Char-Broil 20″ Bullet Charcoal Smoker – 18202076

Been smoking for a number of years now, using my trusty Weber kettle and finally decided to try a dedicated smoker. I wanted to stay with charcoal, and given my experience with Weber (on my second Weber in 40+ years; the current kettle is 20 years old and still looks almost new), my inclination was to get a WSM; the price for the 18″ WSM was north of $400. I looked at alternatives, using both customer reviews and videos, and decided to give the Char-Broil 20″ a try. Cost was less than half that of the smaller WSM, but reviews were mostly positive. I’m glad I did!

This smoker is sturdy… nearly as heavy gauge steel as our kettle, and well-constructed. Assembly was straightforward and took about 15 minutes (one person). Before first use, I sealed the rims of the upper and lower sections, as well as the access door hatchway with grill/smoker gasket material (also use a gasket to seal the Weber kettle’s lid). Did a 6-hour higher temperature “burn-in” to season the smoker before first use. The only hiccup I encountered was that the bottom vent lever/bottom vent itself became “stuck” at operating temperature, and I didn’t want to force the vent to move, bending or breaking the control arm. Once cool, i was able to carefully break free the vent (I suspect the high temp paint they used was not fully cured from the factory, and the burn-in caused the paint to cure, and act a bit like an adhesive. After breaking it free, the problem has not recurred. I contacted Char-Broil customer service and they eventually mailed out a replacement vent and vent control arm, which I’m keeping in reserve as spares.

We’ve had the smoker about three weeks now and I’ve done baby back ribs, pulled pork (about a 7 lb shoulder), a pork loin, and most recently a smoked approx 5.5lb chuck roast (“poor man’s brisket”) and the results have been top notch.

This bullet smoker makes it so much easier to control and maintain desired temperatures compared to the Weber kettle (snake/fuse method). I have found it not difficult to dial in to that desirable, 225-240°F ‘low-n-slow’ target temp. Burn times using a combination of Kingsford charcoal to start the fire, and quality hardwood lump charcoal for the main fuel, and I’m easily getting 10+ hours of fire… I’m confident I could nurse it to go 12 hours without replenishing.

All in all, aside from that initial, sticky bottom vent control issue, I am well pleased.

10/3/2 Edit: Forgot to add that the thermometer on the lid should not be used to determine actual smoke temperatures, but as a rough gauge. I use a wired probe for smoke temp readings at rack level, and I’ve found the thermometer on the lid reads approximately 40°F cooler than actual temp (this is not unusual… the thermometer on the lid of my Weber kettle is off by about the same amount too). So, IF you use the lid’s thermometer, remember to add about 40° to get your smoke temperature.

There may be a way to calibrate/adjust the lid thermometer… I just haven’t gotten around to it since I always rely on the dedicated probe. The Char-broil has a silicone rubber access port to pass through any thermo probe wires… very nice feature, much appreciated.

The Char-Broil bullet is the first smoker I have purchased and used and I am very pleased with the smoker itself and the cooking results. The Char-Broil arrived very well packed and in excellent condition. To me it has the look and feel of a nicely made product of very good quality. Set-up and use are super simple and you can be up and smoking in a short time. I have already smoked a rack of baby back ribs, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers and whole chicken. It does take some time to become familiar with the “nuances” of smoking with charcoal but it’s not difficult at all. How much charcoal to use, what kind of smoking wood, cooking temp, air vent adjustment all play a part but it is easy and fun to learn smoking/cooking over a low and slow charcoal fire. As a comparison I will say that I had ordered a well known competitor (cough, wsm, cough) a week earlier and while I never got to cook with it (damaged upon arrival) I can comment on the construction vs. each other. IMHO I think that the Char-Broil has a better finish on the metal. the metal of each unit seemed comparable in thickness/strength but the side access door on the Char-Broil is constructed of thicker metal and has actual hinges. And personally I am happier with the extra 2 inches in diameter of the 16′ Char-Broil cooking surface vs. only a 14″ surface on the other competitor. And best of all the Car-Broil is nearly $100 cheaper than the 14″ competitor. I would easily recommend the Char-Broil 16″ Bullet Smoker.
After using this smoker for several months I have a couple of observations. First is that the smoker is holding up very well. I did use the LavaLock 12 Grey High Performance BBQ gasket smoker seal (purchased here on Amazon) to seal the door and the top and bottom of the cooking chamber. This keeps all the smoke in and a clean exterior as well. The smoker still looks like new on the outside and the ceramic coated cooking grates still look in as new condition also. I treat the grates with a cooking spray that contains Canola Oil, Soybean Oil and Palm Oil before every cooking session. After the smoker cools and during cleanup I wipe the grates off with hot water and heavy duty paper towels. All the paint/coatings look great and show no signs of damage or wear. Second and a very minor negative. The bottom air vent control can sometimes be a little sticky to move it from side to side (open or closed). I found that all I need to do is twist the handle a slight amount when I move it and the operator slides with no problem. It appears that the plastic handle on the front vent operator can sometimes get slightly caught on the track and prevent smooth operation. Not enough of an issue to take a star off once I figured it out. Also I have found that I just need to learn the nuances of smoking with charcoal and that simply takes experience. I have used this smoker about 8-10 times now and gotten better each time. The 3-2-1 rib method didn’t work for my Baby Back Ribs. 1-2-1 or 1 hr no foil with just dry rub, 2 hrs wrapped in foil with butter, honey and apple juice inside and 1 hr unwrapped with BBQ sauce gives my best result and that is at 225 degrees. When you wrap your ribs in foil makes a difference. A 24 hr brine soak for my chicken before the smoke session makes a difference. Hard lump charcoal vs briquettes makes a difference. Water or no water in the bottom pan makes a difference. I am new to smoking but enjoying the learning experience. All in, I am very happy and have enjoyed some very tasty food from this smoker. I wish you the same and hope you have a great backyard smoke session. Peace my friends 🙂

Updating my previous review after working with customer service to replace a defective smoker and now using the replacement smoker for the summer/fall seasons. The first smoker I was sent was defective, the bottom air vent would not open, and Amazon/the seller/Charbroil replaced it with a new smoker very quickly and with little hassle – well done. After using the replacement smoker for a full summer and fall I can say it’s a great little smoker at this price point. It’s easy to assemble, easy to use, can put a decent amount of meat in the smoker, and the combo bottom and top venting system gives a lot of flexibility in controlling the temperature. There is some smoke leakage from the front door and the top lid although that seems common for most bullet type smokers from what I have read online and can probably be solved with some insulation tape which I will try next season.

La verdad muy bueno. Facil de armar y de usar. Vi algunos videos en la red para usar ahumadores de este tipo y luego hice una picana y quedo excelente mucho mejor de lo que pensaba. voy a seguir con un pollo y un poco más de tiempo un brisket