Introducing The Most Affordable Gravity Fed Insulated Cabinet Smoker on the Market

[Stagg3r]

Thanks for the channel JG. I have been watching and I was actually the one asking about the heat shield and cement. Sorry to say to everyone else that I just got the last set of casters from Amazon. Glad to hear that they are delivering pits. The shipping company still says mine is going to ship on 4/21.... uhhh... wait a minuet... Oh well, I didn't really need precise tracking anyway.

 

[BBQButler]

Im glad to see more are rolling out! They couldnt give me too much info when i called back at the beginning of COVID.

The JG youtube channel is mine, im happy to answer anything you guys want about the smoker. I got a little side tracked the last few months with work but im back to recording while i smoke things.

So far ive smoked probably 40ish racks of ribs on it, 10 brisket, 20 or so pork butt. It gets its weekly use for sure.

We’re the 10 briskets at once? What would say brisket capacity is and how long was your cook at what temp? I’m looking for a overnight brisket cooker — so I can sleep and not add sticks.

 

[HuskerMan]

We’re the 10 briskets at once? What would say brisket capacity is and how long was your cook at what temp? I’m looking for a overnight brisket cooker — so I can sleep and not add sticks.

I wouldn’t think a person could get 10 briskets at once. The advertise being able to have a brisket capacity of 6 at once. I think that is a little aggressive. With the size of briskets and allowing proper airspace I imagine I could get 3 briskets on there. Essentially one each rack. More than that and it might start getting a little crowded. Obviously this could be slightly dependent upon the size of briskets cooked.

 

[supramkivtt2jz]

We’re the 10 briskets at once? What would say brisket capacity is and how long was your cook at what temp? I’m looking for a overnight brisket cooker — so I can sleep and not add sticks.

No, definitely not at once.

You could cook three large 20+ lb at a time but i wouldnt use the bottom grate for anything delicate like that. I guess you could shove 6 small ones in there but that would be over capacity and like no airflow. You can realistically cook 10 8lb pork butt in it with no issues.

Yes, i run it over night. I top off the charcoal before i go to bed and always sleep easy. Wood chunks only last 45 minutes or so, so be weary of that.

 

[Stagg3r]

So my OCGS showed up yesterday. The packing on it was fairly minimal but it appears to have survived just fine.

Initially the delivery guy was just going to leave it at the curb. As in, on a pallet in the street between parked cars. I kinda gave him a sideways look on that. I get that it says no steps but it also says to the front door. So he took the 3 min to help me get it off the street and to my actual door. From there, I was able to get it in the house.

After unwrapping. I was pleased to see that there was no shipping damage. What I did find was that most of the gaskets are damaged or just don't fit. The one on the firebox door has a large gash in the corner and the one on the fuel stack was too short so that it leaves a gap.

So add $50 worth of tadpole gasket (got 12' in case I need to replace it in the future... just figured I was already doing it...) to the bill. Fortuitously, my Fireboard drive showed up on the same day so I was able to size up the connection. The ball valve is, indeed 1.5 inches. The Fireboard fan adaptor is 1 inch so I picked up a 1.5" to 1" bushing at Lowe's. Unfortunately, they only had galvanized so I'll need to order a stainless one at some point.

The threaded temp probes Fireboard sells fit perfectly in the door slot for a quick and easy general temp. I had though about just getting a probe port for this slot or an analog like others have but, given that I'd have to buy a TelTrue for at least the same money, it just made sense to go through the Fireboard.

Now the really sad thing. I start my work week of 12 hour graveyard shifts in 2 hours so my new buddy is going to remain a virgin until Sunday (at least it's my "short" week). Ahh well...

Last thing. Right now the working name is "Monolith" even if that would be better for a normal cabinet smoker. Not very sexy-fied but he/she still has lots of time to tell me who they are going to be.
P.s. tried to put the pics in the text but Flickr doesn't love me.

 

[Stagg3r]

May have spoke too soon. Found a nice ding on the back. No big deal. Just needs some paint. However, I too have the uneven door issue that others have had. Not sure what to do about that one.

 

[HuskerMan]

Maybe it’s the angle but your uneven door looks worse than mine. I honestly haven’t been able to fire mine up due to being busy with work and life in general but that should hopefully change this weekend. Obviously they are trying to rush these out the door as fast as possible but it does seem like quality is taking a little bit of a hit by doing so.

 

[Stagg3r]

Unfortunately, I don't think it's the angle. There is nearly a half inch difference between the top and bottom of the door. I can't tell if it is enough to effect the seal though. I guess I'm going to have to get a bit medieval with a rubber mallet and block. It's sure not a Limo Jr. I just need to keep reminding myself... the price was right... the price was right...

 

[mgreenly]

I picked mine up in Norman, OK earlier this week and I have the exact same issue with the uneven door (mine actually looks identical to yours). I was so excited to find one in the wild that I didn't fully inspect it until I got home (4 hr round trip).

I was hoping it was just cosmetic, but when I fired her up for a seasoning, smoke is coming from the top of the door (about half as much as what's coming from the stack). I tried to rubber mallet, as well as using a heavy-duty clamp, to try to bend it to my will...no joy. I checked if there was anything obvious that might be causing the misalignment, but couldn't find the cause.

On a side note, I think the person that was doing the welding on this thing was probably drunk. It welds are okay where it matters, but some of the grate guides (especially the fire grate) are crooked as heck.

I contacted Academy about the issue, and they are offering to come pick it up for a return, but I don't want to part with it until I have another one secured. I imagine I could just add some extra gasket around the door, but I'm a bit worried that the entire unit might be tweaked somehow.

TLDR: It does look like Quality Control isn't able to keep up with the number of these things they are producing right now.

 

[HuskerMan]

I picked mine up in Norman, OK earlier this week and I have the exact same issue with the uneven door (mine actually looks identical to yours). I was so excited to find one in the wild that I didn't fully inspect it until I got home (4 hr round trip).

I was hoping it was just cosmetic, but when I fired her up for a seasoning, smoke is coming from the top of the door (about half as much as what's coming from the stack). I tried to rubber mallet, as well as using a heavy-duty clamp, to try to bend it to my will...no joy. I checked if there was anything obvious that might be causing the misalignment, but couldn't find the cause.

On a side note, I think the person that was doing the welding on this thing was probably drunk. It welds are okay where it matters, but some of the grate guides (especially the fire grate) are crooked as heck.

I contacted Academy about the issue, and they are offering to come pick it up for a return, but I don't want to part with it until I have another one secured. I imagine I could just add some extra gasket around the door, but I'm a bit worried that the entire unit might be tweaked somehow.

TLDR: It does look like Quality Control isn't able to keep up with the number of these things they are producing right now.

It’s funny you mention the fire grate guide being crooked. I have the exact same issue. The right side is a good 3/8”-1/2” lower. I would have rather waited another 3-4 months and got one that didn’t have the door and other issues than get one rushed through the process.

 

[Stagg3r]

Hmm. Well, tomorrow will be my trial. Actually, if I block it and put a few parallel clamps and pipe clamps, that should be enough force to bend it. Just got the new gasket material in the mail but I'm not sure it is enough to do the door as well as the firebox and coal feed. I'm not eager to deal with a return on this but if it won't seal then it is what it is.

 

[onemanlan]

Holy crap that door bend is pretty brutal. If you were to gasket seal the door it looks liked you'd need 2 different thicknesses to appropriately seal it all. I hope you guys find a solution or get your dollars back. Real shame you don't find out about it until its in your possession.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Sucks to see these issues - not sure why door is like that from pic - if it’s the door or door jamb or hinge. Can you push it flush.? If so - may be it’s in the hinges? Cut off n reweld/replace ? Or add a push clamp at top corner. It does seem this batch was rushed after the COVID shutdown. I sent this thread to Alejandro via email.

https://www.amazon.com/LavaLock®-LL-12050-Smoker-Vertical-Handle/dp/B074TQNX88

 

[Stagg3r]

So I put a new gasket in the firebox. Actually, the frame is bent there too. I was able to use some kamado gasket to push it tight. Still, not feeling so warm and fuzzy on this pit. The wife is starting her, "You paid this much and it may not work and you have to fix all this?" Not a good sign. Cutting the door off is a non-starter. I don't have the equipment and I'm sure that would void the warranty by just a smidgen. Looks like a call is going out to Academy tomorrow. Pretty bummed at the thought of not even getting to cook a single meal and the wait on a replacement but this is starting to look like a quagmire. Guess I'll have to get on the wait list for that Limo Jr. despite my best efforts.

 

[mgreenly]

A quick update on my door...I tried to put a clamp on it (rated at 400lbs) to see if I can get it to close any more than it is. I put so much pressure on it that it was starting to bend the clamp bar and it only moved closed the door by 1/4". As soon as I take the pressure off, the door goes right back to being about 1/2" off (and obviously not sealing).

@Stagg3r - My wife has been having the EXACT same conversation with me. :-D

It's great that OC will get visibility into this thread so they can make the necessary adjustments at the production facility. I'd hate for everyone to just try and modify their smokers to fix the issues without reporting the problems (and it never gets fixed).

 

[pjtexas1]

Unfortunately, I don't think it's the angle. There is nearly a half inch difference between the top and bottom of the door. I can't tell if it is enough to effect the seal though. I guess I'm going to have to get a bit medieval with a rubber mallet and block. It's sure not a Limo Jr. I just need to keep reminding myself... the price was right... the price was right...

This was my first thought too. Open the door, put a 2x4 at the bottom opening, hold another 2x4 on the upper handle area and start beating the top 2x4. If it goes south just claim it came that way. Not a great option but it's either that or send it back.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Stagg3r]

A quick update on my door...I tried to put a clamp on it (rated at 400lbs) to see if I can get it to close any more than it is. I put so much pressure on it that it was starting to bend the clamp bar and it only moved closed the door by 1/4". As soon as I take the pressure off, the door goes right back to being about 1/2" off (and obviously not sealing)..

I also tried the clamping method. I put a 2x4 along the door frame from. The latch down and clamped the top corner with 2 Jorgensen Parallel clamps and a pipe clamp. I could pull the door back but it still won't hold the shape after releasing. This makes sense as you have the frame of the door and then the front and back panels tensioning the door into shape and the door handle is rigid too. It would be one thing to bend a hallow metal frame but once the sheets are welded on, that shape is frozen in place.

 

[HuskerMan]

A quick update on my door...I tried to put a clamp on it (rated at 400lbs) to see if I can get it to close any more than it is. I put so much pressure on it that it was starting to bend the clamp bar and it only moved closed the door by 1/4". As soon as I take the pressure off, the door goes right back to being about 1/2" off (and obviously not sealing).

@Stagg3r - My wife has been having the EXACT same conversation with me. :-D

It's great that OC will get visibility into this thread so they can make the necessary adjustments at the production facility. I'd hate for everyone to just try and modify their smokers to fix the issues without reporting the problems (and it never gets fixed).

Count my wife as a third to have issues. I purposely didn’t fire it up this weekend not knowing if I would have to return it. Hate to do so but I’m not sure if I want to keep a product that doesn’t seal properly at the door without having to modify it myself. I’m a pretty understanding guy but for a $1,300 pit it really needs to seal tight and function as it should. But wonder if I would be required to drive 3.5 hours to the nearest store to return.

 

[GoCards82]

I have one coming this week. Hope these units are outliers, but I doubt they are. Seems like a rushed bad batch.

 

[HuskerMan]

I have one coming this week. Hope these units are outliers, but I doubt they are. Seems like a rushed bad batch.

Lets hope for your sake. There are a couple others on Facebook that I know have recently bought them that I've reached out to see if they have similar issues.



I reached out to Academy Customer Service at the request of the customer service person I spoke to on Friday evening with pictures. I could live with the paint damage as a rattle can could take care of that but the warped door and missing gasket material on the charcoal chute I decided are no go for me on this pit. Mainly the warped door. While I know this is a budget pit in comparison to others in the Gravity Flow world having a door and charcoal chute that seals properly seem like a pretty important detail in the overall design of this style smoker. Like others have also said putting money into a brand new $1,300 pit to correct issues, no matter how big or small the amount is a no go with the wife. I think I may know at least a partial cause for the warped door but need to do more investigation first.