Char-Broil Professional 3400S review: a good-sized grill for families

The Char-Broil Professional 3400S is good if you want to host modest cookouts or cook delicious barbecued food for your family. It features three burners and a Surefire electronic ignition that allows the burners to be ignited at the touch of a button without the need for matches or flames. 

If you are looking for the best gas grills then the Char-Broil Professional 3400S is a decent option. We will break down and assess the specs, features and reviews to help you compare this BBQ to other models that you may be interested in. 

One feature that really stood out to us during our testing process is the size of the grill. When we cooked some delicious halloumi skewers, we were surprised by how much space was left over on the grill. We were also pleased with the results when cooking sausages, as we found that the grill gives them a good crisp so that they have a nice snap when you eat them. 

While the BBQ that we tested wasn't perfect, it made for an easy and enjoyable experience. We found that assembling the Char-Broil Professional 3400S is a task and a half - definitely too much for one person to undertake. If you are in the market for other garden appliances be sure to check out our guides to the best infrared grills and the best patio heaters. 

Char-Broil Professional 3400S: Design

The design of the Char-Broil Professional 3400S is very classic. It has four wheels so it can be easily moved around your garden or patio, and the stainless steel exterior makes it very resistant to the elements. As long as you leave it closed and cover it with something then you should be able to leave this BBQ outside permanently - the only thing that may need bringing inside is the cast iron grills as they can rust or tarnish when exposed to the elements. 

This particular model uses temperature dials to control the intensity of the burners, which is a nice addition as we find that touch controls can lose their sensitivity after multiple uses. 

The Char-Broil Professional 3400S has a side table for prepping and serving and a side burner for heating sauces or sides while you grill burgers, sausages or delicious skewers. 

Unfortunately, the BBQ we tested had a wonky side table and the side burner did not work. We may have got unlucky with a faulty model, but even with much tinkering and tightening, we felt that the side table was flimsy and wouldn't be ideal at supporting too many plates or pots. 

Char-Broil Professional 3400S: Features

The Char-Broil Professional 3400S has a few features that stand out and help to grill your food to perfection. The TRU-infrared grill system provides easy cleaning, 100% even heat and is up to 30% more economical to use when compared to a conventional grill. It also claims to give you up to 50% juicier grilled food - which to be fair it does, but we found that this comes at the cost of not having a good crust on things like burgers or steaks. 

The Surefire electronic ignition system allows the burners to be ignited at the touch of a button so that you don't have to waste time or risk burning yourself by using barbecue lighters or matches. 

This model also features a side burner so that you can heat sauces or side dishes while you grill up burgers, steaks or chicken. The lid of the side burner can be folded down to provide additional prep space. It is worth noting that the side burner on the unit that we tested did not work at all, so we folded the lid down and used it as an extra table. 

The stainless steel burners are durable, heat resistant and won't tarnish when exposed to moisture or salt. There is also a removable warming grate to keep food warm while you cook other things - you can also use the warming grate to toast bread or cook vegetables. 

Char-Broil Professional 3400S: Price and availability

The Char-Broil Professional 3400S usually retails at around £699.99, and is available from Appliances Direct and Robert Dyas.

The grill boasts a large number of features, and for the price it is definitely an affordable option for a family that want to cook delicious food outdoors. For around $300 extra you could invest in a grill with a number of smart features. If you don't need or want smart features then this is definitely a solid pick. 

This grill comes with a  5-years Burner, 2-years Firebox and 1-year parts warranty which is actually really good considering the price of the BBQ. 

Char-Broil Professional 3400S: User reviews

While we had a fair few problems with the Char-Broil Professional 3400S, we are going to assume we were unlucky and received a faulty unit because users are typically very happy with the units that they receive. 

The Char-Broil Professional 3400S has an average rating of 4.3/5 stars on Best Buy's website, with users praising its ability to cook delicious food while being portable and easy to move. One happy user said "This is a great grill and with its 4 internal burners really makes it nice to be able to really control the cooking area"

The small number of unhappy customers are often critical of the build quality, with one customer stating "Been a long time char broil customer and have used a 4 burner grill for the last 8 years. The replaced grill was great which led me to purchase a new 4 burner. The new one is just not made to the same quality of the old one. It's smaller, fewer quality materials overall. All I wanted was the same thing. Disappointed..."

Should you buy the Char-Broil Professional 3400S

Overall, for the price we think that you get a reliable grill with a large number of cooking features. The ability to light the grill at the press of a button is great, and the food is definitely juicier compared to some of the other models that we tested. 

Having said this, we found that the assembly is tough and will most likely require more than one person to complete, so if you want an easy to assemble grill that you can use straight away then this may not be the model for you.