Been absolutely LOVING this thing for a few months now. I've smoked pork butts, chicken breasts, and pork ribs in this several times with AWESOME results.
Assembly wasn't bad at all, putting it together myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, though. Used a two-wheel dolly to support one end of the thing as I put the legs on one side and then the other - not because it was heavy at all, but rather simply because it just would've been awkward otherwise. I used Permatex hi-temp RTV silicone on all the seams/connections during assembly (more on that later) - the red might look ugly to some, but hey, it's a functional item, not a display piece, so who cares.
Previously, I was using a cheap offset barrel-type smoker setup. It was SUPER inefficient because of heat loss and poor design. For example, for a 7-pound pork butt on that thing, it took me almost 12 hours to get it up to 200 degrees; with a 6-pound pork butt in THIS smoker, however, it only took me about 7 hours, AND it literally used half as much fuel.
I can get about 90 minutes at a time per load with fuel. I load a charcoal chimney full of either Kingsford briquettes or Royal Oak/El Diablo chunk charcoal as a starter, dump it in there, and top it with a single split of whatever flavor wood I'm using (mesquite, hickory, applewood, etc.), and after 30 minutes, I'm good for at least an hour; after that, I give the tray a shake every 30 minutes to shake down the ashes to keep the fire from smothering itself. Each load gets me about 90 minutes at a time - full load of charcoal and one wood good-sized wood split or a few wood chunks for smoke flavoring. I keep the intake vents wide-open during smoking and use the top vent to control temps; initially, I run it wide-open, but once it's up to temp (between 225 and 250), I close it down one or two notches and it holds pretty steady. The top vent doesn't close 100% completely unless you modify it by grinding off the tabs, but it works fine as-is.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT YOU SEAL THIS UNIT COMPLETELY BEFORE USING IT. By that I mean, use some hi-temp RTV silicone sealant (the red stuff) on ALL of the exterior seams AND between the side box and main smoker chamber DURING INITIAL ASSEMBLY. Just apply RTV to all the seams wherever you see connecting lines and anywhere you can see daylight from within the smoker box. DO NOT wait until after it's assembled to try to seal it up, because taking it apart to seal it is a giant hassle. Also, get some hi-temp sealant felt (BBQ gasket tape) to put around the inside of the charcoal side box door. Without it, the door is clunky and has a HUGE gap that will absolutely leak heat/smoke; when properly sealed, it will make a HUGE difference in temp control and smoke retention, it costs very little, and it's super easy to apply.
Extra tip: ADD AN ANGLED HEAT DEFLECTOR to the bottom of the smoker between the side firebox and the main smoker chamber. Basically, anything that sorta spreads the heat out more evenly from the bottom so you don't wind up with everything on the right side of the smoker getting ALL of the heat and everything on the left hardly getting any heat at all. I used some perforated aluminum material I folded over double and then covered with aluminum foil (which I replace as it gets grease grips upon it) to help deflect the direct heat and spread it more evenly. I now get pretty even heating temps at around the midway point of the smoking chamber from right to left.
The firebox has an extra layer of metal within that sorta-kinda insulates the part above it to retain heat and prevent the finish from burning off like it does in cheap barrel-type offset smokers. Also, the latches at the top and bottom, while not ideal in ease of use, are at least secure and snug, and the rope gasket around the main smoker chamber door, while not perfect and not 100% leak-free, is good material and does well enough. Pretty good design overall, especially for the money.
The factory temp gauge is SOMEWHAT accurate, but it is SUUUUUUUPER slow to change its temperature reading. Like, temp changes that take just a couple of minutes with my cheap digital thermometer probes take over 15 minutes to show up on the factory temp gauge. Of course, using your own digital temp probes will yield the most accurate results, and the factory temp gauge CAN be replaced with a better aftermarket one if you want, but as it is, at least it gives you a somewhat accurate ballpark temp reading at a glance without any additional investment.
Lastly, there is a TON of space inside this smoker - more than I'll likely ever need or fully utilize. I fed 15 people with huge chicken breasts and a pork loin from this thing (in one load) for a party and I STILL had plenty of room to spare. I'm still playing with this thing at least once a week to learn its capabilities, and I have yet to utilize the sausage hangers or other features. I've only AT MOST used three racks at a time and still managed to produce enough meat to feed a small army of people. Pulled pork and ribs out of this smoker have been beyond AMAZING with nothing more than good seasoning, foil wrapping, and proper wood selection (I tend to favor hickory for pork smoking), and while it's not a set-it-and-forget-it affair like a digital pellet smoker, it's about as close as you can really get with a charcoal setup. No worries about running too hot and cracking ceramic plates or overheating and taking forever to cool down, or sudden drops in temp, or anything like that. It almost makes charcoal smoking too easy. Choose the right fuel and wood for the right meat(s), check your temp and fuel level every 30 minutes, and you'll have pretty easy and consistent results.
Great for beginner to intermediate smokers. Heck, maybe even good for advanced smokers who want something that doesn't require a lot of effort or tinkering. Only problem I have now is my family is probably going to get burnt-out on smoked meats eventually because I want to use this thing darn near every week. Well, that and the fact that charcoal is kinda hard to get for the winter half of the year.
I researched A LOT before buying this, and I have ZERO regrets. ABSOLUTELY 100% RECOMMENDED for any beginner, intermediate, casual, or even a low-end competition smoker. Haven't had a chance yet to smoke up some meats for my squad at work to get their official opinion, but after the easy and awesome results I've had thus far, I have full confidence in being able to produce some super duper OM NOM NOM quality BBQ for my people for the holidays!
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