12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Don't waste your money
Date of Review: Jul 11, 2008
The Bottom Line: If you want a smoker, spend a little more and you'll be happy. If you want a grill, there are better made grills on the market.
This was my first large size grill that I had ever purchased (I now own seven grills - two of which are for smoking). I was initially sold on the fact that it can be used as a grill and a smoker. However, after using it to smoke some meat, I've moved on purchased two other smokers. I have since turned this grill into my dedicated rotisserie.
Putting together the grill was very simple. Shouldn't take any more than 30-45 minutes. After your done, these are the features you'll see:
1. Large lid which is great when cooking large pieces of meat like turkey.
2. 4 air vents to allow for temperature control and air circulation.
3. Built-in thermometer
4. Large charcoal tray which can be brought up or down to control temperature.
5. Large rack
6. A small door on the front of the grill for access to charcoal
Here are the main benefits of each feature:
1. The large lid is handy, especially if you have a rib rack which stands ribs on their sides. With this unit, you can cook several ribs with ease. Or, it you want to cook a turkey or several ham shanks, this can also be done.
2. The air vents come in handy since you always want to control the heat. However, only the bottom vents should be used to control the heat. The top vents are always left open for exhaust purposes.
3. The built-in thermometer is useless. It gives you readings of warm, ideal and hot. Buy an inexpensive over thermometer and place it on the rack so you can accurately gauge your heat.
4. The charcoal tray looks good when you open the box and put in the barbecue but the metal is thin and warps very easily. Also, the sides are not high enough to prevent charcoal from spilling off the tray and into the main chamber. You can adjust the height of the tray, but because it is flimsy be very careful when you are doing it.
5. The rack is large and nice to use when cooking a lot of meat. However, this is a proprietary rack so forget replacing it with an after-market rack if it ever gets damaged. The rack is designed so that there are four parts that fit into holes in grill so the rack doesn't move around. The rack is also made of porcelain but I like iron grates instead.
6. The door to access the charcoal is a nice idea but it's really small and difficult to feed more charcoal when necessary. It would be easier to add charcoal from the top but the rack design prevents this from happening.
Overall, if I knew better, I probably wouldn't buy this again. The reason I bought two other units for smoking (Chargriller with side fire box and Weber upright smoker) was because the Sante Fe cannot maintain a consistent enough temperature when smoking. Heat escapes from the closed lid and through the door where charcoal can be accessed. Also, in order to smoke properly, the heat needs to be far enough away from the meat so it won't burn. This doesn't do the trick.
If all you want to do is grill hamburgers or hots for lots and lots of people, this will work. However, as I've pointed out, I own seven other grills and this unit now sits as my dedicated rotisserie for a reason.
