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How to use an infrared gas grill

Updated: 23 October 2026

The grill is assembled, the bottle matches the regulator, and you are about to cook on a radiant grate that still burns gas under a plate. How to use an infrared gas grill is a short outdoor sequence: place it in the open, preheat to that model’s manual, then cook to the food rather than to the colour of the crust. A portable with one burner has no cool zone. A CosmoGrill trolley lets you sear on the ceramic strip and finish on the main burners. Which machine you bought is on the [best infrared gas BBQ](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/infrared-gas-grill/sub/infrared-gas-grill-best) page and the [infrared gas grill comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/infrared-gas-grill). We did not light these grills.

The grill is assembled, the bottle matches the regulator, and you are about to cook on a radiant grate that still burns gas under a plate.

Our top picks

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Platinum 4+2

Best overall

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Platinum 4+2
9.2/10about £502.55
View offer
Char-Broil Char-Broil X200 Grill2Go

Rank 2

Char-Broil Char-Broil X200 Grill2Go
8.6/10about £157.97
View offer
CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Platinum 6+2

Alternative

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Platinum 6+2
8.4/10about £599.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before you light it
  2. 2.Preheat without merging two brand times
  3. 3.Heat, the lid, and a single burner
  4. 4.What done means on infrared heat

Before you light it

Keep the barbecue outdoors in the open air. GOV.UK fire-safety guidance says not indoors, not in a tent, not under an awning, and not in a caravan. Brush soapy water on the regulator joint and hose ends before any burner opens. Bubbles mean you shut the cylinder and remake that joint. On a full-bed grill such as the Char-Broil X200, leave the emitter and grates in place. On a CosmoGrill 4+2 or 6+2, learn which knob is the ceramic searer and which knobs are the main burners before the food goes on. If the regulator and bottle still disagree, stop and use the propane setup for an infrared gas grill page.

Preheat without merging two brand times

Char-Broil’s TRU-Infrared PDF asks for about 10–15 minutes on high, or 15–20 on the first use. A UK how-to page says about 5–10 minutes with the lid closed. Those are two windows, not one time for every listing. Expert Reviews saw the Grill2Go near about 350°C in about five minutes. That is one cook, not a CosmoGrill rating. Preheat until the grate is hot enough, then turn down before the protein goes on if the manual says so. Do not invent one preheat time for the X200 and a 27 kW 6+2. Expert Reviews and Good Food still saw flare-ups on the Grill2Go, so “no flare-ups” stays a manufacturer claim. If fat ignites, move the food, close the lid only if the manual allows it, and reduce the burner. Do not spray water into a gas firebox.
CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Platinum 4+2

Testsieger

CosmoGrill CosmoGrill Platinum 4+2
9.2/10about £502.55
View offer

Heat, the lid, and a single burner

UK reviews of the X200 still put the lowest setting near 250–300°C with the lid shut. One reported brand reply said the camping model runs hot and that less heat means cooking with the lid open. That is a reviewer’s report, not a new test. Treat minimum as still a sear, not as an oven. Thick chicken may need the lid open, shorter contact, or a different grill. On a sear-zone trolley, take the crust on the ceramic plate, then move the food onto cooler main burners. That split is why a 6+2 is not more infrared than a portable full bed. A lid thermometer reads chamber air, not the centre of the burger. A one-burner full bed has no cold half of the same grate.

What done means on infrared heat

Infrared browns the outside quickly. A steak may stay pink in the middle once the surface is seared, which the Food Standards Agency allows for whole cuts of beef when the outside is sealed. Burgers, sausages, kebabs and poultry need to be cooked through. Guidance points to 70°C for two minutes, or an equivalent time and temperature, in the centre. A charred crust on mince is not evidence. If you still smell gas after the cylinder is off, if bubbles remain after you remade a joint, or if the hose or valve is damaged, you are past knob advice. Fixed outdoor pipework is a Gas Safe job under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. A grill that was a poor match for gentle cooking is on the infrared BBQ vs gas BBQ page.

Common questions

How long should I preheat?
Follow the manual for your model. Char-Broil publishes both a 10–15 minute PDF window and a 5–10 minute how-to window. They are not the same document. Preheat until the grate is ready for the food, then adjust before the protein goes on.
Do I close the lid?
For preheat, follow the maker’s line for that grill. During cooking, a closed lid on the X200 pushes the low setting into the 250–300°C band UK reviewers describe. Opening the lid is one way owners report reducing heat on that camping model. On a trolley, the lid still matters for the main burners, while the sear zone is often used for short, hard contact.
Why does the lowest knob still scorch?
Because a full-bed infrared emitter can keep the grate very hot even on minimum. That is a recurring UK complaint on the X200, not a user error you can always fix by turning the dial one more click.
Can I cook a burger rare because the sear looks done?
No. Burgers, sausages, kebabs and poultry must be cooked through. A dark crust from infrared heat is not proof the centre is safe. Whole cuts of beef are a different case once the outside is sealed.
Where do I finish a thick steak if I only have one burner?
Sear hard, then rest, or shorten contact and check the centre. A one-burner full bed has no cool half of the same grate. A sear-zone trolley can move the steak onto cooler main burners after the crust.
When do I stop and call someone about gas, rather than change how I cook?
When joints still bubble after soapy water, when you smell gas after the cylinder is off, when the hose or valve is damaged, or when you want fixed pipework. That is a fitting or Gas Safe problem, not a preheat tip.

Related pages

Infrared gas grill buying guide

Infrared gas grill

Best infrared gas BBQ UK pick for each cooking job

Propane regulator for gas BBQ UK: match the collar

Infrared BBQ vs gas BBQ: when a normal trolley wins

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 22 October 2026.

  1. Char-Broil UK: TRU-Infrared grills (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Char-Broil UK: Grill2Go (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Grill2Go manual (GB) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. BSI: BS EN 498:2012 outdoor LPG barbecues (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: fire safety outdoors (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: gas appliances enforcement (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Calor: gas bottles for a BBQ (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Food Standards Agency: BBQ food safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)