I've been out shopping for a new grill lately. My Cap N Cook from BBQs Galore made it ten years which is really impressive to me since I will grill out at least two nights a week, year round. So it's time for a new one.

I have seen quite a few grills out there with infrared heating technology and these are being offered by multiple manufacturers. Having read some of the literature on them provided by the manufacturers, I would like opinions on what people think about these grills. Are there things that are more difficult to grill with this technology? Seems like it would be great for things like ribs and chicken where you really want indirect heat, but when it comes to direct grilling, can this be accomplished well too?

Thanks for the input!

I have the Charbroil "Red " Grill and love it! It sears steaks perfectly and dials down for low and slow. There isn't any open flame so there aren't any flareups. You can also easily add wood chips for extra flavor. Also it's really easy to keep clean. I got it at Home Depot.

Funny, because I was looking at that very grill in HD just the other day. I was asking myself how I could possibly sear a steak without seeing flames under the meat. You have confirmed for me that it can be done.

What do you do to clean it? Can you take the ceramic diffusers out and stick them in the dishwasher?

There is a clean setting on the burner control,put it there for 15 minutes and it will turn everything to ashes. Next time you use the grill brush the grates, remove them,scrape the "U" with a plastic spatula. Then remove the"U" and dump the ashes,replace the grates and you are ready to grill.

the infrared is actually best for direct grilling. THere are some IR only grills, but I'd recommend a grill that has a IR zone for you to sear on, and a normal propane/lp gas burner section for doing your "normal" grilling.
The IR section gets SO hot that you will burn most foods before they are cooked through (doesn't apply to IR only grills). So I wouldn't expect to use it on anything but steaks or whatever else you want to sear quickly. It wouldn't work for ribs because those are best cooked low and slow.

I have the charbroil ir grill....love it but the tray with small holes clogs quickly and need to be cleaned. If not performance will suffer.

Bought the Charbroil Red Infrared last year. Used the heck out of it. I'd recommend it to anyone.

You may want to consider a big green egg. Take a look at them..

Here's another vote for the Charbroil Red. Bought off recommendations on another grilling forum and have never regretted it. I love the flavor from charcoal cooking and always used charcoal for some things but rarely anymore. The Red is equally good at searing steaks or slow cooking a tri-tip. My version came with a rotisserie as well.

Also ditto on wood chips. I soak chips for about ten minutes and drop them in the pan below the grates and it taste like grilling over charcoal. Now I just need to install the natural gas conversion kit that's been sitting in my garage.

I'd like to cast another vote for the Charbroil Red. We bought one this weekend and I can't say enough good things about it. I may not cook anything indoors again all summer. I haven't tried using wood chips yet but I plan to tonight.

For those with the Charbroils for a while may have to replace the grill trays (the trays with all the little holes in them). Not being impressed with the stainless steel trays only lasting 2 seasons I found this 3rd party solution: http://grillgrate.com/

They replace the trays and the grills. Expecting them tommorrow. Read good reviews and should last longer than the thinner metal trays.

Might as well microwave your steaks

Actually, since you joked, its worth mentioning that the Charboil Infrareds use a few different methods to cook food. In addition to infrared there's the direct heat contact that happens when the meat contacts the grill, and convection cooking that happens when the hot air circulated around the meat. Methods 2 & 3 sear the outer part of the meat to help the meat retain juices, and the infrared cooks it throughout. This is the approach used by quality restaurants and steak houses.

Lot more science than people realize.

Absolutely! It's just like any other cooking really; if you don't know exactly what you're doing, the results will be bad. The primary mistake made when doing outdoor cooking is that people have no idea what temperature they're cooking at. That makes things a little difficult! I'm sure infrared can turn out decent food, but it's missing the age-old barbecue staple - real fire, from wood!

Yeah, nothing beats the real thing. Costco has those Kamodo Egg charcoal grills. Very tempting, but not in the budget now. But hear good things about them.