Char-Broil The Big Easy Review

If you're after more than just a grill, The Big Easy from Char-Broil is a unit you'll like using for years to come.

A top view of the Char-Broil The Big Easy infrared grill
(Image: © Future)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

If you're looking for a two-in-one grill and smoker, The Big Easy from Char-Broil is the one for you.

Pros

  • +

    Can grill, roast and smoke simultaneously

  • +

    Built-to-last feel

Cons

  • -

    Difficult to assemble

  • -

    Hard to move once built

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The Big Easy from Char-Broil is just one of many units we've reviewed in our search for the best infrared grills, but the first thing you need to understand about this particular grill is that it isn't just an infrared grill. 

This particular unit also comes with a smoker/roaster that allows you to cook up a storm by grilling, roasting, and smoking foods all at once. Being able to offer more than the usual barbecue fare certainly makes The Big Easy a compelling choice for home cooks who want to offer a wider range than traditional barbeque fare. Read on to find out how it fared during our tests. 

J D Chadwick headshot
J. D. Chadwick

J D. Chadwick worked at Top Ten Reviews between 2008 and 2018. He was an expert in software and covered everything from antivirus programs, software and apps, power tools and outdoor grills in that time. He reviewed The Big Easy from Char-Broil and tested its cooking performance, ease of use and heat consistency to see whether it stood up alongside the best units on the market. 

Char-Broil The Big Easy: Cooking performance

The grill grate for The Big Easy from Char-Broil

The grilling grate on The Big Easy is 180 square inches. (Image credit: Future)

The grilling portion of this model includes a decent-sized cooking grate for regular barbeque staples like those we mentioned above. You can comfortably fit about five burger patties on the cooking area. Although it cooks burgers, chicken, and steaks well, that’s only half the story with The Big Easy, as there's also the smoker roaster compartment in the bottom of the unit.

This additional smoker/roaster section can be used for pretty much anything that you can’t fit onto a grill, like a whole turkey, ribs, roasts, and more; it's a real boon for anyone who's serious about other types of outdoor cooking.

We would, however, note that we felt the heat distribution across the main cooking area of the grill wasn't the best, so your meats might come out at different levels of doneness.

Char-Broil The Big Easy: Heat consistency

Close-up of the temperature dials on The Big Easy.

The Big Easy can provide up to 18,000 btu. (Image credit: Future)

The Big Easy puts out about 18,000 btu to the main cooking area, making it the second-most powerful infrared grill we reviewed after our top pick, the Char-Broil Performance 500

To test heat consistency, we measured the temperature periodically during our testing period. Based on that data, The Big Easy scored the lowest among the infrared grills we reviewed, meaning it has a hard time maintaining the same temperature over long periods of time. 

But that doesn’t mean you can’t rely on it to deliver a great cooking experience. You’ll just have to pay a bit more attention to your food and the unit during cooking compared to other models in our evaluation.

Char-Broil The Big Easy: Design and assembly

The Big Easy fully-assembled two-in-one grill and smoker roaster from Char-Broil

The Big Easy fully assembled.  (Image credit: Future)

It took two members of our lab team more than a couple of hours to build this grill out of the box. 

Although this is a long period of time, The Big Easy felt like a sturdy, solid unit that was built to last once it was put together. 

One particular gripe we had was the weight of the grill. Whilst It has handles on each side, the unit is heavy and difficult to maneuver once assembled, especially if you don't have anyone to assist you.

Char-Broil The Big Easy: Warranty

Opening the lid of The Big Easy grill from Char-Broil

The Big Easy is one of the most stable and durable infrared grills we reviewed. (Image credit: Future)

Char-Broil has a standard warranty for all the grills it sells – five years for the burner and one year for all other parts. This is generally acceptable and more or less the industry standard.

Ultimately, we felt that The Big Easy from Char-Broil offered a lot to like. Whilst it does take some time to put together, and it’s hard to move around, it’s a great model with multiple uses that you’ll enjoy cooking with for years to come if you can get past those stumbling blocks.

J.D. Chadwick

J.D. Chadwick started writing articles for Top Ten Reviews 2008, and left the team in 2018 after filling the role of Multimedia Editor. A keen video creator, and expert in software, he was one of the most prolific members of the old TTR team, authoring articles on things like antivirus software, video editing apps, and more.