YOU ARE HERE >> AmazingRibs » Ratings & Reviews » Fuego Element Gas Grill Review
The Element Grill is an interesting, very stylish, dual zone gas cooker. Various tech blogs have referred to it as “the iPhone of grills”. Although it is a free standing, pedestal device with a 36″ high cooking surface it is remarkably compact. The 23″ diameter footprint is beneficial wherever space is an issue. It can easily be wheeled about then tucked away in a corner when not in use. However, many owners are so pleased with Element’s striking, sculptural appearance, they choose to leave it on display. The company recently changed ownership and a few features changed as well. The new Element has a wider wheel base for stability, a full size grease pan and a convenient hinged door to access the LP tank.
The black powder coated steel lid and burner bowl have a solid look and feel. The lid, which features an insulated handle, may be hung out of the way on the side of the steel base. Attached to the base are 2 light weight handles for hanging tools and towels and wheeling the unit about on four casters, (two locking casters).
The system has two circular burners with a large burner running around the perimeter of the round fire box and a smaller circular burner in the center. Crank both burners for maximum heat and direct cooking. Turn off the center burner for indirect cooking. Weber “Q” 300 and 320 have a similar dual zone configuration although Fuego’s sleek and slick design works with one control knob, (patent pending), instead of Weber’s two. Element burners are long lasting, 304 stainless steel. Zone 1 is 15,000 BTU, zone 1 + 2 together are 21,000 BTUs total. Electronic ignition is battery powered.
The 21′ diameter, enamel coated cast iron cooking grate provides 346 square inches of cooking area. Fuego claims a top temp of 700°F which is plenty hot for searing. Slower indirect cooking is limited by the low profile lid and the diameter of the burner. You really only have about 4″ available height off the grill surface. It’s big for a compact grill, but not big enough for whole turkeys or large roasts.
Although the steel pedestal base is elegant and attractive, it had also been the source of consternation for owners of the previous version. Both the propane tank and grease pan were in the base and both could only be accessed by fully removing the clip on front panel. The new version has a hinged access door. Big improvement.
It’s covered by a one year comprehensive warranty and three year limited warranty on the burners: not as good as the warranty for Weber’s “Q” 300/320.
In addition to The AmazingRibs.com Best Value Silver Medal, the Element Grill has won the following awards: Spark Award 2010, Good Design Award 2010, Vesta Award for Best Gas BBQ 2010, International Design Excellence Award-Gold 2010.
Manufacturer:
Fuego is the brainchild of Robert Brunner, former Head of Industrial Design for Apple. Their first products were large, modular outdoor kitchens. These systems are custom made and in limited distribution. Their compact Element by Fuego Grill is gaining popularity and offered through Amazon and some retailers, but not available at the big box stores. Element retains the design features of the large units and wraps them up into a succinct package for a wider consumer market. Various tech blogs have referred to it as “the iPhone of grills”.
Published On: 12/6/2012 Last Modified: 3/5/2021
All of the products below have been tested and are highly recommended. Click here to read more about our review process.
Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our “buy now” links. This has zero impact on the price you pay but helps support the site.
When you make rubs at home we recommend you add salt first then the herbs and spices because salt penetrates deep and the other stuff remains on the surface. So thick cuts need more salt. We put salt in these bottled rubs because all commercial rubs have salt and consumers expect it. You can still use these as a dry brine, just sprinkle the rub on well in advance to give the salt time to penetrate. For very thick cuts of meat, we recommend adding a bit more salt. Salt appears first in the ingredients list because the law says the order is by weight, not volume, and salt is a heavy rock.
Sprinkle on one tablespoon per pound of meat two hours or more before cooking if you can. Called “dry brining,” the salt gets wet, ionizes, becomes a brine, and slowly penetrates deep, enhancing flavor and juiciness while building a nice crusty “bark” on the surface. Sprinkle some on at the table too!
Are they hot? No! You can always add hot pepper flakes or Chipotle powder (my fave) in advance or at the table. But we left them mild so you can serve them to kids and Aunt Matilda
From TBoneJack, the unofficial Poet Laureate of The Pitmaster Club:
AmazingRibs is where you go,
To get the best advice,
You’ll find out how, to smoke a cow,
And it will turn out nice.
Smokers, gadgets, recipes,
Charcoal, gas, or wood?
The how, the why, and what to try,
When things arn’t going good.
Selection, prep, and cook techniques,
Marinades and such,
Rubs and brines and temps and times,
And how to use the Crutch.
Brisket secrets are revealed,
For moist and tender meat,
The point, the flat, the rendered fat,
The proper mix of heat.
I found out how to smoke spare ribs,
Great bark and taste and worth,
I want some more, I’ll have them for,
My last meal on this Earth.
Memphis Dust did suit them well,
I served them without sauce,
Not 3-2-1, not overdone,
No precious flavor loss.
Jambo, Lang, or Meadow Creek,
It’s hard to make the call,
Almost a crime, so little time,
I’d like to try them all.
I’m not ashamed, I’m not alone,
‘Cause many have this lot,
But I’ll admit, here in the Pit,
My wife said Not! Not! Not!
Weber, Brinkman, PBC,
No need for budget breach,
They cook great food, just ask me dude,
‘Cause I have one of each.
Obsessed I am, I know it’s true,
They call it MCS,
I saw the doc, he was in shock,
He too is in this mess.
Myron Mixon, Johnny Trigg,
Cool Smoke’s Tuffy Stone,
Harry Soo, Chris Lilly too,
And Moe who cooks alone.
They’re all good, I like them fine,
I’m sure they cook good Q,
They’ve earned the right, I see the light,
I’ll give them their fair due,
But I have learned, thru many cooks,
This web site is da bomb,
For what to do, browse over to,
AmazingRibs dot com.
Tired of seeing popup ads?
No need to throw a fit,
Don’t you know, just spend some dough,
And join us in the Pit.
And if you travel, don’t despair,
No further should you look,
The answer’s clear, put down your beer,
And order Meathead’s book.
High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, we’ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!
Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.
Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please don’t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.
Post comments and questions below
1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.
3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.
4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.
5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.
Moderators