barbecook Carlo Tischgrill Grau

A charcoal tabletop grill that gets air from below

The Carlo Urban Grey is a small charcoal grill for the table, in which a battery-powered fan blows air into the embers. Barbecook lists it under article number BC-CHA-1015, and exactly this number also appears in the Amazon catalogue under ASIN B07QBQ8TL9. The brand is owned by LivWise NV, based in Deinze; Barbecook itself describes itself as a Belgian grill brand whose first grill came onto the market in 1985.

Technically, the grey Carlo is not a model of its own. The grate, inner bowl, charcoal container and control knob carry the same part numbers as on the yellow Carlo; only the powder-coated body with fan has its own number (which parts exactly is explained in the FAQ below). So if you are torn between grey and yellow, you are deciding on looks, not on technology.

On the Amazon page, the grill stood at approx. €227 on 21.10.2026 (Amazon page on 21.10.2026: €226.80). That is the lowest new price from a marketplace seller, because Amazon itself did not offer it that day. The yellow Carlo is at approx. €165 in our price box. The Amazon title says the grill is smoke-free and suitable for the balcony. We check both further down against what Barbecook itself writes, and that is less than the title promises. For an overview of the other charcoal models, see our category Charcoal grills.

Dimensions, material and what is in the box

Barbecook gives the device as 44 × 33 × 21 cm, and the Amazon values stored in inches convert to exactly the same. The weight appears only at Amazon, converted approx. 4.5 kg, and whether that was measured with or without packaging, the catalogue leaves open. On the product photo, the body is a flat cuboid with rounded corners, five narrow slots at the front and the dial in the middle; on top sits a wire grate with a raised rim, which according to the manufacturer is meant to stop food falling off.

The grate measures 38.5 × 28.5 cm, and Barbecook gives 1,097 cm² for it. The data list 21 cm as the cooking height, so the same figure as the device height; what exactly is meant by it, the manufacturer does not explain.

On material, the parts list in the manual is more precise than any product page. It lists seven parts, and the symbol legend assigns them: cooking grate, inner bowl, charcoal container and its lid and base are stainless steel, while the body with built-in fan is powder-coated. The control knob carries no material symbol. There is also a removable grease tray, and clips at the sides hold the grate on the device.

A carry bag is included. Batteries are not: the fan needs four AA cells, which you buy separately. According to the manual, the grill is largely pre-assembled, and assembly essentially consists of opening the battery compartment, inserting the cells according to the polarity symbols and closing the compartment again.

In detail: fan, lighting and topping up

On a classic tabletop grill, the embers depend on how much air flows in by itself. On the Carlo, the fan in the body takes over. The manual describes the principle in one sentence: the faster it turns, the more air reaches the charcoal container and the more intense the fire becomes. More oxygen means faster combustion, which is the usual physics of any charcoal ember. Control is via the dial. How many settings it has and how many watts the fan draws remains unstated.

The most important quirk in operation follows from this. You set the heat not by distance or zones but exclusively by fan speed, and you must never switch the fan off while the charcoal is hot. Barbecook expressly forbids running the device without the fan switched on. When switching on, you first turn the control all the way up and then back to the desired setting.

Before the first lighting comes a step that the manual highlights as very important: insert the base of the charcoal container first. If it is missing, the fan can be seriously damaged. Then you place the bowl in the device, fill in at most 150 g of charcoal with three firelighter cubes and put the container into the bowl. According to Barbecook, more charcoal leads to severe damage because of the extreme heat, and so does wood.

It is lit with the fan on its highest setting and a long match. Only firelighters to EN 1860-3 are permitted; methylated spirits, petrol and other flammable liquids are forbidden, also for relighting. You grill only once the charcoal is covered with a thin layer of white ash and there are no more flames in the container; according to the manual, this usually takes about 15 minutes. Then the lid goes on the charcoal container, the grate onto the device, and the clips are closed. The very first time, you let the grill burn empty for 30 minutes so that manufacturing grease disappears, and without the grate, because an empty grate can warp over the heat.

For topping up, Barbecook specifies seven steps:

1. Put on heat-resistant gloves.
2. Release the clips and remove the grate.
3. Turn the fan to a medium setting.
4. Remove the lid of the charcoal container and add charcoal.
5. Put the lid back on.
6. Put the grate back on and secure it with the clips.
7. Switch the fan back to the highest setting.

For the food itself, the manual has two more tips. A lower fan speed helps against burning. Against sticking, you lightly brush the food with oil, optionally the grate too, and do not turn too early.

Is the Carlo smoke-free?

That is not proven. “Smoke-free” appears in the Amazon title; on Barbecook’s product page and in the manual, the word smoke does not appear at all, not even as “low-smoke”. There are no measured values.

What can be derived from the construction is limited. In principle, a charcoal grill smokes mainly in two situations: while the charcoal has not yet burnt through, and when fat drips into the embers. The instructions defuse the first point by forbidding grilling before the ash layer forms. For the second, the parts list shows that the lid of the charcoal container sits over the embers, so fat hits it first and not the charcoal directly. Whether that measurably lowers smoke, nobody has published; in our assessment, “less smoky than an open tabletop grill” is plausible, while “smoke-free” is a retailer’s wording.

If you want to know where smoke at the grill otherwise comes from, you will find the causes in the guide Grill smoking too much.

Setting up and safety according to the manual

Here we stick to the wording, because it is about carbon monoxide and open embers. The cover page of the manual already warns: “Do not use the grill in enclosed and/or inhabitable spaces, e.g. in houses, tents, caravans, motorhomes or boats.” There is a risk of fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. The German section repeats this and expressly names garage, enclosed space and shed as well: the device belongs outdoors only.

For the location, Barbecook requires:

• at least 30 cm distance between grill and flammable materials,
• a stable, level surface,
• no place under a structure with an overhang (veranda, shelter etc.) or under a leaf canopy,
• no moving vehicle as a standing surface (boat, trailer etc.).

Further warnings apply during operation. You keep children and pets away from the grill. “This grill gets very hot”, so it should not be moved during operation, and anyone who has to touch hot parts needs suitable protection. Flammable materials, liquids and meltable objects stay at a safe distance, the grill is never left unattended, and a bucket of water or sand stands within reach, especially on very hot days and in dry surroundings.

For the balcony, this means: if there is a roof over your balcony or the neighbour’s balcony above, that is, in our reading, exactly the structure with an overhang that the manual excludes. Whether charcoal is allowed at all is set out in your tenancy agreement and house rules, not in the instructions. How to clarify this is described in our guide Grilling on a balcony.

Cleaning, storage, spare parts and warranty

Barbecook recommends cleaning the grill after every use, in this order: let it cool down completely, release the clips and remove the grate, take out the charcoal container with lid and base, remove the bowl, then clean the device with a soft sponge or a damp cloth and a normal detergent. Acid, thinners or other flammable products are taboo.

On the dishwasher, three sources say three things. The manual lists the inner bowl, grate and charcoal container with base and lid as dishwasher-safe. The product page says all parts are dishwasher-safe except the tub with fan, and Amazon speaks of most parts. Common denominator: the body with the fan does not go in. For the grate, Barbecook advertises its own foam cleaner on the product page.

For the surfaces, the manual gives separate rules. Stainless steel: no aggressive, abrasive or metal cleaning agents, let mild cleaners soak in, soft sponge or cloth, then rinse thoroughly and let dry completely. Powder coating: no sharp objects, mild detergents, soft sponge or cloth, rinse thoroughly and dry. To keep stainless steel parts from rusting, you avoid any contact with chlorine, salt and iron. After every use, the Carlo is stored in an enclosed room, completely dry and ideally in the supplied bag.

According to the manual, parts exposed to fire or strong heat must be replaced at some point, and a certain amount of warping is considered normal there. In the manufacturer’s shop on 21.10.2026, the listings for Urban Grey were: complete body with fan €117.95, inner bowl €64.95, cooking grate €62.25, charcoal container €26.00, its base €20.95 and lid €19.00. The control knob at €11.50 was sold out in the shop, and Barbecook itself points out that some items have disappeared from the list and can no longer be ordered. If you want to use the Carlo for a long time, you should keep an eye on this point.

The warranty runs for two years from the date of purchase and covers manufacturing defects. According to the manual, six cases are excluded: normal wear (rust, warping, discolouration) on parts in direct fire, visual irregularities from manufacturing, damage from poor care, improper storage, incorrect assembly or changes to pre-assembled parts, improper use (for example commercial use or as a fire basket), consequential damage from these, as well as rust or discolouration from external influences, aggressive cleaners or chlorine.

Among consumables and accessories, the manufacturer’s shop lists on the Carlo page, among other things, 72 FSC firelighter cubes for €5.95, the cleaning brush Olivia for €12.50 and four skewers for €6.75.

What the manufacturer does not state

For a grill of this size, a remarkable number of questions stay open at Barbecook: its own weight, power, speed and number of settings of the fan, battery runtime, USB or mains operation, the burn time of one load, maximum and grate temperature, an outer wall temperature, the heat-up time to grilling temperature, a noise value, cooking times, steel grade and sheet thickness, material and dimensions of the bag, the country of manufacture, certification marks such as CE or GS, and requirements for the heat resistance of the table the grill stands on.

What else is worth considering?

The prices are guide values from our price boxes and may change; the rating is our editorial assessment from the manufacturer data, not a measurement result.

The LotusGrill G340 is at approx. €179 in our price box, the grey Carlo from marketplace sellers on Amazon at approx. €227. With the Lotus, according to its instructions, you get a grill that is ready for use after 3 to 4 minutes, instead of the wait for the ash layer that Barbecook sets out above; the Carlo, on the other hand, has the rectangular grate. The Enders Aurora Stone is at approx. €72 and has 925 cm² of cooking surface according to Enders.

Who the grey Carlo suits and who it does not

It suits you if you want to grill outdoors on a table for a small group with real charcoal and prefer to control the heat with a dial rather than by moving embers around. On the number of people, Barbecook itself is not consistent (see FAQ). Plan for batteries as a running cost, plus charcoal to EN 1860-2 and firelighters to EN 1860-3.

For steaks that should be seared outside and pink inside, it lacks something fundamental. There is only direct heat, no second zone and no lid over the grate under which anything could finish cooking. If you want that, you are better served by a kettle grill; the Grill finder helps narrow it down.

The Carlo is the wrong choice for three groups. First, for anyone whose balcony is covered or whose house rules ban charcoal; there, an electric grill would be the better topic. Second, for people who often grill for a long time: with the small fill quantity, every extension means gloves on, grate off, top up. Third, for anyone who does not want to buy batteries. Then the LotusGrill with a USB cable is the more obvious choice, or the Enders with a power bank if the budget is small.