Char-Broil Bullet Charcoal Smoker 16" - 18202075,Black

The Char-Broil bullet is the first smoker I have purchased and used and I am very pleased with the smoker itself and the cooking results. The Char-Broil arrived very well packed and in excellent condition. To me it has the look and feel of a nicely made product of very good quality. Set-up and use are super simple and you can be up and smoking in a short time. I have already smoked a rack of baby back ribs, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers and whole chicken. It does take some time to become familiar with the "nuances" of smoking with charcoal but it's not difficult at all. How much charcoal to use, what kind of smoking wood, cooking temp, air vent adjustment all play a part but it is easy and fun to learn smoking/cooking over a low and slow charcoal fire. As a comparison I will say that I had ordered a well known competitor (cough, wsm, cough) a week earlier and while I never got to cook with it (damaged upon arrival) I can comment on the construction vs. each other. IMHO I think that the Char-Broil has a better finish on the metal. the metal of each unit seemed comparable in thickness/strength but the side access door on the Char-Broil is constructed of thicker metal and has actual hinges. And personally I am happier with the extra 2 inches in diameter of the 16' Char-Broil cooking surface vs. only a 14" surface on the other competitor. And best of all the Car-Broil is nearly $100 cheaper than the 14" competitor. I would easily recommend the Char-Broil 16" Bullet Smoker.After using this smoker for several months I have a couple of observations. First is that the smoker is holding up very well. I did use the LavaLock 12 Grey High Performance BBQ gasket smoker seal (purchased here on Amazon) to seal the door and the top and bottom of the cooking chamber. This keeps all the smoke in and a clean exterior as well. The smoker still looks like new on the outside and the ceramic coated cooking grates still look in as new condition also. I treat the grates with a cooking spray that contains Canola Oil, Soybean Oil and Palm Oil before every cooking session. After the smoker cools and during cleanup I wipe the grates off with hot water and heavy duty paper towels. All the paint/coatings look great and show no signs of damage or wear. Second and a very minor negative. The bottom air vent control can sometimes be a little sticky to move it from side to side (open or closed). I found that all I need to do is twist the handle a slight amount when I move it and the operator slides with no problem. It appears that the plastic handle on the front vent operator can sometimes get slightly caught on the track and prevent smooth operation. Not enough of an issue to take a star off once I figured it out. Also I have found that I just need to learn the nuances of smoking with charcoal and that simply takes experience. I have used this smoker about 8-10 times now and gotten better each time. The 3-2-1 rib method didn't work for my Baby Back Ribs. 1-2-1 or 1 hr no foil with just dry rub, 2 hrs wrapped in foil with butter, honey and apple juice inside and 1 hr unwrapped with BBQ sauce gives my best result and that is at 225 degrees. When you wrap your ribs in foil makes a difference. A 24 hr brine soak for my chicken before the smoke session makes a difference. Hard lump charcoal vs briquettes makes a difference. Water or no water in the bottom pan makes a difference. I am new to smoking but enjoying the learning experience. All in, I am very happy and have enjoyed some very tasty food from this smoker. I wish you the same and hope you have a great backyard smoke session. Peace my friends :)

This smoker comes so well packaged, like sensitive electronic gear, In thick styrofoam!! Everything about this smoker says upgraded, from heavy duty materials, grates, handles and thermostat!! I have owned many bullet smokers over the years and this one is by far the best!! As I got older my tall rectangular gas and elec got to heavy to easily manage and moving it out of work shed and off of covered porch to use, This one while heavy duty is easily manageable! You just can't go wrong with the amazing heat control!! The large door lets you easily check/add charcoal if needed!! Im telling you this is so much better than the flimsy $60-$90 bullets smokers. I actually bought one of them a couple months back and what a piece of poo.. The thing that pisses me off, I didn't by this one first and I highly recommend!!

Seems to be sturdy and durable. It was easier than I expected to regulate the temperature.

Great smoker for people who don't smoke meat too often. This thing is cheap and it holds heat very well. There is a slight learning curve to keeping it at temp but with some practice working the vents is simple.I really like this smoker!Construction is very sturdy and its heavy and well built. I would buy one again if I need too. I really found it cheap and worth the money.

I cannot say enough good things about this bullet smoker! I've run long cooks and short and it maintained temperature throughout without babysitting the coals. I'm a dedicated wet smoke cook, this is my third bullet smoker with a water pan and the depth of this water bowl is perfect. I've cooked large packer briskets for upwards of 12hrs only topping up the water bowl maybe once. set it and forget it! it's raining hard this Thanksgiving morning and the smoker temps are holding steady at 230-250 (using minion method for fire) even in the rain. Use a good quality high temp gasket around the body, door, and lid and you won't have any problems. I have used the lava lock gallery for 4yrs on this one and it's still holding strong. I've also stored this smoker outside for the 4yrs I've had it with a good quality heavy duty cover and have zero rust on the body or the grates. The only negative was the port for the temperature probes. I've always used probes that require a wired connection and the little red silicone cap to feed the wires from inside the smoker to my control box finally disintegrated on me, but again, after 4yrs that's to be expected and a replacement is super inexpensive. there are also good quality Bluetooth wireless temp gauges/probes on the market now so it might be time to invest in those. This smoker is a great buy for the value and quality and I'm so happy I didn't pay extra for a Weber. This one is definitely comparable for quality and ease of cooking.

I bought my first bullet type smoker 45 years ago and then migrated to the barrel-offset types. I needed something smaller that doesn't use so much charcoal and wood. This smoker is excellent. The fire box design provides even 360 degree ventilation and dampering so that the heat is even. There is nothing left but power. Easy to disassemble and clean. I just stoke and forget.