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I write this review with the caveat that you could probably get the exact same result from any cast iron smoker box, or possibly any smoker box, or even with some wood chips in aluminum foil. I just happen to like this one because it seems pretty durable, easy to use, and it worked exactly as expected.
I used this last night to smoke a whole chicken on a propane grill, and it worked GREAT! When people walked by me using the BBQ at my apartment complex, they all commented on how good the food was smelling (they were really smelling the hickory smoke from this smoker box, but whatever)I even had a few people come out from their apartments because they were curious at the fragrant smell of smoke.
The instructions for this box say soaking is not necessary, but the wood chip instructions said that for more flavorful smoke, to soak the chips at least 30min. I decided to go with what I felt was common sense (damp wood tends to release a lot more smoke), and I soaked the chips overnight. When I started using the box, I was sure this was a poor decision since the box took a very long time to start releasing any smoke, but it worked out in the end. At first, I had the box on top of the grill rack and it got hot and the chips dried out really evenly and quickly, and you could smell the hickory a little bit, but the smoke was minimal. I was concerned after having the chicken on the grill for 15 minutes (the box was on for 30), so I moved the box to below the grate, so it was resting on top of the heat tents, closer to the burners. After this move, the box started releasing TONS of smoke, without ever setting the wood on fire. At the end, the chicken was very juicy and had a sweet hickory smoke flavor (I was told by someone that this was the best chicken they've ever eaten), and the wood chips were turned into perfect hardwood charcoal (I might try using them to fuel a charcoal grill when I've accumulated more). A single box-full of chips was enough to provide smoke for the duration of cooking the chicken.
Just to be clear, this is a heavy box, and difficult to move around with tools, so if you have weak hands or wrists, you should be sure to position the box somewhere easy to access in case you need to refill it, or you might want to find a stainless box that will be easier to move around, and will heat faster (and produce smoke faster). Personally, I like the heft of this boxonce i got a grip on it with my grill tongs, it wasn't actually that hard to move, and the lid was easy to take off. I also enjoyed the cast iron because I have read stories of wood chips catching fire in stainless boxes, or the possibility of uneven smoking of the wood chips, but my chips did not catch fire in this box, and it heated them very evenly. Plus, because cast iron retains so much heat, i was able to add a little bit of water to keep the chips going and produce a little bit of steam during the process without having to worry about the box losing its heat (and stopping the chips from smoking). Also nice is that this box arrived completely intact, while the similar GrillPro 00150 Cast Iron Smoker Box arrived with a corner chipped off. Its not a big deal, but having something as generally durable as a cast iron box arrive with a chipped corner prior to use made me wary of the quality of that one.
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This is a great smoker which I have been using now for over 5 years. The only thing I have learned is that you should remove it from your grill when you are done and (as I recall the directions saying) coat it with a layer of oil to protect the metal.Instead, I left mine sitting out under my grill and the rain has now caused the metal to rust and start to flake off in layers. I think it will last another year or two, but it could probably last a lifetime with a little extra care!
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