My wife got this as an anniversary gift from her employer. There were a bunch of crummy things to pick from, so I vote for this. I'm glad I did.
Assembly - I broke it out on Memorial Day weekend, assembled it in short time. There is a little bending of handles to get them aligned with the holes - that's fine by me. Overall the assembly was easy.
Charcoal/smoker - the unit is constructed in such a way that you can leave out the entire middle tube section, if you just want to charcoal grill some food. With the middle section in, you do get the water pan and the smoking goodness, though.
Temperature control - I like the thermostat - warm, ideal, hot. The "ideal" area is a pretty large section of the dial, so no pressure there! There is a door you can use to control the heat, and to add water or wood.
First Cooking Impressions - my first attempt was 2 racks of ribs and a whole chicken. I oiled the chicken, and set him on the bottom rack. I used a rib rack, and plopped them on the top rack. Everything fit ok! According to my calculations I needed 4-6 hours, and it did take about 5 hours for everything to be done. The chicken was so moist and delicious - best chicken ever. The ribs were good - I think the quality of meat could have been better, though.

Cleanup - not too bad. The water pan is too hot to empty for a while, so enjoy the food.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 50