Howling Hog BBQ (at Howling Wolf Farm)

Here's a brief review of my new Char-Griller "Super Pro" with the Side Mounted Firebox. As I said, my father bought the unit for me this weekend. The model he bought came from Lowes.



Comments:

Assembly was pretty easy, although the instructions themselves were poorly written. Fortunately, this grill is similar in many ways to my Silver Smoker, so I was able to successfully assemble by "feel".

Although it came in a smaller box, this unit's smoking chamber (on the right in the picture below) is deeper and taller. As you can also see, the firebox is mounted on the right hand side of it, which was convenient for me because my Silver Smoker's firebox is mounted on the opposite side making the placement of the two grills perfect.



What I like:

• Size. It's bigger than what I've got now.
• The unit has 4 cast-iron grills. The cast iron should hold up better than the standard steel.
• It has removable ash pans in both the primary chamber and the off-set firebox.

• The ash pan in the primary chamber also acts as a fat channel that guides fat toward the drain in the bottom.

What I didn't like:

• I think the side vent is too small. I had to open the ash drawer on it a couple of times when my heat wouldn't rise.

I think the vent on my Silver Smoker is better, plus it has a door which gives you a much larger draft option when you're starting it. The door access vs. drawer access also makes it easier for me to start a fire using a blowtorch - my preferred method.

• The installation instructions. They were lousy. No doubt about it.
• The thermometer on top of it is useless and poorly sealed (after a night of rain it was ½ full of water). Of course, you should take your chamber temps from grill level anyway, so it doesn't really matter.
• The warming rack. There's really nothing wrong with it but I want vertical space as much as I want horizontal space. I didn't opt to install mine. It allows me to do things like Beer Can Chicken without another rack getting in the way.

All in all, It's a REALLY solid piece of grilling equipment. Particularly when you consider the $170.00 price tag. For an amateur, or a serious Que'er on the cheap (like me!), it's fantastic.

Having used the Silver Smoker nearly four years now, I think I'm going to really enjoy the extra space. Kudos to father BlueMule for the gift!

Mule