Nerdy Science in the Kitchen

The 30 Incher Char-Broil Electric Vertical Smoker

Introduction

If you were asked to share some of your favorite dishes, chances are, a smoked or a barbeque recipe would probably be on your list. And why not? For many centuries, grilled dishes have become a staple food across various nations and different cultures.

Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker

See the Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker at Amazon

For decades, we’ve been preparing grilled and smoked dishes and swapped recipes with our family and friends. These outdoor dishes have become a common fare during special occasions and intimate gatherings – prepared in different ways. In fact, many have seriously elevated grilling to an art form and it’s always a joy to watch men showing off their skills during weekend get-togethers.

From barbeque spareribs to vegetable kebabs, there is always something to look forward to hot off the grill. Having a smoker in one’s home presents a wonderful way to enjoy leisurely meals with loved ones. It can also pave the way to healthier eating for people who want to steer clear from greasy dishes and processed food products.

With the hectic, fast-paced lifestyle we keep, we are often lured by the convenience of meals that came straight out of boxes and cans. By investing in a smoker, you open up creative ways to enjoy healthy dishes prepared from scratch. Wouldn’t it be a refreshing change to eat real food that did not come right off the microwave or takeout box?

With the right brand of smoker, you can enjoy preparing home-cooked meals and organizing family gatherings more often. But with all the different smokers and grillers in the market today, choosing the right one to fit your needs can be quite daunting. There are so many factors that need to be taken into consideration.

Before you decide, please take a few minutes to read our review on a particular brand of electric smoker, the Char-Broil Electric Vertical Smoker, 30”.

Review

Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker

Construction

The Char-Broil Electric Vertical Smoker, 30” was developed by Char-Broil, one of the leading companies in the USA that specialize in producing high quality cooking devices. This particular unit has a total weight of 49.5 lbs and a 17.5” X 20” X 37” dimension, making it an ideal choice for homeowners. Just like most brands of smokers, the Char-Broil Electric Vertical Smoker, 30” comes in a sleek black color.

This smoker is constructed using heavy duty materials, as it is specifically designed for outdoor use and built to withstand direct exposure to the elements.

To offer an efficient and more convenient cooking process, this unit is made with three adjustable chrome-plated cooking grates. You can also easily control and monitor the smoker’s temperature with its built-in thermometer and temperature gauge with bezel. Its insulated double-walled construction is intended for easier maintenance of cooking temperature. The unit also includes a porcelain-coated wood chips pan.

For easy cleanup and fuss-free maintenance, the Char-Broil Electric Vertical Smoker, 30” also features a porcelain-coated ash pan and grease up to store the accumulated dirt and oil during the cooking process. With its sturdy iron handles, opening and closing the smoker is made more convenient and safe.

Since a smoker is primarily built for outdoor use, the heavy construction of this unit is designed to be weather resistant. This means this smoker is built to last for a long period of time.

Capacity

Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker

The cooking unit has a total cooking space of 554 square inches. With its three adjustable oven-style cooking grates, you can conveniently cook three different dishes simultaneously thereby saving you time. The innovative combination of built-in temperature controller, smoker chamber, and heavy-duty grates, you can look forward to experimenting with different recipes to impress your guests and surprise your family.

Since the unit has a small cooking area, this one is not the ideal choice for people who love hosting large parties. However, for intimate gatherings and family dinners, you can definitely look forward to enjoying good food over great conversations with this smoker. There’s nothing like heartily prepared food to bring people together.

If you have a patio, this smoker may just be the missing piece to add to your outdoor ensemble. In spite of its small cooking capacity, this unit can process almost all kinds of smoked dishes. You can cook small amounts of meat, sausages, hot dogs, fish, veggies, sandwiches and many other types of dishes using this unit.

If you really need to cook large amounts of food to feed a crowd, you can choose to split food into 3 or 4 batches and cook each batch in the unit’s burner. While this may not be as convenient as cooking everything simultaneously, you will find that this process is not too time-consuming as one would assume. In fact, you can smoke different food at greater speed with this smoker, all cooked consistently to your satisfaction.

Heating Elements

Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker

This cooking unit is constructed with vertical configuration. It uses electric power to control and maintain the temperature and heat for your smoked dish. This unit is made with 1,500 watts of heating elements.

Unlike the more advanced smokers in the market today, this unit is not digital, which means you need to configure and monitor temperature manually. To prepare the smoker, you will need to manually set up fire using wood chips and water to produce smoke to cook food. Any brand of wood chips and wood chunks can perfectly fit into wood chips pan of this cooking unit.

See the Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker at Amazon

Cooking Details

As mentioned earlier, this cooking unit is constructed with three adjustable oven-style cooking grates, with a total cooking capacity of 504 square inches. This unit is a perfect choice for you if you love cooking small amount of smoked dishes for your family lunch or dinner. Maybe a smoked dish which can be eaten by 10 to 15 persons would fit perfectly in this unit.

The temperature of this cooking equipment can be controlled by just pressing the dial buttons. Its temperature gauge with bezel, double-walled construction and 1,500 watts of heating elements make it easier to maintain your desired heat and temperature so you can cook your food to perfection. This unit can be set at the maximum temperature of 300ºF. The temperature controller and maintenance of this cooking unit is very accurate and reliable, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time monitoring your dishes.

This cooking device can process a smoked dish at a greater speed, since it uses electricity power to maintain the heat and temperature. You can smoke up to 23 to 30 lbs of turkey for 8 to 10 hours using this unit. If you prefer eating chicken, a crispy barbecued chicken wings or crispy chicken burger might present a suitable meal. You can process these smoked chicken dishes for about 8 to 10 hours using this brand of smoker.

Fish dishes would also fit perfectly in this cooking device. For something unique, you might want to check out online recipes and look for crispy smoked fish served with lemon and soy sauce. If you are a fish eater but also love eating barbecue dishes, maybe the deboned fish barbecue is the ideal meal for you. All of these fish dishes can be cooked in the unit for about 8 hours.

This unit is also the ideal choice for you if you love eating processed food. You can have a delicious sausage sandwich breakfast, topped with lettuce, cucumber and pickles. If hot dogs will satisfy your craving, why not prepare hotdog sandwich topped with honey mustard? You may also enjoy a special hotdog steak recipe with an Asian twist – the possibilities are practically endless. No matter what type of smoked dish you prefer, it would surely fit perfectly with the Char-Broil Electric Vertical Smoker.

Check out these links for some great recipes for smoked chicken and prime rib!

Cleaning and Assembly Process

To set up this cooking unit, you need to manually assemble the parts, which will not take you more than an hour to do since this is a fairly small cooking unit. Using the enclosed manual, you need to assemble the ash pan, wood chips pan, grease cup, cooking grates and the iron handles to be able to start cooking. All the instructions for putting the parts together are explained clearly in the user manual.

Cleaning and maintenance of this smoker is quite a straightforward affair. The grease cup is designed to store all the accumulated oil and grime during cooking, making it supremely easy to clean up. You simply need to take out the grease cup and properly dispose its contents, before cleaning the container with soap and water then dry with a towel before placing it back in the cooking unit.

Meanwhile, the porcelain-coated ash pan can cover the entire chamber of the unit, and catch all the ashes after cooking. This feature prevents you from spending extra time and effort scraping the ashes, and creating large amount of mess after cooking.

All the instructions for cleaning and proper handling of the unit can be found in the user manual. Maintenance doesn’t have to be tedious as you only need to clean the surfaces with a damp cloth to remove dirt and oil which can hasten deterioration it left unattended.

Accessories

Most brands of smokers have recommended accessories. These accessories are sold separately from the smokers, which mean purchasing any of these accessories is entirely optional. While many of these accessories are intended for customization and protection of your cooking unit, there are also some accessories that are specifically designed to enhance the taste and flavorings of your smoked dish.

Let’s have a closer look at these options that can perfectly go along with this particular brand of electric vertical smoker.

While this cooking equipment is made out of heavy duty materials it is still important to protect it from dirt as well as direct exposure to the harsh elements outdoor.

As a solution to this problem, Char-Broil offers high quality smoker covers that are designed to fit most of their vertical smokers. These smoker covers are constructed using insulated metals and irons, which are intended for enhanced durability. You can buy these accessories in most local stores or online shops.

If you enjoy cooking sausages, you probably would want to cook them in a more organized and proper cooking manner. In order to do this, you need to put some sausage hooks in the cooking grates of your smoker for added convenience. Bradley offers some affordable sausage hooks, which contain 4 hooks each package. These hooks are made out of heavy duty stainless steel. You can purchase these sausage hooks at a very affordable price.

Smoke flavored wood chips and wood chunks will surely add extra richness into your smoked dish. Weber’s and Western kitchen appliances companies offer some flavored wood chips. You can choose from wide a variety of flavors such as cherry, mesquite, pecans, apple and hickory. Prices of these smoke flavored wood chips and wood chunks typically range per bag, but will last a long time if you alternate and switch them up.

Warranty

The brand offers a 90-day limited warranty for this cooking unit. Within this 90-day period, units may be replaced if the unit came with minor damage or if certain parts are defective and need to be replaced. You simply need to return the unit to the store where you made the purchase along with the receipt.

There are no local stores that provide warranty extension plan for this cooking unit. Since it has a very short warranty period, it is very important to properly inspect the product for any defects and follow the safety procedures and maintenance guide.

We highly encourage you to follow all the instructions for proper handling and cleaning provided in the product’s user manual.

Conclusion

Char-Broil Electric Vertical Smoker is one of the ideal choices for most households. Compared to other smokers in the market, this one is offered at a more affordable price although you need to compromise size or the quantity of food it can cook at a given time.

If you’re looking for an affordable smoker for those occasional outdoor cooking, this one definitely presents a perfect choice. Put this smoker on your list of finalists.

Char-Broil Analog Electric Smoker

See the Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker at Amazon

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