Buy Char-Broil Offset Smoker American Gourmet Grill

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List Price: $199.00
Sale Price: $92.86
Today's Bonus: 53% Off

I got this smoker as a gift and I love it. There are some negative reviews out there, but I have yet to have a problem with it after about a year of use. Here's the issue...

You don't get an offset smoker for under $100.00 and think that it is going to be the best of the best, or even the best for that matter. What you should expect is a small smoker/grill that you can cook enough food for about 4-8 people. If you are using it for a smoker, understand that this isn't a gas smoker or electric smoker, and that it isn't the biggest smoker. You aren't going to smoke an entire pig on here. It takes time and attention to smoke slowly.

Downsides...the paint comes off. Not really a big deal because all you will need to do is buy some spray paint. And it isn't like it just peels completely off of the grill. It chips in some places. More cosmetic than anything.

Clean up isn't as easy as it could be. You will want a small dust pan or hand broom to get the coals.

Up side...for the price, this is a perfect smoker! It retains heat as well as any side smoker will. It is sturdy and will stand up to whatever you can fit in the pit. The side table is perfect for the few items you will need out like a mop, bbq tools, and sause.

Overall, I love this smoker. It is perfect for me and my and the few friends we have over.

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I found other reviews on this product somewhat misleading. Sure, I made few minor modifications with the pliers, but other than that, the grill was easy to light and maintained its temperature just be sure not to leave the valves wide open!

After following the instructions, I used 20 pre-fueled briquettes to start the fire. I recommend using a blow torch to light any coal it's much safer and less toxic than burning newspaper or cardboard to star t a fire, but I digress. After around 15 minutes, I started another small fire in the smoker box using pre-fueled briquettes.

The grill maintained a temperature of 250 degrees with the butterfly and smoker valves open one quarter. I added 3 pieces of oak chunks to the main part of the grill on top of the 20 coals; then one chunk of mesquite on top of the 4 coals in the smoker box.

The marinated chicken came out great and took around 45 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

I'm not sure why other reviewers seemed to have problems with controlling or maintaining temperature.

When I was done cooking, I opened both the butterfly and smoker valves to full and the grill temperature jumped to just over 400 degrees. The next morning when I swept out the coals, everything was DUST. I've never seen this happen with any of my charcoal grills in the past because there are usually 3-4 large chunks of unburned coals or wood.

This is an incredibly efficient grill with a decent amount of surface area for smoking or grilling.

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I don't see how anyone could give this grill/smoker a bad review. It is kinda small but it gets the job done. Assmebly was really fairly easy. Once it was assembled I follwed the instructions on seasoning it. I have never attempted to smoke anything in my life. The first thing I tried with this grill was a 4lb Boston Butt. It came out perfect! It looked and tasted wonderful. I would definately reccomend this grill to a friend. When it was at it's hottest temp wise some of the paint did come off the firebox. But really I could care less. It doesnt deter from the way it works. I didnt buy this grill to show off to my friends, I bought it to cook food and it does that.

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Despite all the complaints about assembly. this cooks great food. So far I have only used 1 of the ceramic coated grill inserts. I place the charcoal on 1 side, sear the meat over those coals and then simply slide the grate to the other side if I need to slow cook. Spray a little Pam on the grill and cleanup is a breeze. Play with the openings on the stack and the wood box vent to regulate the temp, there's a thermometer right on top. Pull out the charcoal/wood grates at the bottom and line it with foil to ease cleanup. This grill is a perfect size for us. It is just the wife and I, but we can easily cook for 6-8 if we have guests. If you want to cook for the neighborhood, there is a bigger version of this grill.

Back to the opening statement. The instructions could stand to be a little clearer about what direction to start the bolts. About half of mine are backwards, but it really doesn't effect anything but the looks.

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I have been using this little baby for three years now. No complaints at all. It's perfect for beginners and if you can learn how to smoke low and slow on this baby, you will be able to use anything. Again, I have been using this unit for three years now...and least three weekends each month from April through October. If you really think you want something better you will need to cough up three or four times the money. But if you know what you are doing, or if you are a beginner and want to start out slow, this is a great piece of equipment. And if you don't like it after a year, heck buy something else then. What are you out? Less than $100?