Customer Reviews

Char-Broil Offset Smoker American Gourmet Deluxe Charcoal Grill

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

 

 

This is an entry-level smoker. To make it work you will need to do the web research and build a baffle, add thermometers at grill level (or preferably get a digital dual thermometer), build a charcoal basket out of expanded steel and extend the chimney. For me these were all fun projects and I can get it to maintain 200-250 degrees and have turned out great ribs and pork shoulders. Be forewarned that it will start to rust the moment you buy it and non tinkerers may not enjoy all the fuss.

this grill was awesome I love the offset smoker it so easy to use took me bout 1 hour to put together was also very easy to assemble I broke it in the day after I got it cooked some of the best food I have ever made if you get this grill it all bout cookin low and slow and if you pretty much follow throw with that you can make some really good food I give this five stars I did do a couple of mods on mine I added some Thermometers

Easy to put together and worked like a charm. Smoked (w/mesquite) a couple of steaks, chicken breasts, three trout and 4 potatoes for one hour in the ideal range. All turned out very good. I didn't like the sticky stuff on the inside. Hard to clean off. I used several pieces of XXX steel wool with dish soap and warm water to get it out before use.

Unit arrived damaged (dented in 4 places one of which was severe). Nuts and bolts were strewn all over the inside of the box because the package had somehow opened during shipping. Unit pieces were covered in a weird oil that little pieces of foam from the packaging stick to and were hard to get off. Unit was discolored permanently above the main handle. The little handle was the wrong one (got two large handles instead of one large and one small) and the screws are too small to fit the "extra" large handle correctly. Wheels are cheap and there is nothing to really hold them on (loose "press-fit"). Sheet metal is thin. Temperature gauge is not a gauge really: it just reads "warm", large "ideal" area then "high" or something...ideal for what? Which items? Bottom rack bends completely if you put anything on it. About all it will hold is your gloves without bending.

And finally the item is overpriced plain and simple (just do your research).

Update: I wanted to let you know that despite arriving damaged and having quality issues I have been using this grill (was just too daunting to try to return it after 4 hours of assembly) and there is one thing I do like about it. It's big! The advantage is that with this size I can create a "hot zone" and cooler area and move things around to get the right balance of searing & slow cooking. I also strapped four large bricks (landscaping blocks) to the base so that it won't blow over in high winds.

I received this from my wife and kids as a Christmas gift and I have used it twice a week for months. This product is of the top quality AND DOES THE JOB BEAUTIFULLY. I have smoked and grilled everything possible. I actually cooked biscuits on it when my oven was broken for a few days. It does the job with ease and holds up to the elements. I would recommend this grill for anyone looking to smoke or grille some good eats. Hope you enjoy.

I loved this grill/smoker while it lasted which was about a year. When not in use we kept it covered even though living in the south there is no chance of snow. It was easy to put together and the meats I smoked on it came out fine but a year is not a long enough time for a grill that costs this much to last. I have smaller grills that are left outside not covered up and they have lasted more than five years with no signs of rust. The small chamber is not able to be used anymore as the bottom rusted completely away, the larger top grill is still somewhat useable but it too is showing signs of rust through. I think the metal on this particular smoker was somehow very inferior and when we go looking for another smoker we will look at different companies products, seems this companies are just too inferior.

nice jiggly handles. so far so good. cooks well. added temp. guage. we'll see how it holds up. last one rusted after a few years. got a cover for this one.

After dealing with flare ups on my propane grill, and trying to smoke ribs for hours using a small wood box was a hard work. This is the best smoker/grill I have had in years. With this off-set system I was able to make the best ribs ever, the kind you want to take to all your friends, family and neighbors and show off to. Being able to smoke the meat for over 6 hours with little work was so nice. Not having to run out of the house to put out fires and having my ribs get all burned on the bottom like they did with the propane grill is well worth it. And the praise and thanks you get from the tasty meat that comes out of it just makes for one very happy BBQer. I was even able to assemble the whole thing by myself (not recommended) but you can do it if you have patients.

Not sure if smoking is a technique you'll stick with, but want an inexpensive way to check it out, or want an inexpensive way to replace your old smoker? This is the unit, easy to use, under $200, and fairly even on the heat. This is my current smoker, and I like it much better than the one I had previously. I will be using an Ugly Drum Smoker in the near future. [...]

Be sure to "season" this grill before first use, just load it with charcoal, light them up and burn them down, let it go wide open during this process.

I find that a liberal amount of coals in the firebox(fully covering the fire grate about 2 coals deep) keeps this grill rolling for 4 to 6 hours depending on charcoal and wind conditions.

My only complaint with this grill right out of the box is the temperature gauge, it reads "Warm, Ideal, Hot" and does not actually give you the numerical temperature, easily solved by installing a real gauge or just staying in the mid to 3/4 range of ideal.

Get yer smoke on and have fun.

Seems like a solid grill, took a very long time to get here and the box was torn but the grill was not damaged. Was missing screws, but my husband purchased from Lowes. We have not used the grill yet. I do realize the delay in deliver is not the seller's fault. Great grill for a great price.