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Infrared grills? Are they really worth it? What gives them an edge over charcoal, gas or an electric grill? These are some of the many questions that run through people’s minds when you mention infrared grills.
In all honesty, infrared grills are loved by many for the fact that they offer uniform heat, have fast cooking times, reduced flare-ups whilst offering properly seared food, and great outdoor convenience especially if you are living in a windy area.
And they are even safe to use – which is why we went in search of the best-infrared grills on the market and put together this list. Take a look!
#1. Best Infrared Grill – Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 TRU-Infrared LP Gas Grill
Ever owned a grill that looks like your toolbox? If you haven’t, this is it. Offering great build quality, ample cooking space, portable design, a cast aluminum firebox to mention a few, the Char-Broil X200 Grill2Go LP Infrared Grill is undeniably a great budget infrared grill.
We even forgot to mention that it comes with a temperature gauge, stainless steel cooking grates, and of course the tough carry handles on both sides. With the TRU-infrared cooking system, it converts energy from liquid propane fuel to infrared energy and gives you great tasting meals.
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What Are The Factors We Considered Before We Picked These Infrared Grills?
You really want to know, don’t you?
Where do you intend to use the infrared grill?
This is one of the first things you need to consider when buying an infrared grill. This stems primarily from the fact that there are different sizes of infrared grills on the market. If you want an infrared grill that will serve just you and your family, a small portable infrared grill will do.
On the other hand, if you’re having grilled food lovers coming over for Thanksgiving, then you should get a larger infrared grill or even a 6-burner grill as the case may be.
Size
As we already hinted above, size is of utmost importance if you are looking forward to buying something that will meet your needs. It is also important to mention that the bigger the size, the more complicated the assembly will be and perhaps, the more the grill will cost.
Therefore, if you have limited outdoor space, you should consider getting something that is compact sized. Fortunately, we reviewed some tabletop models in this article. If you’re interested in a tabletop grill, you should read this article.
Again, size can hugely affect portability. If you want something portable, you need no prophet to point out that you need the small one.
Cooking Space
The size of the infrared grill will to a large extent determine the amount of space available for you to cook. Fortunately, most of the infrared grills on the market offer at least 160 sq. inches of cooking space.
It is important to take into consideration the number of people you’ll be grilling food for at any given time.
Heat and Heat Consistency
One of the major selling points of an infrared grill is the fact that they distribute heat evenly. This is because of its design and the proper channeling of the heat generated. However, it might interest you to note that some infrared grills distribute heat better than others. Whichever one you choose, it should have great heat distribution or you’ll experience unevenly grilled meat and food items.
With respect to the amount of heat produced, most grills produce a decent amount of heat. For the gas-powered infrared grills, the burners often have high BTU output. In view of that, we included only grills that have good heat output and distribution.
Fuel Source
Infrared grills can either be gas-powered or electrically powered. For the gas-powered models, you need to choose between the liquid propane and natural gas models. Bear in mind that it is difficult to switch between natural gas and propane after you’ve chosen a fuel source.
Aside from the fuel source, the ignition system is important, especially for gas models. Find one with an electronic ignition as it eliminates the use of matches and other manual lighting options. Imagine forgetting lighters at home when you’re out camping!
Easy to Assemble and Use
Some infrared grills can be quite tough to assemble. This is often as a result of the design which integrates different parts together. Fortunately, our top picks for the best-infrared grill only includes grills that are easy to assemble and easy to use.
Storage Space
If you are running low on storage spaces in the house, having an extra grill with no storage space isn’t such a great idea. And if you belong to the group of people that always seem to misplace items, having a storage space integrated into your grill can save you a lot of trouble.
Extra Features
Side burners, integrated thermometer (a must-have feature), warming racks, internal lights, etc. are some of the extra features you should consider having on your infrared grill.
Infrared Grills Reviewed
Let’s now take a closer look at the grills we’ve selected. We’ve included different styles and different fuel source grill types and we hope you find the one that suits your needs and budget.
#1. Best Infrared Grill – Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 TRU-Infrared LP Gas Grill
Type: Liquid Propane
Cooking Space: 200 sq. inches
Features: portable, made from stainless steel and aluminum materials, offers ample cooking space, sturdy frame with strong carrying handles and legs, integrated thermometer, TRU-infrared cooking system
Our favorite infrared grill is the Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 TRU-Infrared LP Gas Grill. It’s a fine piece of grilling equipment powered by liquid propane. For something as compact-sized as it is, the Char-Broil Grill offers a decent cooking space.
With respect to the cooking space, it measures about 200 sq. inches, a tad higher than what we saw on some lovely kamado grills. The grill is shaped like a toolbox and it’s lightweight and portable.
It is made from cast-aluminum and stainless steel materials which contribute to the overall feeling of sturdiness it has. For cooking, the grill uses a TRU-infrared cooking system which converts energy from propane to infrared energy for cooking.
The end result is a well-done meat courtesy of even heat distribution on the grill. Other features on this grill include the integrated thermometer as well as the sturdy legs, handles, and stainless steel lid latch.
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#2. Simple Living Advanced Indoor Infrared BBQ Grill
Type: Electric
Cooking Space: 150 sq. inches
Features: electrically powered, offers about 150 sq. inches of cooking space, infrared technology, lightweight, portable, smokeless, removable grease pan, non-stick grilling surface.
If you live in an apartment building and you’d love to grill some of your food items without having to deal with lighting charcoals, this Infrared BBQ Grill might just be the answer you’re looking for.
It is compact-sized – as we very much expected – and weighs about 10lbs. With the Simple Living Advanced Indoor Infrared BBQ Grill, you eliminate the worries that come with lighting fires, controlling smoke and maintaining temperatures, thanks to its design.
The grill is powered electrically and surprisingly, it has a rather low watt usage and again, it is energy efficient. For cooking, you get less than 150 sq. inches of cooking space – not the smallest, but it’s good enough considering the price point of the grill.
There’s a removable grease pan that captures the fat and food grease while you’re cooking. It traps it in such a way that the grease doesn’t burn and emit smoke. This grease pan is easy to remove for cleaning. For your controls, there is a control knob for choosing desired heat settings.
The one thing that is missing on this infrared grill is an integrated thermometer.
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#3. Tenergy Redigrill Smoke-Less Infrared Grill
Type: Electric
Cooking Space: 150 sq. inches
Features: smokeless cooking, compact-sized, good cooking space, dishwasher safe parts, heats up quickly, easy to use control knobs, electrically-powered.
The Tenergy Redigrill Smoke-Less Infrared Grill is almost the same as the Simple Living Advanced Indoor Infrared BBQ Grill that we reviewed above. Both share similar characteristics especially the similar-sized cooking space.
With less than 150 sq. inches of cooking space, you get a nice cooking space for grilling your food indoors. The grill heats up quickly – in just about 6 minutes – and it doesn’t smoke, thanks to its cooking technology that impedes on the smoke.
As we expected, there is a grease tray to capture oil and fat from your food, and it is easy to remove and wash. Be sure to wait till 30 minutes after cooking to remove the grease-pan.
With respect to controls, there is only one control knob. Unfortunately, the grill has no integrated thermometer. But it does make up for it by offering you dishwasher safe parts that are easy to detach and attach anytime you want.
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#4. Char-Broil Performance TRU-Infrared 450 3-Burner LP Gas Grill
Type: Propane
Cooking Space: 450 sq. inches + 150 sq. inches warming rack
Features: Side burner with 10,000 BTU capacity, large grilling space, electronic ignition system, grease trapping infrared grill layer, porcelain-coated cooking grates, 3 tube burners, integrated thermometer, storage space, and side prep table.
The Char-Broil Performance TRU-Infrared 450 3-Burner LP Gas Grill offers a 3-in-1 grilling experience for the cost of one. It is especially geared towards people with a need for an infrared grill/gas grill combo.
Given its design, you get a side burner with 10000 BTU rating, a central cooking area measuring about 450 sq. inches and a warming rack measuring 150 sq. inches. In addition, there’s a side table that gives you a mini-working surface in the absence of a grill prep table.
Underneath the grill is where the propane tank is stored and the empty space can serve as a storage spot for you. The grill offers porcelain cooking grates, 3 tube burners which deliver even heat via their control knobs as well as an integrated thermometer and an electronic ignition system.
For the price of one, you get the value of three – that’s simply the best way to explain what the Char-Broil Performance TRU-Infrared 450 3-Burner LP Gas Grill is.
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#5. NORTHFIRE Inferno Single Propane Infrared Grill
Type: Propane
Cooking Space: 150 sq. inches
Features: distinct design, high temperature capable, propane-powered, integrated thermometer, 8500 BTU burners, electronic push ignition, stainless steel finishing, comes with a removable drip tray and food tray.
The box-shaped NORTHFIRE Inferno Single Propane Infrared Grill is certainly not the most beautiful infrared grill we’ve seen. But it’s one that gets the job done, to say the least.
It features a rather distinct design – one that sets it apart from others. Made from high-quality stainless steel material, it’s tough, and sturdy to withstand temperatures of up to 15000F. But unfortunately, it doesn’t sport an integrated thermometer.
However, there is an electronic ignition as well as the 8,500 BTU burners to make up for the absence of the integrated thermometer. Other features available include a removable drip tray, a food tray as well as a grill plate handle for drawing out the grill plate to remove your food.
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Conclusion
We’ve probably done justice to the infrared grills we selected. The ball is in your court to make the choice bearing in mind the budget, the number of people you’ll grill for and, of course, the extra features you want in your grill.
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