Camp Chef 18-Inch Smoke Vault Propane Gas Smoker

I've been using this smoker for several months now and I have had great results. Not only does this smoker produce great tasting ribs, I've even smoked a duck. Like most smokers, the built in thermometer isn't all that accurate, so I opted for a 3rd party digital one with a probe. Temperature control is with a dial ("Hi, Med, Lo") but there are also vents at the bottom and top to make fine adjustments to the temp.

Really simple to use with awesome results

I've smoked everything, brisket, ribs, yard birds (chicken), turkey, salmon, peach cobbler. All came out great. We no longer can buy bbq from a restaurant. And it's so easy to carry on trips. I never leave without putting it in the travel trailer. Propane readily available and water and wood blocks and you're set. Smoke fills the campgrounds and everyone knows it's going to be great food. Buy yourself some thermometers. One for the oven, the thermometer on the door ain't so accurate, and one for the meat. It is so easy to cook perfect meat. USE the thermometer.

5 users found this review helpful

Assembly was reasonably easy. The only problem was getting the door off but WD40 took care of that. We had never used a smoker before so I followed the seasoning instructions and several of the hints and tips. Our first attempt was a 22 pound turkey. We butterflied the bird, applied a dry rub and used mesquite ( this is Arizona!) chips. We smoked it the day before Thanksgiving, let it cool, sliced it, wrapped it plastic wrap then foil and stuck it in the frig. The next day we simply put the foil pouch in the oven to reheat. No the plastic wrap doesn't melt and it helps keep the meat moist. We thought it was the best turkey we had ever eaten and everybody at the dinner love it. So we next tried a "picnic" port roast with similar success. Two or two, we look forward to using our smoker frequently. We are smokin' fans!

I used an expensive pellet smoker for years but the food was too dry and too smoky for my tastes. The pellet smokers require special fuel and have too many moving parts to fix and no water tray. They are hard to clean and maintain. The camp chef gas smoker cooks moist meat at low heat with minimum fuss and few parts to replace or break. The water tray is a must for low heat smoking and creating moist meat. The camp chef 24 model is first class gas smoker at a reasonable price. Good value for the buck. Assembly was easy and the service at camp chef is good if you need it. I also own a camp chef gas stove and the burners are high quality like the smoker. You can't go wrong with this smoker and in 5 years you can afford a new one at this price.

4 users found this review helpful

I bought this smoker recently from a friend. I've been in the market for a smoker for a while, but wasn't willing to spend the money on something I wasn't entirely sure I was going to use all that much. I picked the smoker up in new condition from a friend who like me didn't use it like they thought they would. After using a few weekends in a row now, I will probably never go back to smoking on the grill. This is easier than the grill smoke method, and the food comes out amazing. Set your temperature, set your chips, put your food in and your done. There's no adjusting temperature, unlike trying to smoke on my grill where it was a constant. Even for me someone who has never fooled with a smoker much, just been around them can look up recipes online and come out like a professional. I have the 24" propane smoker and I will never own anything but. Would definitely recomend, even for a beginner.

The Smoke Vault 18 was easy to assemble. Parts were easy to identify. Instructions did a great job of walking me through all the way to smoking my first piece of meat. This was my first time smoking anything and the pork loin came out great using a recipe from the website. Next I did ribs and they came out great. Beer can chicken got great reviews as well. The unit holds temperature very well, it is not a gas hog and fairly easy to clean considering whats going on inside there. The unit is all of what Camp Chef says it is. A very nice unit for beginners. I will definitely buy another Camp Chef product.

3 users found this review helpful