Grill Chef 0630 Cast Iron Barrel Barbecue

We have used this to cook and barbecue so many evening meals and are very impressed with the quality for the price. We use about a third of a carry type bag of charcoal or briquettes per session. It's ready in about 15 - 20 minutes and cooks enough for four very quickly. After we have finished the food we then put small diameter logs (by that I mean about 2" across) and we sit around it chatting till after dark. It does not cause any scorch damage to the ground it's on. We use it on patio but it would be ok on a lawn as long as the legs were stable. I also use a stainless steel rack (like a cooling rack or microwave stand upside down) so the meat does not actually touch the paint. This means I can spin all the meat rather than have to pick each piece up. The wooden handles do not scorch and remain cool enough to life the rack off during cooking. Could not be more pleased especially for the price. We move the whole thing undercover after it has cooled to prevent a sludgy mess if it rains. Takes no time to empty out the cold ashes the next day (by tipping it up).A quick brush off and wash of the cooking stand and it looks like new again. There are varying height to slot the cooking stand in depending on how close to the coals you want to be. I had not expected it to be so good for the money. I believe this will last a good few years.

For the price this is a great barbecue. The construction is absolutely solid and it feels like a quality item. It's very basic and 'rough and ready' but to be honest that's what I think a barbecue should be! There's something wonderful about cooking on this that a big gas burner costing hundreds of pounds can't compete with. I had one of these some time ago and it lasted me a good 5 years, I imagine this will do the same. I've only cooked for two so far but there's loads of room. I'd be happy barbecuing for 4 or 5 on this and did do on my first one many times. As others have said, there's no instructions but it's still quite easy to put together. Just look at the picture on the box and aim to recreate it. There are some longer bolts included. Make sure you separate these out and use them to attach the two main sections together. The shorter bolts are for the legs, handles, air vent cover, grill holders etc. All in all a great product and a bargain at this price

Typically unclear instructions, but half an hour later and it's all set up. It's very sturdy/robust and looks the part too. Make sure you use a box spanner to completely tighten the locking nuts. Unlike the reviewer above i found the BBQ heated up quite quickly; one caveat though - make sure the air hole (i forget the technical term!) is OPEN! Just to draw potential customer's attention to one fact - it's much smaller than i imagined. The dimensions are listed on the description, so no fault of the seller, but I thought this could have been made a little clearer. The diminuitive size makes it perfect for camping or for use in small gardens/patios but you might want something bigger if you're entertaining a group larger than 4 people. Overall - a happy customer!

Do be sure that you familiarise yourself with the state measurements so you know what you are buying ie this is a table top item (metal table) or a sitting on the floor in a circle bbq. The one I received did have a cast iron griddle but the plate the charcoal sits on was thin plain steel so would need replacement at some point and not cast iron as I'm sure the description advised. I would imagine that this unit could have many uses but I bought it for bbq'ing and for me it isn't going to do the job as I found the griddle is very lightly secured by 3 feet on the top rim and unless you very carefully locate it falls off and your food drops straight on the charcoal. If you have a very steady hand and very good eyesight this may not be an issue for you but I don't think its satisfactory. I really wanted a compact unit, I have a large gas bbq for parties etc and just wanted a small unit for a few burgers if it was just family. In the end I decided to pay a lot more and go for a Weber Compact 47cm (on offer at £59.99) which isn't small but I have to say is very well designed and if you restrain yourself till the charcoal goes white before pilling it on it cooks very well very quickly and as long as you turn the food putting the lid on ensures even cooking even faster. So in summary my advice would be you get what you pay for and although the price is great perhaps you might want to pay more and get a well designed unit that does the job you wanted it for.

I've purchased a few barbecues and some have been better than others, but this one performs brilliantly in my opinion. I had seen a few people with these but they always seemed to have been used once or twice and gone rusty in the garden, so I assumed the performance was poor. A friend happened to have purchased this BBQ from Tesco (£25) and asked me to take care of the barbecuing, which I was glad to have done. Fired her up with good quality coal briquettes and some fire lighters, opened the little door at the bottom to allow some airflow. Wow! Hotter than hell. I had sausages, kebabs, steaks and veggies all cooked to perfection for seven people in no time, which I know would have taken me much longer and with more fuel on the barrel or satellite dish shaped BBQs. The coal burned so fiercely I had to cook everything on the highest grate setting and turning the food often. This was with I'd say about two inches gap between the briquettes and the grill. I am so impressed I have just bought one from Amazon (£15 inc. del.). Really great. Only cons with it are that it easily rusts if you leave it out in the rain or any moisture is left on it after cleaning - definitely needs protection from moisture when not in use. And lastly, as mentioned in another review, the metal used in the handles is too soft and bends too easily even when the BBQ is cool.