Char-Broil Offset Smoker, Black - 12201570-A1

It took me no time to assemble this smoker. It's small, relatively light, but large enough to handle normal cooking for up to 8 hungry people. There are charcoal grates in both the firebox and under the main grates in the smoker body, so you can use it as a 'normal' grill if you need to. The only drawback I can find is that the firebox's charcoal grate is a bit low for the use of a charcoal chimney, if you start your fires with a chimney that drops the coals out the bottom, rather than the invert-and-dump type. That's a flaw in the design of the chimney, though. I don't know yet how it will stand up to use or abuse. I expect it will perform admirably, given the solidity of its construction. The package was missing ONE flange nut, but I have tons of fasteners and other hardware on hand, so it was no great hardship (I could have assembled it using nothing but my own hardware, if the package had been missing entirely). One missing nut is typical, or even good, for items like this. I recommend the manufacturer start packing one or two extra nuts and bolts with each item they produce, though. I'm not a fan of using soup cans as grease catchers, and hate the hangers. I'm considering making a small shelf to go under the main smoker body, and placing an old bowl filled with sawdust under the grease hole, instead. Something else the manufacturer might consider. But for the price, this is an excellent smoker. You can't normally find an offset smoker in the sub-$100 range that's worth anything. Normally the metal is too thin, or they don't have charcoal grates, or the legs wobble, or the design is garbage entirely. This isn't the case here. It comes with charcoal grates across the entire unit, the cooking grates are cast iron coated in porcelain (fast heating, holds heat well, cleans easily with water and a brass brush), it has a sturdy shelf on the side, good handles, decent wheels, good dampers, solid hinges and a thermometer built into the main lid. Plus, it's large enough to do 8-12 large burgers at once, multiple sausages, several ears of corn or 2-4 brisket (depending on the size of the cut). And if you're thinking 'burgers? it's a smoker!' then you've never had slow-smoked burgers before.

I received my smoker yesterday and couldn't wait to put it together. I took some time, but I had no issues putting it together according to the instructions. I had no gaps whatsoever in between the top lid and bottom chamber, I just made sure when I tightened the hinge brackets I aligned them as close to the edges of the top lid and bottom chamber as possible. It seems pretty solid, not flimsy at all. It's a perfect size for a family of 4 or less, unless you have NFL linebackers for kids. I fired it up last night after I got it all put together and smoked a chicken that I split into halves. For my first time ever using a charcoal / wood side chamber smoker, the chicken came out perfect and delicious! I also ordered the Weber "Rapidfire*" charcoal chimney starter to pre-light the coals. I bought B & B Texas style oak charcoal briquettes and Western brand Mesquite hardwood chunks at my local Academy sporting goods store for the cooking process . Everything worked like a charm! I even fell asleep on the couch and woke up to find that the coals and wood had all burned down to ash and the smoker was just barely warm, but the chicken still came out wonderful and yummy! I have nothing negative to say about this smoker, it worked great and no other product can compare to the quality of this smoker for the price of only $69 dollars and some change. Maybe an EL CHEAPO product that will rust out and fall apart in less than six months.

Initial Review; This is my first smoker, and I've only cured it and used it one time. I'm afraid I jumped on this due to the price, before I had researched smokers. This is rare for me, but I was mainly looking for something with more flexibility than my Son of Hibachi. The Son of Hibachi is great for grilling, but I wanted to do some smoking as well, with the ability to also grill larger quantities than the Hibachi will handle.. What I have found, is that this smoker has all of the short-comings of typical off-set smokers, and that all of those short-comings are made worse by small size and relatively thin metal. I cured it, as per the directions on page 3 of the manual, using charcoal in the firebox. I then added more charcoal, and rolled right into smoking some boneless chicken thighs, a pork roast, and a tri-tip. I used a mixture of hickory and cherry chunks. I put two 8x8 aluminum pans underneath the grills, and a 4x8 loaf pan as well, to catch drippings. I found that, with charcoal, I was having trouble getting the temperature up on the grill. I found that the grill temperature, right underneath the thermometer, was much lower than the temperature indicated on the thermometer. 300 on the thermometer resulted in 200 at the grill surface. I found that the area next to the firebox cooked very quickly, cooked more like grilling than smoking, while the area opposite the firebox remains pretty cool, to the point I could touch the grills. Until I pushed the temperature to 350 with a resulting 225-250 at the grill, the food in the middle did not cook. I wound up relying solely on wood to keep the heat up, and had no issues with temperatures being too low once I did this. Due to the small size of the wood chucks I was using, I wound up having to use a lot more wood than I expected. After a couple of hours of this, I wound up with perfectly cooked chicken thighs, but the other meat had an interior temp of only 120F. If I had had more time, I would have continued smoking and eventually gotten the tri-tip and roast up to temp, but instead, I put the remaining meat in the oven and finished it that way. All of the meat turned out delicious. The roast and tri-tip had very nice smoke-rings. I was very pleased with the way the food turned out. If I did not plan to try some modifications, I think I would use mainly charcoal for fuel, and put some charcoal in the smoker chamber to bring temps up in the far end. My plan is to try putting a baffle in, mainly to shield the food from the direct heat of the firebox, but also to move the heat entry point more toward the middle of the smoker area. I also plan to extend the smoker chimney down closer to the grill, to force the smoke down there. I also plan to find a basket so I can use the Minion Method of fueling the smoker. I feel that these additions will greatly aid the ease of use of the smoker. I do wish Char-Broil would cure the paint in-house. I feel it is impossible to cure the paint at home from the inside nearly as well as could be done in an oven big enough to hold the parts. I feel that curing issues are a large part of the paint complaints received. I'm not sure that, had I done more research, that I would still buy this smoker, but for the money, I feel it is worthwhile. Update; I have since smoked a 4 lb pork shoulder and smoked and grilled some burgers. To smoke the pork shoulder, I took two disposable bread-loaf pans, of the 4x8 variety, punched holes in them for ventilation, and loaded each with charcoal. I tilted the pans and laid the charcoal on it's side in a sort of chevron pattern. I then put another layer of charcoal on top of that in the same pattern. I also cut 3/4 of the bottom out of a mini-loaf pan of the 3x6 variety, and bent the flap of remaining material up to extend the heat shield/baffle. I then put the loaf pan in the hole between the fire-box and smoker chamber with the flap portion up, and expanded the pan to lodge in the opening. This made a nice baffle and heat shield. I then put the two pans in the smoker and lit one end of the briquettes using a blow torch. I lit the 4 briquettes on top at the end closest to the smoker chamber, so the flame had to work back toward the vent. After those briquettes were well lit, and the temperature started coming up in the smoker chamber, I put the un-seasoned pork shoulder in the middle of the smoker, over a foil pan to catch the drippings. I put some cherry wood on the lit briquettes as well as the unlit ones, and let the meat smoke. After about 30 to 45 minutes, all of the briquettes in the pan were lit, and I had to use the air register to keep the heat down. Occasionally I would put a couple of pieces of wood on the briquettes to keep the smoke going. Occasionally I would put a chunk of hickory in, but the smoke was mainly from cherry. With this method, after 3 hours of smoking, the charcoal was still going. I would have left the meat in the smoker, but it was bed time, so I put the pork shoulder in a slow cooker on low while I slept. I put a half cup of water in as well as the drippings from the pork. The next morning, the pork shoulder was fork tender and was easily pulled apart. I had some for breakfast, gave some to a friend to try, and had some more for supper. It was one of the best I've ever had. It was hard to believe the flavor was only smoke and natural pork juices. My friend raved about it. For the burgers, I just put about 30 briquettes in the firebox, lit them, and when fully lit, spread them out and put 8 seasoned patties in the smoker chamber. I smoked the patties using mainly cherry with some hickory, for about 30 minutes. The patties closest to the firebox needed to be flipped at 15 minutes, and were pretty much done at 30. I finished grilling them in the firebox grill, and then grilled all the rest of the patties in turn in the firebox, returning them to the smoker to keep them warm when they were finished. These burgers turned out fabulously! Update2; I smoked a brisket this weekend. This time, I made two additions to my smoker. The first is a Maverick Et 733 Wireless BBQ Meat Thermometer. This lets me see the actual temperature the meat is seeing, as well as the meat internal temp, without having to constantly go out to the smoker. This is a must have item, no matter what smoker you use. I am very much enjoying this purchase. The second was a FDS-875 Stainless Steel Floor Drain Strainer. This is a perforated pan that fits into the firebox and allows one to put a lot more charcoal in for 4 hours worth of heat. It also makes cleanup easier. I have put a photograph of it in the customer images section. I purchased this off of ebay for $20. I have settled on a method of smoking large cuts of meat, where I smoke the meat until the heat dies off, and then put it in a slow-cooker to finish it. This has worked great for pork shoulder and brisket.

I read a lot of reviews before buying this smoker. Never smoked any foods in my life so I was a bit concerned about my ability etc. I watched a number of Youtube videos and digested a lot of useful information. I seasoned the inside with cooking oil and did a trial run. Biggest problem is keeping the fire box hot and regulating temperature based on such a small firebox. I also realized that you can't expect this thing to hold up under really high temperatures. I did not let it get above 300 degrees. Also added the temperature gage at the cooking surface. Big difference in temperature at the cooking serface, typically 50 degrees or more lower than at the top where the Char-Broil gage is located. I made my one rub and cooked a 6 lb pork shoulder (cut in half). I again had issues keeping the fire box going. Used charcole and smaller cut wood from my wood pile. After four hours, I started having more issues keeping the fire box warm enough to maintain 220 degrees in the cooker. So, I ended up finishing the Butt on my gas grill bringing the meat to 180 degrees F. I combined local honey, garlic, teriyaki and white wine into a spray bottle spraying the Butt every half hour or so. I have to say that I surprised myself. It was the best I have ever eaten. My family flipped out about it. The outer area had created a delicious crust with intense flavor and a jerky like consistency while the meat just under the outer crust was moist and delicious. We all ate too much and nearly got sick. I can't wait to cook more and likely I will get a more serious offset cooker. I plan to bring this one to my river house and like the simple fact that this is fairly light and easy to take with you. Just requires a little more attention during the cooking process. I purchased Strike a Fire on Amazon which helps get the chacole going and I'm going to keep a side charcole fire going to add warm Coles into the fire box along with wood chips etc. Looking for to experiementing more with this thing. By the way, the spray that I made was really good. Make sure you add wine as otherwise it is too salty from the teriyaki. I poured the marinade I made into a storage device with the left over meat. Yum!

This was my first smoker. Bought last summer on sale. New to offset smokers: I didn't grow up doing this and learned from watching youtube videos etc. This is like learning to drive in a $600 car. You don't have to worry too much about wrecking it, and technically it does drive, but almost as soon as you feel you've got the hang of it, you realize how messed up the car actually is. 1. Construction: thin steel that allows for temperature fluctuations and probably won't hold up to rust. Spot-welded seams that smoke and heat escape through with ease; you will 100% have to apply an after-market silicone sealant yourself (I went with the LavaLock stuff) to make this smoker useable. All kinds of little things you notice putting it together. Also, I don't know why this bothers me but the firebox is located on the left-hand side, as opposed to most other smokers you'll see shopping where, facing the smoker, the firebox is on the right and the exhaust is on the left. This thing is almost the cheapest smoker being sold, you get what you pay for etc. 2. Size: this smoker is a "junior" smoker to put it kindly. What I mean is: it has features, like a little side-table, that in a full-sized smoker would be very handy, but it's just so small it's almost useless. The internal vertical capacity is just big enough to fit a whole chicken or a pork butt, but it's crowded (and there is a heat differential along the lid versus at the grate). MOST IMPORTANTLY: The firebox is TOO SMALL to fit a normal-sized split of wood. So everything there is to learn about fire management, such as the arrangement of fuel, where to build it--all of that is moot here. It's impossible to build up a "log cabin" or other split arrangement that will burn slowly as the fuel is consumed. Instead I have to hand-feed wood a couple of chunks at a time, constantly monitoring, so there is no "set it up and come back to check in 30 minutes" like in the videos. In many ways this defeats the purpose of cooking with a smoker. 3. Satisfaction: that said, having assembled, sealed, and seasoned this smoker myself and then made various smoked meats with it over a year, I have to say that owning and using a smoker is a real joy. It's "slow food" at its best, forcing you to focus on what you're doing and block out hours of time to tend to a simple, primitive task. The resulting food is delicious. So I am very happy I have this smoker. I'm going to smoke some ribs on it this weekend. But if I had to do it over again... 4. Conclusion: I would save, and spend more to get a full-sized smoker that was properly welded, allows full splits of wood in the firebox, and won't be rusted through in a couple of years. So, a $2400 car instead of a $600 car. I will sell this thing on Nextdoor and be lucky if I can get $50 for it; that person will (hopefully), like me, learn that smoking meat is fun but that it will probably be way easier and more enjoyable with a "real" smoker.

I have been using this product for more than two weeks now. In that time, I've had an opportunity to evaluate both the quality of the product and the overall usability. In creating this review I've considered both the type of material used in making the product as well as the overall fit and finish. I've also considered how well the product meets my needs and whether there are any shortcomings or particular advantages in using this product. For this particular product, the type of material used in the manufacture and creation of the product seems to be of very good quality. One must consider that for any product of this type there is a balance between the type of material used and the cost that is to be passed on to the consumer. I think for this product that balance has been met fairly well and I believe that the product will meet the expectations of most buyers. With regard to the fit and finish of this particular product, I believe it to be about average for the products of similar make or style. That is to say that it is not of poor or moderate craftsmanship/finish nor is it something that I would rate as outstanding. The quality of the piece is such that I feel it is a good value for the money. Finally, as with many products of this type, the value that a consumer sees is dependent on the expectation. When I ordered this product my expectations were moderate, especially because of the price. In an age where we demand low price but often want high quality, it is often best if we expect moderate to good quality instead. I did that with this product as was pleasantly surprised to find that the quality was at least good, if not just a tad bit better than good. For that reason, and those set out above, I'd make a recommendation to buy this product.

I have been buying Char-Broil grills since 2005. They are all I have owned since then, but this was the last straw. I am no barbecue expert, but I have done competitions, sponsored events and sporting events. I would say I am fairly decent at what I can do on a barbecue. With that said ignore the comments that say these rust and the paint peels. people need to learn to properly care for a barbecue. The thermometer comments are a joke too. The thermometer is for gauging temp. Do not take it as gospel. Learn to read the coals an use a meat thermometer. Your hand also does wonders for gauging temp. This thing is flimsy as they come. now Char-Broil has always used flimsy sheet metal and that doesn't make a product bad, but the reinforcement points suck or are none existent. If you open the lid this thing kinks all over. If you move it by the handle you fear it falling apart. Just very poorly made. The next are the seals. The hinges are junk and bend. The right side of my lid when closed sits flush, but the left side has a fairly big gap. The smoke stack has a major gap and is kinked due to the fact it is only held by 2 screws diagonal of each other. All of these gaps will effect the inside temp. This is also the second one I received as the first one came with broken welds on the main barrel. Now if anyone says I just don't know how to build anything I am a 16 year aircraft sheet metal mechanic writing a review on my wifes account. My last gripe is that all Char-Broil grilles used to come with cast iron grates. Everything is porcelain now. This was the first thing I noticed when I bought my 3rd grille. I am just very disappointed with Char-Broil. They were a great company about a decade ago and did make a great entry level product at a very reasonable price. I believe the owners have watched one to many episodes of shark tank and following that business plan have ruined this companies quality for mass production and profit only. This barbecue is good enough to get me though this summer season and I will use an inferior product to great effect, but this will be my last year with Char-Broil. About 13 years of customer loyalty has died. I will be switching to Oklahoma Joes.

I've always like Char-broil products and never had and problems. This little smoker arrived quickly and was easy to put together. The material is not super heavy duty, but it does the job. The hinges on the lid are light weight and not really designed to take a lot of abuse, but you shouldn't be opening the smoker often. Regardless of what most say, it is well built for the price. The big sticker that is on the front is absolutely no issue. rather than trying to peel it off cold, light a fire and get it up to about 200F, then sticker will peal right off. The smoker does not leak as bad as some claim. Mine drew from the air inlet all the way to the stove pipe with no measurable leaks through the entire smoker. Once it's seasoned it will tighten up. I will say that the welds are pretty lame, but should hold for the "life" of this unit. If I store it indoors and get 3 to 5 years out of it, I'll be happy. I give it 5 stars based mostly on the value and my personal experience that it does work well.

Bought this for my boyfriend for Christmas. Great smoker, apparently very good while using; the meats from it are delicious. Must be a decent seal because it cooks quicker than you’d except for the price point apparently. Took about an hour to put together, but after that it was good to go with some pre-heating.

Llegó en buenas condiciones, fácil de ensamblar y el material se ve de calidad. Aún no lo uso, en cuando lo utilice dejaré una reseña

For now I have used for one summer to BBQ, not smoking. I love how small it is. For a couple, it is the perfect size on a small balcony. It is decently sealed and its chimney is very useful for preparing the coals in the main container for BBQ. Unfortunately, really hard to assemble! Specially the smoker part. The assembly design is really poor. But is just done once. The other issue is that now I cannot take the grates out of the smoker. It would've been nice if I could! The color did start to come off after just using it for 10-20 times. If you want to BBQ, close the lid and leave the inlet and the chimney open to make the coals in 20 mins. Since there is no space for ash in the bottom, never blow air on the coals or ash goes everywhere! No I never did that...!

Es de buena calidad, fácil de armar y cumple bien con su función, es muy recomendable.

Viene desarmado en una caja, depende de aduana si vuelven a empacarlo bien o no, en mi caso los tornillos estaban por todas partes pero no faltó ninguna pieza. Armar el asador no es nada del otro mundo, solo es seguir el manual y en 40 min está listo. En cuanto a la estructura del asador, la cámara principal puede no cerrar al 100% así que necesitan sellar los escapes ya sea con aluminio o silicon especial. Los acabados están bien y la pintura se ve resistente a los primeros usos, llevo unos 5 usos del ahumador y hasta ahora ha resistido bien. También ayuda no tenerlo tan a la intemperie para evitar el óxido. Si alguien quiere iniciar con el ahumado este es ideal antes de pasar a un ahumador de tipo bote o de pelets. La clave de las altas temperaturas es usar trozos de leña. Sirve el carbón pero solo en las primeras etapas, para romper la barrera de los 120 celcius un buen trozo de mesquite los saca del apuro.