In my house there’s usually quite a lot of food on the go, but until I tested the Char-Broil Smart-E, BBQs at home were limited to a couple per year. That’s not because my family doesn’t enjoy them, quite the opposite, more that we’re always on the go and by the time we get back to base it’s usually too late to start messing about with briquettes…We (were) much more likely to use a BBQ on the beach or at a campsite than have one at home.
It took about an hour and a half to put the Char-Broil Smart-E BBQ together – it comes very well packaged (read: you’ll be making a trip to the recycling centre for all the cardboard) and although there’s lots of parts it’s easy to follow the build instructions. Happily, putting it together is the hardest thing you’ll have to do with the Char-Broil Smart-E.
The first thing to love about the Char-Broil Smart-E is that you don’t need gas or coal – it’s fully electric, so you literally need to plug it in and use the digital display to turn it on and heat to your required temperature of between 90°C and a whopping 370°C. After a few minutes the BBQ glows a solid blue to show it’s up to temperature and you’re ready to cook. It’s actually no more effort than pre-heating the oven in my kitchen.
The Smart-E is super sturdy, looks smart and the design has been well thought out with foldable sides that are useful when you’re BBQing and fold down when you aren’t. There’s handy cupboard space underneath to store accessories and utensils under the grill, too.
BBQing made easy
With enough grill space for at least six people, the Smart-E is a cinch to use. I love its wonderfully big LCD display and oversized silver dial, the latter of which flashes until you’re up to temp and ready to grill. An emitter plate transfers the cooking heat, to stop food drying out and ensure the stainless-steel cooking grate has a uniform temperature, which combined with the ability to set your cooking temperatures of between 90-370°C (controlled via the digital display) makes BBQing easier.
Even from first use, there’s no chance of the dreaded burnt outer, raw middle BBQ food, as you can control your cooking temperature so easily and the heat is even across the whole grill. All the meat I’ve BBQ’d on it has remained lovely and juicy and I also like that there’s a warming rack for indirect grilling, which is great for cooking veggies.
As electric BBQs still smoke, you absolutely get that authentic BBQ flavour. The grates on the Smart-E also add the coveted char lines to your food, which I always think makes it look more appealing.
Auto clean – yep, really!
Eating the food aside, my favourite thing about the Char-Broil Smart-E is the auto clean mode. A self-cleaning BBQ – what a time to be alive! The auto clean mode takes the BBQ up to 370°C full temp – you keep the lid closed and it turns fats etc. into ash so you can simply sweep it away – it even comes with a brush.
I can’t emphasise enough how well the auto clean mode works and what a complete game changer it is. Once the function has finished, all you have to do is brush down the grates and empty the tray underneath if needed and you’re ready to use the next time.
There’s no going back to gas or coal
There’s no going back to gas or coal for me after experiencing the convenience of an electric BBQ. Since I’ve been testing the Char-Broil Smart-E, I’ve had a pergola fitted at home, which means I have BBQ’d in the rain, which feels a million miles away from BBQing a couple of times a year!
The Char-Broil Smart-E certainly isn’t cheap, but it is brilliant in terms of design, convenience, cooking experience and results and let’s not forget it pretty much cleans itself too. I haven’t loved anything cooking-related this much in years!
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