Good when gas or charcoal are prohibited

About the grill

The Char-Broil Patio Caddie Electric is a 14 inch grill with a blue porcelain enamel finish. The cooking grate is also coated with a thick porcelain enamel. A smaller grate under the heating element holds about 10 flavored briquettes. The grill is mounted on a stand with three metal legs, a round base, and two small wheels mounted on the round base. A handle on the grill is used to tilt the unit for movement. A plug attachment with a thermostat is included in the package, along with a bag of flavored briquettes.

Assembly

The grill came pre-assembled from Ace Hardware. All that was necessary was the placement of the flavored briquettes on the lower grate under the heating element, and the cooking grate placed on the pegs above the heating element.

Usage

The Patio Caddie will come unseasoned, with a shiny aluminum interior. Char-Broil recommends that the interior be allowed to season, and darken as the grill gets used. It is necessary to pre-heat this grill before cooking on it. Plug the thermostat in your outlet, and set it to the highest temperature. The thermometer will rise to over 700 degrees when the grill is ready. The instructions manual includes a time table with approximate temperatures recommended for cooking. After pre-heating, set your thermostat so that the element kicks on at the proper cooking temperature, and grill according to their guidelines, or what ever way suits your tastes. When finished, simply turn the thermostat down to its lowest setting, ensure that the lid is in place, and store the thermostat inside as per Char-Broil's recommendations.

The Patio Caddy needs to be seasoned with use. It will get dirty inside, the same way as any gas grill. Grease and soot will build up from the foods cooked over time. Grills flavor food by allowing fat to drop on hot coals, and then smoking the burned juices back into the product. As more charing accumulates from prior grillings, the flavor will improve. Sugar from the drippings will caramelize on the interior surfaces, and this will add to the flavor of meats, vegetables, and other products grilled. The accumulated charing will also allow the grill to run hotter, and allows more heated surfaces for the juices to drip on and steam off of.

Cleaning

This grill rarely needs to be cleaned. The top grate can be removed, and cleaned with ordinary dish soap using a blue Scotch Bright sponge. For the lower part, run the grill at its highest temperature first. Then, place a bucket under the lower unit between the legs. Remove the rocks and the lower rack (below the heating element). Place the rocks in a bag, and shake them to knock any loose particles from them. Then, take some water and a sponge or rag and rinse out the interior. You can use dish soap, but you would need to rinse thoroughly. The bucket will catch any rinse water. Then, replace the lower rack and the rocks. This should only be done if the grill starts to flare up.

My Results

I have cooked polish sausages, hamburgers, and steaks with the grill so far, and the results have been good. You don't get the intensity of flavor with this grill that you will with charcoal, simply because Charcoal adds to the smoked flavor of food products. The cooking gets better with this grill over time, however, as the surfaces darken with seasoning. It will yield better results than you can possibly get with an oven broiler or any type of indoor George Foreman. It will sear steaks, and it will also turn out decent results with grilled chicken and pork ribs. I prefer Marinating steaks with Italian dressing for a half hour before grilling.

Update:

Over time, my Patio Caddy accumulated grease, which would cause the grease cup to overflow. My solution to this was to purchase a small one gallon bucket for this purpose. It works like a charm. Since grease can accumulate after several uses, occasional cleaning is necessary to prevent flare ups. Although flare ups have happened with my Patio Caddy, the lid contained them with no difficulty. Frequent cleaning reduced the problem significantly, to the extent of preventing flare ups entirely.