Cuisinart COS-244 Vertical Propane Smoker, Black

This smoker was very easy to assemble. I did it in my dining room in 45 minutes or so. Instructions are good enough for anyone with any mechanical ability to figure out. I will say that Cuisinart should not even bother including tools. They fit the fasteners very poorly, and honestly, if you don’t have the required philips screwdriver and a couple of basic wrenches, you probably shouldn’t be tackling this project. Anyway, I’ve smoked some pork tenderloin and ribs since I’ve had it, and both turned out perfect. I took some advice from other reviewers and used the extra pan for water on the bottom rack and filled the chip/water tray with chips. Worked excellent. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because I feel that temperature control is a bit touchy. I may add a different style vent. Overall, great value for the money.

I’m new to smoking food. I have used my Weber propane grill to smoke a little bit, but I wanted a “real” smoker. I decided to go with propane since it seemed like there would be less work to maintain the temperature and smoke. Assembly was very easy and instructions were clear and easy to follow. I did go out and buy a set of four locking casters to install on the bottom of the legs. I did have to drill holes through the bottom of the feet to attach the casters. Smoker is heavy, so having locking wheels is a must since I will store this in my shed when not in use. Before my first use, I decided I should season the smoker. I was surprised that the manufacturer did not have any mention in the manual about seasoning the smoker. I found a lot of online recommendations for doing this and figured it would be worth it, plus I could get use to the temperature adjustments without risking any food… I wiped down the interior of the smoker with a lite coat of canola oil and filled the wood tray with dry apple would chips. I started the burner (first click on the igniter!) and let the smoker go on high for about two hours. It took about 15 min for the wood chips to start smoking. I also noticed quite a bit of smoke coming out of the edges on the main door, so I ordered some grill gasket tape, which I will install next week. The next day I smoked a pork shoulder for over 12 hours and some sausage links for about two hours. Both turned out perfect. I’ll never have crock-pot pulled pork again…. The temperature was easy to maintain and having the separate door to add additional wood chips definitely helped maintain the temperature. I would highly recommend this smoker to any beginner. It will be interesting to see if the door gasket will help, not completely sure it’s 100% necessary, but others have recommended it so we will see. One other thing, which is no surprise, the thermometer on the door was not very accurate. I used the NutriChef (PWIRBBQ80) (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076B36HF9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Bluetooth thermometer and monitored the temperature of the pork shoulder and the smoke chamber. Definitely a must have. Now I cant wait to use this more. Beef ribs are next!

**Updated: Sept 24th 2020**
After one full summer of smoking, I can honestly say that I love the food I have made with this smoker (and so does my neighbor). I have burned through at least a dozen propane tanks. I’ve smoked everything from salmon, beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, including eggplant for baba ghanoush, and even made my own chipotles and smoked cayenne peppers, which were awesome is my smoked cast-iron baked beans… My Bluetooth thermometer also held up all season. The smoker has held up well, there’s a small brisket flat on there now. There is one burn spot on the outside rear of the smoker where the burner is, but has not hurt the integrity of the smoker box. I keep the smoker covered when not in use. The door gasket tape was a must and has definitely helped contain the smoke in the smoker. I used the “FireBlack Hi Temp BBQ Smoker Gasket Self Stick 15 ft High Heat 1/2 x 1/8 Black”, from Amazon, which fit both doors perfectly. I think this is a pretty standard upgrade for any smoker, based on all the reviews I’ve read. I agree with a lot of the reviews about the poorly designed wood/water tray. I do not put water in the water/wood chip tray, I use disposable aluminum trays for the water on the bottom shelf and overload the wood chip tray with one or two larger wood chunks and a bunch of presoaked wood chips. I have not had any problems with not having enough smoke. I have not wanted for more shelves, but do think I will be upgrading to a larger smoker at some point, so I can fit full slabs of ribs and full briskets (just need the wife’s permission). The shelves are a little too small for this (14 x 14 inches), so ribs have to be cut in half and it only fits smaller cuts of brisket. But as an intro to smoking, this was a huge success. I also built a cedar cabinet with a cement countertop to go with this smoker, that provides much needed counter space and storage for the propane tank, wood chips, and trays (picture attached). If you are thinking of trying out a smoker, as a beginner, I think this smoker is a good bet. It made me a smoking addict.

Cuisinart Vertical Propane Smoker, not the electric version. This is a great smoker at this price point. There are aspects that could be improved, but it’s understandable that allowances were made to keep costs low.
Pros: Large! Four racks that can be removed, so even a turkey will fit by removing a rack (or two). Heat control is decent. Low setting kept mine at 250^F. Easy to assemble, sturdy enough (again, price point). Temp gauge is pretty accurate, burner lights easily, temp control knob works fine.
Cons: Costs were cut on the door handles. Not sure how to upgrade the closing mechanism, but I’m working on it. The unit doesn’t seal well, but that’s fixed with any after-market high-temp gasket. Other reviewers say not to seal the unit, but those must be for the electric model. Sealing the propane one is a no-brainer as there’s an adjustable vent on the back to control smoke/heat. The tray that holds the wood chips also holds the water, which evaporates quite quickly. One fix for that is constant monitoring, the other is to use the included drip/water pan on the bottom shelf. When the water in the pan runs out, the temp can go up by 50^ or more. Thinking about a Rube Goldberg style automated water filler for the lower pan…
So far everything I’ve smoked has turned out wonderfully.
Bottom line: This is a great unit to start out with and possibly stick with. It’s large, works great, is pretty bare-bones, and won’t break the bank. The next step up in quality and features would be a leap, cost-wise.

Alright, so I took a plunge into smoking meats with the propane version of this smoker. I watched a lot of youtube videos and shout out to Harry Soo’s youtube channel who inspired me to do this and I have gotten some excellent results. Watch his How to Prepare Brisket for smoking video from Harry Soo. Now to the smoker:

*Instructions for this thing were very good and it was easy to put together. I live in a colder area and like to smoke year around so I purchased some grill gasket ($15) on amazon to seal around the inside of the door and keep more heat in right off the bat.
*I did struggle on colder winter days to get the temperature to even 200 degrees and it did ruin one of my smoke sessions. I read some reviews and absolutely agree with others, the wood chip pan that sits over the propane is extremely thick to the point that it prohibits the smoker from getting even in the 225-250 range to smoke in really cold environments. I pulled the thick wood chip pan and wound up using some thin aluminum pans instead and it allowed the smoker to get in the range needed. This is a $3-5 fix.
*Temperature gauge is not reliable and you have to get a digital thermometer. I think most people know you can’t rely on these.
*Durability – I’ve had it for a year and it has sat outside in Iowa winters covered when not in use. I think it has held up pretty good. Small amount of rust here and there. I don’t really care how it looks and think it will hold up to use a few more years of use. Do I think it will last 5+ years, hard to say.

Fish, brisket, chicken. It does an excellent job and is a great smoker for the money.

Had they thought through the design of the wood chip pan a little bit better I think it could have been a 5 star smoker, but given that you do have to change parts to make it work I’m going to give it 4 stars