Cheap Oregon Scientific Wireless Bbq Thermometer with Digital Lcd

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List Price: $72.96
Sale Price: $27.75
Today's Bonus: 62% Off

Works great and does what it is supposed to. Easy to use and very accurate. Long range, I can put the sensor outside on the barbeque and go inside and I never lose the signal.

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Best Kingsford 14-Inch Non-Stick Skewers, Set of 6 Deals

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The Kingsford 14-Inch Non-Stick Skewers are a great example of poor workmanship. We have always thought highly of the Kingsford Brand. But not now. The quality of the paint was very poor. One of the six skewers has almost no paint. We would suggest to both Amazon.com and Kingsford that they discard all of these items in stock, fire the maker, and start over with this product. Regards, Dale Stillwell.

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I ordered these because during the summer we try to grill outside more than cook inside due to the heat. My husband wanted some, I went for availability at the time and reasonable cost. After we got them and used them..he was wishing that despite some of the so-so reviews on the sets with the 'trays', that we'd gone that route instead.

I may wind up ordering some that have their little racks for hubby to use outside on the grill and use these for indoor broiling/grilling... let's face it.. things on a 'stick' no matter the shape of the stick are probably going to slide and roll.

Best Deals for Kingsford 14-Inch Non-Stick Skewers, Set of 6

People in the old days had it easy -go to work in the factories at age eight, slave for eighteen hours a day, live in filth and die at thirty. They didn't worry about free radicals or bad cholesterol or high-fructose gruel syrup. Lucky peasants.

But modern medicine doesn't have all the answers, either. So I turned to 'alternative medicine'. Or I would've, if I could afford all that holistic health paraphernalia. So now I'm giving 'ALTERNATIVE alternative medicine' a whirl.

I keep hearing about the miracles of the ancient Asian art of acupuncture. But genuine 'therapeutic' needles cost a fortune -do they come with an ancient Asian to apply them, or what? You'd think Mr. Miyagi was going to jump out of the shipping box and 'wax on' the needles under your epidermis.

I decided to try a more frugal route and bought these skewers for acupuncture, instead. They're sturdy, easy to handle, and built to last whether you're poking a pain-preventing pressure point or piercing a perky peppered pork chop. And best of all, if I use them for medicinal purposes after I've used them for skewering, everywhere I press smells like shish kabob. And if THAT won't make you feel better about life, I don't know what will.

Honest reviews on Kingsford 14-Inch Non-Stick Skewers, Set of 6

I gave this a 3 because I honestly have not used them and have no idea when or if I ever will.

Discount VCT323SSN Tribute Three Burner BBQ Grill with Black Enamel, Natural

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Third party seller "Overstock Closeouts" refused assistance on the issue of the Owners Manual being in French only. The manufacture "Vermont Castings" is apparently in bankruptcy and no longer supports the warranty and parts are only available through parts stores. Online ratings for Vermont Castings' grills are very poor with corrosion, service and parts availability the main issues. Overstock Closeouts has a DBetter Business Bureau rating.

Amazon came to the rescue with their A-Z Guarantee program and after not being able to reach a agreement with Overstock Closeouts my money was refunded without question. Amazon is a pleasure to do business with.

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Reviews of Back Yard Umbrella Condiment Set 13.5"

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This is one of the cutest things and a great table addition. The umbrella opens and closes like a real one. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars, is the fact that the ketchup and mustard containers are not the best quality and will probably crack after a few uses. Other than that, it's a great product.

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Cheap Traeger Lil' Tex Elite Pellet Grill

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Ive had this grill for about 18 months. Cook on it all the time. Also have a Weber gas grill and a smoker (almost never use smoker anymore). This grill is halfway inbetween the other two.

The pros: That said, as a result it is light and easy to move around with great wheels unlike some other grill behemoths that require a crane to move. I love the pellets which are cheap and easy to order online (dont order the traeger brand, it is like 20% the species advertised, and for the same price can get 100% from other sources, and package shows up right to your door). The $20 worth of pellets give about 20 hours grill time for about $1/hour. You can easily see how many pellets are left by lifting up hopper lid, way easier than with propane guesstimates. The best thing about the traeger grills is that they NEVER catch your food on fire. You can cook your roast overnight without checking it once. It will be fine. Think of it as a oven with smoke flavoring that wont stink the house. There doesnt seem to be as many hot spots as with most gas grill I have owned, cooking is relatively uniform.

The cons: It has a maximum temperature of maybe 375 if you never open it, and 325 if you check your food frequently. It just doesnt make enough heat and has thin exterior with no insulation, and not enough mass to maintain temp if you open the cover. Many things you cook will barely have any searing marks, kind of looks baked at low temperature. As a result I sometimes brown the food on gas grill and then switch to the Traeger. It wont get hot enough to self clean. If you do salmon and dont change the aluminum foil and brush the grill (five minutes total) and then make beef jerky it will taste like salmon. (ask me how I know. the dog still loved it though). There is more maintenance in that you have to remove ashes and change the aluminum foil about every 10th use (wear disposable gloves). Some people have reported mechanical breakdowns. I havent had any, but do try to keep it covered (its still been rained on a few times, but mechanically and cosmetically still perfect). The grease bucket catches rain water and fills up (should have been better designed, owner could probably fix this problem with a little creativity but it hasnt bothered me that much).

What it does great: bacon (wow), ribs, chicken, breads, vegetables, jerkey, slow roasting meats already browned on gas grill without fear of catching fire

What it cant do: hamburgers, searing steaks (just cant get hot enough)

What it can do but i prefer to do on gas grill: hot dogs, brats, fish, pork chops (it just kills me to wait 20 min to get traeger up and running for these fast grilling foods)

Update 10/10/11: Am cooking a whole salmon in a 40 mph snowstorm in 25 degrees here in chicago. My Weber Platinum LP grill blew out 4 times in 30 minutes. Switched to the Traeger. It hasn't blown out yet. Sweet! The salmons almost done. It is maintaining 350 (set to 375) but Ive only opened a couple times.

In short I think it makes a great second grill. Too many common things it just cant do and too long a startup time to be primary grill. I wind up using my weber gas grill 50% of the time. What it does do though often just cant be done on a gas grill. Convenience vastly exceeds all other forms of woodburning stoves but some reports of mechanical breakdowns. You can make a complete meal on this grill, I do it all the time (set to 350, throw on some buttered asparagus, biscuits from those cardboard tubes, and meat of choice: BAM done with no dishes).

Update 11/25/12: changed wording above to make the Traeger the preferred grill for chicken, previously was the gas grill but changed my mind. This increased my Traeger use to 50% from 40%. The lack of grease fires and char on the Traeger make a more convenient better chicken.

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Recently purchased from Costco during one of their road shows. I was in the market for a regular propane type grill, however the sales display and salesman caught my eye. I am a skeptic, but decided to try something new since it was from Costco and if I didn't like it I knew they would stand behind the product or take it back. When we got it home and opened the box, the grill grate was bent and there were bare spots where the black porcelain coating had come off. Not a good start since we live 20 miles from Costco and I had to return the whole thing because they wouldn't just replace the grate. Luckily I hadn't assembled anything so this wasn't too much of a problem. When we returned the salesman was very apologetic and we selected another grill/box. Upon opening this box, it was obvious that things had been mismatched, the cooking book apeared used and was falling apart (they immediately gave us a brand new one on the spot). Other than this rocky start, things got much better. I found out that if your grill has welded legs on it then it was made in the U.S. If it has bolt on legs, it was made in China. Ours had bolt on legs, but OK. The assembly instructions were not very clear regarding hardware, the part numbers listed for the bolts/screws were labled with double letters such as AA, BB, CC etc, however the instruction booklet referred to the parts by numbers so what screws/bolts to use for which parts was best guess process. The bolts/screw hardware package was obviously a last minute add in from another grill, the hardware package had been opened with tape on the back closing it up. All of this aside, once assembled I found the grill to be sturdy and fairly well made. We had read previous reviews about substandard construction, however I found this one to be well made.

Pros Easy to assemble, just bolt on the legs and plug it in. Starts and works very well, food cooks well and is everything they advertise regarding flavor and set/leave ease of cooking procedure until done. I was quite impressed. The salesman was correct, we probably won't go back to a propane grill having tasted this, it is phenomenal. No more burning food or flare ups, start up procedure and cooking is very simple, it is very easy to clean using a shop vac to clean out the fire pot and pellet ash etc. Lining the drip pan with aluminum foil as recommended is a must and makes cleaning that very easy. No more propane refills etc. The cover that came with the grill is of good quality and I recommend a cover to keep the rain and elements away from the hopper and inside of the grill and electrical components although the salesman said it would be fine outside without one. It has a built in thermometer and digital display setting for temperature control which is nice.

Cons Most people accostomed to propane grills are used to a completely self contained unit, turn on the gas and start the grill. This grill requires an electrical outlet to operate. There is no under grill storage area for gloves or cleaning tools. Other than the hopper, there is no place to store additional pellets (although I suppose this is the same as having to store an additonal propane tank). There is ash that must be cleaned from the grill with a shop vac every few uses which means you have to remove the grate, grease pan and heat shield for cleaning, however this process is very simple. Used as a smoker forget it, this grill will not truly smoke any of your food. While it smokes at start up for a few minutes, once it gets started even on smoke setting) the smoke goes away. We have not been able to get this to actually smoke our food. There are more moving parts to go wrong. There is an auger, a fan, a heating rod, dgital temperature control etc. If the igniter fails on a propane grill it is easy to start by turning on the gas and applying a flame. This unit requires many more steps. If the heating rod fails you must remove the grate, drip pan and heat shield then apply a starter gel to the pellets in the burn pot, light the pellets manually and then replace everything. We have not had to do this as ours works as advertised, but if there was ever a failure of the components there will be more steps to be able to cook until replacement parts arrive. You also have to have a pellet dealer near you, it's not like you can just go to any propane source to refill the tank.

Buying this grill was quite a change in philosophy for us since we have always had propane grills. Most of the cons are easily overcome. Having said all of the above, I really like this grill and will not return to a propane grill. The taste of the food is just incredible and the pros, ease of starting, ease of cleaning and taste of the food outweigh the cons to me.

Best Deals for Traeger Lil' Tex Elite Pellet Grill

WE have an older unit, owned it for over 4 years and we have used it probably 10 times a month at least, so it's well used. We had a ton of issues with our unit that first year, it just seemed we had parts giving out constantly that first year. We stuck with Treager as the customer support was great, and they new exactly what was wrong and sent new parts out in quick fashion. I'm a mechanic so swapping out things wasn't an issue for me and it is a easy unit to work on if you need to do so. I think Treager knew they had some issues and fixed them with better manufactured parts. That first year I replaced 3 hot rods, a fan, an auger motor and a thermostat which when you look at the unit, that about sums up the working parts! But everything has worked great since, nothing has broken in 3 years + and it's eaten literally a ton of pellets or more..

One thing to note on Treagers, they do act like a convection oven as well, there is a fan that blows air over the pellet pot to help keep the pellets burning and so there is a good deal of air circulating in the unit so just know it isn't a slow smoking unit like others, but it does a great job, adds a ton of flavor but if your looking for something to smoke your salmon, I'm not sure this is the unit, I tried just that, and it really created more of a jerky salmon! I've tried various angles to get it to make that terrific pacific smoked salmon I get while in Alaska and it just can't pull it off... Also the Treager cook book that comes with it, not the greatest, the recipes aren't tested, and they leave you guessing what to do and a lot of them can cause you to over cook things in quick order.....

Pellet costs can be high, we shop around and buy from stores like Cabelas and have them delivered to the store so there aren't any shipping costs....

Honest reviews on Traeger Lil' Tex Elite Pellet Grill

I love my this smoker! This is my very first smoker and it could not be easier to use. You simply turn it on and it will do the rest. I have done salmon, ribs, and chicken the taste was excellent. I have no problems reaching temps over 400 degrees.

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the most amazing machine we have ever used. simply the best and simplest to use. the smell is to die for. husband was thrilled at the birthday gift, son says he cant leave home with out one.....and yes, he is definitely old enough to leave....

Review of Rcs Rjcssb Premier Series Built-in Propane Gas Stainless Steel

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List Price: $369.00
Sale Price: $299.00
Today's Bonus: 19% Off

It looks nice, however its made cheap, and does not function properly. The scary part about it it somehow remains lit until you actually turn the gas off from the main which means the knobs or the pilot malfunctions.

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I ordered this side burner based on price. It would be a great deal at twice the price. This burner works great and puts out a lot of heat. It fires right up with the built in ignitors, and comes apart easily for cleaning. It also has a slide out grease tray.

Cheap KoverRoos SupraRoos 53062 Medium Barbecue Cover, 23-Inch Diameter

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $42.23
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

After having this cover for a year, I decided to buy one for my father for Christmas for his grill. The fabric is light and flexible and completely waterproof. It survived 50 mile per hour wind gusts and driving rain through hurricane Sandy on my back porch with ease and without leaking. My only grip is the color...dirt does show but it's easily wiped off with a wet rag. The company suggests you can wash it in a washer machine but I haven't tried. 10 year warranty and Made in the USA, can't beat that!

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Buy Music City Metals 94091 Stainless Steel Heat Plate Replacement

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List Price: $85.95
Sale Price: $45.15
Today's Bonus: 47% Off

after only 13 months they are completely rusted and 1 literally broke into pieces! the other 2 are rusting and about to fall apart, for $50 each they should last longer than a year!!!!!!!!!!

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After replacing the heat plates on my grill, the cooking process took on a whole new deminsion. At first, I was reluctant to purchase the plates because of the cost so I purchased only two plates. After using them, I purchased the remaining plates and I have not been sorry.

Best Deals for Music City Metals 94091 Stainless Steel Heat Plate Replacement

Product works as described. One question why does the original range, which was quite pricey, come with flimsy non-galvanized metal plates, which obviously have a short and planned obsolescence?

Buy Picnic Time 18-Piece Deluxe BBQ Tool Set in Carry Case

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List Price: $43.00
Sale Price: $39.95
Today's Bonus: 7% Off

I've spent quite a time reviewing many grill sets. Looking for the best combination. Nothing missed, nothing extra.

I had 5 requirements and it matched them all perfectly:

1. Price less than $35

2. Long, wood handles-protect your hands and don't melt

3. Bottle opener in a spatula

4. Skewers & corn handles

5. Compact and lightweight

However, I need to remove one star because of cheap, poorly made, lousy case.

I don't care much about the color or material it made from, BUT inside durability of handling tools IN/OUT process is very important and is not satisfactory.

To Manufacturer: Update the case and the product will be unbeatable.

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I admit I only picked this set because of the beer bottle opener. The tools have been used quite a few times and are sturdy. I did put the corn on the cob holders through the dishwasher and the wood faded a bit... but oh well it is going to fade over time. Case durability doesn't seem that great but it works for me since I just leave the case sit out on my bench during the season. Will hide it in the off season. I wouldn't let this case sit in direct sunlight. I wanted a set to include a brush and the metal kabobs will save money down the road. Very nice, and yes the bottle opener does work!

Best Deals for Picnic Time 18-Piece Deluxe BBQ Tool Set in Carry Case

Like the other ratings I read before buying, the case isn't amazing. I would rather have great tools and a crappy box though, so I went for it and am pleased.

Honest reviews on Picnic Time 18-Piece Deluxe BBQ Tool Set in Carry Case

This set has everything you could need in a handy case. The case seems sturdy enough. It might take a second to get the tools back in right but very good set.

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Totally happy with this set, I think the tools are well-made but other reviewers are right when they say the case is flimsy. The spatula simply won't stay in its slot. No biggie though.

Cheap Bradley Honey Flavored Cure

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $19.72
Today's Bonus: 1% Off

Bradley is famous for their high prices. Since there are so few outlets for their products, only those forced to pay top dollar on the item and shipping. For the price, the shipping should be free. Really this product should not be priced higher than about $7.

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Best Landmann USA 32910 Smoky Mountain Vertical Electric Smoker, 32-Inch Deals

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List Price: $379.99
Sale Price: $223.27
Today's Bonus: 41% Off

Shipping was incredibly fast.

I had to use the smoker to find out it didn't work; now it can't be returned.

What's wrong with the smoker:

1. The wood chip box is too far from 800 watt heating element resulting in NO smoke. I followed the initial use instructions and added wood ships in the 2nd hour. After the 3rd hour, the chips on the bottom of the chip pan had started to turn black. I modified the chip box to set directly on the heating element and cranked up the temp to 250 now the chips would burn.

2. Chip box is designed so you can't pick up and empty the box while smoking; you can add chips during smoking but can't remove the ashes.

3. Then there's location of the drip under the chip box and under the water pan; I tried to smoke some salmon and guess where all drippings went? Answer; the drip pan was clean, the water pan and chip box was a mess and so was the area where the heating element was connected.

4. Now that I've used it twice, the steel plate on the back of the top drawer has buckled pulling out the rivets that hold the magnetic drawer seal strip in place.

5. One of the incredibly durable rear adjustable feet broke off the first time I moved the smoker.

6. The top drawer (the one that catches all the drippings cannot be removed for cleaning, the bottom drip pan drawer (the one the stays clean) is removable for cleaning.

7. There's more but that would be nit picking.

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Bought this as a step up from an electric model without temperature control. Had an issue with the first control panel, but Landmann sent a new one right away and it was easy enough to replace. Not sure about any cord issue.

This thing is great. It keeps the temperature consistent.......now I can predict within minutes when things will be done. Low maintenance, and I can leave it out in the colder weather and not worry about changing charcoal or my Thanksgiving turkey taking 16 hours. Temperature probe is handy for trying new kinds of meats / foods.

Smoky, juicy flavor can't get any better. Taste is only as good as your recipes, but now there will be no blaming the smoker.

The easy to change water pan and wood compartment are convenient and make clean up simple.

Definitely purchase again.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program

I've owned this Landmann Smoker since last summer, and wanted to try it out in both warm and super cold weather before reviewing it. Here in northern Minnesota, winter runs about half the year. We start seeing snow every fall around Halloween and usually have our last big snowstorm of the year in early April. So I wanted to see if this electric smoker could handle cooking outside in our extreme cold temperatures. Since it's cold here so much of the year, I was eager to see if the Landmann would hold up to year round smoking.

It arrived packaged well and with no damage. My husband and I spent a little while getting it set up on our side deck and then trying out some of the features. The wheels on the bottom and handle on the back make moving it around easy. The door opens and closes smoothly and stays tightly shut using a magnetic seal. The inside has 4 huge shelves, giving you more than enough room to smoke a ton of food at the same time. There is a food thermometer built into the inside, which lets you monitor your foods internal temperature without needing to open the door.

But my favorite feature is this is a wonderful smoker for both experts and novices. This Landmann Smoker will appeal to both those who like to control every detail of the smoking process and also to those who are just trying to follow directions they pulled off the internet or out of a cook book. With the digital display, I am able to set the temperature of the smoker and then go inside my house and monitor the display from a window. No need to babysit it. This feature has been a huge help while it's been cold outside. Most recently, last week we made a batch of wild goose jerky, even with it being well below freezing temperatures here (it's the beginning of February). It was no more than 5 to 10 degrees outside in the middle of the day, and this smoker held the internal temperature perfectly for the whole day while the meat was cooking.

The metal shelves/racks on the inside slide in and out easily to make room for smoking larger foods. It's also handy for pulling them out and washing them. I've even brought them inside and washed them in our dishwasher. The whole smoker is designed really well, even having a storage drawer on the bottom for keeping the pans and wood chip box. The only thing I would change on this smoker is the length of the power cord on the back. While it's not recommended that people use heating/cooking appliances (like this is) with an extension cord because of the increased chance of an electrical fire starting, you'll find you pretty much have to use one with this smoker because of the short power cord. So if you do use one, get one that's thicker and shorter. Something that's better suited for an appliance like this, and not something thin and long that you would just plug your Christmas lights outside into.

The Landmann smoker is amazingly easy to use, works in even the coldest of temperatures and cooks/smokes food perfectly! It can hold a ton of meats, and the digital panel makes setting the temperature and length of cooking time extremely easy to do. We've been putting ours to the test and other than a short power cable, wouldn't change a thing about it. Love it!!!

Honest reviews on Landmann USA 32910 Smoky Mountain Vertical Electric Smoker, 32-Inch

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The Landmann 32901 is a capable smoker, with a built-in temperature probe and four racks it's easy to smoke several cuts of meat at once. It takes on a fifteen-pound turkey with ease. I've been making some incredibly tender, juicy and delicious hickory smoked turkey this week. The manual conveniently includes a food temperature chart and four recipes to get started with; glazed pork ribs, thanksgiving turkey, smoked Boston butt and smoked salmon.

Assembly is not too difficult; all of the necessary hardware is included in a marked packaging for easy cross-reference within the manual. A screwdriver and a level are the only things used during assembly. I find it distracting that of the three identical main handles, the door handle goes flush to the molded door, while the other two leave a very thin gap against the curved drawer surfaces where attached.

The materials are adequate, though the metal for the woodchip box, which is as flimsy as that of the drawer structure holding both it and the water pan, may bend easily as I discovered applying pressure while scrubbing. There are no heavy-duty materials used to build the 32901, but with care, it should last.

The manual provides an initial-use procedure to follow, which consists of a two to three hour run with no water in the pan, and with wood chips added at the second hour; I got this out of the way as soon as I finished assembling the unit.

There are some minor design flaws as far as convenience goes. The meat racks would have benefitted from having a tab on the sides to keep the racks from tilting downward when pulled out; I have to remove the racks completely and set them on something or have someone hold the front of the racks while I'm putting meats on. In addition, the water pan will not lift straight up; because the drawer is permanently attached (unless unscrewed) the water pan must have the front tilted upward to get past the rubber seal around the drawer, and then the pan needs to be pulled out at a tilt this is where having too much liquid and grease will spill.

The cleanup process is proportional to the amount of food prepared. I've quickly learned from experience some best practices to make future cleanup simpler. Most importantly, I know to put foil on the lowest rack above where the wood chip box is to keep off dripping grease. The drawer holding the water pan and woodchip box does not come out, so I will use less water than the recommended one inch below the top of the pan so that I'm not tipping a tray full of grease when I go to remove it.

Operation is incredibly simple. Press the temperature buttons, and then the "+" and "-" buttons adjust the value. Then press the temperature button again to set the value. The cooking time is set in a similar manner, the first press of the time button is for the hours and the second press is for the minutes; adjust each value and press time again to lock it in. The display will alternate the current temperature with the remaining time every five seconds once started. There is a meat button on the front which, when pressed, switches the display to the reading of the temperature probe within the smoker it is internally attached to the smoker by a jack, much like a heat resistant earphone jack, making it easy to remove.

Overall, I am thrilled with the Landmann 32901 Electric Smoker and I'm completely happy with its results. Slow smoking is the way to go for mouthwatering flavor. The food comes out five-star quality. In fairness to potential buyers, I rate the unit overall at four-stars because of the flimsy materials used for specific components and also because of the minor design flaws that Landmann could still iron out if they refine the product. If I had it to do all over again, I would without a second thought. I am very satisfied with this smoker. I love it, and I will continue to use it very often.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Landmann USA 32910 Smoky Mountain Vertical Electric Smoker, 32-Inch

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program When we were debating smokers we looked at both electric and charcoal. The great reviews and history of the Weber 721001 Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-1/2-Inch Smoker won us over, but I still wondered about electric. The ease of use, the cleanliness, the no charcoal mess. So when I got a chance to review an electric smoker I was really excited.

The smoker came and looked fine, no shipping damage. When we opened the packaging, however, it had been packed damaged. The top looks like something dripped on it, the bottom back had a large dent, but since it powered up and nothing else seemed damaged I went ahead and had Zach assemble it. The 15-20 minute assembly time might have been right if one of the wheels wasn't over bent at the lip and refused to line up. Zach had to get tools and crimp it out, took him about 15 minutes just for that. If I didn't have guy power I would have had to contact the company for another wheel.

Okay, now it's together and we seasoned it, no big deal, 3 hours on, no water, add wood the second hour. We ended up having to stop and dash it to the shed because it began to rain. Uh.. yeah, that was a big old wake up call, and a foreshadowing of events.

For three weeks I've been unable to even try using the smoker because I live in New Orleans, our average annual rain fall is 62 inches. Problem number one that I never thought of.

The directions say not to use it in rain or storms, and not to store it outside. I hadn't thought of that either. Next it says not to use it under any sort of overhead cover like a carport.. but what if one's patio is covered? Tethered by a 3 foot cord, with admonitions not to use an extension cord, one is a bit limited.

Further reading introduces further limitations, do not use on a wooden deck or porch. So people who live in condos with a covered balcony shouldn't use this, even if they have an outside outlet. With the weber I can move it anywhere, middle of the driveway, etc. Okay, so we have weather and limited mobility.

Today was sunny so I finally decided to set up both smokers. I had grandiose plans, dear reader. I took a pork roast and split it in half. I rubbed both exactly the same. The idea was to smoke half in the electric smoker and half in the weber, and then compare, compare smoke rings and do a blind taste test with my guys.

At first the landmann was really winning. Ease of set up beats the weber hands down. Plug it in, fill the tiny water pan (which has to be filled every three hours. I once did a brisket with the Weber and 14 hours later it still had water in the water pan), set the temperature, put in the meat, and it's on.

Meanwhile I have the charcoal mess of the Weber, starting the chimney, the landmann was a good half hour quicker to get going, much easier and less messy, no open flame, point Landmann, right up until it blew a fuse. Okay.. but we reset, and this time it was going great guns. It's on!

And then, in the background, an ominous rumbling. Dark clouds rolled in like something from a Stephen King movie. Rain lashed, thunder boomed, Lightening struck, and the power went out, which was good as it gave us a chance to yank the cord out of the outlet without getting electrocuted. Meanwhile the Weber chugged on.

45 min the storm is done, but there is an inch of water on my patio and no way am I risking electrocution to try the electric smoker again. so I moved the meat over to the Weber.

15 minutes later we lost power again for 25 minutes, so my meat would have just been sitting there.

Now, one can argue this isn't a good review, it doesn't say how the meat turned out, how the smoker performed, but to that I answer if I can't use it because of all the restrictions then that too is a review. I never thought about the fact I couldn't move the smoker more than three feet from wherever my outlet was located, that I couldn't use it under a covering like a patio cover, or on a porch or deck. I never considered the rain we get and how often I would not be able to use the smoker.

If one lives in the dessert where it rains once a year, has a concrete patio with no cover, an outlet, then this is probably a great option. The mess is minimal, set up super easy, and it did seem to be smoking nicely until nature interfered.

The unit itself seems nicely made if they send an undamaged one. And for some situations it might be great, dry areas, people who don't plan to smoke often, etc, but it's just a little too demanding for this swamp gal.

*edited, I finally got some salmon to test out the smoker. I figured salmon is a short smoke time and I could maybe get it done before it rained. The book that comes with the smoker has 4 recipes. I decided to try their recipe for salmon because I figured, being one of the recipes in the book, it would work. Hmm.. first it called for 2 gallons of water, 2-3 cups sugar, and salt. Salt? How much salt, a tablespoon? A cup? No answers here, I had to go online to look for salmon brine. I I know this isn't a cookbook but come on, four recipes, and they can't give the salt ratio for a brine? I'd expect they'd want to show off the smoker better.

Okay, so I got the 90 minutes to smoke the salmon, and it was fine. It was moist, I could tell it was smoked, it wasn't as smokey as what I get in the Weber but for something delicate like fish that's good. I had no problem with temperature control and the door kept a snug fit allowing the smoke to fully permeate the fish.

My final thoughts:

Pros:

hands down easier set up than a charcoal smoker

Does a nice job for quick smoking like fish

Cons:

cord limits versatility

small water pan is inconvenient for meat needing long smoking times

anywhere that is prone to afternoon showers or a rainy season will have long stretches of time they won't be able to use the smoker at all

In the end I would stick with my charcoal smoker except for short bursts of smoking, like fish, when it's too much of a pain to set up the charcoal for something so quick. Would I buy this, or any other electric smoker, no. In the end the short term convenience isn't worth the limitations on an electric smoker.

Buy Masterbuilt 10040607 14-Inch Portable Tabletop Kettle Grill

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $47.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

I actually bought this at home depot on close-out, and it was well worth the price ($15-18, included a 2 lb bag of kingsford charcoal). Construction appears to be on par with weber in regards the body, the grates are a little bit thinner in guage, but still serviceable. I like the fact that bbq comes with both an intake and exhaust vent to facilitate even charcoal burn, and the possibility of making it a mini smoker or use it as an indirect heat bbq, which I've used it in this fashion many times. But I had to to buy two extra piece one being an extra grate with legs and a foil pie pan to hold water or catch drippings in order to use it in indirect heat / smoker fashion. Using the "mini" minion method, I'm able to get a slow burn of around 200 degrees for 3-4 hours, enough for two half rack of ribs.

One of the great things about this unit is that easy clean-up is facilitated by an ash pan that can collect everything neatly and can be thrown out. The other added advantage is that the legs are stabilized by a tension ring and have rubber feet to deal with uneven surfaces, I believe it to be a much better design compared to the smokin' joe.

Since I normally cook for me and my gf, this grill totally fits the bill. In one session, I made 1 half rack of ribs, 2 chicken quarters, 8 oz rib-eye (direct heat), grilled asparagus and mushrooms all on one burn of charcoal. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the item

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I agree with the Cheryl L. Williams "pitmaster" review. "The fire tends to go out".

Looking at the first image, you see the "Kingsford" label on a Masterbuilt grill. At the last image, you see the lower vent circulating air above the charcoal. Thus, the fire tends to go out.

The quality of construction is very good and if your dead set on this grill, you can save $15 by buying the same grill with the "Masterbuilt" label, as of today. However, I can't recommend this product at any price, as the fire is guaranteed to go out if the lid is used.

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I bought one of these grills and after three uses I went and got a Smokey Joe. It will work great for burgers, brats and dogs with the cover off. But covered the fire tends to go out on me which I find frustrating. It's a decent grill but the Smokey Joe Silver is just a few dollars more and is a much better grill for you money. Besides Weber comes with a ten year waranty. The Masterbuilt grill comes with a two year one. If they would make the air holes on the side a little bit bigger it would be a great grill.

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MY WIFE AND I LIVE IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX AND ARE SITUATED ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF OUR BUILDING, WHERE WE HAVE ONLY A SMALL BRICK PATIO OUTSIDE OUR BACK DOOR. THE MASTERBUILT IS THE PERFECT SIZE FOR OUR NEEDS AND SPACE LIMITATIONS. IT ALSO EASILY FITS IN THE TRUNK OF OUR CAR TO TAKE ALONG ON TRIPS TO VERMONT. WE LOVE IT.

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I just bought one of these at RT Mart in Taichung, Taiwan. Used it for the first time last evening to celebrate the moon festival. What a great grill. The coals lasted long enough to grill a foil packet of potatoes, carrots and onions. Then we grilled chicken legs and spare ribs and the coals were still burning hot. I am looking forward to getting a lot of use from this grill out on our balcony.

Go Grill Charcoal Grill Review

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List Price: $70.33
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This grill is really nothing more than the charcoal pan from the more expensive Brinkman "Gourmet" smoker. The gourmet smoker can grill or smoke, and I've used this numerous times to grill. We find it to be just large enough to grill for our family of 4. The coal pan is pretty heavy gauge metal. The outer pan with the feet is thinner, but doesn't get too hot. You may want to consider buying the Gourmet instead. If you buy it at a home center, for about 1/3 more in price, you get a whole smoker. Either way, it's rugged, and small enough to take anywhere.

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