Char-Broil Evolve Electric Review
Precision cooking and smart features make this the ultimate BBQ
Verdict
A brilliant and convenient way of cooking outside, the Char-Broil Evolve Electric gives precision temperature control (split into two zones) for perfect cooking. With app control and up to four temperature probes, this BBQ let me take full control over a cook. Its self cleaning mode makes clean-up a doddle. The only real thing I can complain about is the new design of the shelves, which are fiddly to remove for storage.
Pros
- Precise temperature control
- Supports up to four temperature probes
- Self-cleaning
Cons
- Shelves difficult to remove
Key Features
- Electric powerPlugs in to a standard power socket to give consistent power from the start to the end of a cook.
- Dual-zone temperature controlHas two independent elements, which can both be set between 90°C and 370°C.
- Smart appConnects to Wi-Fi for smart app control over grill and probe target temperatures.
Introduction
Adding additional flexibility with dual cooking zones, smart app control, and temperature probe cooking, the Char-Broil Evolve Electric is the ultimate home BBQ.
Delivering precision cooking, with self-cleaning, this BBQ is the ultimate in precision and convenience BBQing.
Design and Features
- Full-size BBQ with storage
- Dual-zone control
- Smart app and temperature probes
An evolution of the Char-Broil Smart-E, the Char-Broil Evolve Electric (also available in a gas version) improves a lot of things from last year’s model, starting with the installation. While it took an age to build the BBQ last year, this year’s model is far faster to put together, although you’ll still want to put aside at least 30 minutes to get it completed.
A large, full-size BBQ with wheels, the Char-Broil Evolve Electric has several big improvements over the original, including a cable tidy at the back for the power cable when it’s not in use.
Char-Broil has also improved the door to the storage, so the new model has a full-width door, which makes it easy to store items inside; the Smart-E’s door was only half-width.
There are two shelves on this model, as with the Smart-E, but these have taken a step backwards. With the Smart-E, the shelves could easily be folded up and down. With the Evolve, there’s a more complicated locking mechanism, and the shelves, which have hooks for tools, have to be entirely removed and then reclipped vertically for storage. It’s far fiddlier and I can’t work out why Char-Broil would change this design.
Flip open the lid, and there are now four emitter plates, on top of which sit the four grill plates. That’s one more of each compared to the Smart-E. The change is because the Evolve now has two heating elements, for individual control of each side of the BBQ. That’s a brilliant upgrade, as I could cook more delicate food, such as fish, on one side at a lower temperature and meats at a higher temperature on the other side.
There’s also a warming rack that runs across the entire width of the BBQ, which can be used for keeping food warm or for buns before serving up food.
Accessories include a hot plate and pizza stone. As there’s no smoke option built-in as with the Ninja Woodfire Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker OG701UK, you may want to buy a cast-iron smoker box and use woodchips to infuse your food with a real smoky smell; or, you can just add wood chips directly to the grill, although this gives a less controlled burn.
The main control is via the large control panel on the front. When first turned on, the dial will control the temperature of both sides together, with a maximum setting of 370°C. Using the touch control, I could select either side and control the temperature separately. It’s a brilliant control system and one with more flexibility than the basic dial on the Weber Lumin.
A live temperature display shows where the BBQ is, and it will beep when at the set temperature. I found that to get to maximum temperature it takes around 25 minutes for the BBQ to pre-heat; slightly less if you’re going for lower temperatures.
New to this model is a timer, which I could set using the touch control and dial. Having a timer is a very useful way to get a reminder to check on food and turn it if required.
Char-Broil bundles two temperature probes with this BBQ, although there are four ports on the BBQ, so you can buy two additional ones if needed.
Each probe gets a dedicated temperature read-out on the main screen, so you can keep an eye on how well your food is cooking, and take it out when completed.
There’s no way to set a target temperature via the front controls. For that, you need the app, which let me connect the BBQ to my Wi-Fi network.
From the app, once the BBQ is powered on, I could set the grill temperature and get an alert when the BBQ was ready, and I could set target temperatures for any connected probes. This can be done manually, but the app also has a database of temperatures for pretty much everything, such as steak, chicken and fish.
Once food has reached temperature, the app beeps to alert you. It’s a handy system for cooking different foods and making sure that they’re fully cooked. Char-Broil’s system is not as smart as the Meater 2 Plus, where the app tells you to remove food early, knowing that it will continue to get warmer after the heat has been removed.
Performance
- Brilliant cooking
- Fine temperature control
- Self-cleaning
The benefit of an electric BBQ, such as this, is that it’s so quick to get started with. Plug it in, turn it on and set a temperature and that’s it; no fiddling about with coals or gas bottles. And, as the BBQ is electric it stays at the same temperature for the entire length of your cook, whether that’s a quick mid-week meal or batch cooking for a large BBQ.
I did find that the left side heated faster than the right side, but only by a bit; once the Char-Broil Evolve Electric was at temperature, that slight imbalance didn’t make any difference.
As the heating elements are precisely placed under the plates, I found that this BBQ cooked very evenly, no matter where the food was placed. It’s much better than the hot and cold spots I typically get when cooking with charcoal.
Understanding the best temperatures needs a bit of experimentation, as the target temperatures are not directly equal to temperatures in an oven. For example, to cook chicken thighs in an oven, I’d set it to 180°C; with the Char-Broil Evolve Electric, I went for 320°C to crisp up the skin, then dropped the temperature down to 220°C to finish the cook and retain moisture.
As the BBQ is so responsive, it’s easy to adjust temperatures on the fly to get the results that I wanted.
At the right temperatures, fat from foods comes off the food and smokes, generating that BBQ flavour that you’d expect. I’m a fan of using a smoker box to get a really smoky finish to my food.
With the temperature control on offer, the Char-Broil Evolve Electric is a brilliant precision cooker. Cooking some chicken kebabs, it can be hard to get a nice finish to the chicken without either burning it or drying the chicken out.
Here, that’s no problem at all. Even cooking, and stable temperatures meant that I could cook for slightly longer than on a charcoal grill, achieving that perfect finish with moisture retained.
For a Mexican dish, I cooked pineapple on one side of the grid at high temperature to get the griddle marks, and then used the slices to make a salsa.
On the other side of the BBQ, I cooked the marinated fish at a lower temperature, to cook it through without burning it. Using the temperature probe, I removed the fish as soon as it was cooked.
The result was a nice char-grilled exterior and a soft, moist interior, with the cod flaking into bits perfectly for use in soft tacos.
Cleaning a BBQ is one of the worst jobs, but the Char-Broil Evolve Electric makes it easy with a self-clean mode that boosts the BBQ to its maximum temperature, incinerating anything left behind. Once the BBQ has cooled, the provided brush can be used to clean the grill and emitter plates.
It works brilliantly and for those times I decided to give a deeper clean, the plates are each relatively small, so each one fits in a sink for easier cleaning.
The only other job is to pull out the grease catcher tray located inside the cupboard, and give this a clean after each BBQ session.
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Should you buy it?
You want convenient, precision cooking
Ready to go whenever needed, this BBQ delivers precision cooking and even cleans itself.
You don’t BBQ often
It’s expensive, so those that only occasionally BBQ may be better off with a traditional charcoal model.
Final Thoughts
Side-shelves aside, the Char-Broil Evolve Electric is an improvement over last year’s brilliant Smart-E. With dual controls, temperature probes, and a smart app, it delivers brilliant, convenient precision cooking from the start to the end of cooking.
How we test
We test every BBQ we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main BBQ for the review period.
Cooked with a variety of food to see how well the BBQ copes with different ingredients.
Tested to see how evenly the BBQ heats.
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FAQs
Each zone can be controlled between 90°C and 370°C.
You can buy additional temperature probes, a cover, a griddle plate and a smoker box.
Full specs
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
