Overall Rating:
5
out of
5
Great for your first smoker!,
June 29, 2009
"My wife bought this for me for fathers day. It's the first smoker I ever owned. It is very easy to put together and very easy to use. The only drawbacks are the door handle being very hot to open and having to use tongs to add more coals and wood. This is a GREAT smoker for the price and is perfect to use when you are cooking out with friends and family, especially ribs. I smoked two whole chickens in about 8 hours and they came out juicy and delicious. The pork ribs I smoked came out the same with my daughters eating twice as many as I did! If you ever wanted to try smoking a brisket or ribs for your first time and are eager to learn how then THIS is the smoker for you. I've never written a review of anything in my life but I swear by this little guy. A little tip though: Try to keep the smoker out of the hot sun because it seems to mess with the temperature gauge on it so it won't give a correct reading if the outside shell is too hot. Also, try to keep your temperature between right at Ideal or Ideal and Hot. It might even help to use an oven thermometer (you can buy them for 3-4 bucks) and place it on the bottom rack to where you can read the temperature if you open the bottom door. One thing you don't want to do too much of when you're smoking meat is constantly open the top and let all of the heat out."
Overall Rating:
5
out of
5
Way to easy for those new to smoking!!,
April 8, 2009
"I bought this one as my first smoker, and I could not believe how easy this made smoking. In my wit and wisdom I first chose to smoke a brown trout cut into steaks on an cold and windy day approx 35deg. It was harder to prep the fish prior to smoking than using the smoker itself. I just had to add a few more coals occasionally and stir them up to keep the heat up but that was very easy to do with longer tongs. As another reviews states the meat when smoked, came out juicy and tender and flavorful, and got excellent compliments from friends.
And you can not beat this price, I don't know if the Deluxe model's price is justifiable how easy this one is to use. FYI, a cheap aluminum water heater drip pan works excellent with this as well."
Overall Rating:
4
out of
5
excellent starter smoker,
December 27, 2008
"I bought this smoker mainly for the price. I wanted to start out cheap so I could find out if I liked to smoke meats let alone capable to do the task. The smoker works well during the spring and summer as far as keeping the temp up, but when it gets a bit colder you need to use more coals and stir them up a bit. The space between the two racks could be modified by adding another rack in-between to maximize the smoking area for thinner meats. Finally, try throwing cheap hot dogs in it, they are THE BEST HOT DOGS EVER!!!!!!!"
Overall Rating:
5
out of
5
Best Lil' Smoker,
August 24, 2008
"Bought this smoker for my son, as he finally wore his old one out, but that was only because it had been handed down for two generations. For the both of us, there is no other way to grill or smoke. Everything comes out tasting wonderful. Anyone who likes perfection and compliments when grilling/smoking, should definately buy this product! The price was right also. In these times, that's definately a must!"
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
Overall Rating:
5
out of
5
EASY Delicious Every Time!,
May 28, 2008
By EasyChef
from Walnut Creek, California
"A charcoal smoker is the way to go! This will make average cuts of meat taste delicious! I have smoked whole turkeys, trout, tri-tip roasts, pork loins - you name it! Always delicious.
The key to making this work well is to use HOT water in the water bowl! Don't fill with cold water from a hose.
You can't oversmoke your meat. Just start up the charcoal bowl, add the water bowl, put the racks on with your meat, poultry or fish and you are good to go! You can add chunks of smoking wood (that you have soaked in water for at least an hour) to the top of the charcoal (please use tongs). Go and do your household chores and forget about the cooking! The smoker works without having to be tended to.
I think it recommends lining the charcoal bowl and the water bowl with heavy duty foil before each use - which makes clean-up easy.
This is a great product and at such a low price it makes a fun birthday or Christmas gift!"
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.