grates go in dishwasher. Superb product.

I bought this grill on accident, thinking it had gas AND charcoal in both chambers. I had grown up grilling but never really understood the difference between grilling and low & slow barbecue. I think a lot of people just go to the grill store and buy "whatever's supposed to be good" and end up with something expensive and not that versatile. (**Cough cough TRAGERs and gas grills!**)This grill has propane in the left and charcoal in the right, which makes it super versatile for any kind of cooking you'd want to do. I feel like it's helped me grow as an outdoor cook, understanding which types of foods are best over which type of heat. Gas is great for veggies, but man does charcoal do great things to meat! Not to mention, the enormous cooking area between both chambers makes it easy to get a large meal together for a big hungry group all in the same place.After owning (and loving it) for two years, I added the side fire chamber that bolts on and turns it into a legit smoker. I can just fill the side chamber with charcoal or wood (I don't have to buy pellets) and put the meat in the right (now middle) chamber. There's no automatic timer or temperature control, but it works great if you just keep an eye on it (and you can add a digital thermometer to it cheap). The fact that the fire is NEXT TO the food and not UNDER it (as in a kamado or a Weber) means that it's easy to maintain the fire without having to move the food each time. Also, very ingenious that the side fire box turns into a travel grill for tailgating or camping! So much value and versatility in this thing!The fact that it looks like a professional pitmaster's rig from the Mad Max universe earns me legit respect from the dads in my suburban neighborhood, especially when I smoke a brisket that could come from a serious BBQ joint.

I don't grill a lot at a time, and I don't always want to fuss over the coals, but sometimes I do. I really like the dual fuel. The grill is ceramic coated which is really nice. All the parts fit together well, it's powder coated, and in general we'll made.The box arrived intact, but the lid for the gas side had a massive dent in the corner. The Chinese packer packed it despite the obvious damage. I was able to straighten the flange and carry on with the assembly, but the powder coating on that lid is gone. They carry a warranty to replace damaged parts for the first year, but I haven't gone through the process yet to know if it's easy or hard.That said, the product itself is very well designed and I don't regret the purchase at all.