How I DIY BBQ Guru Shotgun Smoker
Got my hands on the new Shotgun Smoker from BBQ Guru. Here's a review of the cooker and my experience with it. Special thanks to Bob Trudnak for the loaner. I'm not a journalist, or wordsmith, so please bare with me.
This unit is quite a bit more heavy duty than it's older brother the Onyx Oven, with heavier gauged steel body, heavier hinges, upgraded door clamps, extra cooking space, and a beefed up charcoal basket. A dolly handle and wheels have also been added to make it easier to move around. The website claims the unit weighs in at 200 pounds. Me and my two 11 year old sons were able to load and unload it easily in my pickup.
Standing on the wheels and legs, the unit measures 42" high. The actual outer dimensions of the unit are 35"h x 26 3/4"w x 17 3/4"d. The inside measurements of the cooking chamber are 20 3/4"h x 22 1/2"w x 14"d. The cooking grates can accommodate a full pan at 22"w x 12 3/4"d. The charcoal basket measures 5"h x 20 3/8"w x 13 1/2"d. The ash pan measures 22"w 15 5/8"d by 1/2"h.
The Shotgun smoker comes with 3 grates that can hold a full pan each. You can purchase an additional fourth grate to expand your cooking capacity. I would say each rack can hold one brisket, or 2 racks of St. Louis style ribs, or 2 to 3 pork butts (depending on size), or 20 to 24 chicken thighs/legs.
I lit the pit up with about 8 pounds of B&B Lump around 1 pm on Saturday afternoon and set the Guru for 250. I put the brisket on at 2:30, and added a few hickory chunks to the basket, then left to go DJ a wedding. I got back around 10 pm and the brisket was ready wrap. Around 1:30 am she was ready to pull. I added around 2 pounds of lump to make sure it kept warm until I was ready to add the ribs the next morning. Around 9 am Sunday morning I turned the Guru up to 275 and added a few chunks of apple to the basket. Put the ribs in a short while later and had them done by 12:30. Bumped the Guru up to 300 and loaded up some sausage. When the sausage was done I decided to just let the cooker ride at 300 and see how long it would it go. At 7 pm it was still sitting dead on 300, so I turned the Guru off and plugged the air inlet.
Overall this is a great unit. You can cook comps, backyard, or even cater with it. It's heavy duty steel is designed to make it last for years, and the charcoal basket is definitely built to last. The well insulated walls help keep the heat where it needs to be and greatly reduces charcoal usage. About the only complaint I would have is I wish it was taller so you don't have to bend over so far to mess with the lower racks and charcoal basket. But, I'm lazy too.
This unit is quite a bit more heavy duty than it's older brother the Onyx Oven, with heavier gauged steel body, heavier hinges, upgraded door clamps, extra cooking space, and a beefed up charcoal basket. A dolly handle and wheels have also been added to make it easier to move around. The website claims the unit weighs in at 200 pounds. Me and my two 11 year old sons were able to load and unload it easily in my pickup.
Standing on the wheels and legs, the unit measures 42" high. The actual outer dimensions of the unit are 35"h x 26 3/4"w x 17 3/4"d. The inside measurements of the cooking chamber are 20 3/4"h x 22 1/2"w x 14"d. The cooking grates can accommodate a full pan at 22"w x 12 3/4"d. The charcoal basket measures 5"h x 20 3/8"w x 13 1/2"d. The ash pan measures 22"w 15 5/8"d by 1/2"h.
The Shotgun smoker comes with 3 grates that can hold a full pan each. You can purchase an additional fourth grate to expand your cooking capacity. I would say each rack can hold one brisket, or 2 racks of St. Louis style ribs, or 2 to 3 pork butts (depending on size), or 20 to 24 chicken thighs/legs.
I lit the pit up with about 8 pounds of B&B Lump around 1 pm on Saturday afternoon and set the Guru for 250. I put the brisket on at 2:30, and added a few hickory chunks to the basket, then left to go DJ a wedding. I got back around 10 pm and the brisket was ready wrap. Around 1:30 am she was ready to pull. I added around 2 pounds of lump to make sure it kept warm until I was ready to add the ribs the next morning. Around 9 am Sunday morning I turned the Guru up to 275 and added a few chunks of apple to the basket. Put the ribs in a short while later and had them done by 12:30. Bumped the Guru up to 300 and loaded up some sausage. When the sausage was done I decided to just let the cooker ride at 300 and see how long it would it go. At 7 pm it was still sitting dead on 300, so I turned the Guru off and plugged the air inlet.
Overall this is a great unit. You can cook comps, backyard, or even cater with it. It's heavy duty steel is designed to make it last for years, and the charcoal basket is definitely built to last. The well insulated walls help keep the heat where it needs to be and greatly reduces charcoal usage. About the only complaint I would have is I wish it was taller so you don't have to bend over so far to mess with the lower racks and charcoal basket. But, I'm lazy too.
If you don't like it,you can buy the following Better finished product。
Product description
This portable stainless steel table top gas grill is built for the BBQ-grillers on the go. The long-lasting stainless steel construction allows you to enjoy outdoor cooking wherever you enjoy it most - on picnics, camping, boating, tailgating or even in your own backyard. The compact design, with locking lid, folding legs and large front carry handle makes this grill very portable and easy to transport or store. The grill operates on small, disposable one-pound propane cylinders (not included), which are available nationwide as a common camping accessoty item.
Customer Reviews
This will be one of those reviews where I wish I could do a half star. If I could, I would probably put this unit at the 3.5 range in the early going. I bought this about 6 months ago. After a couple "test meals" I have used it on one half-week camping trip and a few more times when too lazy to light the coals on my big grill. When feasible I will always go to charcoal for grilling but I have occasion to try to travel light for camping/fishing trips and a unit like this comes in pretty handy for the portability and convenience, but I digress! My take:
Build quality: Quite decent for the price range. I compared it side to side with a unit my father-in-law paid triple the cost for. The 300 dollar unit had nicer stainless steel and was somewhat beefier but I don't see it lasting NEAR 3 times as long as this unit will.
Overall design: The unit is well thought out for the most part The legs fold under nicely and the lid latches down well. In this position it is fairly comfortable to carry, to the extend you ever will. If I have a gripe here it is that the drip pan doesn't latch closed and it can slid around on you when carrying the unit.
Functionality: I have had some successes and some failures with the unit. I am not overly thrilled with the temperature range. All the way from high to low seems to be about 100 degrees of range, which will naturally be affected by ambient temp. I attempted to do a tri-tip roast on it on the Oregon Coast in rainy weather and I basically ruined a good piece of meat because it got away from me too quickly. However, I've had great success with burgers, pork chops, and chicken breasts, which is more like what you SHOULD be doing on a unit like this anyway. After about 12-15 meals that I've done to date, the piezo igniter failed, which, in my experience, is what piezo igniters do, which brings me to....
Customer service: I called the company on Monday about the failed igniter. A lady who's FIRST language is English answered the telephone in a voice I could understand and without me having to press any additional buttons and listen to any MUZAK. It took me about 5 minutes to explain my problem, give her the purchase date, and have a new igniter on the way. Today is Thursday and I just finished installing the new igniter. Therefore, I put customer service at a FAT A+, hence the half star over rather than under! :)
Build quality: Quite decent for the price range. I compared it side to side with a unit my father-in-law paid triple the cost for. The 300 dollar unit had nicer stainless steel and was somewhat beefier but I don't see it lasting NEAR 3 times as long as this unit will.
Overall design: The unit is well thought out for the most part The legs fold under nicely and the lid latches down well. In this position it is fairly comfortable to carry, to the extend you ever will. If I have a gripe here it is that the drip pan doesn't latch closed and it can slid around on you when carrying the unit.
Functionality: I have had some successes and some failures with the unit. I am not overly thrilled with the temperature range. All the way from high to low seems to be about 100 degrees of range, which will naturally be affected by ambient temp. I attempted to do a tri-tip roast on it on the Oregon Coast in rainy weather and I basically ruined a good piece of meat because it got away from me too quickly. However, I've had great success with burgers, pork chops, and chicken breasts, which is more like what you SHOULD be doing on a unit like this anyway. After about 12-15 meals that I've done to date, the piezo igniter failed, which, in my experience, is what piezo igniters do, which brings me to....
Customer service: I called the company on Monday about the failed igniter. A lady who's FIRST language is English answered the telephone in a voice I could understand and without me having to press any additional buttons and listen to any MUZAK. It took me about 5 minutes to explain my problem, give her the purchase date, and have a new igniter on the way. Today is Thursday and I just finished installing the new igniter. Therefore, I put customer service at a FAT A+, hence the half star over rather than under! :)
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