Finally purchased myself a smoker and ended up with this model. For those that have this smoker or may be thinking of purchasing one, I'll post my thoughts.
Unit was decently packaged with everything stuffed into the main pit and packed into the box. After we (my son helped with the assembly) unpacked all of the parts, we opened the instructions and got started. The instructions were surprising accurate and thorough which was quite surprising considering the instructions you get with most products nowadays. My first gripe is with the legs. They are manufactured to be universal, meaning they can be used on the left or right. Which may save a little frustration as you can't put them on backwards, but it also means they are extra unused holes. For a piece of hardware that spends it's life outdoors, I want as few holes as possible. Next is the axle for the wheels. It is about 2" too long. So not only can the axle flop around in the holes which are too big in the legs, it will also slide from side to side. I simply placed washers on both sides of the wheels and cut 3/4" spaces from some scrap 1/2" copper pipe and placed them between the wheels and the legs. There is also a hole in the top of the pit where the temp gauge would go, however, a temp gauge is optional so they include a shiny chrome plug. Aside from having a shiny chrome cap on a black pit, I didn't really care. I installed two seperate gauges at grill level on either end of the pit. Finally, there is the big product information sticker on the pit door. Why there is a sticker even on the door, which you can't read until you open the box, is beyond me. Most of it peeled off easily, note I said most. However, as I found out later, after the seasoning process, any left over pieces practically fall off, so don't waste time here trying to get it off.
I extended the smoke stack on mine down to grill level. Which on this unit wastes valuable grill space, but I thought bringing the smoke/heat level down closer to the grill was more important. Also, the grills are right above the heat inlet, so there isn't any room to easily install tuning plates. I placed a piece of sheet metal on the left hand side above the heat inlet for testing. But the grill is literally sitting on top of it. I'll need to go back and revisit this setup and see what I can come up with. I was seeing about a 30 degree difference from side to side. The main issue is the hot spot where the sheet metal stops.
This smoker also leaks quite a bit of smoke. Both lids don't seel very well and the smoke stack (which bolts in) also leaks. I'll be seeling the smoke stack, but I'll just live with the doors. It doesn't seem to be a big issue. I didn't have a hard time maintaining the temp and I only used about a half bag of lump during the 6 hour smoke.
On a side note, I smoked my first ribs on Sunday. They were very well received and I was very happy with the results on my first try. The ends were a bit overcooked (mainly becuase I was waiting for my brother who was late again), but the middle sections were practically falling off of the bone. Everyone was quite pleased and impressed, including myself.
Unit was decently packaged with everything stuffed into the main pit and packed into the box. After we (my son helped with the assembly) unpacked all of the parts, we opened the instructions and got started. The instructions were surprising accurate and thorough which was quite surprising considering the instructions you get with most products nowadays. My first gripe is with the legs. They are manufactured to be universal, meaning they can be used on the left or right. Which may save a little frustration as you can't put them on backwards, but it also means they are extra unused holes. For a piece of hardware that spends it's life outdoors, I want as few holes as possible. Next is the axle for the wheels. It is about 2" too long. So not only can the axle flop around in the holes which are too big in the legs, it will also slide from side to side. I simply placed washers on both sides of the wheels and cut 3/4" spaces from some scrap 1/2" copper pipe and placed them between the wheels and the legs. There is also a hole in the top of the pit where the temp gauge would go, however, a temp gauge is optional so they include a shiny chrome plug. Aside from having a shiny chrome cap on a black pit, I didn't really care. I installed two seperate gauges at grill level on either end of the pit. Finally, there is the big product information sticker on the pit door. Why there is a sticker even on the door, which you can't read until you open the box, is beyond me. Most of it peeled off easily, note I said most. However, as I found out later, after the seasoning process, any left over pieces practically fall off, so don't waste time here trying to get it off.
I extended the smoke stack on mine down to grill level. Which on this unit wastes valuable grill space, but I thought bringing the smoke/heat level down closer to the grill was more important. Also, the grills are right above the heat inlet, so there isn't any room to easily install tuning plates. I placed a piece of sheet metal on the left hand side above the heat inlet for testing. But the grill is literally sitting on top of it. I'll need to go back and revisit this setup and see what I can come up with. I was seeing about a 30 degree difference from side to side. The main issue is the hot spot where the sheet metal stops.
This smoker also leaks quite a bit of smoke. Both lids don't seel very well and the smoke stack (which bolts in) also leaks. I'll be seeling the smoke stack, but I'll just live with the doors. It doesn't seem to be a big issue. I didn't have a hard time maintaining the temp and I only used about a half bag of lump during the 6 hour smoke.
On a side note, I smoked my first ribs on Sunday. They were very well received and I was very happy with the results on my first try. The ends were a bit overcooked (mainly becuase I was waiting for my brother who was late again), but the middle sections were practically falling off of the bone. Everyone was quite pleased and impressed, including myself.
