BBQ Guru Shotgun Smoker
Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 2:06 pm
Got my hands on the new Shotgun Smoker from BBQ Guru. Here's a review of the cooker and my experience with it. Special thanks to Bob Trudnak for the loaner. I'm not a journalist, or wordsmith, so please bare with me.
This unit is quite a bit more heavy duty than it's older brother the Onyx Oven, with heavier gauged steel body, heavier hinges, upgraded door clamps, extra cooking space, and a beefed up charcoal basket. A dolly handle and wheels have also been added to make it easier to move around. The website claims the unit weighs in at 200 pounds. Me and my two 11 year old sons were able to load and unload it easily in my pickup.
Standing on the wheels and legs, the unit measures 42" high. The actual outer dimensions of the unit are 35"h x 26 3/4"w x 17 3/4"d. The inside measurements of the cooking chamber are 20 3/4"h x 22 1/2"w x 14"d. The cooking grates can accommodate a full pan at 22"w x 12 3/4"d. The charcoal basket measures 5"h x 20 3/8"w x 13 1/2"d. The ash pan measures 22"w 15 5/8"d by 1/2"h.
The Shotgun smoker comes with 3 grates that can hold a full pan each. You can purchase an additional fourth grate to expand your cooking capacity. I would say each rack can hold one brisket, or 2 racks of St. Louis style ribs, or 2 to 3 pork butts (depending on size), or 20 to 24 chicken thighs/legs.
I lit the pit up with about 8 pounds of B&B Lump around 1 pm on Saturday afternoon and set the Guru for 250. I put the brisket on at 2:30, and added a few hickory chunks to the basket, then left to go DJ a wedding. I got back around 10 pm and the brisket was ready wrap. Around 1:30 am she was ready to pull. I added around 2 pounds of lump to make sure it kept warm until I was ready to add the ribs the next morning. Around 9 am Sunday morning I turned the Guru up to 275 and added a few chunks of apple to the basket. Put the ribs in a short while later and had them done by 12:30. Bumped the Guru up to 300 and loaded up some sausage. When the sausage was done I decided to just let the cooker ride at 300 and see how long it would it go. At 7 pm it was still sitting dead on 300, so I turned the Guru off and plugged the air inlet.
Overall this is a great unit. You can cook comps, backyard, or even cater with it. It's heavy duty steel is designed to make it last for years, and the charcoal basket is definitely built to last. The well insulated walls help keep the heat where it needs to be and greatly reduces charcoal usage. About the only complaint I would have is I wish it was taller so you don't have to bend over so far to mess with the lower racks and charcoal basket. But, I'm lazy too.
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This unit is quite a bit more heavy duty than it's older brother the Onyx Oven, with heavier gauged steel body, heavier hinges, upgraded door clamps, extra cooking space, and a beefed up charcoal basket. A dolly handle and wheels have also been added to make it easier to move around. The website claims the unit weighs in at 200 pounds. Me and my two 11 year old sons were able to load and unload it easily in my pickup.
Standing on the wheels and legs, the unit measures 42" high. The actual outer dimensions of the unit are 35"h x 26 3/4"w x 17 3/4"d. The inside measurements of the cooking chamber are 20 3/4"h x 22 1/2"w x 14"d. The cooking grates can accommodate a full pan at 22"w x 12 3/4"d. The charcoal basket measures 5"h x 20 3/8"w x 13 1/2"d. The ash pan measures 22"w 15 5/8"d by 1/2"h.
The Shotgun smoker comes with 3 grates that can hold a full pan each. You can purchase an additional fourth grate to expand your cooking capacity. I would say each rack can hold one brisket, or 2 racks of St. Louis style ribs, or 2 to 3 pork butts (depending on size), or 20 to 24 chicken thighs/legs.
I lit the pit up with about 8 pounds of B&B Lump around 1 pm on Saturday afternoon and set the Guru for 250. I put the brisket on at 2:30, and added a few hickory chunks to the basket, then left to go DJ a wedding. I got back around 10 pm and the brisket was ready wrap. Around 1:30 am she was ready to pull. I added around 2 pounds of lump to make sure it kept warm until I was ready to add the ribs the next morning. Around 9 am Sunday morning I turned the Guru up to 275 and added a few chunks of apple to the basket. Put the ribs in a short while later and had them done by 12:30. Bumped the Guru up to 300 and loaded up some sausage. When the sausage was done I decided to just let the cooker ride at 300 and see how long it would it go. At 7 pm it was still sitting dead on 300, so I turned the Guru off and plugged the air inlet.
Overall this is a great unit. You can cook comps, backyard, or even cater with it. It's heavy duty steel is designed to make it last for years, and the charcoal basket is definitely built to last. The well insulated walls help keep the heat where it needs to be and greatly reduces charcoal usage. About the only complaint I would have is I wish it was taller so you don't have to bend over so far to mess with the lower racks and charcoal basket. But, I'm lazy too.
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Forum. It's been a while since we've had any activity from Swamp Donkey but maybe someone that has some knowledge of the Shotgun Smoker will see this and offer up a Comment. 