Charbroil CB940x v. Bar-B-Chef Texas Grill

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LowRent

Senior Cook
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
205
I've been grilling for 15+ years, but I'm new to BBQ forums & BBQ-4-U in particular. Happy to be here, and I can't wait to see your thoughts.

I am going to buy a new charcoal grill. I currently have a Weber Silver Touch. Right now I’m considering the Charbroil CB940x & the Bar-B-Chef Texas Grill. The price is $429 & $449 respectively.

At this time I prefer the Texas Grill due to these factors:
- larger grilling surface (588 sq in vs 533 sq in)
- "almost" full-width access to charcoal basket (the CB940x has a much small door)
- I prefer the Texas Grill’s charcoal basket lift mechanism
- cart beneath grill has one side covered (better for charcoal storage, etc., IMO)

Advantages for CB940x
- slightly less expensive (possibly a lot less expensive)
- proven track record
- cutting block wing surfaces
- appears to be available at Columbus, GA Charbroil Outlet for much cheaper

The referred to Outlet has a model the salesman called the “Sierra.â€
 
Two extremely important features on grills are an adjustable meat rack and easy access for fuel replenishment. The Texas grill being a front loader has both those features. Does the Charbroil? The Texas grill also has the advantage on grilling space which is very mportant. You want to have a hot zone, medium zone, and a low heat or no heat zone while your grilling.

I have had Charbroil grills in the past (gas) and in my opinion they were very cheaply made and only lasted a couple of years. Of course I kept the grill outdoors in the winter (but it was covered). I saw the Texas grill on Alton Browns Good Eats last week and it looks like a great grill. It all depends on how many you are going to cook for also. In my opinion the Texas grill appears to be the better choice. I wouldn't let $120.00 enter into the equation at all especially on a piece of equipment that hopefully will last many years.

Kloset

P.S. Welcome to the forum Low Rent! I think you'll find it great place to visit and share your adventures in Q'ing and grilling. What part of the country are you from?
 
Kloset BBQR said:
Two extremely important features on grills are an adjustable meat rack and easy access for fuel replenishment. The Texas grill being a front loader has both those features. Does the Charbroil?

I've not seen the Char-Broil in person. However, the list of features includes "adjustable height fire grate." I do not know how the height adjustment is acheived. I doubt it's as slick as the Texas Grill. I'm going to Williams Sonoma to check out the Sierra. I'll have a better handle on this by this weekend.

I'd say the Char-Broil has easy access for fuel replinishment. There's a door on the front. Unfortunately, the door does not run the full width of the chassis though. Looks like a recipe for burnt hands/wrists trying to get charcoal to the places where the door doesn't permit direct access. Take a look at the image below:

94005.jpg


Not easily seen in the image of the Texas Grill is a full-width access panel that allows unfettered access to the fire grate.

Both have cast iron cooking grates, but I'm not sure about the composition of the fire grates. I assume both are cast iron, but one could be more stout than the other--another thing I'll check out this weekend.

Kloset BBQR said:
The Texas grill also has the advantage on grilling space which is very mportant. You want to have a hot zone, medium zone, and a low heat or no heat zone while your grilling.

Yes, and the vastly larger 775 sq in cook surface of the Texas Grill makes accomplishing this task much easier.

Kloset BBQR said:
I have had Charbroil grills in the past (gas) and in my opinion they were very cheaply made and only lasted a couple of years. Of course I kept the grill outdoors in the winter (but it was covered). I saw the Texas grill on Alton Browns Good Eats last week and it looks like a great grill. It all depends on how many you are going to cook for also. In my opinion the Texas grill appears to be the better choice. I wouldn't let $120.00 enter into the equation at all especially on a piece of equipment that hopefully will last many years.

Kloset

P.S. Welcome to the forum Low Rent! I think you'll find it great place to visit and share your adventures in Q'ing and grilling. What part of the country are you from?

Thanks. I saw the Alton Brown show too. I really have learned a lot from that guy. Anyway, as a side note, he lives in Atlanta and I'd be going to the same Barbeques Galore he shot that episode in if I decide to go with the Texas Grill.

The CB940 has a great reputation amongst grillers. It has traditionally been a well made product. A neighbor has one that's 20 years old. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that the current production models are of the same quality. So, we just don't know for certain.

It looks to me like the Texas Grill has the CB940x beat. Based on what I know at this time I'd prefer the Texas Grill. I'm looking for more input from folks who know one or both, and, of course, I'm going to look for myself.
 
Welcome...
And you are asking the same question I've been asking myself for the past year. So after a year... here's what I decided. I DON"T KNOW! I think I am going to buy the Texas Grill. The full width (well almost) charcoal door is one reason. The crank, adjustable charcoal height is another. Don't get mislead by the cooking area... I think it includes the small warming rack. I'm not certain about that but looking at both, the look about the same size. The CB 940's charcoal adjustment is via a charcoal basket with handles on each end. The handles have several sets of small hooks that go into holes on the sidewalls off the grill. It has set heights were the Texas is infinitely variable. Also... the Texas has three separate charcoal bins so indirect cooking would be a snap. Both have removeable ash trays, and from messing with them in stores, both are sort of difficult to get in and out. The therm on the 940 is better, but don't know if the Texas has a big ass square hole behind it to mess up any upgrade. The meatal handle on the TX is insulated from the heat by two Thermoset (plastic) brackets so it shouldn't get too hot.

In typing this, I think the Texas Grill would be the one... But have you seen the stainless version? :badgrin: :evil: :badgrin: Now that's a charcoal grill. :badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin:
 
Chris Finney said:
The CB 940's charcoal adjustment is via a charcoal basket with handles on each end. The handles have several sets of small hooks that go into holes on the sidewalls off the grill. It has set heights were the Texas is infinitely variable.

Can the adjustments on the CB940 be made while grilling?

Chris Finney said:
The therm on the 940 is better, but don't know if the Texas has a big ass square hole behind it to mess up any upgrade.

In the "square" comment are you thinking about replacing the therm of the Texas Grill with a better model? If so, what model would you choose?

EDITED TO ADD: I’ve got one now so I can speak for certain. The square indention in the hood is just that—an indention. There is a round hole in the indention for an upgraded therm to thread through. I’ll bust my calipers out within the next week or so to give you a diameter for the hole. I suspect it's the common size.

What brand/model therm would you use?


Chris Finney said:
In typing this, I think the Texas Grill would be the one... But have you seen the stainless version? :badgrin: :evil: :badgrin: Now that's a charcoal grill. :badgrin: :badgrin: :badgrin:

You mean this one?

getimage.asp


Yes, I have. It's gorgeous, but not in the running for me. $450 + no burn cover + tax is already a big indulgence for me as is.
 
Chris Finney said:
I started to go to BBQ Galore Sunday to buy the Texas Grill... talked myself out of it as I got to the off ramp. :(

Why did you do that?
 
Chris Finney said:
Scared of my wife... All 98 lbs of her. :oops:

That... and I really want that stainless version. :(

Why do you want the stainless so much more than the regular steel? I know the stainless is beautiful, but is it better somehow?
 
Well... It won't rust.
But it will discolor at high temps.
But you can get that out.

The main reason is:
I was thinking I would make it 'built-in' in the future. Along with a stainless gas grill in a out door 'kitchen'. If I ever get to live at home again.
 
Chris Finney said:
Well... It won't rust.

The main reason is:
I was thinking I would make it 'built-in' in the future. Along with a stainless gas grill in a out door 'kitchen'.

As I understand it, and I could be wrong — please, please correct me if I'm wrong — the regular grill shouldn't rust if properly seasoned and cared for.

Now, that last paragraph deserves some clarification. It also may reveal some ignorance on my part. Here goes.

Let’s talk about the seasoning first. I’m sure this is a somewhat controversial topic, because I suspect there are many ways to do this… it really is a whole other topic. I’ll do an archive search and see if it’s been broached. If not I’ll post it. Back to the matter at hand, I think I’ve seen folks recommending getting a spray bottle full of peanut oil and dousing the grill inside and out before lighting the first fire. Let that first fire burn at 350 or so for a few hours—don’t grill any food for this first burn/seasoning. After the initial seasoning periodically wipe the grill down, inside and out. I doubt the inside will need a lot of wiping down, based on past experience, but I’d keep an eye on it. Again, please correct me if I’m wrong.

As far as the "cared for" business goes, it's my understanding that keeping it out of the weather &/or protecting it with a quality cover will go a long way in conjunction with the seasoning to keep the grill nearly rust free.

If I’m wrong on this, please let me know as I can go either way… well, I’m not sure I have the green light for the pricier stainless grill. But, we’ll cross that bridge if/when we get there.

Now, I was really referring to a grill on a stand. If built in we could be talking about a whole other game. Depending on how it's set up, it could be difficult to impossible to keep an eye on the part of the grill that's built in. I could see stainless as a much better choice there.
 
GlennR said:
Hey Low Rent- I've read all your posts and have come to the conclusion that you have a pretty good idea what you're doing. Give yourself a little credit and buy the one you want.

OK. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I've done a lot of reading about the grills I'm considering. I've done a lot of grilling with my current grill. So, I'm comfortable making the decision. I'm just looking for a little more input to seal the deal--or change my mind if warrented.

I really like the Texas Grill. I'll probably go that way. However, I'm sure I would be very happy with the CB940x. It's a fine grill.

I'm planning a trip to Atlanta, or Columbus, this weekend. So, I'll be able to report first hand about my experiences with whatever I wind up with in a short while.
 
Re: another grill w/CI grates

jaybo said:
If you like CI grates, you should consider the Chargriller. You can get 4 of them for what those others cost. Chargriller has 580 square inches of cooking space plus 250 square inch warming rack. Comes with 4 individual heavy CI grates plus a grid lifter for moving them around. They just added a bigger grill to their line (the 'outlaw') though I've not seen it at any stores, only on their website.

Since the grates can slide left to right, this makes adding coal very easy. I keep my Chargriller in the garage and have had no problems with rust. Plus they're made in Sea Island, GA!

Here's a link to Chargriller.

I'll check those out. Thanks.
 
Those chargrillers look pretty flimsy to me. Take a look a the legs. What is the body made out of? I wouldn't trust any grill for quality that was $139.00. Get a good quality grill. You'll pay more up front but less over the long term.

Know if you really want to make an investment take a look at this one.

It's a Rolls Royce but it will last you a lifetime!

http://www.bbqpits.com/20x42_grill_chef.htm
 

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