Customer Reviews

Char Broil Offset Smoker American Gourmet Grill

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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?

I was surprised at how easy this was to put together took less than 30mins. The only issue I had was having to season the grill before usage , time consumeing!!! Once past that venture the how to grill/smoke/bbq instructural booklet was helpfull. As a single mom I never owned my own grill or took on the cook out chef role. Having the easy guidlines that came with this grill was so very helpfull. All in all I would purchase this again and have recommend it to my single mom friends.

I started with this smoker, and was as a result about to give up, but went ahead and tried the bigger model of this grill for only a little more money(currently $189.00 on Amazon and $135.00 at a major discount retailer). The difference is night and day; the larger model holds a fire, heats evenly, produces heat, and in general just works, this miniature model is just a lesson in frustration.

This grill is hard to light, hard to maintain heat, and once lit burns through fuel like it's going out of style. Sure you can mod the unit; but, by the time you get done modding it you could have pretty much built an Ugly Drum Smoker and had something that is 100% correct, and capable of high performance. Avoid this model unless you want to learn on something that is very difficult to learn on. I will say, if you can make good smoke on this unit, you can then make a real smoker absolutely sing.

Good luck and have fun smokin'

P.S. if you want more information on Ugly Drum Smokers(UDS) check out these forums.
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Bought as a Christmas gift for my husband...came with no hardware kit. And one of the leg pieces were cracked. Contacted Charbroil, they sent a hardware package but it took about a week and a half to get here. It's not big at all, you could fit about a full rack of ribs and thats all. It's very flimsy and just pretty jank, I would have expected more from the Charbroil brand. I would have sent it back if I had paid the full price for it, which was $199.00.....sooo not worth that...at all!

I have had this style smoker for several years and I have been very pleased with it. As far as the negative comments about this smoker, well, there are people out there who are never happy with anything. It could be silver plated and they would complain about it being tarnished. I have grilled hamburgers and chicken and I have smoked numerous turkey breasts and have had very good results. It takes about 2 hours to smoke a 5.5 pound turkey breast depending on the temperature you desire to maintain it at. I keep it at about 375 to 400 degrees. I add hickory chips to the charcoal to give it that nice smoked flavor. Here is a nice tip for keeping the firebox hot: I use one of those small electric air pumps that one would use to inflate an air mattress. I just turn it on and blow some air into the box through the side opening where the charcoal is. I diffuse the air so that it is not a jet stream into the box. When the coals are at the desired temperature I just turn it off. If the box gets too hot, I just vent some of the heat by slightly opening the lids to the smoking side. There is no doubt that this is NOT a professional grill/smoker. If that is what you want then spend the $2000.00 dollars to get one. But for about $90.00 it is well worth it. I sure enjoy mine.

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.

this unit is just the right size for a couple of people. i'm smoking a 16 inch beef rib chunk and a 5 pound prime rib roast right now and it fits like a glove. the offset chamber is just the right size for the chamber and the whole assembly can be placed in a closet sized cubby hole easily out of the way. above all, all the parts are easily accessed and with one filling from a Weber 7416 chimney starter, i've managed a 2 - 1/2 hour fire at 250 degrees...so easy stoking and easy temperature maintenance makes for fun on the cheap. the Amazon price is less than a good hibachi to boot, with far greater versatility.

i found that this lil guy is very nice, one prob. and the only reason y i didnt rate it a 5 star is it has a busted tac. weld on its main lid, possibly from the shipping but who knows it works like a champ, smokes like a god, and is fairly sturdy for the price above all its the best grill, other than buying a floor standing circular grill. absolutely love it!!