Maiden voyage for the new CharGriller 8125

[SmokyMose]

Brought it out to the patio from the garage this morning and fired it up to season it in.
After playing with the vent and stack for a while the manufacturing/shipping gunk seemed to have all burned off.
Well, the Mrs had a chuckie marinating for dinner and I stole it and tossed in the smoker around 1:00. [emoji]128527[/emoji]
This is my first go around with a "stick" burner and I'm having a ball. Watch the temps, throw in some lump and wood every so often and open another Bud. My kind of Saturday....

IMG_1054.JPG

• SmokyMose
• Mar 12, 2016

Chuckie's stalling at 135 now. Finished and sliced pics later. Hoping the rain holds off LOL

Dan

 

[SmokyMose]

Well, it's done!

IMG_1056.JPG

• SmokyMose
• Mar 12, 2016

IMG_1058.JPG

• SmokyMose
• Mar 12, 2016

Let it rest for 1/2 hr & sliced.

IMG_1060.JPG

• SmokyMose
• Mar 12, 2016

Tender & juicy. I think this smoker & I have a lot of good times ahead...

Dan. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

 

[SmokinAl]

Nice job Dan!

First time with a new smoker and an excellent result shows your expertise.

Points!!

Al

 

[acecase74]

Looks good, how do you like the smokerDan? I was looking at this model is it sealed good as far as keeping the smoke in? Also how are the temp swings in this smoker?

 

[SmokyMose]

Nice job Dan!

First time with a new smoker and an excellent result shows your expertise.

Points!!

Al

No expertise to it, Al! Dumb Luck, probably...and a lot of reading up on this site and elsewhere.
Thank you for the point!

Dan

 

[SmokyMose]

Looks good, how do you like the smokerDan? I was looking at this model is it sealed good as far as keeping the smoke in? Also how are the temp swings in this smoker?

I like it a lot, Ace. At only $299, compared with the $199 CharGriller, it's almost like it was from a different manufacturer. I used Permatex red during assembly for some areas (see my recent post "New Char-Griller side box". There's a little leakage around the doors but not enough to worry about on the big one. The firebox has a couple of gaps at the cleanout door I may address.
I haven't taken the time to check the temp swings yet. The Maverick at grate level about 2/3 of the way from the fire read consistently 40 degrees higher than the supplied door thermometer at only about 8" away. No surprise there! The front mounted shelf is great to work from, and it just lifts off if you want. There's also a cover you can get that's specifically made for the model. Connecting the firebox to the chamber is a two person job btw!
All in all, I'm very satisfied.
Dan

 

[b-one]

Great color on your chuckie! Looking forward to more tasty smokes off your new smoker!Thumbs Up

 

[SmokyMose]

Great color on your chuckie! Looking forward to more tasty smokes off your new smoker!Thumbs Up

Thanks, B. I can't wait to fill up all that cooking space. With the MB gasser I had to cut slabs of ribs in half to make them fit.

 

[disco]

Great first smoke on the new rig, Dan. I would love some of that!

Points for breaking in a new one.

Disco

 

[SmokyMose]

Thank you, Disco!

 

[Gordon Gunn]

For a relatively inexpensive grill, it's not bad. One thing that is terrible about it, though, is the cooking surface. Instead of a wire rack it has three sheets of diamond cut iron or steel that have a 1" frame. The square profile of the holes in the metal make it impossible to keep or even get clean, any food that sits on top of the frame chars and cooks faster than food that is over the open spaces, and they rust badly.

I ordered a couple of these sets: I'll use three of the four grates to replace the inferior cooking surface that comes with the 8125.

 

[SmokyMose]

Yeah, they are a pain to clean, but I don't worry about it. I brush it off as well as I can and let the temps sanitize it.
I smoke in it, not grill, and rust has never been a problem with all the fats involved. If I want to grill something I use the firebox (or the Weber kettle).

 

[Gordon Gunn]

The XG04 grates are, well ... great. They are a little bit wider than the diamond cut metal grates that come with the grill, but when I removed the little tabs on each end of the ledges that hold up the grates, they fit perfectly. It takes three of them, which means I had to order two sets of two, but it is well worth it.

I typically grill protein for the week every Sunday, and I use the entire cooking surface. The grates that came with the grill are now impossibly caked with residue, rusting, and sagging in the middle. The frames around their periphery were problematic; anything I was cooking that rested on a frame got charred and overcooked before the rest was done.

But no longer. I now have a uniform, easily cleaned, and unrusting cooking surface. Happy face.