Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker 16" - 18202075,Black

Easy assembly. Even though the packing of this unit is a engineering marvel, and I mean that, it did come with a small dent on the lower most kettle, which I banged out in no time.So today, Fathers Day, I used it for the first time. Not really smoking it but just cooking in it. Brats and burgers. Cooked them for an hour and a half....they were first class. Everything was so juicy and full of flavor that even my dad, who bitches about everything, said that they were exceptional amd maybe were the best he's ever had.It was very easy to maintain the heat and the adjustments worked well and adjusting the air inlet and outlet had immediate heat changes.I think, because I'm a little retentive, that I'm going to try some kind of gaskets on the three main parts to really seal it off so that it only has a air intake and an outlet. Yet, it cooked immaculately as is.I have been eyeing these at my local hardware store that sells them for $250, when I saw that Jeff B. had these for $130 I jumped on it.I'm totally off-grid and this is 110% what I had been looking for.Next: smoked salmon to make fish spread/dip.btw, equal parts smoked salmon (brined in a very simple kosher salt, white sugar and water solution) and small diced onions sautéed in olive oil, enough tarragon to coat every piece of everything with a speck of it, and some homemade mayonnaise to hold it together. Incredible.

Let's review this for what it is - a charcoal smoker. It's big enough to handle some larger cuts of meat - on my first test it did two racks of ribs rather well - but note that it's also a charcoal smoker, meaning you'll have to tend it to it more than you might an electric, propane or pellet smoker. My first attempt turned out great, but watch the temperature - I think the smoker runs hotter than the built-in thermometer records. Still, solid construction and a bit cheaper than the Weber equivilent model.

Seems to be sturdy and durable. It was easier than I expected to regulate the temperature.

Been smoking for a number of years now, using my trusty Weber kettle and finally decided to try a dedicated smoker. I wanted to stay with charcoal, and given my experience with Weber (on my second Weber in 40+ years; the current kettle is 20 years old and still looks almost new), my inclination was to get a WSM; the price for the 18" WSM was north of $400. I looked at alternatives, using both customer reviews and videos, and decided to give the Char-Broil 20" a try. Cost was less than half that of the smaller WSM, but reviews were mostly positive. I'm glad I did!This smoker is sturdy... nearly as heavy gauge steel as our kettle, and well-constructed. Assembly was straightforward and took about 15 minutes (one person). Before first use, I sealed the rims of the upper and lower sections, as well as the access door hatchway with grill/smoker gasket material (also use a gasket to seal the Weber kettle's lid). Did a 6-hour higher temperature "burn-in" to season the smoker before first use. The only hiccup I encountered was that the bottom vent lever/bottom vent itself became "stuck" at operating temperature, and I didn't want to force the vent to move, bending or breaking the control arm. Once cool, i was able to carefully break free the vent (I suspect the high temp paint they used was not fully cured from the factory, and the burn-in caused the paint to cure, and act a bit like an adhesive. After breaking it free, the problem has not recurred. I contacted Char-Broil customer service and they eventually mailed out a replacement vent and vent control arm, which I'm keeping in reserve as spares.We've had the smoker about three weeks now and I've done baby back ribs, pulled pork (about a 7 lb shoulder), a pork loin, and most recently a smoked approx 5.5lb chuck roast ("poor man's brisket") and the results have been top notch.This bullet smoker makes it so much easier to control and maintain desired temperatures compared to the Weber kettle (snake/fuse method). I have found it not difficult to dial in to that desirable, 225-240°F 'low-n-slow' target temp. Burn times using a combination of Kingsford charcoal to start the fire, and quality hardwood lump charcoal for the main fuel, and I'm easily getting 10+ hours of fire... I'm confident I could nurse it to go 12 hours without replenishing.All in all, aside from that initial, sticky bottom vent control issue, I am well pleased.10/3/2 Edit: Forgot to add that the thermometer on the lid should not be used to determine actual smoke temperatures, but as a rough gauge. I use a wired probe for smoke temp readings at rack level, and I've found the thermometer on the lid reads approximately 40°F cooler than actual temp (this is not unusual... the thermometer on the lid of my Weber kettle is off by about the same amount too). So, IF you use the lid's thermometer, remember to add about 40° to get your smoke temperature.There may be a way to calibrate/adjust the lid thermometer... I just haven't gotten around to it since I always rely on the dedicated probe. The Char-broil has a silicone rubber access port to pass through any thermo probe wires... very nice feature, much appreciated.

This smoker comes so well packaged, like sensitive electronic gear, In thick styrofoam!! Everything about this smoker says upgraded, from heavy duty materials, grates, handles and thermostat!! I have owned many bullet smokers over the years and this one is by far the best!! As I got older my tall rectangular gas and elec got to heavy to easily manage and moving it out of work shed and off of covered porch to use, This one while heavy duty is easily manageable! You just can't go wrong with the amazing heat control!! The large door lets you easily check/add charcoal if needed!! Im telling you this is so much better than the flimsy $60-$90 bullets smokers. I actually bought one of them a couple months back and what a piece of poo.. The thing that pisses me off, I didn't by this one first and I highly recommend!!