Cooking Equipment
Food Service
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Charbroiler/Under-fired Broilers
Under-fired broilers or charbroilers are typically medium- to heavy-duty units. They have the ability to cook large quantities of food by exposure to radiant energy produced by heating elements located below the grid. Charbroilers are available in countertop, cabinet base, or stainless steel frame models.
Charbroilers cook food much like an outdoor barbecue grill. Food is placed on a cast iron grate above the heat source, and cooking occurs primarily from radiant heat and conduction by the grate. The energy source may be electricity, gas, wood, or charcoal. As the food cooks, fats or marinades drip onto the coals or ceramics producing smoke. The smoke produces the characteristic charred flavor, while the hot grates create the strip marks that are typical on charbroiled foods.
There are two types of under-fired charbroilers. One type allows the radiant heat source to heat a radiant to a cherry red color. The radiant, in turn, broils the food product. The other type of charbroiler uses a heating source above or below to heat lava rocks or ceramic briquettes. The rocks or briquettes distribute the heat more evenly than the heat source alone. Some manufacturers use both methods to increase efficiency and reduce preheat times.
The broiler grate is adjustable to both level and tilted positions. Typically, the charbroiler is designed for the rear two-thirds of the grate to be hotter than the front section. Many models also have grease troughs fastened to each blade in the top grates to channel excess fat runoff and reduce flaming. Excess residual fat drains into a large grease drawer in a cool zone for disposal.
A charbroiler, like an open range-top burner, consumes energy at a constant rate, which depends on the temperature control setting. Because the charbroiler has a significant thermal mass of heating material that requires preheating and retains heat, the unit cannot be turned "on" and "off" quickly on demand.
Maintenance costs for a charbroiler are typically higher that any other broiler types. This is partly because the heating radiants below the open cooking grates are exposed to any materials falling through the radiants.