Cuisinart COS-118 Vertical 18" Charcoal Smoker

I love this thing and I don’t love anything I’ve never given a great review of anything before This thing works best with lump charcoal Set it and forget it literally don’t open the lid or door until your ready to take it out so that means you need wireless thermometers Buy those cheap on amazon too

Se nota la calidad ,impresiona mucho ...mejor que otras marcas de renombre (weber) materiales super resistentes las parrillas que son 3 no se diga super reforzadas ..

The gauge that comes wit the unit is useless. I hade to install another gauge to ensure proper temperature control. The door also leaks smoke and the enamel is deteriorating very quickly . Okay for the price but with 20/20 hind sight I would have spent more for better quality.

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

Bought this, fairly easy to put together, my husband used it today and we are hooked. Easy instructions for delicious smoked food. The ribs were delicious.....can't wait for the next experiment using this. The size is perfect for the 2 of us and a couple of racks of ribs and some potatoes, mushrooms and garlic. If you are thinking about it go for it.