Hoan5275223 Barbecue Charcoal Starter

Review of: Hoan 5275949 Barbeque Smoker Box, Stainless SteelOverall, I’m pleased with the Hoan BBQ Smoker Box. First, at least for the charcoal grill that I have, the size is just right. At 8 ½ in length, 1 ½ inches in depth and about 3 ½ inches in width, the box fits (though it is a close fit) on the charcoal tray so I can get the box right on top of the coals.I also like the strength of the construction; to my eye there is nothing flimsy or thin about this smoker box so I have good confidence that I will get a number of seasons of use from the box.I also think that the amount of wood that the box can hold is more than enough for my uses on the grill; and this is even considering that I try not to ‘pack’ in the wood but rather place it in with enough room for air circulation.Finally, I like the size of the holes on the top of the box (to allow smoke to escape). The 8 holes are each a little over ¼ inch in diameter and I’ve found that to be a good size for a smoker box.In a small way I do wish that the box had a piano hinge of some sort on the top lid instead of just pushing the top and bottom pieces together, but that is just a minor item for me.

If you're not grilling very often I'm sure this starter will be more than enough. It made of a fairly thin sheet of steel and overall feels fairly flimsy held together by two or three small screws. In terms of actually getting the charcoal going, it does a fine job, if you know what your doing you can get the charcoal hot decently quick. When picking up and pouring out the charcoal the handle felt sturdy to hold without having to worry about it slipping out of my hand or anything. My only real problem with this is that im just not sure how long it can last, the metal is thin and fairly flimsy and all the pieces just don't feel like they are built to last. However, for now, it's cheap and has done its job without any problems.

I can't think of many features of a fire/smoke box to analyze. It's smaller than my old one, but is large enough. It's all metal so it's safe and durable. The holes are big enough. The lid fits fine so it works for me.

This was my first experience with a chimney starter and it was good overall. Here’s a breakdown:Size: One chimney full ended up being enough for me to cook 7 pork steaks on an 18 inch grill with both a direct and indirect side of heat.Quality: It’s sturdy and not flimsy like I thought it would be, but it really is just a sheet of steel in the form of a cylinder with a small grate on the inside and a wooden handle. It seems made well and I didn’t have any issues with it falling apart, but you wouldn’t want to be rough with it or store it underneath heavy things. Keep it somewhere safe and dry.Function: I had a little trouble getting the fire to last long enough beneath the charcoal to make the fire spread up the chimney, but that was user error and the fact that I was using cheap charcoal, lol. If you don’t put enough burning material beneath, the fire will burn out before it can catch on the charcoal and spread. After using a larger wad of brown packing paper and dousing a little lighter fluid (didn’t take much) on the charcoal, the fire finally raged through the chimney and lit them appropriately. The idea with a chimney starter is to not have to use the fluid, but I’m confident that had I been using a better grade of charcoal and some of the little wax cubes underneath, they would’ve lit a LOT easier. My advice for you to get the most out of the chimney (if this is your first time using like me), get a quality charcoal, grab yourself some of the little wax cubes (pretty cheap) and some long matches. All 3 of those items will save you a little time and hassle.Safety: Wear arm length heat protecting gloves when handling one of these. When you turn it over to empty out your charcoals, ashes and embers will fly out from underneath and out of the openings towards the bottom. If you don’t have any, you could do this carefully enough without them, but just know you’re at risk for serious burn injury that could easily be prevented.Overall recommendation: Like I said, good overall. It’s not hard to use by any stretch of the imagination and with care it should last an acceptable amount of time. 5 stars.

This is a smaller smoker box. It measures 8 3/4" x 3 3/4" and is 1 1/2" deep. It holds small wood chips or large chunks as long as they aren't bigger than 1 1/2". The top lifts off and it has vent holes in it. This allows the wood to infuse whatever you are cooking. There's not a big mess to clean up afterwards. You pre-soak your wood chips and just put inside. You can lift the box out with mitts or heat proof gloves and add more chips as necessary. It's stainless steel and cleans up easily with soap and hot water.