Char-Griller Grand Champ 8250: Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker

Room to grill and learn offset smoking

The Char-Griller Grand Champ 8250 combines a charcoal cooking chamber with an included side firebox for offset smoking. It is a good fit for someone who enjoys managing a live fire, learning airflow and arranging food around different heat zones. The appeal is control and involvement: you supply the attention as well as the fuel.

Use the manufacturer’s Grand Champ page for the current 8250 reference. The 1,200-square-inch total is not one uninterrupted primary grate: compare the 780-square-inch main area with the pans and cuts you plan to cook. Leave room to reach and remove food without crowding the chamber.

Offset, pellet or simple charcoal grill?

What independent testing helps explain

AmazingRibs’ hands-on Grand Champ test used multiple temperature probes and found meaningful variation across the cooking space, particularly nearer the firebox. That is useful planning information for an offset smoker. Place a temperature probe near the food, learn the hotter and cooler areas, and rotate or reposition food when the cook calls for it.

The same review discusses getting familiar with charcoal and wood chunks before treating it like a larger log-burning pit. This is an approachable way to learn how changes in fuel and airflow affect the chamber. It is not a fixed recipe for every weather condition or cooking load. Start with a manageable cook and keep notes about what you changed.

An owner conversation about the Grand Champ likewise focuses on fire tending and the machine’s size. These individual experiences reinforce two purchase questions: do you enjoy tending a smoker, and do you have a suitable place for it? They do not establish that every unit will behave identically.

Place it once, with room to work

At a listed 254 lb, the Grand Champ deserves a delivery plan. Check gate width, steps and the surface between the delivery point and cooking area. Allow working room around the firebox, lids, shelf and ash access in addition to the frame dimensions. Arrange enough capable help for assembly and moving, following the supplied instructions.

Use it outdoors in the location and with the combustible clearances required by its manual. A covered location is not automatically an approved cooking area. Keep the fuel supply dry and separate from hot surfaces. Before the first meal, complete the manufacturer’s seasoning and preparation process for the supplied grates and cooking chamber.

Build an easy cleanup routine

Allow the cooker and ashes to cool fully before removing ash. Emptying ash, clearing food debris and managing grease will be part of ownership, especially after long sessions. Keep the exterior finish clean and attend to damaged areas as the manufacturer directs. A cover can help protect a cooled cooker in storage, but it does not replace drying and routine checks.

The included firebox gives you the core offset arrangement. Charcoal, smoking wood, a food thermometer, protective cooking tools and a cover are separate unless the seller’s bundle says otherwise. Choose those accessories around your first few cooks rather than assuming every pictured item comes with the grill.

Questions before you buy