Grilling is one of those activities that almost everyone loves. Maybe it’s the idea of bringing us back to when we first started walking on earth, maybe it’s the idea of hanging out with some friends and relaxing or maybe it’s just the love of cooking. Whatever your reason is to grill, it has become engrained in our culture. We grill for tailgating, camping, quick dinners, parties and more. Over the years, the grilling industry has grown by leaps and bounds. No more is our only choice the charcoal kettle grill. We now have gas, wood, pellets, electric, charcoal and more. We have different designs, different price points and more. Which brings me to the IG Charcoal BBQ Review.
I know not everyone is into charcoal but we all have to admit that there is a huge taste difference between wood, charcoal, and gas. For me, I started out on a kettle charcoal grill and absolutely love charcoal. The only reason I went out and bought gas was that I had kids and sometimes I want that quick grilling for simple items like hot dogs and burgers. However, I still find myself going back to my kettle grill for most of my grilling. The reason being is taste. So that brings me to the reason you are here today, the IG Charcoal Grill Review.
IG Charcoal BBQ Review – Overview
IG Charcoal Grill is a new player today in a crowded space. They are a company that has a product that is a little different, a little higher quality, different design, and size. So how does it stack up?
The IG charcoal grill is designed for those who want a large backyard charcoal grill that needs a large cooking area for hosting parties, large families or just needs the larger capacity cooking area.
One of their biggest differences is the build quality and how it’s made out of stainless steel for a great looking grill and a more durable grill. Another feature that makes them stand out is the simplicity. A simple tray for charcoal and two side tables. Nothing fancy, just back to basics.
IG Charcoal BBQ Review – Features
The IG Charcoal BBQ is designed from stainless steel to provide durability and a look of quality that not many grills offer. Most grills are painted black. The grill has a 480 sq./in cooking surface while my old kettle grill only has about 350 sq./in.
Inside the grill, there is a large tray that holds the charcoal with plenty of venting to allow for breathing to keep the fire hot.
One very cool feature of this grill is the ability to lower or raise the coal tray. This allows you to help control the cooking speed and temperature, something you don’t get with a kettle grill.
Below the charcoal tray, there is an ashtray that will catch all the ashes as they burn off. The tray is removable and extremely easy to empty and clean.
On the bottom of the grill, you have an extra shelf to store items such as accessories, cooking trays and more.
The grill features two locking casters which are good quality and will roll nice.
On each side of the grill, there are two folding side trays that come in very handy. Once the trays are in place, they are very steady and are not flimsy.
The grill comes with two removable cooking grates.
When lighting the charcoal, there is plenty of room to easily build a pyramid and light the coal.
IG Charcoal BBQ Review – Performance
There is a lot to love about this grill and some items I wish that were different. First is the cooking surface. I love the rectangle shape as it’s much easier and offers more room to move food around compared to the round kettle grills. We were able to pile a lot of food and cook for our whole building. As you can see we had 4 hamburgers, 8 hot dogs, 4 steaks and 1 onion and all with plenty of room left over to cook more.
The grill did an awesome job at cooking. I love being able to raise and lower the charcoal to customize my cooking experience.
As you can see, the side trays come in very handy to be able to work with food before or after you cook, plus a place to put your sauces.
We even cooked a Flank Steak and tried to use direct and indirect heating. With that said, direct heating is easy to accomplish, but since the BBQ doesn’t come with a lid, indirect cooking is nearly impossible. Sure you can grab a lid and cover your food but it’s not easy if you want to slow cook a bunch of food. So for me, I wish this did come with a lid for slow cooking as there are plenty of foods out there that taste better cooked slowly.
I also wish there was a lid to keep the rain out of the charcoal tray when not in use.
One item I found annoying was how the grates are even with the sides of the grill. So when we tried to flip a burger and the burger was stuck to the grate, we had nothing to push against and the burger just fell off the grill. We would have liked to see a little lip between the side of the grill and the grates.
One big knock I have against this is being able to move it around. One side of the legs does not lock into the grill so you have to not only lift the grill, but you have to make sure you hold onto the legs when moving otherwise the legs just fall out.
I saw some people complain about the thickness of the stainless steel. Sure it could be thicker, but I feel that it’s sufficient to last for years to come. Another design issue I have is the side tray does not always go into place very easily. Sometimes you need two hands to lift and lock them in place. Not always good for those times you come outside and have a plate in one hand and realize you forgot to raise a side tray.
My last issue was assembling the unit. While it’s extremely easy to assemble the unit, we did run into a problem installing the raising and lowering handle. We couldn’t figure it out and the directions were rather weak.
IG Charcoal BBQ Review – Value
The grill retails for $450 on Amazon. I have to admit, I am a little stuck on this grill for that price. I can get a Weber grill for $165 which is a lot cheaper, plus I get a lid for indirect grilling. However, I do love the stainless steel and the rectangular size with the large cooking area. If they made the changes I noted above, I would be a buyer at the $450 mark without any questions.
However, I do love this grill despite some major upgrades with the design. If I was serious about charcoal, wanted a good looking BBQ, with a large cooking area and a simple system, it’s a great BBQ to own.
IG Charcoal BBQ Review – Final Thoughts
I love grilling and am a fan of any type of grilling when it comes to wood, gas or charcoal. They all have their place in this crowded world. The IG Charcoal BBQ Grill is giving the consumer another option to choose from when making their grilling decision. I love the large cooking area and simple design. The grill takes me back to the basics of cooking, something I tend to forget about. Whether I want a simple lunch with the family or have people over for a party, this grill can handle what you throw at it. With a couple of upgrades, this grill can be a real competitor of some of the major brands.
