Grills & Smokers

Char-Broil CharBroil Kettle 81-23069 Grill Char-Broil CharBroil Kettle 81-23069 Grill Key FeaturesType:GrillFuel Type:Charcoal ...

Not Recommended CharBroil Electric H2O Smoker I bought this for $20 off of some guy on craigslist and sadly I don't think it was worth the money. I have used t...

For my first smoker I thought the I would buy something inexpensive and then move up after I gained some experience with smoking. This is a vertical water smoker that only takes up a few square feet of space. It has 2 racks that allow for smoking 4 small pork shoulders or 2 racks of ribs although the ribs I have smoked were too long to fit and had to either be cut in half and laid side-by-side or have the ends trimmed off. Once I was able to get the right rub, the right sauce and to recognize doneness (since you can’t really check the internal temperature on ribs) I was able to come away with some pretty nice baby backs. They did take about 7 hours though.

Well, I’ve certainly had my share of problems with this smoker. Within 3 months of purchase and only having used it about 6 times, I had already had the hood, the body, and the base replaced. Char-broil paints the inside of these parts and the paint bubbled, oozed, and peeled off during use. I thought that maybe I got parts from a defective lot but when I used the replacement hood one time and the paint started oozing and peeling I knew that it was more than that. It was quite easy to get the parts replaced with just a phone call to customer service. However, after I called back when the replacement hood started peeling I asked to speak with a manager. The manager proceeded to tell me that I had to oil the interior and then when the paint peels to lightly sand it and then oil it again. It seemed incredible to me that Char-broil actually expects it’s customers to sand peeling paint off of one of their products. I followed this up with a letter requesting help to the Char-broil CEO but that letter went unanswered. I can only imagine that oozing paint can’t be good for you or your food!

The other problem with this product is the thermostat, which is similar to one on an electric fry pan. When set on high (the dial only reads low, med., or high), my smoker would not get over 225 degrees F. While this temp is the optimal temp for smoking, you shouldn’t have to have the thermostat maxed out to get there.

Since this is an electric water smoker, if you can get it up to temperature, you can just set it and forget it with just the occasional refill of wood chunks, however that’s not the easiest thing to do either. You have to pick up the whole body (food, water, and all) to add more wood. Since it is a water smoker, basting is not necessary.

I would strongly recommend placing aluminum foil on the bottom under the heating element and also using it to line the water pan. This will make clean up much easier. And don’t forget to coat the racks with oil before smoking or you will be soaking them for hours afterward.

This smoker has potential but with all of the problems I experienced with the paint and the thermostat, I certainly would not recommend it. Spend your $70 elsewhere.

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