Char Griller "Big Red Kooker"

[gooffy140]

This is my first new thread. Thought I'd give my first impressions of the "King Griller, Big Red Kooker" by Char-Griller. I'm loving it. Plain and simple. I did some research on this grill grill/smoker prior to putting my $289 down on it. I as unable to find much about it online. I don't know if its to new on the market or if because its so inexpensive, no-one in the smoking community want to waste the hard earned cash on a could be an ok grill. Well, I'm glad I did.
Assembly was a snap. I assembled it in about 45 minutes on my front drive in about 30 degree weather. Using my wifes tools. which consisted of a Phillips head, a flat head,screw driver and a cressant wrench. So easy. The grill is amazingly sturdy. Puts the green Egg and BSK stands to shame. Fired up the grill oild the grates to season hem andlet it go for about two hrs. Monkey with the vents avigo getting used to the opperation of them. Had a hard time bringing the heat down once it got to high. I pulled half he coals and it stabiilized right in at 250 degrees and stayed there.
I threw on a whole 5# chicken on a beer butt rack. Tossed on some apple chips. And had smoked/grilled beer but chicken for supper that night. All seasoned and grilled in 30 degree weather on 1/2# of lump charcolal. Going to great seeing what it will do on a low and slow long cook.
The next weekend I did up 3 full racks of baby backs all cut in half and skinned. The temp outside was hanging right in at 0 degree mark so I put in about a pound of lump fired up yhe smoker and brought the temp up to 250. Had a hard time balancing the temp. Determined I needed to make a baffle/slash water pan before I attemped another low and slow. But the ribs turned out wonderful. I just had o baby sit the smoker a lot more then I wanted to. Esspecially since it was 0 degrees out side.
I bought a roll of small BGE lid sealling felt for $13 put it on the back of the sliding vent mechanism, that sealed the vent nicely. Can now control the air properly. So for $289 + $13. You can have a smoker that will do anything a BGE or a BSK will do. And have $400 - $500 dollars left over for meat and charcoal.
I'll admit I'm new to the smoking scene, but I can't imagine gettin a better rig then the Big Red Kooker, for $300. I'm thinking we're going to have to start calling it the BRK. Cause it won't be to long before the quality of the grill/smoker makes it into a big seller for Char-Griller. IMHO.

[Rys06TBSS]

You can hang it out around 250 for a long time... I always fill the fire box up all the way to. I usually use one starter cube and keep my vents barely open... Like maybe a nickles width. That seems to be the sweet spot for mine at least.

[Boshizzle]

Congrats on the cooker! Got a pic?

[gooffy140]

A couple of lucrative for my new toy.





A couple of pics of so.e if the food she's worked her manic on.

[gooffy140]

Silly phone and its auto correct. That's supposed to read, some pics. Above the photos of het. And magic.. above the photos of the food.

[gooffy140]

Originally Posted by Rys06TBSS

You can hang it out around 250 for a long time... I always fill the fire box up all the way to. I usually use one starter cube and keep my vents barely open... Like maybe a nickles width. That seems to be the sweet spot for mine at least.

I had to remove half of my lit coals on the rib cook to get the temp to come down. I figured I was going to be opening the lid up every hr or so to spritz the ribs with white wine vinegar, so if I needed to add more lump I'd just move the rib rack off the center and drop In a handful or so. But it chugged right along. I had my bottom vent pretty much closed until the last hr or so, it leaked so much air and with openi.g the lid all the time to Dr. the ribs they just kept right on chugging along. Now that I backed the vent slide with the BGE gasket I will probably have to open the vent some.
I love the recovery time on these Big Reds too. Way better then my other Char-Grilled with the side box.

Have you done a Boston Butt on yours yet? Was wondering if you thought you could get two 7 - 8 #ers o. The Big Red or not.

[JS-TX]

I would suggest filling your BRK with more lump, that way you don't have to keep adding more. I've never had to add any lump to my kegs when doing briskets or butts. I notice the red cookers have a grated removable CI piece in the middle, while the ones at Lowes have a solid CI removable piece instead.

[jsperk]

Food looks great the cooker looks awesome. Cograts.

[bigabyte]

Thanks for the review!

[Big Bears BBQ]

The chicken sure looks good .....

[Boshizzle]

Nice pron and smoker, congrats!

[BasicPatrick]

Serious question to the vets...could you bring that to an Eggfest

[gooffy140]

The chicken was great. I've done a lot of chickens on the grill and on My chargriller outlaw with the rottiserie, but that one was by far the best yard buzzard, I have ever done.

[gooffy140]

Originally Posted by JS-TX

I would suggest filling your BRK with more lump, that way you don't have to keep adding more. I've never had to add any lump to my kegs when doing briskets or butts. I notice the red cookers have a grated removable CI piece in the middle, while the ones at Lowes have a solid CI removable piece instead.

A friend of mine has 2 BSK. he loves them. Picked 2nd one up at Menards on closeout sale for $289. Lucky farker. So I'm familiar with them. I like that they are a tad bigger and accesories are easier to find for them but the cost has just gone through the roof the last coulpe of yrs. I like the CI removable part in mine too. And the removable ash pan, so far, we'll see how the gasket holds up.
Hoping that Char-griller realizes they have a good thing and starts making some accessories for it like a good diffuser and the like. I set up my own diffuser. Out of a webber 17" coal rack and a 15" CI skillet.

Thanks for the advice on topping of the lump coal. When u fire up your keg for a low and slow do you pile the coals then light the top with a cube or how do you keep the heat down? From what I've been reading that seems to be the way to do it. Then adjust heat up and down with inlet vent.

Thanks

[bbqchicken]

hmmm interesting....