[Added comment, 05/11/2019] After using the smoker a few times, I still like it, but I have discovered a small drawback: It is difficult to completely remove ashes from the firebox. The grate that the coals sit on does not fit through the end door at all, and it must be tilted about 45° to pass through the top door, so most of the ashes fall back into the firebox. That would not be so bad, except that the side opening is an inch or so above the floor of the box, so you can't easily brush the ashes out. I'm going to try a combination of a brush and a small scoop. A trap door in the bottom of the firebox would have been nice, so that the ashes could be dropped directly into a bucket. I don't know how other smokers handle ash removal, but it seems there must be a better way. Still, this is a very inexpensive model, and it does work! [Original comments] The box as delivered weighs over 65 pounds, so if UPS drops it off at your front door, and you want it in the back yard, you may either need help to move it, or plan to unpack it and move it in pieces. Assembly was easy, although there are a lot of parts, and it took me a good bit of an afternoon. There were a few places where a second set of hands would have been helpful for holding a part in place until the bolts were started, but nothing major. The instructions were generally clear and easy to follow, and the parts that might be confusing were labeled. The various bolts, nuts, and other connectors were in separate, labeled, compartments of a plastic tray, a highly appreciated touch. The instructions say that you will need a Phillips screwdriver and a wrench, showing a Crescent-style wrench. This is true and adequate, but a medium and a large Phillips, and a socket wrench set are better, if you have them. (Actually only one socket, but I don't remember the size at the moment.) [I think Murphy must have been one of my ancestors; if it's possible to do something backwards, I will. Remember, the opening in the top piece of the fire box must be on the right, connecting to the main cooking chamber, and the air intake in the lower piece must be on the left. I know, it should be obvious. Fortunately, it only took removing four bolts to fix it, after I stopped banging my head and saying "D'oh!"] The only semi-serious flaw that I have noticed so far is the the curve of the upper cover of the fire box is not a good match for the curve of the opening it is supposed to close, leaving big open gaps along the sides. I'm not sure how much this really matters in use, but I was able to bend the cover into a better shape (by hand, just by pressing down in the middle and pulling up on the bottom edge of the cover), and I added strips of self-adhesive "smoker gasket" material around the edges. There are also gaps between the base and the lid of the smoking chamber, and I haven't found an easy way to close them up, but I'm not really as concerned about them; once the smoke and heat are encouraged to go up there from the fire box, they're doing their job, even if there's some leakage. It's never going to be as easy to maintain a steady temperature in a classic charcoal-/wood-fired smoker as in an electric or pellet type, but on my test burn this afternoon, not trying to cook anything, I was able to keep it between 200° and 300° for about three hours, with only minimal fiddling with the air intake and outlet, and the size of the fire. I don't think it will be hard to fine tune to ~225° with practice. Still, that's not to say you'll ever be able to "set it and forget it." Cooking with this type of smoker is always going to require steady attention. If you want to do a 12-hour brisket, that's a serious commitment. (It's also a good excuse to sit outside in nice weather and drink beer, but that's another topic.) I've actually gotten pretty good at long, slow, smoking in a Weber grill, using a charcoal "snake" around the perimeter (Google that if you'd like to try it--it works!), but I was getting frustrated by the size limitations when I wanted to cook brisket or ribs, and by the fire always being in the same chamber with the meat--never really completely indirect heat. This Royal Gourmet smoker seemed to be an inexpensive way of moving up, and as a cooking traditionalist, I'm actually looking forward to spending some time with it. More anon . . .
