[Wayne]

There is nothing magic about the Bandera. I like it a lot but if I had to buy another pit I would look around and see what else is available. There are a lot of good smokers available in the market today. My Bandera currently has a broken hinge so I will use the old NBBD (whick I still love) on the next BBQ. I still have not decided how I am goingtofix the Bandera. I might take it to a welding shop or maybe drill andbolt a new hinge on the thing. I will probably wait till spring to get it fixed. The thing that I love about the Bandera is the nice grill in the fire box. That would be my only wish item for a Spicewine smoker. I really like to use the grill for searing meat. I fix lot of chuck roasts (super steaks) and I like to finish them off over the fire. I will also some times fix burgers on the firebox on evenings when I am planning to BBQ all night. As far as I am concerned all my brand loyalty was lost when Charbroil bought them out and shut down the plant in N.B., Tx.