UPDATE: It’s 3 months later, and I finally have given up on the Char-Broil Bistro 240. I got a Weber (Q140) in its stead, and I’m very happy with the Weber. Let me explain why….. ….I never really was able to cook one good meal on the Char-Broil. Chicken would turn out pale, dry, rubbery, etc. Due to its inability to maintain heat. I thought this was due to (colder) weather conditions, causing the heat impairment… I don’t think that was right, now. I think it was (partly) due to the use of an extension. The grill did seem to perform better when plugged in directly into the outlet. Problem is, I can’t do that when outside, because the Char-Broil’s cord is too short. Plus, they didn’t even have the sense to have it come out the back… so it’s even shorter. I’m still not sure if it would resolve all the heating issues to have it plugged in directly, as I didn’t test for that. I did do tests on many extension cords for the Bistro 240, because the 14/3 gauge 15A A/C cord I was using, was causing the plug end to heat up to dangerous levels. I upgraded to industrial 14/3, then 12/3 gauge, and finally ended up with a massive 8awg gauge extension cord, I had to make myself, with wire sold by the foot (as they don’t make this thick size in a commercial extension). The 8 gauge certainly resolved the issues of the plug heating up too much (but so did the 12 gauge). It allowed the grill to heat up to 525F (never got it beyond that, according to the lid thermometer). However, it did not fix the problem of the grill losing heat so quickly. In 1m-2m, the grill would lose 200 degrees, going from 450F to 250F. To 150F in about a minute more. Then, it might take 10m to go back to 450F, but sometimes twice as long. Sometimes, it just would not seem to budge off of 250F, once it climbed down to that level. As you might imagine, this wreaked havoc on the meats I was cooking. I could observe the grill behaving this way, whether it was 30C outside, or 18C. The thin, uninsulated porcelain-coated lid and grill might be the culprit here, I am guessing. So getting to 500F-525F was a thrill, but maintaining that, was nearly impossible for me - even in the month of June. I could grill hot dogs, which require minimal lid opening. But not much more. The other thing I didn’t like, was cleaning the grill afterward. It is massively huge and round. Someone should tell the engineers at Char-Broil that kitchen sinks are not round. And I did buy the Char-Broil nylon cleaning brush right here on Amazon. But I would never think to try cleaning the grill grate in place, and then dare to call it “cleaned”. Cleaning it in one of my double kitchen sinks however, was really not fun. Nor was painting the backsplash with chicken grease. I had to devise a method of rotating the grill in the sink, bit by bit, as I carefully tried to scrub the rather deep v-shaped crevices of the porcelain-steel grill. After one single use, the grill could no longer be restored to 100% clean state. It was almost impossible to completely get all of the crud out after a grilling session… and I happen to be a cookware cleaning expert. Part of that is due to the depth and v-shape of the grate, part is due to the fact that you can’t use metal utensils to scrub this grill. All the same, I think I managed to scratch some of the porcelain coating already, in the few times I have used the grill. Also, the bowl underneath the element is much harder to clean than, ie. a Weber Q-series. Because you have to try to manoeuvre around the heating element, as you try to scrape as much gunk off the bottom as you can. What makes it tricky, is that you can’t easily remove the element without tools, and the element is lacking a support at the end. So you can easily accidentally push down on the free end as you’re cleaning, which would put stress on the secured end, and very possibly break the element. In the end, I hesitate to call the Bistro 240 a ‘lemon’, because there’s still a lot I like about it. The sexy looks certainly. The overall compact size of the unit. The fact that it is well built (though not as well built as the Webers). The solid stand (more solid than the Weber’s). The lid thermometer (Weber doesn’t have one. But I plan to install one in the Weber anyway!). The fact that it can reach high heat, whether or not it can maintain it, during a normal grilling session. The generous two-tier grilling surface (more generous than a Weber Q1400, and it creates somewhat better grill marks than at least the older stainless steel type of Weber grill grate). And arguably, it might be said that the biggest advantage, is its infrared heating element. Contrary to what I believed when I bought it, this does nothing to make the grill hotter. Despite the ordinary element of the Weber Q140, that grill gets hotter than the Char-Broil - and faster at that. But, the Char-Broil creates much less smoke, because that infrared element, is nearly ’hidden’ underneath the grill grate. So fat doesn’t drip on to it as much, to create smoke (also, less flare-ups, but I experienced one or two). Here is the “arguably” part, however: it is that creation of smoke that gives “bbq” flavour to food. Still, it remains, the Char-Broil Bistro 240 is the most “neighbour friendly” outdoor bbq grill around. This, and a carefully aimed fan, and your neighbours might not even know you’re grilling anything. So, if you’re in hotter climates, or you only clean your outdoor bbq grill grate on the grill itself, or you are not in the habit of opening the lid for more than 5 seconds at a time…. then this might be a good grill for you! If not…. what can I say…. (get a Weber now, thank me later, dude…). OLD REVIEW: We got an electric grill for the back balcony, because I hate fussing with the old charcoal briquette grill, and all the rigamarole it takes to get the coals smoking. Don’t care for gas either. I like the idea of electric, because it does not produce the usual cancer-causing by-products (like Benzene), produced by propane gas and coal grilling. “Infrared”, whatever that is… even better. True to what I read in reviews, the cord is short. Since it starts in the front, once I snake it around to the back and attach it to the legs, there’s about 2’ left. Just enough to plug it into an outdoor outlet, if you have one. I do not however, and had to use an orange, outdoor extension cable, to plug it into my interior outlet. (n.b. It is not recommended to use an extension, as it can affect the power. But if you must, it has to be as described in the manual; ie. rated to 15a, min. Furthermore, since the grill’s cord must remain outside, I hacked the end of my extension by covering the connection of both plugs with a plastic cover, to protect in case of unforeseen rainfall). The grill surface was roomy enough for all of my chicken breasts, plus a bunch of small potatoes in the back, and asparagus on the upper tier grill; both prepared in oil, and s&p. Because of what I read about “infrared” grills, I expected this thing to get blazing hot. Imagine my surprise when, the first time I used it, even after two hours on maximum heat the entire time, I couldn’t get the thing to go above 350F! At the end of the lengthy session, the asparagus and potatoes were fine and dandy. But as for the chicken… I ended up with dry, pale chicken breasts, that I had to finish on my indoor grill! Worse, every time I opened the lid to check on the food, and I mean -every time-, the temperature dropped drastically. Like to 150F, the minimum on the gauge. “No prob”, I thought. I read reviews on the Patio Bistro 240, and they said it does this, but takes 30s to come back to temp. No way! It took a few minutes to come back to temp. But don’t stop reading here! ….The problem, I realized, was the temperature outside. I think it was about 18C? Anyway, it was a spring day, early evening, a bit on the cold side of “warm-ish”. The wind was a bit cold, and hitting the grill, that was drastically affectin
