Grill Pro Vertical

[bunky]

I was at menards and noticed they have a Grill Pro (grillpro)Vertical (Charcoal)for under $100 Does anyone have one??

I'm looking for Feedback on this unit??

 

[deejaydebi]

Never saw one but but if the box is made well I get it. You can always make it propane for a few dollars more!

 

[pjenneking]

Yeah, I bought one earlier this summer. Its my first venture into the world of smoking, so I probably cannot comment intelligently, but it seems to be a halfway decent unit. Surprisingly, I have been remarkably unsuccessful in finding anything online about the GrillPro vertical.....

I actually went into the store to buy a Brinkmann vertical unit, but after checking out the GrillPro, I liked that one a little more. The door closes a lot tighter, the unit itself is a little heavier....those are the only two things I can remember off the top of my head. Anyway, I smoked a 4 lb. brisket flat and 2 racks of baby backs this past weekend and everything seemed to turn out really well. The only complaint that I have about the unit is that I seem to have a lot of trouble maintaining temp. I usually start out around 200, but by the time I'm finished, I'm struggling to hit 175. So, I generally have to finish everything on my Ducane gas grill - which isn't a big deal, b/c my wife likes her ribs with some charred sauce on them.

I am actually on SMF this morning to investigate some mods to help increase the heat.

Hopefully this helps.....

 

[deejaydebi]

Are your coals getting buried in ash? That seem to be one of the biggest problems. Raising the coals up on a piece of expanded metal so the ash can fall off helps alot. Then you can see the hot coals better and know when to add more also.

Good luck!

 

[vlap]

I tried looking for some info on it and didn't find anything. I probably didn't search hard enough.

 

[bunky]

I called the company and they said they didn't have any info on there website. I don't know if these are new or just not many people have them...

 

[geek with fire]

This is about the only thing I can find online. I'll admit, I didn't look really hard:
http://www.bbqs.com/cart_admin?func=...=1068&pid=1503

 

[pjenneking]

That be the one; thanks....

 

[pjenneking]

Yeah, I think that's my biggest problem. That, and there really aren't many air holes in the charcoal pan; I don't think it's getting a whole lot of air. I'm thinking about drilling some more holes to raise the water pan and then building a new firebox so it can be hung where the water pan used to be.

Either that or eliminating the water pan entirely. From what I've read, there are mixed schools of thought about how necessary that really is. I'm still very new to the smoking game, so I'll gladly accept any free advice. Thanks a bunch!!!

 

[d-mo]

Your right, theres absolutely nothing on the WWW. concerning this units except for the add that "Geek with fire" posted.
I picked up one of these dudes too .. 2 days ago. I was looking for a GOSM, but there are none of these up here in Ontario. Mine is propane, looks pretty well built, but has a cheeped out burner, (Stainless Steel) - but it will have to do. What I do like about the unit is the large size of the smoker box, water pan. It also has a drip tray, which is tight around the burner, which is removeable for cleaning and some "grease deflector wings" that surround the interior of the box which deflect drippings into this drip pan. Im not sure if the GOSM has all this, as I have only seen pics of the unit.
It's the same size of the small GOSM, so I thought it could be made by the same company .. but i dont think so ... just by looking at the handle/closing mechanism and burner.
I needed a cover for it, as it is now outside on my back deck in -30C weather ... so I picked up some "Contractor grade" garbage bags to protect it. These things work beautifully.. are super thick and look pretty good - each one will probably last a summer. I paid 15 bucks for a box of 50.
Now ... if it will only warm up so I can start to use it ....

D-mo

 

[packplantpath]

Without the water pan you are essentially grilling. It'll be tough to keep the heat down. That said, on my ECB, I usually start with just a few cups of water in there to keep the initial heat down and never refill it, so it ends up empty very quick and you don't get the direct heat. You may want to try sand in the pan.