Looking for a new grill / smoker

My old Kenmore gasser is dying a painful death, so I've asked the missus for a new grill for Christmas. I'd like to move to charcoal instead of gas.

I typically grill on it, but I'd also like to have the ability to smoke. I was thinking about asking for a Char-Griller Smokin' Pro. Any recommendations as to what else I could direct her towards?

What are your parameters as far as size and cost? A horizontal offset like the Char-Griller will certainly give you plenty of space and cooking versatility, but if you don't need that much room or a unit that large a Weber kettle might be a good match. Kamado cookers like Primo and Big Green Egg work very well but they're at the high end of the price scale.

Honestly - you can't beat a Weber Performer for all around utility and price: http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/performer-series

You'll probably get lots of differing opinions, but my performer has gotten me through the most complex grilling and smoking requirements I can think of. And it dosen't take up a lot of space - and you can get a rotis ring for it and... Just check it out.

I learned to cook on a homemade Horizonal 55 gal. Drum, so of course I'm going to vote for the Chargriller super-pro.
It's $120 @ lowes. It's a very good grill & with little work will make a good low & slow smoker.
Forget about the SIde fire box , for smoking you use the fuse burn method.
For grilling small amounts make of buy a charcoal basket or fence.
For fuse burn example go here.

http://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=2073.0

Without knowing what you'd want to spend it's hard for me to give you a good answer.....However, if you want to go on the higher end 800-1200 dollars and never really have to buy another grill/smoker than the Big Green Egg is your choice. Ultimately it comes down to cost.

No one mentioned the Chargriller Akorn, it's not a ceramic like the BGE but simular in design, it can grill and smoke, takes up less space than the Chargriller w/sfb and costs less than a BGE a nice in between unit.

Might look at the CharGriller trio- gas burner on one side with side burner, charcoal on other side with offset side burner. Not as efficient as Akorn or more expensive grills, but mine serves me well.

jayeffel wrote:

Might look at the CharGriller trio- gas burner on one side with side burner, charcoal on other side with offset side burner. Not as efficient as Akorn or more expensive grills, but mine serves me well.

I'd vote for the Trio as well. A couple of mods like some rope gasket and a chimney mod (total cost about $25 or so) can really improve the efficiency of this unit for a fraction of the cost of an Egg. And before the Eggheads chime in again on the opposite side, please keep in mind that the next grill on my list is a Weber Summit S-670 so it's not just an issue of price (though I just found one at Lowes this week for $400 less than any other competitor).

Back to the CharGriller - as soon as spring comes I'll be making a few extra mods to my own CG Outlaw (mostly rope gasket mods and new wheels) and it should work even better than it is now. I've already extended the chimney, added a couple of stock thermometers and flipped the charcoal tray on mine, and just those mods alone have made it a good smoker (and it's already a decent charcoal grill anyway - especially for big parties).

But even though the Outlaw is a decent unit, in hindsight I likely would have gotten a Trio instead if it had been available at the time. This is mostly because it also has a gas grill incorporated into it as well as a smoker, and the gas side is really handy for quick cooks.

Sorry for the lack of response, guys - I never got an email from the board that my post had been updated!

The wife picked out a Char-Griller Kamado Kooker for me. I need to get it burned in so I can start using it!

You must have been very good this year, enjoy.

Good. From what I've heard you "done good".

Looking forward to seeing it in action. Done any cooks yet?

Griffin wrote:

Looking forward to seeing it in action. Done any cooks yet?

+1 - I'd like to see how this unit performs as they're going to be on sale at Lowe's soon. And soon after that. And soon after that too....

Lowe's is gearing up to kick Home Depot to the curb up here in Canada and they're the only store that carries the CG kamado. HD kicked another Canadian home improvement chain called RONA to the curb up here a few years ago, so now it's looks like it's going to be HD's turn.

CanadaBBQGuy wrote:

Griffin wrote:

Looking forward to seeing it in action. Done any cooks yet?

+1 - I'd like to see how this unit performs as they're going to be on sale at Lowe's soon. And soon after that. And soon after that too....

Lowe's is gearing up to kick Home Depot to the curb up here in Canada and they're the only store that carries the CG kamado. HD kicked another Canadian home improvement chain called RONA to the curb up here a few years ago, so now it's looks like it's going to be HD's turn.

I've had a CGK for 9 months now & only thing new to report is that it's a great cold weather cooker.
Easy to run 275F all day with temp in mid 30's & 15-20 mph wind

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