Great Smoker, Cant comment on it as a grill.
I've smoked many a piece of meat on my Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal Smoker, everything from Turkey, Wild Hog, Venison and more. This little smoker has never once let me down. I've never used it as a grill so I can't comment on that aspect of it's use but I imagine it would work well for that as well. My grilling is done on another nice Brinkmann appliance. Performance Great smoker overall. I've run charcoal through this thing for 13 plus hours at a time smoking Missouri Wild Hog and it's performed beautifully and never let me down. As I stated above I've never used it as a grill however if it performs anything like the two other Brinkmann Charcoal Grills I've owned (one I currently own) they have always held up well even under extreme use and to extreme weather situations as my grill and smoker spend most of the summer outside. The only issue of note, I have found after two or three seasons the finish starts to wear out but that is easily rectified with a can of Rust-Oleum high temperature flat black. Versatility I've smoked tons of meat in this thing as mentioned above. I'm actually looking for a larger smoker at this point, which brings me to the only down side of this little smoker, It's size is the only thing that really holds it back in my book. Ease of Use The Brinkmann gourmet charcoal smoker is a super simple, very well designed and engineered smoker and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable smoker for home use. Ease of Cleaning I love the way this thing breaks down for cleaning and emptying ash. I wish my grill did the same. Durability I figured after a couple of years of use it would start to rust out since it spends most of its time sitting on my deck exposed to the elements in the summer but it really hasn't. As mentioned above I have since repainted it with High Temp Spray paint, however this seems to be fairly common with Brinkmann products as I have had to do this with both the grills I've owned after a few seasons. However if its any testament to their durability both Brinkmann grills I have owned are still in good usable shape, my first one was passed down to my father-in-law 4 years ago when i bought a new one and he's still using it. I expect based on its performance so far this smoker will last much the same. Design There are a few minor things I would improve but overall I am very happy with this smoker and will be checking with Brinkmann to find out if they make a larger version of this great little unit.
glasser3
USA