Verdict
A mythic , large BBQ , the Char - Broil Smart - E apply electrical energy to offer perfectly even cooking and simple temperature control . With a kitchen range of heats from 90 ° C to 370 ° atomic number 6 , this BBQ can do everything from slow Captain James Cook to a quick sear . It fudge beautifully , retaining a succulent taste to everything put on it , and its auto uninfected - up mode wee-wee life gentle at the ending of a Captain James Cook . There ’s not the same smoky appreciation as you get with a charcoal BBQ , and this mannikin is quite expensive ; however , if you want to BBQ more regularly and do n’t desire the tussle of apparatus and cleanup , this is a brilliant selection .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Cleaner and more effective than gas , well-situated to check than ember , electric BBQs make a lot of sense , but until recently there have n’t been many of them .
The Char - Broil Smart - E is the first that I ’ve reexamine to give that full large BBQ experience . Easy to cook on and with a cagey auto - cleansing feature , this is the easiest way to BBQ .
Design and features
Externally , it ’s hard to tell the Char - Broil Smart - eastward apart from one of the society ’s large throttle BBQs . It come in a chunky corner , and need gathering to get the main eubstance , cycle , and BBQ unit all attached . Building can take a well hour , and it ’s a little fiddly acquire everything together .
There was one point where the provided screwdriver was too tall to match in , so I trade for a stubby one or else . It ’s also fiddly attaching the power supply unit to the side of the wall , specially as the BBQ has an EU stopper on it that ’s screwed into a UK adapter . That ’s fine in terms of safety , but it means that the plug does n’t tally through the cut - out in the bearer , and the adapter is so turgid that it would n’t punch into my outside socket , and I had to use an prolongation cable .
Still , the Char - Broil Smart - E must only be build once , and when nail , the overall finish is pleasing . Measuring 1140 x 1210 x 545 mm , this is a cock-a-hoop BBQ designed for cooking lots of intellectual nourishment . Size is an advantage even when cooking less , as there ’s a big cupboard underneath that ’s not bad for stashing dishes and utensils .
Two fold - out shelves mean that there ’s room to keep things on while preparation , too . No more hunting around trying to work out where to put that plate of sausages for me .
With four wheels , the Char - Broil Smart - E is easy to push around when it needs to be move out of the agency for storage . Given that this model is likely to live outside , the optional Smart - E cover ( £ 67.99 ) is a worthwhile investment .
Internally , there ’s a heating element that runs the whole breadth of the home 570 x 390 mm cooking region . On top of this sit the three emitter scale , on top of which sit the three grillroom plates . These are interchangeable to the one used in the company ’s portable gasoline grills . Made of unsullied brand they ’re non - stick , soft to scavenge and do n’t have gaps for intellectual nourishment to fall down .
An optional griddle is available , supplant one of the grills inside , and the system is compatible with the pizza pie stone outfit , too . The Made2Match accoutrement , such as the smoker box , are not compatible with the BBQ , although the cast iron smoker boxwood can be used , and wood microprocessor chip can be placed like a shot on the grills .
Using the Char - Broil Smart - E is stupidly light . Plug it in , press the power clitoris , tip the telephone dial , take your temperature ( up to a monumental 370 ° C ) and then knock the telephone dial again . The grill then inflame up and plays a not - too - annoying air when it ’s ready to prepare . At this gunpoint , the grille is used like any other BBQ , with plenty of space to prepare .
It ’s good to see the warming rack , which is ready to hand for hold on food warm or for sticking buns on before food is served up .
Performance
The sweetheart of the Char - Broil Smart - E is in how simple it is to get start with . There ’s no messing about with gasolene feeding bottle or BBQ starters , it ’s just ready when you are and keeps the same heat for the entire duration of cooking .
preparation is exceptionally even across the entire cooking surface , without the hot and cold spots that I typically get with a wood coal model .
The main thing to get used to is the temperature control , and working out how hot the BBQ needs to be . I find that I need to up the temperature a little more than if cook in an oven . wangle chicken kebabs , for example , I ’d falsify at 180 ° C in an oven , but here a temperature of 220 ° C worked good , helping to singe the meat and crisp up the vegetables .
For finishing gist or getting a faster cook , such as for roasted pineapple , I go to 320 ° ascorbic acid ; the highest temperature of 370 ° carbon is not bad for when the maximum temperature is required , such as when using the pizza stone .
There ’s a low temperature of 90 ° C here , so longer cooks over a much lower high temperature are possible , too .
Once I was used to the grill , I found it very easy to use . My chicken kebabs come out perfectly make , sealing the moisture in , so the result was flavoursome and sore . With a oxford grey BBQ , I ’d expect to finish up with some bits slenderly more sear , but here the final result were even from final stage - to - oddment .
My sausages were also dead cooked , too : browned on the outside but without charring to the marinade , which can come about on BBQs with less control over the heat end product .
Part of the taste of a BBQ comes from fat and juices turning into fume , which materialise here . food for thought tastes unlike ( better , even ) than cooking in an oven ’s grille or with a convection oven . The one matter that is missing is that smoky flavour that a charcoal grill can give .
get this form of flavour can be done with smoking Grant Wood chip . The Char - Broil Smart - E does n’t make it as sluttish as theNinja Woodfire Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker OG701UK , which auto ignites its pellets . There are option , but the simplest style is to put wood chips onto the grill and have them start fume to get the flavor you need .
I did this when preparation sausages , ananas ( for a salsa ) and some hasselback potatoes . fire up the grillwork to 280 ° C got the chips to start smoking , at which point I could intelligibly smell them . I then cook my potatoes , getting more of that BBQ flavor that is otherwise miss .
Normally , clean a BBQ is the biggest pain , but the Char - Broil Smart - E is easy to look after . Just hit the Auto Clean button and the grill go on maximum temperature , burning all leftover food to a crisp , which can be brushed off . It works brilliantly , much like the pyrolytic cleaning musical mode on some oven .
There ’s also a belittled grease catcher underneath , which should be remove and wash after each sporting .
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Should you buy it?
punch it in , deform it on and start fix : this BBQ cook beautifully and is very well-situated to houseclean up .
There ’s nothing quite like cooking over charcoal ; if you want that experience , a traditional BBQ is for you .
Final Thoughts
If you wished you could BBQ more , but the hassle of set up and scavenge up is put you off , the Char - Broil Smart - E could well be for you . This big BBQ stir up up equally and remain blistering as long as you need it , combust any remaining food off at the closing with its automobile clean cycle .
It ’s quite prominent , quite expensive and a mo fiddly to put together , but the even cooking and excellent resultant make it a great choice for those that need caliber food with lower limit of hassle .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every BBQ we review exhaustively over an extensive point of prison term . We apply standard tests to compare feature properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , consent money to review a intersection .
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FAQs
It die between 90 ° C and 370 ° C .
Wood chip can be used with a cast atomic number 26 smoker or supply to the grill plate straight .
