Cuisinart18” Smoker & Grill Cover, Universal Fit for Grills, Griddles, Smokers, Durable 600D Fabric, Water & Weather Resistant Nylon, UV and Fade Resistant Barbecue Cover with Velcro, Black

My wife got me this smoker for Father's day. I was about concerned as my preference was not use a bullet style smoker but more of a barrel style. Knowing this my first smoker, and as a novice pitmaster ..lol getting into the smoking game. This is a perfect starter smoker to start out with. I started out with smoking a 4.5lbs brisket, and it turned out amazing.Few things I noticed...Assembly: This will take at least an hour to assemble and put together. For some reason the one I received , was not brand new. The box was damaged, and it appeared it was return by another customer (unused) as some parts were assembled, and the screws were taped up. I noticed the lid had a small dent on it after I assembled the smoker. Not a huge deal breaker but not satisfied that I didn't get a brand newSmoker Quality: Starting out it appears the temperature gauge on the lid was not accurate or reliable. I would recommend getting a meat thermometer to check temperatures of the meat you are smoking. The gauge on the smoker would not read temps above 215°F. I'm planning to do a tear down later this week to see how everything held up after the smoke test. I used a charcoal and wood splits (Hickory).The grates on the grill are subpar, but held up. I read other reviews where the had concerns with the grates, paint bubbling.

Disappointed that despite the sturdy main components of the smoker, this well-regarded brand chose to use cheap hardware to put it together. The clamps holding the base to the body are very flimsy and don't align well with the brackets on the body. The 15-min assembly is ambitious. Double that, add a small open-ended wrench or pliers (and a glass of wine) and you'll be fine. Thermometer isn't accurate, but a $7 oven thermometer fixes that. On the whole, it's still a good smoker for its price point and should provide many years of good use with proper care (this replaced a Brinkman I had for 27 years, so it can be done). The cover is also available on Amazon and fits very nicely, good insurance against the elements for less than the cost of the decent bottle of wine you drank putting it together.

If you like playing with Lego, you’ll love this grill. What you discover when it arrives is that it’s actually a grill-building “kit.” I’m accustomed to product assembly but this took the process to a whole new level. The package includes nearly 80 parts, including 21 major components and 58 screws, washers, and wing nuts. (See inventory in photo.) The box promised “15- minute assembly.” I’m pretty handy and yet it took me well over a hour to get it right. (Had to reinstall the legs twice due to a confusing illustration in the assembly instructions.) Happily, the parts were all there. There are some other important pluses as well: For less than the price for the most basic Weber 18” kettle grill, you get a grill that includes a built-in lid thermometer and an enclosed ash catcher instead of the flimsy open pan on the Weber. To get these features in a Weber, you’d have to upgrade and spend more. The Cuisinart also has four legs, making it somewhat more stable than the three-legged Weber. On the other hand, the Weber kettle has a hook inside the lid that allows you to hang the lid from the side of the grill while open — a big convenience that you don’t get with the Cuisinart. The Weber also has internal blades at the bottom that make it easy to sweep ashes into the ash-catcher. You need a small whisk broom to clear ashes from the Cuisinart. These differences aside, the actual grilling experience is what you’d expect from any kettle grill — wonderful!

Purchased the Cuisinart 118 nearly four years ago to learn the basics of smoking and to figure out if it was really my jam, before unloading on a more expensive model in a year or two. Smoking is now my jam and this unit is responsible.Pros:- Easy to maintain and set up. Fill the coal grate and ring with a decent amount of charcoal (depending on cook time) and ensure the shape you've created looks more like an ant lion larva's conical sand trap, rather than a pile, keeping the prepped coals in the middle to slowly burn out and down. The chimney takes about 20 minutes to get those hot coals ready. Leave the top cylinder off the base after dumping the prepped coals into the shape you've made for another 20 minutes with the bottom vent wide open. Latch the cylinder in place and allow the unit another 20 minutes get to temp, toss on some wood chunk, tighten up the bottom air intake (I've never needed to open it more than 1/4 of the way) and you're good to go. I've made pork shoulders and been able to keep the smoker going at a 225 grate temp for over 8 hours without needing to add more charcoal, so this thing can go for quite some time when properly used. It just takes time to figure it out and you may use more charcoal than you need early on. Wood chunk coal tends to burn too fast and ash out in an unreasonable amount of time, so save that for quick use cooks like burgers / steaks and use Kingsford briquets for long haul cooking.- Holds up to the elements. Mine sits on an exposed back porch with only the cover to protect it. I keep saying I'm getting that better smoker this summer... but why, when there is nothing wrong with my current rig?Cons:- Kind of thin. On cold, windy days, a barricade is needed to allow the unit to stay up to temp without burning through fuel.Tips and Mods:- That water pan? Meh, I don't fill it. I put a flat sheet of foil over it, like a drum, to keep fats and drippings from burning in the bottom and giving food an off-putting flavor. Put it in before the grates and certainly before attaching it to a hot base...- Use a probe for accurate grate temps. No dial thermometer should really be trusted, especially after you've put the meat on. It will appear cooler than it is.- I added another shelf between the two provided. I didn't like my bottom layer that close to the pan's heat.- The side vent leaks. LEAKS! A gasket for grills and smokers will fix that when applied to where it overlaps the body. For a while, I moved another grill I own against the handle to keep it closed tighter.- Smoking in the winter or in cold temps (20's-40's) can burn through fuel and it's hard to keep the smoker up to temp. I use a cheap welder's blanket wrapped around the unit (but not the base or legs) and 3 heavy duty clips to hold it in place to keep it hot. This uses very little charcoal and you may even need to fully close the bottom vent to keep the heat from running away on you.- Look stuff up! Other people have been doing this a while and have webpages dedicated to ensuring you become an AMAZING cook

Rest of the product came in fine. The lid had a small dent used a cloth and some pliers to straighten it out. Ready to cook now!

Very easy to make, it does everything very good. All the food was made very well with this grill (especially ribs, very tender and juicy). I would suggest

En general, estoy muy satisfecho con este asador. Su diseño es elegante y moderno, además de que su funcionamiento es excelente. Sin embargo, debo mencionar que su tamaño es un poco más reducido de lo que esperaba, lo que puede ser un inconveniente para quienes buscan asar grandes cantidades de alimentos. Asimismo, las agarraderas de la parrilla pueden limitar el espacio disponible para colocar los alimentos a asar, lo que puede resultar un poco incómodo. A pesar de estos detalles, recomiendo este asador por su buen desempeño y su estética atractiva.

Esta excelente, no olvides precalentar a 250 grados y poner toda la cama de carbonetas, después de tres horas agregar más para mantener los 250 grados

Excelente produto, embora tenha saído muito mais caro do que era previsto. Recomendo o produto, não o vendedor.

I was very satisfied with the smoker! For the price I paid I felt like I stole it haha. Only a minor issue I had when I opened the box to build it which was the lid on the Cuisinart was dinged in a couple spots. In all honest it's metal and I'm not one to complain so I've let it slide. Overall great product and highly recommended to anyone!

Overall quality is good. Metal is thick enough. Happy with the buy.