Charbroil just released a really innovative grill that we had been tracking and hoped would be released. It could be called a griddle, but it has a design that feels unfair to call it just a griddle. It’s unlike any other outdoor cooking product on the market.
There’s a circular tile that’s removeable to allow it to transform from a griddle into other types of cooking, hence the Versa-Tile name. It lets you use a gas burner in every way possible, so that’s a griddle, a pizza oven, and a grill.
Charbroil has been at the top of their game for versatile ways to cook, but this is in a league by itself. It’s only available in the UK right now, but hopefully we’ll see this make it to the US market.
Features and Specs
- Retail price of £549,99, which is about $682 (check price)
- Two burners for two zoned cooking
- The griddle surface is 70 cm x 50 cm (about 28 inches x 20 inches)
- Electronic ignition for easy starts
- Two side shelves and two bottom shelves for easy storage
- Can be moved around easily with two large wheels and two casters
- Has a hinged lid to keep in heat and keep wind out
4-in-1 Tile System
The description of the Versa-Tile says it offers 3-in-1 cooking because it’s a griddle, grill, and pizza oven. It also has one more function that is really useful. The pizza oven Tile can be flipped over to use for holding a wok. That offers even more ways that you can use this grill.
Thought Out Design
The overall idea of the Versa-Tile is innovative for outdoor cooking. Charbroil went the extra mile though and added some great design solutions that takes it to the next level.
Different Burner Designs
They could have just taken a regular two-burner griddle, added the circular cutout, and it probably would have worked decently. What they did instead though is they put a U-shaped burner under the main griddle section and an O-shaped burner under the Tile.
That burner configuration is optimized for the function of each section. It means that the griddle side works well as a griddle, and the Tile section has direct heat to match its shape.
Purposeful Lid
Similar to the burner design, they thought about how people would use the Versa-Tile when they designed the lid. It’s not just a regular hard lid you’d find on any griddle, it’s made for the Versa-Tile’s cooking functions. That means the side of the lid above the Tile has a dome shape to help keep heat focused on the Tile for pizza making.
