Chargriller Smokin Pro BBQGeek

by Mike Fincham - BBQ Geek
(Atlanta, GA)

My praise for the Chargriller Smokin Pro is unending. I've spent a lot of time looking at cookers and I've cooked on cookers ranging from $49 to $30,000. The reason I love the Chargriller is the value that you get for the money. For under $200, you get almost 900 sq. inches of cooking space in a traditional texas-offset smoker configuration.

As well, the Chargriller works very well as a grill. So, you essentially double your money. I've looked at other similar smokers from Charbroil and Brinkman at that price point, and they are not usable as grills. The Chargriller also is a fantastic grill. It has high quality cast iron grates and an adjustable height charcoal tray. I've catered for groups as large as 75 people off a single Chargriller.

For someone just entering the world of smoking and grilling, they would be hard pressed to find a better tool for their dollar. The only downside to the Chargriller is that it is made from pretty light weight materials. Here in GA, that's really not that big of an issue. But, I'm not sure that I would want to use one in Ohio unless I made a few modifications.

It's worth pointing out that there is a huge community of Chargriller users that congregate over on Steven Raichlen's discussion boards. They have come up with some really interesting and useful modifications to the Chargriller.

I currently own two Chargrillers and about 5 other grills. I'm ready to move up to something a little larger and showy (maybe a Stump and a Bubba Keg). But, I'll never say a bad word about the Chargriller. Everything I've learned at home about BBQ, I tested out on the Chargriller and it has never let me down.

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See Mike Fincham's interview with the Gas Grill Review