Camp Chef PG24MZG SmokePro Slide Smoker with Fold Down Front Shelf Wood Pellet Grill, Pack of 1, Black

I have been smoking meat for about 15 years now, I currently own 4 different smokers, and I compete annually in the local KCBS event. Being a "BBQ purist", I was against pellet smokers, electric smokers, gas smokers, etc. Burn coal or wood or burn nothing at all I thought. These Pellet smokers were for backyard want to be's that have no skill, and it was my duty to be against these contraptions, or so I thought. Slowly I started to evolve my thinking as I started using temperature controllers and other assisting devices to my smokers, until finally I thought, what the hell, why not try out a pellet smoker. So after much research on different brands I decided to go with the Camp Chef for its easy clean out and high temperature grilling capabilities.The Camp Chef arrived in good condition and was relatively easy to assemble with the help of my son (a second body is very helpful). There was no damage to any parts and once constructed the unit was ready to go. After running it for 4 hours to cook off manufacturing oils and such, we loaded her up with some oak pellets and threw on a whole brisket to see what kind of space this thing had. I used the top rack so I could put a drip pan below the brisket (preserving the clean smoker as long as possible) I could see there was plenty of room to have a second brisket on the lower rack, possibly two if they are on the 10lb size. After 18 hours at 225 we had a gorgeous and delicious piece of meat with a better wood flavor than I get from my Weber Smokey Mountain.Over the past two months, I have fallen in love with this thing, using it every weekend. From Steaks, to burgers, to chicken, to roasts, this Camp Chef has converted me. I still have use for my other smokers on the big cookouts, but when I am cooking for just the family or a small group its the Camp Chef that gets the nod.The good:* Easy clean out of ash, reduces the frequency you need to vacuum out the smoker.* Pellet hopper release makes changing out pellets easy. I never worry about how much to put in, as I can load it up, then pull the lever to dump the remaining out. This allows me to change up which woods I use depending on the cook.* Easy to use, minimal need to watch over it* Hopper holds enough pellets to smoke for 10-16 hours depending on your temperatures, the window makes it easy to see the pellet level from afar.The bad:* The temperature sensor seems to be down near the fire pot, so the temperature in the cooking area is about 20 degrees cooler that what ever you set the smoker at. This is not a big deal, but irritating.* Overnight cooks can be a challenge, I live in California with decent weather overnight in the winter and saw a significant drop in the cook chamber temp overnight with the outside temp in the upper 40s to low 50s. They sell an insulated blanket for these, but I have just gone to turning up the temp before going to bed.* The pellets can run dry if you do not periodically shift the pellets in the hopper due to the way the auger pulls

I am very pleased with this pellet grill. It arrived well packed with all the parts. Assembly takes a little effort but isn’t too difficult.I have used it a dozen times and have had zero issues. I’ve been using Traeger Pellets. No issues.Temperature controls are great. It holds temp very well. 2 meat probes is nice. Lower temp settings allow you to dial the degree of smoke. Works great!I tried the “grill” slide. It’s ok. If you want a quick grill get a regular grill. Even with the slide open it takes longer but the flavor makes it worth it.I followed the instructions for initial burn off. A must! The plates are packed in oil.Start up is nice with a count down timer. Each time I use it I make sure to run the shutdown program setting.Finish is holding up well. Only semi-complaint is the drip tray inside. It is rusting. I don’t see this a significant issue since the metal is fairly thick.Buy this thing!

Purchased in August of 2019 - Still LOVE it today and use it in all types of weather!Short review: 5 stars for a smoker, ease of use, the extras and clean up but we don't like louvered drip tray. 1 star for a grill - lack of smoke flavor and messy and grease dripped through the louvered drip tray into the bottom of the smoker box.Our goal was to get a smoker that was easy to use, clean up was simple, and gave a good smoke. If it grilled well it was a bonus but not a necessity.We researched and compared: Traeger, Pitt Boss, Green Mountain, and Camp Chef (CC)We chose the Camp Chef PG24MZG for the ease of cleaning and the dual temperature probes, a front shelf (which is a must) plus the glass view into the pellet bin. Purchased at Amazon for $599.00 + Tax. This model does not come up on the Camp Chef site for models. It must be searched by model number. Only found on Amazon and Camp Chef site but Amazon was cheaper as CC raised its price and is out of stock. There are two top racks measuring 8”x~20 each. They can be extended for a 16"x20" smoking area.The first 5 uses of CC Smoker were with Hickory pellets. 1st with Traeger (I could buy them locally, then with Camp Chef - ordered from Home Depot with free shipping. We've since used Kingsford pellets but prefer the Camp Chef brand for more flavor.1st use was hamburgers on the SG grill function (slide pulled out for direct flame). The grill got into the 400 range and we observed 15 to 20-degree temperature swings. It took approximately 20 minutes to cook 2 burgers. The burgers lacked any smoke flavor - disappointed2nd use - burgers cooked slower - used a 250-degree approach to get more smoke flavor. It took approx. 35-40 minutes. There were no grill marks and there was more smoke flavor but we were still disappointed. We will not cook burgers on the smoker. We don’t want to have to double cook by searing afterward.3rd use - pork butt (small 4 lbs) cooked for 7 hrs. It had a nice smoke flavor and we pulled it at 185 to slice vs. pull.4th use - lower rack beef brisket (5lbs) upper baby back Ribs 3lbs. Cooked on High Smoke for 9 hrs. Pulled brisket at 195. Nice smoke ring and good flavor, ribs were tender and smoke flavor. We observed 15 to 20-degree temperature swings.5th use – 3 racks baby back ribs and 3 lbs. country ribs. We were surprised by the rain and got 1.3” while smoking. Our Camp Chef was near the house but not completely out of the rain and it did GREAT! The temperature stayed consistent, no water got in the pellet box or smoke area. Overall after 10 hrs, the ribs came out great!Over the past 2 yrs, we've filled it up and have smoked 2 15+ lb briskets at the same time and both came out flavorful and moist. All our meat has been very moist and we've smoked pork, beef, and chicken.Our previous smoker is a Weber 22" Smokey Mountain Cooker. We wanted something that would be easier to use and not require as much monitoring and we were willing to sacrifice some smoke flavor for ease of use and cleaning. The ease of use far outweighs any smoke flavor loss, and again, the meat has good smoke flavor.The ash cup is great! The one thing I would change is the louvered drip tray. The burgers dripped on it and into the lower section. The brisket also dripped on it and made a mess in the lower area. We put heavy aluminum foil on it to avoid the grease dripping onto the flame diverter and lower section. We have not seen any difference in the smoke flavor and it is very easy to just remove the dripped on foil and put a new piece on.Overall we HAVE recommended this smoker and absolutely would buy this smoker again.