Char-Broil Offset Smoker, 30"

I like the price! The assembly was a challenge and the control over the heat is not easy but I found out a way to keep the temperature steady. Just take a towel or blanket and put it over the smoker just over the smoker, not the smaller heat chamber. I was having to put tons of chips and charcoal in the heat box and only getting a maximum of 200 degrees. Now I’m right in the middle at 250-275 degrees for hours without checking or adding more fuel.

Works great! Burns the paint off the heat box pretty quickly. I repainted with engine paint. Paint that withstands to up 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. I got the grill on sale around Christmas it was less than $90. It's the only reason I bought it. Would I buy this smoker again? Probably not. Next time I'll pay a little more and upgrade to a vertical style smoker. One with thicker metal.

As with some of the other reviewers, I too have a problem with the paint bubbling up and falling off the top and back side of the fire box, but hoping a can of high temp paint will solve that. Otherwise, smoker works and perform great. Still learning to control the fire and maintain temp for prolonged smokes, but that's more a matter of skill and finesse, as it maintains temp pretty well once you get it there.

I got this as an early Christmas gift to replace my little vertical smoker that was difficult to hold temperature in (at least for over 6 hours). I wanted something affordable for my first offset but as you'll see, I'm willing to put in work to make it as efficient as possible. First thing I did was research ways to get the best results. One of the first things I did was get high-heat silicone to lay down as I assembled the smoker. That way there's a gasket running along all seams. This thinner stamped steel needs some convincing to limit leaks. Next up was patient assembly. The smoke stack attaches FROM THE INSIDE and again, I used the silicone. Next up I did a few seasoning/ test runs with the water pan (a small brownie pan) I wanted to use in the cooking chamber. I seasoned the inside with vegetable oil and kept the temperatures relatively low (around 250). I also used this opportunity to test smoking. The doors leaked a bunch so I got some high heat gasket tape (specifically made for smokers). The next test was perfect, very little leaking and I found out what I needed to do to hold temperatures best. The next thing I got was a charcoal basket (the cast iron one here on Amazon) to help lift the coals up a bit for mid-smoking ash clean out. All-in-all I ran it 3 times before food went in. This helped cure the paint, season the inside/ grates, and gave me info on how much charcoal to use. First thing I smoked was ribs and I used a classic 3-2-1 method (3 hours smoked bone down, 2 hours wrapped in butcher paper bone up, 1 hour unwrapped bone down with sauce). I only had to re-load the charcoal once but help a very consistent 225 degrees for 6 hours! I used cherry wood chunks and plan on trying out small hickory logs in the future.

Small, easy to move around smoker, works great cooking larger cuts of meat (brisket) it’s definitely a simple grill with a compact size (for an offset smoker) on the downsize - cheap material , it begins peeling off with the first use, rust appeared the next day, after a good cleanse you keep noticing more paint falling off, and the small reservoir for the charcoal doesn’t allow proper airflow for long cooks were charcoals needs to be reloaded and ashes build up (removing them out with an ash rake gives you a quick fix) I like the system but quality could be better, you get what you paid for Charbroil could do a little better on this model

I purchased this smoker on sale for $84 and it is absolutely perfect. With some extra effort I made this smokers value skyrocket. I will list the things I did for assembly, burn in, and seasoning. 1. Purchased the lavalock package with high heat silicone and gasket. Applied the silicone where the 2 pieces of the cooking chamber meet as well as the fire box. Applied the silicone where the fire box attached to the cooking chamber. Placed the gasket where the fire box and cooking chamber doors would seal, and also made homemade weights to hook onto handles to ensure seal. After this I let it rest for about a day. 2. To cure the smoker, I seasoned the inside and out with vegetable oil and I went by the manual and started about 30 briquettes and placed in the fire box. Adding fuel as needed, I kept the temp from 200-250 for around 3 hours (If you get hotter than 300 during the paint cure, don't even waste time complaining about paint bubbles because it will happen. I did as the manual said and my paint is still flawless.) After the three hour paint cure, I added chunks of *insert your smoke wood of choice* for another 4 hours(as expected the fire was hot, so to ensure the paint didn't bubble I liberally wiped down the fire box with an oil soaked rag to keep it lubricated under high heat conditions) to season. 3. Perfectly cured, seasoned, sealed $84 smoker!!! This smoker is cheap so don't dive in expecting top of the line results, but if you add a little extra effort you'll get more out of it than what the manufacturer even expected!!! Smoke it up!

I used the grill 3 times. 2 times as indirect grilling with the main chamber holding the charcoal, but then I used it yesterday as a true offset smoker. I smoked a full brisket for 8 1/2 hours between 207 and 225 degrees. I'll admit, this smoker held the heat better than I expected, but the end result is the picture you see above. The finish became brittle and has chipped. I don't really know how long I will be able to use this, and I don't think I would want to just change the fire box out. I'm most likely going to get a different brand, and splurge a little more. I had a Char Broil offset smoker a while back, and this never happened so I'm wondering if quality control has changed.

Got this on cyber Monday for $119.00 that being said I’ve cook with it twice and the paint is still intact. Yes its thin sheet metal, yes smoke leaks around the doors, ITS A SMOKER🤦‍♂️. Don’t build large fires in it and your paint will last a lil while. Read the book that comes with it. When you do your first burn and season oil up the outside also. Awesome smoker for the money!

It was easy to assemble. After seasoning, it works great and I produce really good smoked trout.

100% recomendable, ensamble fácil, práctico en su uso y limpieza, muy buen producto

Unos pequeños ajustes: 1.- Sellar la puerta del ahumador 2.- Una herramienta para sacar ceniza 3.- Un recipiente para colectar grasa en todo lo demas cumple el objetivo

Don't be fooled by people saying this is cheap junk, most of them don't know how to cook. I replaced a Traeger with this and have smoked everything from pulled pork, brisket, bacon to using it as a charcoal grill for steaks, pizza, burgers. It maintains heat well, I used it during Canadian winters in -15c, do a dry run to understand how it maintains heat and temps. You won't be disappointed with this whether it is your first smoker, or a replacement. Great gift as well for the BBQ lover. Use wood chunks, let them heat up on top of firebox and make sure they are ignited before closing the lid to avoid harsh smoke!

Bought this as a Christmas gift for my husband, it has been used almost every week since! Sometimes twice in a week. Great item, especially for the price paid. Was easy to assemble. It is not the highest quality, hence the great price, but well worth it's value! This is a perfect smoker for our small household and for learning the ins & outs of smoking.