The Gas2Coal grill by Char-Broil is an affordable gas and charcoal grill that offers the best of both worlds in terms of heating efficiency and that smoky flavor that you’ll only get when you grill with charcoal. It also features an improved design over past hybrid grills produced by Char-Broil. Bigger and better than ever, the Gas2Coal grill comes loaded with all the bells and whistles that will make your next family barbeque a day your family won’t forget.
In the end, if you’re looking for an affordable, easy to use, versatile grill that features a space-saving design, this model is still a great choice.
Overview and Features
If you can’t decide whether to go with a charcoal grill or a gas grill, then the Gas2Coal is the perfect solution. While it doesn’t have a reputation for being as heat efficient when it comes to burning charcoal, when both gas and charcoal are used, you will enjoy the full rich smoky flavor and heating efficiency that only a hybrid grill can provide. For the price, the grill also comes loaded with some great features, not to mention a durable design that will allow you to continue to use this model season after season.
This hybrid grill comes equipped with three stainless steel burners that are designed to produce high temperatures using 13,333 BTUs per burner. However, it’s heat efficiency is negatively impacted by the uneven cooking surface. When cooking with charcoal, this grill falls a little flat. The grill’s design doesn’t provide a way for the user to control the airflow, so maintaining a consistent temperature is impossible.
Product Rating:
- Charcoal and gas grilling
- Removable charcoal tray
- Easy cleanup
- Three gas burners
- Can work as a smoker
- Good price to value ratio
If you need to precisely control the temperature then you’ll need to solely rely on the gas burners. This grill is designed for beginners who want that smoky taste that only charcoal can provide and the type of cooking convenience you’ll enjoy when grilling with gas.
Gas Burners
This large grill features a total of three gas burners, each of which can sear your steak to perfection. When you cook steak, you need to reach a temperature range of six hundred to seven hundred degrees.
These gas burners offer a temperature range of four hundred and seven hundred degrees to seven hundred and ninety degrees. However, the heat seems to gather toward the back of the grill, so you can expect a significant drop in temperature toward the front. You’ll need to take this uneven heat issue into account especially when you’re cooking with a full grill.
Grilling with Charcoal
The grill makes it easy to switch from cooking with gas to charcoal. Past hybrid grills by Char-Broil required you to take off the three tents over the burners. With this latest model, you only have to remove the three cast-iron cooking grates and put the charcoal tray above the burners. Next, just add one layer of charcoal and replace the grates. The last step is igniting the burners and turning each one on high. Shut the lid and allow the grill to heat up for ten to fifteen minutes.
Ignitor
The battery-powered ignitor will only work for the side and middle burner. The middle burner is the first one you should light before you ignite the right or left burners. Keep this in mind when you’re lighting the charcoal because you won’t be able to see the flames since the tray completely covers the burners.
You’ll find a total of three air intake holes, which are not adjustable. There is one air intake hole on each side of the firebox. You’ll find the last airhole on the bottom. This hole is also what facilitates the removal of grease by channeling it into a small metal cup located underneath. Igniting the charcoal is quite simple, but controlling the heat can be a real challenge. The only way to do so is by increasing or decreasing the amount of fuel you use and closing or opening the lid. When you use gas only, the rear burner will get hot enough to sear food just as well as charcoal. Unfortunately, this model tends to lean more toward a traditional gas grill design instead of a true hybrid.
Obviously, this is not a dedicated charcoal grill, so it may be unfair to compare it to one. A better, more efficient cooking solution would be to use the gas burners for temperature control and the charcoal for flavoring only. With the right and left grates removed and the charcoal tray in place, you’ll find that by burning just a small amount of charcoal on one side of the grill and a single burner switched on to low, you’ll get a temperature of two hundred to two hundred and twenty-five degrees.
Smoker
This model also works well as a smoker, just keep in mind, when you’re roasting or smoking, you should leave the charcoal tray in its dedicated storage spot. To smoke ribs or brisket, the burners must be turned down to low and the internal temperature carefully monitored. Smoking meat can take anywhere from two to twelve hours, depending on the meat.
Design
The grill is equipped with a warming rack, which folds back neatly when you lift the lid. On the right, a shelf provides a good sized workspace. The flush lid located over the left burner can make a nice shelf when the burner is not in use.
On the right and left there are a couple of plastic wheels that make it easy to move the grill and store it away when it’s not in use.
Cleaning up after cooking with charcoal is easy, simply remove the cooking grates and dump the charcoal tray out.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Charcoal and gas grilling
- Removable charcoal tray
- Easy cleanup
- Three gas burners
- Can work as a smoker
Cons
- Small wheels can make it difficult to transport
- No way to control airflow
Related Questions
Can This Grill Sear a Steak When Cooking with Charcoal?
No. Unfortunately, this is not the best portable charcoal grill. Because regulating the temperature is so difficult, you would be better off using gas to sear and grill a steak. When you cook steaks on the grill, temperature control is everything. The meat should be seared immediately to lock in the juices, then moved to indirect heat. Because the grate’s temperature is not regulated due to lack of dampers, you may end up overcooking or undercooking a thick steak. If you want to learn how to cook ribeye steak on charcoal grill, then we recommend buying a dedicated charcoal grill, such as the PK Grills PK Original Outdoor Charcoal Portable Grill & Smoker Combination.
Does the Grill Come with a Drip Pan for Under the Burner Area?
Yes. The grill comes with a small round pan which fits right under the burners. It can easily be emptied and rinsed out. If you grill often, you may need to check on the pan regularly since it’s very small and can easily overflow if not emptied a few times a week with daily use.
Why Does this Grill Not Have a Damper System?
It’s true, you won’t find the two damper system, which is so common with traditional charcoal grills. Unfortunately, this is a major drawback if you love to grill with charcoal. Typically, one damper would allow air in, while the other would allow smoke and air out. Slightly opening or closing one of the dampers works to control the grill’s temperature. Since there are no dampers and only a few small airholes designed to let the smoke escape, you will have no control over how hot the grate gets.
Conclusion and Rating
Product Rating:
The Gas2Coal grill is designed for people who enjoy grilling with both charcoal and gas. Like a gas grill, it’s very efficient, but when you cook solely with charcoal, you’ll find regulating the temperature is very difficult. However, if you want to enjoy both the smoky flavor of cooking with charcoal and the heating efficiency of gas, you can use both heat sources at the same time. Overall, this is a decent hybrid grill for the price, but if you’re looking for a model that can handle charcoal grilling as well as gas, then you’ll need to keep looking. We gave this model a rating of four and a half stars out of five.
