Recently my family and I took the plunge and decided to stop renting and instead pay ourselves by buying a house. COVID-19 has been disastrous thus far for many families but we’ve been very lucky in that our work hasn’t slowed down, and in many respects we are busier than before. This isn’t to brag, we are very blessed and humbled by the whole experience.
One of the perks to moving for us though was that my wife and I decided to get each other something we’ve been wanting for a while but couldn’t buy due to saving money for our closing and move expenses. My wife decided she wanted to get into sublimation and went for that set up. For me, the direction was simple, the choice was not. I wanted to get a smoker.
I have been dabbling in BBQ ever since moving to the south 4 years ago. My first foray was with a very cheap drum smoker that was very difficult to maintain temperature while cooking and I also found very difficult to BBQ for some of the longer cook times that things like pulled pork and brisket require. As such, I was never able to achieve pulled pork and my 1 brisket attempt gave about a C- product. I was able to make some amazing spatchcock chicken on the grill however and towards the end was able to get a good start on ribs while finishing them off in the oven.
This leads us into the choice and results of my quest to find the right smoker for me. I went with the Triton Classic Gas/Charcoal Grill and Smoker Box from Academy Sports and Outdoors. I went with this grill for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that it fits my family’s lifestyle for a more reasonable price.
What are the pros of the Triton Classic Gas/Charcoal Grill and Smoker Box?
There are many benefits for this particular product:
- Lightweight design (as far as smokers are concerned) allows for easy transport and set up.
- Comes assembled from Academy Sports and Outdoors
- 660 square inch grill space allows plenty of room for nearly every cut of meat.
- The propane grill space is perfect for steaks and burgers while waiting for your meat to be cooked.
- Built in thermometer allows you to maintain temperature without opening the grill lid.
- Propane burner on the side is perfect for sauces, beans, or deep-frying foods outside so as to avoid cooking smells in the house.
- Charcoal grill is great for grilling hot dogs while waiting for longer cooks to finish.
- Wire grate attachment is perfect for cooking sausage and chicken while also smoking bigger cuts like brisket and pork butt and is easy to remove.
- Storage shelf under the grill which is perfect for your outdoor pots and pans.
- Adjustable coal rack is perfect for a water pan or to catch drippings.
What are the cons of the Triton Classic Gas/Charcoal Grill and Smoker Box?
While there are many pros, there are also some cons to this particular grill:
- Smoker box and grill size makes it difficult to maintain temperature for long periods of time.
- Ash build up in smoker box needs to be addressed after the first 4 hours of cooking.
- Charcoal stand included with the grill doesn’t offer the best air flow.
- Design makes it so that only lump charcoal and wood lumps work best in the grill to maintain BBQ temps (225~250 degrees)
- Wire rack gets in the way of bigger pieces of meat.
- Some hardware issues make the construction a little less than sturdy.
The last con mentioned was particularly concerning as the bolts holding the hinge in place on the smoker needed to be replaced after the entire lid fell off the smoker on the 3rd grill attempt! We ended up getting some longer bolts and used washers on both sides in order to not stress the openings too much as that was the reason it failed. This would be a good step to do before you season your grill in order to maintain a solid construction.
On longer cooks you will need to address the ash build up problem. I found that after about 4 hours it was very difficult to get much heat out of the coal box due to the shear amount of ash inside. I suggest trying to push spent ash to the side and working it back out to the opening and into a metal (very important that it’s metal) container to free up space and improve airflow. We’re also on the lookout for wire grates to replace the current coal bed which I believe will give us better airflow and temperature control.
Temperature control is very important and this grill actually offers a lot of versatility, provided you have the patience and ability to babysit it a bit. The chimney on top is adjustable but I mostly leave it wide open as airflow does seem to be an issue with this grill so I don’t want to limit that at all if possible. My preferred method of control is adjusting the top of the smoker box open or closed depending on the needs at the time as well as moving coals towards or away from the grill opening depending on need. As I put more fuel on the fire, I find that I will need to prop open the top of the grill to allow for some temperature escape and will need to close it once the new coals establish. These processes take about 15 minutes to half an hour.
The adjustable tray is, in a word, awesome. Thanksgiving was just a couple of days ago and for it I made the turkey on my new smoker. I put a roasting tray under the bird and collected all of the drippings onto a bed of carrots, onions, and celery while it cooked. The bird was 26 pounds which is way bigger than desired for smoking but we were still able to achieve the desired 165 degree inside temp in about 6 hours and the drippings were made into an amazing gravy that got rave reviews.
On longer smokes I like to play around with the charcoal grate over the smoker box. My kids like to eat hot dogs so I’ll throw a few of those on there and they’ll get nice and cooked to appease my hungry monsters while the real meal is getting cooked. Burgers will also cook there but I caution against doing so as the fat drippings from the burgers will cause flare-ups that will make temperature control even more difficult. Getting a finish on sausage that you’ve been smoking by moving it to the charcoal grate or the propane grill is also a good idea and a smart way to utilize all of the grill’s features.
Another trick I’ve picked up is to move the meat to the oven once you have achieved the desired bark or coloring on the outside. Since it takes about 5 hours to get the bark you want on the brisket, you won’t have to babysit the meat ALL day, just for most of it. I find that on the longer cooks, I’m checking temps every 15 to 25 minutes. I’m sure I will get better at maintaining temperature as my experience with an offset cooker grows, but that’s where I am right now. Part of this is due to how small the unit is.
The Triton Classic Gas/Charcoal Grill and Smoker Box is perfect for budget minded people as it comes in at a very reasonable $299.99. This is perfect for beginning grill masters as it’s not going to break your budget but will help you build the skills necessary to level up as your passion for awesome BBQ increases. I particularly love the outdoor burner as my wife likes to cook food that leaves a less than desirable odor in the house and now we don’t have to worry about lingering smells because it’s been released to the outside!
If you’re going to use the side burner, I suggest using cast iron that stays outside. Cleanup is easy and cast iron lends itself well for any kind of cooking outdoors. A Dutch oven and pan are about all you will need and both fit comfortably under the grill on the storage shelf. You can also fit your metal trashcan for ashes and a cooler for meat or beverages. Our grill is on our cement patio but you can easily put it in your yard provided you have a covering for it.
Thank you for all the information in this post!
Very informative