Yes, the cooking grates can easily be removed.

Yes, they come out for easy cleaning.

We do not recommend it. We suggest starting your fire on the grates provided. It is ok for the coals to fall through and smolder on the floor. By elevating your fire it allows for oxygen to pass nicely through underneath while optimizing our damper heights.

Yes. Our smokers are fully insulated and will maintain their temperatures even in the colder winter climates.

Yes. Our smokers use the water in the waterpan to keep your meat moist and tender. Because our firebox sits directly below the cook chamber it provides a safety barrier between the meat and the fire to prevent the meat from burning or drying out. If you do not keep water in the water pan, you could potentially damage your smoker and cause a grease fire.

Due to our quality construction and insulation, our smokers have unmatched heat retention and can maintain temperatures throughout the cook, we believe we would be steering our customers wrong by offering the Guru upfront. We recommend that you get your smoker, get comfortable with your fire, and cook on it a few times. If after a few cooks you still want to use a temperature control fan then you can contact us to order control fan adaptable dampers.

One of the biggest benefits of our smoker is that you do not need to continually open the door to move your meat around. Our “Waterpan Technology”™ ensures a consistent cooking temperature while keeping your meat moist and tender. There is little to no variance in temperature in the cook chamber. Just be sure to keep about a fingertip width in between your meats to allow the smoke to move freely and evenly in the cook chamber.

Yes. The waterpan is slightly pitched towards the drain, so after your cook, all of the grease and the water will easily drain out together.

We recommend cleaning the float valve after every cook or at a minimum after every 5 cooks or so to make sure it stays clean and doesn’t get caked with grease. You can simply wash it with dish detergent and water.

Once you reach your desired temperature, you can easily control the temperature with the dampers on either side of the firebox.

The time to get up to temperature can vary depending on the size of your smoker and the temperature you are cooking at, but typically within 30 minutes. The real benefit of the “Waterpan Technology”™ comes when the water starts to boil and the steam.

Using any of the manufactured pre-set settings on the automated water fill system will provide anywhere between 1 1/2 “ to 2.5” of water.

There are so many variables that play a part such as, the flow of oxygen, temperature you are cooking at, how much meat you are cooking, fuel sources used or type of wood. A good rule of thumb once you are up to temperature, you generally only need to add a small split log every 30 – 45 minutes. Many of the smaller models such as the 36, 48 and 60 burn charcoal also at about 2 to 3 lbs. per hour. Fuel consumption can vary on the larger model smokers but we are confident you will use much less fuel under the same temperature conditions of any model you are cooking on now due to our technology and construction.

On the standard models it is normal to have some rusting in the waterpan. To prevent it from rusting, you can spray it with cooking spray before you fill it. The more it is used and seasoned the less likely you are to see rusting. The certified UL/NSF units have a stainless steel waterpan.

The sight glass elbow on the side of your smoker next to the water system provides you a manual solution to filling your smoker when access to a hose is not available. You can also visually maintain your water level through the side sight glass as well so that you do not have to open your door and risk losing any heat. You could fill your waterpan from the front if you have not started your cook yet. We do not recommend maintaining your water levels this way, since it would cause you to open the door frequently which would cause you to let out all that precious heat.

Our “Waterpan Technology”™ makes our smokers the best on the market. The waterpan helps to keep a consistent temperature in the smoker by circulating the heat and helps the meat retain its natural moisture and tenderizes throughout the cooking process. This provides better yields on your meats, eliminates hot spots, and reduces fuel consumption. Because this process is so forgiving you could cook hot and fast if that is your cooking preference.

The drain is a 1.5” NPT valve. If you want to extend the drain with a pipe or a hose, you would need a 1.5” NPT Male thread fitting to connect them.

You can cook with charcoal, wood or a combination of both. Some of the larger models also offer a gas burner package.

We can ship anywhere. We offer freight services that cover the entire United States. While we do not provide exportation services, we can prepare your smoker for an overseas shipment and refer you to a company who can assist you with getting the smoker to its final destination. You tell us where you want your smoker and we will help you get it there.

Gas assist can be done on the smaller flat racks, however we are so confident in our quality construction that we feel it unnecessary to maintain temps. Our smokers are 100% fully insulated using a military grade insulation, which means you just don’t need gas. Our smokers get up to temperature and maintain their temperatures like no other smoker on the market. In addition with the “Waterpan Technology”™ you will also have the ability to cook much hotter and faster if you choose. No need to stay up all night spending a lot of time tending to your fire.

All of our smokers go through a 2-step, powder coat process. Powder Coating is tougher in the face of weathering and chemical erosion. It provides a superior and attractive finish and is four times more durable than paint. We apply a zinc primer base coat for added durability and we then finish with a high-temp exterior powder coat, which is rated for 5,000 salt spray hours.