On my trip to Costco today I noticed a Smoke Hollow charcoal grill.
The charcoal pan height is adjustable over at least a 6" range. The grates are cast iron, allegedly porcelain coated. The charcoal grate is a lesser metal but appears fairly beefy. The side tables are supposed to fold down, though I couldn't figure out how to do that on the floor model. Air flow is controlled by the two slotted inlets on the lower corners of the fire box. There are two short smoke stacks that have an unusual control mechanism. There are caps on the top of each stack but they're attached via bolts that are 3 or 4 inches long. You can raise and lower them by spinning the caps. I looked through the manual, which is mostly assembly instructions, and didn't find any mention of this feature but a couple minutes playing with it made the light bulb come on over my head.
What interests me most is the large cooking area and the possibility of building a practical three-level fire, which is something I would actually make use of if I had the ability. I've always found it awkward to make hamburgers and hot dogs at the same time because the hamburgers want high heat and the hot dogs are best over medium to low heat. (Or is that just because I have one fussy eater who won't touch a dog with any black on it at all?)
Overall the grill appears to be pretty sturdy. I suspect it would benefit from a seal of some kind between top and base, but otherwise it looks well sealed and solid.
Does anyone have any experience with this model or even this brand in general? I couldn't find this listed on the manufacturer's web site so either it's brand new or it's a Costco-only item. For $200 I'm very tempted to grab one but I've been bitten by poorly built grills before and don't want that to happen again.
The charcoal pan height is adjustable over at least a 6" range. The grates are cast iron, allegedly porcelain coated. The charcoal grate is a lesser metal but appears fairly beefy. The side tables are supposed to fold down, though I couldn't figure out how to do that on the floor model. Air flow is controlled by the two slotted inlets on the lower corners of the fire box. There are two short smoke stacks that have an unusual control mechanism. There are caps on the top of each stack but they're attached via bolts that are 3 or 4 inches long. You can raise and lower them by spinning the caps. I looked through the manual, which is mostly assembly instructions, and didn't find any mention of this feature but a couple minutes playing with it made the light bulb come on over my head.
What interests me most is the large cooking area and the possibility of building a practical three-level fire, which is something I would actually make use of if I had the ability. I've always found it awkward to make hamburgers and hot dogs at the same time because the hamburgers want high heat and the hot dogs are best over medium to low heat. (Or is that just because I have one fussy eater who won't touch a dog with any black on it at all?)
Overall the grill appears to be pretty sturdy. I suspect it would benefit from a seal of some kind between top and base, but otherwise it looks well sealed and solid.
Does anyone have any experience with this model or even this brand in general? I couldn't find this listed on the manufacturer's web site so either it's brand new or it's a Costco-only item. For $200 I'm very tempted to grab one but I've been bitten by poorly built grills before and don't want that to happen again.
