- Jan 5, 2020
- 171
- 190
So after my bad review of the Cuisinart I figured I should switch it up. I was in Home Depot yesterday and saw some smokers on sale. Decided to pick up the Nexgrill 29” smoker for $129. It was the last one and they let me buy the floor model so I didn’t have to put it together. Definitely the smallest offset I’ve ever used so I was curious what a $129 smoker could do...
THE BAD
Size- It’s only 29”. This might be a good thing for some people. You can only do a few racks of ribs or maybe 2 pork butts or maybe a single brisket. It’s Not a reverse flow smoker so there’s a real big hot spot right next to the offset box. This only leaves you with maybe a couple feet of controlled smoking temps.
Construction- It claims heavy duty steel construction but it’s pretty lightweight compared to most smokers. Also, there are a lot of gaps that let out heat. Maybe this is because I bought the floor model? But the lid doesn’t close tightly, the air dampers don’t completely shut, and the charcoal drawer doesn’t slide all the way into the offset box.
The thermometer- these things never work, not a big surprise. But it didn’t take long monitoring my probes to figure out when the temp gauge on the lid said 400F it was almost exactly 250F on the cooking grids where the meat is.
THE GOOD
Temp Control/Cooking- So after I figured out the temp it was crazy easy to maintain it. I was out of logs so I used baseball/softball sized chunks of hickory. I added one every 20-30 minutes and the temperature hovered perfectly around 250F. I was also surprised that except for the hot spot by the offset box the temp stayed consistent all the way to the opposite end of the cooking barrel.
I decided to test it by doing a rack of baby backs. I never moved them or had to spin them at all during the entire cook. Im extremely surprised how evenly they cooked.
Wrapped them after 2 hours with some rib candy and melted butter. Let them finish until they hit 202F(both ends finished at exactly the same time).The Smoke ring nearly penetrated all the way to the middle but they were a small rack. Perfect amount of smoke. Perfectly cooked on both ends without having to flip or spin them. Absolutely blown away by the results.
MY CONCLUSION
7/10
This offset isn’t built to last forever but you get what you pay for. It might be too small for most people but it’s perfect for beginners or people who cook small quantities. I was absolutely shocked at how easy it was to maintain the temperature and how evenly the ribs cooked. Just make sure you use your probes because the thermometer on the lid is useless. Overall I’m impressed with this little offset and I’ll be putting in the garage to use again. Not bad for $130
THE BAD
Size- It’s only 29”. This might be a good thing for some people. You can only do a few racks of ribs or maybe 2 pork butts or maybe a single brisket. It’s Not a reverse flow smoker so there’s a real big hot spot right next to the offset box. This only leaves you with maybe a couple feet of controlled smoking temps.
Construction- It claims heavy duty steel construction but it’s pretty lightweight compared to most smokers. Also, there are a lot of gaps that let out heat. Maybe this is because I bought the floor model? But the lid doesn’t close tightly, the air dampers don’t completely shut, and the charcoal drawer doesn’t slide all the way into the offset box.
The thermometer- these things never work, not a big surprise. But it didn’t take long monitoring my probes to figure out when the temp gauge on the lid said 400F it was almost exactly 250F on the cooking grids where the meat is.
THE GOOD
Temp Control/Cooking- So after I figured out the temp it was crazy easy to maintain it. I was out of logs so I used baseball/softball sized chunks of hickory. I added one every 20-30 minutes and the temperature hovered perfectly around 250F. I was also surprised that except for the hot spot by the offset box the temp stayed consistent all the way to the opposite end of the cooking barrel.
I decided to test it by doing a rack of baby backs. I never moved them or had to spin them at all during the entire cook. Im extremely surprised how evenly they cooked.
Wrapped them after 2 hours with some rib candy and melted butter. Let them finish until they hit 202F(both ends finished at exactly the same time).The Smoke ring nearly penetrated all the way to the middle but they were a small rack. Perfect amount of smoke. Perfectly cooked on both ends without having to flip or spin them. Absolutely blown away by the results.
MY CONCLUSION
7/10
This offset isn’t built to last forever but you get what you pay for. It might be too small for most people but it’s perfect for beginners or people who cook small quantities. I was absolutely shocked at how easy it was to maintain the temperature and how evenly the ribs cooked. Just make sure you use your probes because the thermometer on the lid is useless. Overall I’m impressed with this little offset and I’ll be putting in the garage to use again. Not bad for $130
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