# CHAR-GRILLER Smokin Pro - product reveiw



## mossymo (Aug 26, 2007)

All I have ever smoked with is electric and propane. Lately I am getting an urge to smoke with "natural fire" and have been going to the stores and looking at what is all available. I notice quite a few of SMF members use this grill and my local Menard's has the grill on sale for a $100 and the firebox for $50, this seems to be a fairly good deal. I would like to hear other memberâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s opinions on them, likes and dislikes, would you purchase one again or is there another model I should be looking at?

I like the cast iron grates, and the barrel of it seems to be constructed well. Another question I have on this and I have been doing SMF and Google searches but can't find much, is this grill with firebox added just for using charcoal or can it be a stick burner also? I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even find the manufacturers websiteâ€¦..

Are the frames of these pretty solid, the one on display seemed wobbly but the stores help may not have assembled it correctly or just not tightened everything right?

If this ends up being what I choose to try I will be reading up on all the modification current SMF members have made and doing most of them prior to using it. Thanks in advance for everyone's input and sorry for the 150 questions !!!


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## ba_loko (Aug 26, 2007)

Mo, for the money, I find it to be a very nice smoker.  It serves me well when I cook hamburgers or steaks, etc., and it also has allowed me to smoke many things over the few years that I've had her.  The metal isn't heavy gauge, which tends to need more baby sitting as the temps can vary.  Mine had a cast iron grate that had a small flaw in it while on display at Lowe's.  They offered it to me for $100 (with sfb) and also threw in a (worthless) cover.  All in all, I'd buy another one.


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## bilvo47 (Aug 26, 2007)

My only gripe so far is that the wheels are cheap.  I've had mine for about 2 months now and the wheels split in two this weekend.  Other than that - it's a great smoker.  Lots of good grub comin off it.  The wheels will be easy enough to replace with something heavier.


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## johnd49455 (Aug 26, 2007)

I like mine but that is all I have ever used. I usually start with charcoal but add splits for smoke. If using fruit woods only it can be used as a stick burner but when I tried strait Hickory it was way to strong.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






All in all it does use a lot of fuel but that isn't a bad thing. I am still looking for a basket for the charcoal as the ash builds up fast & I loose air flow & with that temp drops. I seem to do fine without the mod of dropping the chimney down to the grate. 

You do need to rotate the meat as it does seem to be a bit hot at the firebox side & if using the top grate it is alot hotter on the top grate.

All in all it is a great versatile smoker/grill, with a lot of room.

It does require a bit of attention to keep steady temps. as you learn the quirks it gets very easy to predict & learn when it needs tending before it needs it. It's predictable.

Again als in all a good value for the buck


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## meowey (Aug 26, 2007)

The more I use mine, the more I'm glad I bought it!

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey


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## ba_loko (Aug 26, 2007)

John, I don't share the same experience as you.  As a CG user for a long time, I find it a challenge to even reach 220 at grate level.  Most times I have to really lay the coal to the SFB to get it there, and I keep adding.  I suppose I may be doing something wrong.  Can you describe your technique?


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## johnd49455 (Aug 26, 2007)

At grate I stat neat 200. 

I start a chimney of regular old Charcoal briquettes. When glowing red I dump them & add som Cowboy brand lump charcoal. When that gets the cooking chamber to about 175 I add 2 small pieces of split wood (Cherry from an orchard is my favorite) Every hour I add another 3 handfuls of lump charcoal & another split of wood. I can maintain 200 on the lid thermo & have a turkey fryer thermo thru one of the stock rotisserie holes with the pot clip inside the cooking chamber to hold the tip of the fryer thermometer about a 1/8 under the cooking grate & that stays around 200 degrees.

When I first put the meat on the bottom thermometer is about 25 degrees lower that the stock one but as the cook goes on they switch to the other way 25 degrees hotter on the lid. I have tried an oven thermoter setting on the to warmer rack & that runs about 275 to 300 degrees when I open to mop the meat.

I do have an issue with the ash drawer building up enough ash that I start to loose air flow after 5 or 6 hours. I haven't quite figured out what to do to cure that yet & have tried to turn the charcoal rack over but only have tried that once & it did seem to help a little.


I have not added the chimney mod & don't know if I will as I am going to enter a backyard BBQ in Silver Lake, MI & the backyard has ribs & wings as the only 2 meats. It works perfect to do the wings on the top & they get almost crispy.

Hope I have been of some help.


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## ba_loko (Aug 26, 2007)

John, I'm thrilled that you get that kind of steady temp.  I sure don't!  Good luck with the competition.  I'm sure you'll do great!

If you can throw pic out sometime, that'd be great!


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## johnd49455 (Aug 26, 2007)

I have tried to post pics but I have to spend a lot of time resizing them. The camera I have takes huge pics. 

Last smoke I brought the camera out & my daughter had run the batteries dead & when I went to get the spare set I found out that that was the set she ran dead.

I keep trying to post the Q-view though.


----------



## hawgheaven (Aug 27, 2007)

I love my CG... after the mods I did to it, it really is very temp stable. It is definitly a good bang for the buck! As for fuel, I use lump charcoal, wood chunks and sticks.

My main complaints were the firebox coal grate, the hot spot at the sfb end and the useless temp guage. All of those deficiencies have been remedied. I have also turned mine into a 4 wheeler, using air filled hand cart tires.


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## ma?tley ca 1/4 e (Aug 27, 2007)

I have had mine for a few weeks and I love it. A quick trip to Home Depot can have you in good shape. I made a charcoal basket for mine. I also added an expanded metal grate that sits just above the ash drawer. That way I can dump the ashes while the charcoal is still burning. Using the charcoal basket I got almost six hours without adding any more charcoal.


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## smoke freak (Aug 27, 2007)

Its a great cooker for the money. My biggest complaint is that the lid doesnt seal very well so its kinda drafty. Hard to keep temps steady but you ll get the hang of it after a few tries. Read my reply to smokindad about TEMP CONTROL PROBLEM cause I dont have time to type it again. Master the fire, nothing else compares.


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## bbq bubba (Aug 27, 2007)

Go for it Mossy, with a couple mod's you'll be more than happy with it!


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## jack (Aug 27, 2007)

i like my chargriller. i am in the process of trying to seal up the leaks, and i have to believe that this will help with my temp, but i have to say that if you keep up your fire with lump coal, you will get used to it. i use a couple of grate thermometers and dont have a problem keeping 220. good luck, and you will get used to it. i dont think you can beat it for the price.     jack


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## flagriller (Aug 27, 2007)

Snag it! I love mine.


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## cool85k5 (Aug 30, 2007)

I like mine,highly recommended!


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## mrgrumpy (Aug 30, 2007)

You will fall in love with it real fast.....

I got my first one almost 2 yrs ago.  I bought my second one last December.

I have the sfb's on both, and with only the vent mod, and a piece of expanded metal on the sfb cooking grate, I can get temps up well over 300.... I use RO lump, and throw in some hickory chunks.  

I cooked last weekend, and hot a hard time keeping temps down below 265.... of course, it was 101 at 7pm too..... Overall, I would buy another in a heart beat if and when I had to.

Money will spent.  Not only can you grill on it, you can smoke on it, and do low and slow.  Where else can you buy such a versatile unit, with that much cook space, for that kind of money.

Bill


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## deejaydebi (Aug 30, 2007)

I was gonna get one they look nice and lots of happy customers!


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## hawgheaven (Aug 30, 2007)

Go for it Debi, you'll love it... 'specially when you tinker with it and get it the way you want!


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## ga_smoker (Aug 31, 2007)

I've had mine for about a year now and it gets better every time I use it. I did the chimney mod and made a charcoal basket and smoking has been a breeze. Temps are easy to maintain and I get 4-5 hours out of a basket of charcoal. I do alot of grilling during the week using the main chamber and my food gets better and better as the "seasoning" on the cast iron grates build up. I highly
recommend the Char-griller.

Steve


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## mossymo (Sep 1, 2007)

You all convinced me, thanks to all of you for your input.

I picked one up today !!! I have 2 pork butts going in the smoker for pulled pork and also working on a house project. Was in the need for some lumber so I went to Loweâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s and when I pulled up in the parking lot I find myself as usual staring at their line up of grillâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s they have sitting outside. As I walk up to the store one of the Charbroils looked like it had sat out there way to long and they had marked it down to $60. I went in the store found the manager and offered him $90 if he would include the firebox, he pondered a bit and said he would sell me the grill for $45 and the firebox for $45 !!! So now I am home, checked the pork butts they are looking a great but my wife thinks I am nuts (she knew that when she married me, never a dull moment)â€¦.. but this really has me fired up to try a different style of smoking !!!

Now I need to find all the modifications I need to do before firing it up. Suggestions are welcomed and I also will be searching SMF for what I can find. Also I will be spraying it with black grill spray paint and also sanding & staining the side boards.


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## gypsyseagod (Sep 1, 2007)

congrats mossy- here's the mods link for the cg. 
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=1458
plus a link to my snp mods but they should work the same.
http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w...od/pit%20mods/


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## cheech (Sep 1, 2007)

Congratulations,

I had my eye on one too. My wife said I have to get rid of one of my other smokers first. 

I will keep my eye out for a similiar deal and get it and just keep it at my brother in laws house


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## meowey (Sep 1, 2007)

WTG Mossy!  I'm sure you will like it!

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey


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## deejaydebi (Sep 2, 2007)

Hey Congrats Mossy! Enjoy the smoke!


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## crewdawg52 (Sep 2, 2007)

BDS RULES!.........
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






   No, really....... great lookin smoker and it does a GREAT JOB!  Only requirement is that you show Q-views!


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## mossymo (Sep 2, 2007)

Side boards are stained and it cleaned up good, no reason to paint it. My wife has been researching it now and is just as excited as me to try the first smoke with it. In fact in the owners manual that came with it there is a gourmet hot dog recipe she wants to try. Life is good !!! Just going out to the garage to put on the firebox, will post a cleaned up pic of it tomorrow.


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## gypsyseagod (Sep 2, 2007)

gourmet & hot dog in the same sentence....
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  andyer not in n.y.c......


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## bbqlovinpackerbacker (Sep 2, 2007)

Welcome to the CG family. I love mine. A suggestion about the sfb to add is that the paint will bubble, and peel, etc. brush off the paint flakes, and spray the underlaying metal with PAM or brush with veg oil. If done while hot it will season the outside of the sfb, and keep it from rusting. 

Congrats on the great deal too. I saw the CG at Menards in Madison, WI for $89, and the SFB for I think $39. I think they've alreaday stated the end of season clearance. I paid $119 for the CG and $59 for the SFB back in May at Lowes.


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## mossymo (Sep 2, 2007)

gypsyseagod
Get a rope !!!

BBQlovinPackerBacker
Thanks for the info. I do notice the the SFB is painted with powder coat and has thicker steel than the grill. Do you think this will still  be a problem? I am having no buyer's remorse, just want to know how to deal with possible future issues.....


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## gypsyseagod (Sep 2, 2007)

wellihope the sfb is painted  better than the chamber... lol mossy btw- i put enough heat inthe brink snp that i think (the door warped a bit) to weld a couple big nuts(shut up y'all)t the door to hold it down until i either- a) build my real pit,  or b) find a welding rig to do my own home mods.


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## mossymo (Sep 2, 2007)

For $90 it clean up great, stained the side boards and handles to match the deck and now I have to start working on modifications.....


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## johnd49455 (Sep 2, 2007)

Looks pretty
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





needs some smoke to look perfect


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## jverdin (Sep 3, 2007)

Hi guys,

Hopefully I can still get some feed back. I have 2 issues with my chargriller.
Paint on the SFB - I've returned once and still it peels off. Even after seasoning the second one I still have random issues with the paint peeling randomly. It lets off a aweful smell.
Temp - I've been using two oak/hickory log splits one front and one back. Charcoal between then my hickory and stick on top of the charcoal. Problem is I can only keep a temp for about 30minutes. and if I through a hand full of sticks of 2 chucks on it the temp jumps 50+ degrees.
Any help and how you applied mods would be great.


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## deejaydebi (Sep 3, 2007)

J - Read BBQlovinPackerBacker coment to Mossy about this. I spray my smokers inside and out too.


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## jverdin (Sep 3, 2007)

you rock debbie thanks.


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## johnd49455 (Sep 3, 2007)

My SFB paint was gone after the 1st or 2nd smoke. I keep putting oil on it & it fends off most of the rust.
What I do for the fire is: 1. lite regular charcoal briquettes to bring her up to temp. 2. When almost up to temp I add a few handfuls of lump charcoal (Cowboy brand) which is an all natural combo of hickory, oak, & maple. 3. When up to around 200* I add 2 small splits of cherry wood. 4. once smoke is flowing thin blue i put the meat on the cooker. 5. I find without mods to the CG I have to keep an eye on the temp & adjust the intake air down to keep the temp down at first but as the fuel burns off I need to adjust it open more & more until full open. The fuel burns off to the point temps start to drop about every hour. I add a few more handfuls of lump charcoal & another split of cherry. Sometimes to keep the smoke thin & blue I do have to add another split of cherry more often. 

After time I am pretty well able to keep the temp w/in 10* of 200* & am somewhat able to anticipate when to add wood or charcoal before the temps change or the smoke stops. I seem to get better at it every smoke so don't give up, just keep learning


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## deejaydebi (Sep 3, 2007)

I had that problem alot with my ECB. It rusted after every smoke so I sprayed the snot out of it with pam! Now it looks like an old cast iron skillet!


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## johnd49455 (Sep 3, 2007)

I use an old basting brush to baste my SFB with peanut oil from a deep fried turkey I did last year. The oil is old & rancid but make the SFB look like the old cast iron pan. I does stink a bit right after a reoil but it doesn't stink long.


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## bbq bubba (Sep 3, 2007)

Char Griller on steroid's???


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## mossymo (Aug 26, 2007)

All I have ever smoked with is electric and propane. Lately I am getting an urge to smoke with "natural fire" and have been going to the stores and looking at what is all available. I notice quite a few of SMF members use this grill and my local Menard's has the grill on sale for a $100 and the firebox for $50, this seems to be a fairly good deal. I would like to hear other memberâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s opinions on them, likes and dislikes, would you purchase one again or is there another model I should be looking at?

I like the cast iron grates, and the barrel of it seems to be constructed well. Another question I have on this and I have been doing SMF and Google searches but can't find much, is this grill with firebox added just for using charcoal or can it be a stick burner also? I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even find the manufacturers websiteâ€¦..

Are the frames of these pretty solid, the one on display seemed wobbly but the stores help may not have assembled it correctly or just not tightened everything right?

If this ends up being what I choose to try I will be reading up on all the modification current SMF members have made and doing most of them prior to using it. Thanks in advance for everyone's input and sorry for the 150 questions !!!


----------



## ba_loko (Aug 26, 2007)

Mo, for the money, I find it to be a very nice smoker.  It serves me well when I cook hamburgers or steaks, etc., and it also has allowed me to smoke many things over the few years that I've had her.  The metal isn't heavy gauge, which tends to need more baby sitting as the temps can vary.  Mine had a cast iron grate that had a small flaw in it while on display at Lowe's.  They offered it to me for $100 (with sfb) and also threw in a (worthless) cover.  All in all, I'd buy another one.


----------



## bilvo47 (Aug 26, 2007)

My only gripe so far is that the wheels are cheap.  I've had mine for about 2 months now and the wheels split in two this weekend.  Other than that - it's a great smoker.  Lots of good grub comin off it.  The wheels will be easy enough to replace with something heavier.


----------



## johnd49455 (Aug 26, 2007)

I like mine but that is all I have ever used. I usually start with charcoal but add splits for smoke. If using fruit woods only it can be used as a stick burner but when I tried strait Hickory it was way to strong.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






All in all it does use a lot of fuel but that isn't a bad thing. I am still looking for a basket for the charcoal as the ash builds up fast & I loose air flow & with that temp drops. I seem to do fine without the mod of dropping the chimney down to the grate. 

You do need to rotate the meat as it does seem to be a bit hot at the firebox side & if using the top grate it is alot hotter on the top grate.

All in all it is a great versatile smoker/grill, with a lot of room.

It does require a bit of attention to keep steady temps. as you learn the quirks it gets very easy to predict & learn when it needs tending before it needs it. It's predictable.

Again als in all a good value for the buck


----------



## meowey (Aug 26, 2007)

The more I use mine, the more I'm glad I bought it!

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey


----------



## ba_loko (Aug 26, 2007)

John, I don't share the same experience as you.  As a CG user for a long time, I find it a challenge to even reach 220 at grate level.  Most times I have to really lay the coal to the SFB to get it there, and I keep adding.  I suppose I may be doing something wrong.  Can you describe your technique?


----------



## johnd49455 (Aug 26, 2007)

At grate I stat neat 200. 

I start a chimney of regular old Charcoal briquettes. When glowing red I dump them & add som Cowboy brand lump charcoal. When that gets the cooking chamber to about 175 I add 2 small pieces of split wood (Cherry from an orchard is my favorite) Every hour I add another 3 handfuls of lump charcoal & another split of wood. I can maintain 200 on the lid thermo & have a turkey fryer thermo thru one of the stock rotisserie holes with the pot clip inside the cooking chamber to hold the tip of the fryer thermometer about a 1/8 under the cooking grate & that stays around 200 degrees.

When I first put the meat on the bottom thermometer is about 25 degrees lower that the stock one but as the cook goes on they switch to the other way 25 degrees hotter on the lid. I have tried an oven thermoter setting on the to warmer rack & that runs about 275 to 300 degrees when I open to mop the meat.

I do have an issue with the ash drawer building up enough ash that I start to loose air flow after 5 or 6 hours. I haven't quite figured out what to do to cure that yet & have tried to turn the charcoal rack over but only have tried that once & it did seem to help a little.


I have not added the chimney mod & don't know if I will as I am going to enter a backyard BBQ in Silver Lake, MI & the backyard has ribs & wings as the only 2 meats. It works perfect to do the wings on the top & they get almost crispy.

Hope I have been of some help.


----------



## ba_loko (Aug 26, 2007)

John, I'm thrilled that you get that kind of steady temp.  I sure don't!  Good luck with the competition.  I'm sure you'll do great!

If you can throw pic out sometime, that'd be great!


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## johnd49455 (Aug 26, 2007)

I have tried to post pics but I have to spend a lot of time resizing them. The camera I have takes huge pics. 

Last smoke I brought the camera out & my daughter had run the batteries dead & when I went to get the spare set I found out that that was the set she ran dead.

I keep trying to post the Q-view though.


----------



## hawgheaven (Aug 27, 2007)

I love my CG... after the mods I did to it, it really is very temp stable. It is definitly a good bang for the buck! As for fuel, I use lump charcoal, wood chunks and sticks.

My main complaints were the firebox coal grate, the hot spot at the sfb end and the useless temp guage. All of those deficiencies have been remedied. I have also turned mine into a 4 wheeler, using air filled hand cart tires.


----------



## ma?tley ca 1/4 e (Aug 27, 2007)

I have had mine for a few weeks and I love it. A quick trip to Home Depot can have you in good shape. I made a charcoal basket for mine. I also added an expanded metal grate that sits just above the ash drawer. That way I can dump the ashes while the charcoal is still burning. Using the charcoal basket I got almost six hours without adding any more charcoal.


----------



## smoke freak (Aug 27, 2007)

Its a great cooker for the money. My biggest complaint is that the lid doesnt seal very well so its kinda drafty. Hard to keep temps steady but you ll get the hang of it after a few tries. Read my reply to smokindad about TEMP CONTROL PROBLEM cause I dont have time to type it again. Master the fire, nothing else compares.


----------



## bbq bubba (Aug 27, 2007)

Go for it Mossy, with a couple mod's you'll be more than happy with it!


----------



## jack (Aug 27, 2007)

i like my chargriller. i am in the process of trying to seal up the leaks, and i have to believe that this will help with my temp, but i have to say that if you keep up your fire with lump coal, you will get used to it. i use a couple of grate thermometers and dont have a problem keeping 220. good luck, and you will get used to it. i dont think you can beat it for the price.     jack


----------



## flagriller (Aug 27, 2007)

Snag it! I love mine.


----------



## cool85k5 (Aug 30, 2007)

I like mine,highly recommended!


----------



## mrgrumpy (Aug 30, 2007)

You will fall in love with it real fast.....

I got my first one almost 2 yrs ago.  I bought my second one last December.

I have the sfb's on both, and with only the vent mod, and a piece of expanded metal on the sfb cooking grate, I can get temps up well over 300.... I use RO lump, and throw in some hickory chunks.  

I cooked last weekend, and hot a hard time keeping temps down below 265.... of course, it was 101 at 7pm too..... Overall, I would buy another in a heart beat if and when I had to.

Money will spent.  Not only can you grill on it, you can smoke on it, and do low and slow.  Where else can you buy such a versatile unit, with that much cook space, for that kind of money.

Bill


----------



## deejaydebi (Aug 30, 2007)

I was gonna get one they look nice and lots of happy customers!


----------



## hawgheaven (Aug 30, 2007)

Go for it Debi, you'll love it... 'specially when you tinker with it and get it the way you want!


----------



## ga_smoker (Aug 31, 2007)

I've had mine for about a year now and it gets better every time I use it. I did the chimney mod and made a charcoal basket and smoking has been a breeze. Temps are easy to maintain and I get 4-5 hours out of a basket of charcoal. I do alot of grilling during the week using the main chamber and my food gets better and better as the "seasoning" on the cast iron grates build up. I highly
recommend the Char-griller.

Steve


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