My review and experience with the Char Griller 980.
Me:
DISCLAIMER: I have no affiliation with any company, no YouTube channel, and get nothing from links in this review. I include them to help others find equipment and mods that work for me!
Gas grill guy of 25 years. Bought
Camp Chef Woodwind pellet grill 7 years ago - first foray into "smoking" and currently don't own a gas grill. Still own the
Camp Chef and have had no problems with it. Also own a Charbroil Kammander kamado style grill (about 4 years - discontinued for unknown reasons - too bad because it is IMHO a great grill). I have also used a
Masterbuilt Propane cabinet smoker (cheap, poorly designed with poor results, now in a landfill), and a Charbroil Big Easy (owned prior to purchase of pellet grill approx 10 years ago). Over the 7 years, I estimate 8 - 9 smoked turkeys, 80 chickens, 150 batches of wings, 7 briskets, 4 beef ribs, 80 pork ribs, 3 pork butts, and maybe 400 steaks, burgers, brats, and dogs (number of cooks, not qty of meat) using all three of my smokers. I make my own rubs and use purchased rubs. Dedicated YouTube grilling/smoking follower and have tried many things that I have seen online - awesome because I don't come from a "smoking" family and have had to learn on the fly.
That being said - I have no experience (yet) with drum smokers, stick-burners, professional cabinet smokers, "Old Smokeys", and a host of other ways to smoke/grill/barbeque. I am no expert. I do, however, use my stuff very frequently and have tried to become a true student of the craft. My newest addition is on its way - a
PIT BOSS 4-BURNER ULTIMATE LIFT-OFF GRIDDLE
My wife and I live on our patio and cook more outside than in!
Experience with 980:
Owned the 980 since February.
I have a battery power mod which is an "ease of use" addition (lasts multiple cooks, something like 30 - 40 hrs estimated between charges):
I have also installed the LSS Duct Extension:
https://www.lss-mods.com/product_details.phtml/980_duct_extension
I also replaced the flapper as a preventative action - homemade from an
Amazon silicone sheet. Old flapper was in decent condition. This was added to prevent
potential problems.
I have also added (
Tom Horsman style)
thermometers to the lid.
My overall impressions: My favorite grill to smoke on. Best combination of ease-of-use, capacity, and taste that I have used or know about (for the money). I have used wood mixed with charcoal and chunks in the ash pan. I typically use B&B lump or briquettes, but have tried the cheap Walmart and Kroger briquettes with success. I have cooked anywhere from 225 - 650. I run foil on the heat deflector with the slits cut and use plastic and metal putty knives to clean the inside. I find cleaning to be similar to my pellet grill - maybe slightly easier. Any problems with the equipment (other than the app) have been user induced.
I like the heat distribution and find it to be pretty good. I use hot-spots to my advantage when I can and typically cook on the left 2/3 of the grill. Thicker things or things I want to cook faster in hot spots.
I prefer chunks in the ash pan because it allows me to change woods quickly and easily. I always position them against the left side of the ash pan in an effort to avoid fan/flapper issues, sometimes fist-sized chunks. So far, absolutely no issues.
I would estimate that it is 90% as set-it-and-forget it as my pellet grill. I have done an overnight brisket (when app was working with alarms set AND a backup wireless thermometer was also in use.)
But, I feel for the slight degradation of easy-use, IMHO you get far superior flavor, bark, etc.
I have reverse-seared Ribeye steaks multiple times and the grill did well. However, I have now decided that I am pretty much going to use this grill to run in the 225 - 400 degree range with perhaps an occasional high-temp burn-off. My logic: I find that I can grill burgers, brats, steaks, and chops just as easy on my kamado or something like a
Weber Kettle - maybe slightly easier. Even though the 980 is well-built, I would like to preserve it's useful life for smoking/roasting and use a cheaper and easier to replace option for grilling. Just my opinion, and I'm sure that there are others who feel differently.
(I have the advantage of a very large patio with the freedom to have multiple outside cookers. Might feel differently if I was cramped for space.)
Pros:
Easy to use
Overall build quality
Capacity
Flavor and bark
Cons:
App - enjoyed it while it worked. Already documented everywhere that wireless doesn't help much unless you stay on your own WIFI network (unlike many other cooker apps with internet data storage and "access from anywhere" functionality). Seems like they felt that "Everybody has an app. We need an app" without true commitment to its quality. My app currently is not working at all. Noticed that Android update was pushed out after introduction of the Auto Kamado and suspect that the controller hardware is identical to the 980 with different firmware, the inclusion of the new model broke my app. Reported to Char Griller.
Temp Accuracy - My unit seems to run cooler than the controller indicates. Not a big deal to me as I easily adjust and run the cooker at the "real" temp I want. I have unscientifically messed with different fuels and vent settings to no avail.
Upper rack: Really think that they could've done a better job on both the design and functionality.
Long-term Questions:
a. Will they improve the app and make it a pro rather than a con?
b. Durability - so far my only real concern is the fire box. Sometimes hard to put the "fire snuffer" into its slot. Feel like it is a better design than the
masterbuilt and as long as one can eventually buy a replacement firebox/chute, I am OK with it. I just hope it lasts.
c. Please make the upper rack useful!
These are my overall thoughts. I would purchase again without hesitation. If Char Griller does a V2, I hope they address the cons.
JEFF W in McKinney, TX