Char-Broil Gas2Coal 330 Hybrid

Is the Char-Broil Gas2Coal 330 Hybrid worth buying?

The Char-Broil Gas2Coal 330 Hybrid is worth buying at £430.32 if you want one grill that runs on gas through the week and on charcoal at the weekend without storing two machines in the garden. A patented charcoal tray sits under the grate and takes briquettes or lumpwood when you want real smoke, and the same body cooks on gas the next evening. 1,188 owners rate it 4.6, the strongest rating record among the grills on this page, so the money buys proven hardware rather than a gamble.

It is the wrong grill for a cook who only ever uses gas, because the charcoal tray and the hybrid cooking system are what the money goes on. It is also the wrong grill for a big table: three main burners and a side burner add up to 11,000 BTU, or 3.2 kW, so eight people eat in two rounds. Buy it for flavour and flexibility, and look at the £299.99 CosmoGrill Pro Deluxe with Cover for volume.

What does 11,000 BTU mean in practice?

The Char-Broil Gas2Coal 330 Hybrid delivers 11,000 BTU, which is about 3.2 kW. One kilowatt equals roughly 3,412 BTU, so 11,000 divided by 3,412 gives 3.2 kW, and spread across three main burners and one side burner that is around 0.8 kW each. That is more heat than the 2.8 kW of the £155.99 Outsunny 4+1, and well under the 9.3 kW of the £199.99 CosmoGrill Original.

In use, 0.8 kW per burner cooks steadily rather than hard, and the carbon and gas hybrid layout spreads heat under the whole grate, which keeps flare-ups down. You get three heat levels to work with and a gauge in the lid to watch the temperature with the hood closed. Searing four thick steaks at once is not this grill's strength; holding a joint or a whole chicken at a steady heat under the lid is.

What comes in the box and what is it like to live with?

The box holds the grill, stainless steel burners, a side burner, a warming rack, a lid-mounted temperature gauge, and a hose and regulator, so a propane bottle is the only extra purchase before the first cook. The grate covers 420 square inches, which is about 2,710 cm2, more surface than the 2,362.5 cm2 of the £179.99 VonHaus. Stainless steel forms the frame, the handles and the burners, with cast iron in the cooking surface, and the burners carry a 5 year warranty with 2 years on the other parts.

It weighs 47 kg and measures 62.5 x 134.4 x 120.7 cm, which makes it a fixture in the garden rather than something you wheel into a shed at night. The barbecue arrives flat packed and needs assembling, and the frame is a two-person job. No cover comes with it, and a 47 kg grill left out through a British winter will want one.

Where does the Char-Broil Gas2Coal 330 Hybrid fall short?

Heat for the money is the first compromise. 3.2 kW in total is the lowest output per burner of the grills on this page, and £430.32 is the highest price, so a cook who never fills the charcoal tray pays a premium for a feature they will not use. The £199.99 CosmoGrill Original puts 9.3 kW on the grate for less than half the money.

Weight is the second. At 47 kg, this is the heaviest grill here, so it stays where it is put and moving it for a party or a storm is a two-person job. The third is running cost: keeping both charcoal and propane in stock is part of owning a hybrid, and no cover is included to protect the body between cooks.

How does the Char-Broil Gas2Coal 330 Hybrid compare with the CosmoGrill grills?

Against the £199.99 CosmoGrill Original 5 Burner, the Char-Broil costs £230.32 more and gives 3.2 kW against 9.3 kW, so the CosmoGrill takes the heat and the price argument for plain gas cooking. The Char-Broil answers with 1,188 ratings at 4.6 against 1,036 at 4.4, a patented charcoal tray and a 5 year warranty on its stainless steel burners. For family volume the CosmoGrill wins; for smoke flavour the Char-Broil does.

Against the £299.99 CosmoGrill Pro Deluxe with Cover, the Char-Broil is £130.33 dearer and gives 3.2 kW against 14.5 kW. The Pro Deluxe brings six main burners, a 3,234 cm2 grate and a 600D Oxford cover in the box, which makes it the better buy for eight or more people and for a grill that stays outside all year. The Char-Broil keeps the edge for anyone who wants charcoal on the menu.