Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker (14201677) Review
It is nice to finally see a smoker that does what it is supposed to do without making you pay for extras you don’t need. Today we review Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker model #14201677.
When you hear about the price of the Char-Broil vertical electric smoker, chances are, you will instantly drop all expectations. We are glad to tell you that you do not necessarily have to do that in the case of Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker. Sure, it is not as stylish as many of the smokers in the higher price ranges. But then again, if you wanted deliciously smoked food, there is no reason the smoker’s look should matter. And if you wanted an elegant-looking smoker, this is not the right price bracket to be looking into.
Looking at this vertical electric smoker from Char-Broil, it gets obvious right away that this smoker means business. Function over fashion. It is merely a black rectangular box with legs. Save for the long chrome-plated handle, the manufacturer’s emblem, and the analog internal temperature gauge mounted on the door plus the small drip cup that looks funny while dangling awkwardly from the bottom of the smoker, there really is nothing else to see. But these are all part of what makes Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker great and easy to fall in love with.
Ease of use
Quality
Portability
Editors Overall Rating
Detailed Review of the Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker (14201677)
Let us talk about what matters the most first. Does this smoker get any hot at all? The answer is a resounding yes. A 1500-watt heating element with variable temperature settings works behind this smoker to cook your food to perfection. The temperature ranges from 100F to 350F, which covers any meat, seafood, poultry, vegetable, and more. You get the temperatures ideal for the low and slow smoking you are after and the higher temperatures for producing crispy chicken skin.
As mentioned, the temperature control is variable. Do not expect a fully digital thermostat setting here. Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker uses an old school thermostat dial that you manually set up. However, after you do it correctly, the smoker will do the rest as it is also very good at maintaining even temperatures consistently. Furthermore, the analog temperature gauge mounted on the door lets you monitor the temperature inside your smoker.
Let us talk about what matters the most first. Does this smoker get any hot at all? The answer is a resounding yes. A 1500-watt heating element with variable temperature settings works behind this smoker to cook your food to perfection. The temperature ranges from 100F to 350F, which covers any meat, seafood, poultry, vegetable, and more. You get the temperatures ideal for the low and slow smoking you are after and the higher temperatures for producing crispy chicken skin.
As mentioned, the temperature control is variable. Do not expect a fully digital thermostat setting here. Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker uses an old school thermostat dial that you manually set up. However, after you do it correctly, the smoker will do the rest as it is also very good at maintaining even temperatures consistently. Furthermore, the analog temperature gauge mounted on the door lets you monitor the temperature inside your smoker.
Although Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker is good at getting hot and retaining heat, the surface remains cool enough not to burn you when you touch it. The inside is where all the searing heat is. The smoker has a double-wall construction, which is ideal for maintaining the right temperature for smoking. It is highly effective at what it does and remains that way even after you use it regularly and heavily for a long while. One more thing that helps keep all the heat inside is the door, which is tightly shut by magnets. Be very careful when assembling and moving the smoker, as dents and erroneously installed parts can cause the magnets to get misaligned, resulting in a badly closed door that lets all the smoke out.
Outside, this vertical electric smoker from Char-Broil measures 40 inches tall, 16 inches wide, and 14 inches deep. The inside of it is 29 inches high, 14.5 inches wide, and 12.5 inches deep. It has a total area of 504 square inches, which is divided into three grates measuring 13.8 x 11.8 inches each. This much space should be sufficient for large briskets, ribs, whole chicken or birds, and other particularly big slabs of food.
The smoker has three pairs of slots for the grates so you can freely choose how you are going to space them to have enough space for each piece. The grates are oven-style ones forged out of chrome-plated wire and already come with the smoker upon purchase. The other things that Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker comes with are a small drip cup that is hung from the bottom of the smoker, and porcelain trays for the water and the chips that you put in the smoker side by side.
So far, we love everything about this vertical electric smoker from Char-Broil. We think you will love it too, especially if you are used to operating smokers and know cooking aand temperatures like the back of your hand. However, if you are not quite used to smoking yet, you may find this a little intimidating. There are lots of fully automatic or digital smokers out there with guided smoking cycles, and you may lean more toward those. That does not mean you will not enjoy this smoker as a beginner, though. You are free to hone your smoking skills using this no-frills smoker. Learning from the basics is always best.
Best Features of the Char-Broil Vertical Electric Smoker (14201677)
Temperature Gauge
Mounted on the door of this vertical electric smoker is an analog internal temperature gauge, which accurately tells you the temperature inside the smoker and lets you monitor your cook easily.
Double-Walled Construction
The double-walled structure of Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker not only makes the entire cooker durable, it also significantly improves insulation. The thick walls are effective at sealing all the heat in, guaranteeing that all of it gets to your food and not outside the cooking chamber.
Magnetic Door Locking Mechanism
The door of this smoker locks using strong magnets, which are highly effective at sealing the door tightly and locking the heat inside. However, say the smoker bumps into something and a dent shows up somewhere near the magnets, they will easily get misaligned and cease to work as well as they did on day one. Either you be very careful not to damage the magnets or be ready to install a spare lock anytime.
Heating
This vertical electric smoker’s heating power comes from its variable temperature 1500-watt heating element. It has a temperature control dial that you can use to change your desired temperature. However, the indicated settings are low, medium, and high and do not say the exact actual temperatures. A simple thermometer will tell you, though, that low to high translates to 100F to 350F, which is great for normal smoking and making crispy bird skin.
Cooking Capacity
The inside of this vertical electric smoker’s cooking chamber is 29 inches tall, 14.5 inches wide, and 12.5 inches deep. The total space available for cooking is 504 square inches. You can maximize that by using the three chrome-plated wire grates that come with the smoker. These grates measure 13.8 x 11.8 inches each and can be adjusted to accommodate large cuts using the slots or shelves built into the sides of the chamber.
Chrome-Plated Grates
The main benefit of chrome-plated wire grates is that they do not keep the radiant heat from getting to the food. This is great for those who like to sear their meat first before smoking. Many cooks swear that it makes the smoke penetrate the meat better. In other words, chrome-plated grates are good because your food comes out as if there were no grates at all. These grates are also affordable and easy to find so you should not have any problems in case you have to replace them.
Porcelain-Coated Pans
Porcelain coating on water and wood chip pans lets you prevent rusting without having to season or cure the metal. porcelain-coated trays also resist sticking, so you can clean them up easier than other kinds of trays. Just make sure to handle them properly and carefully as porcelain-coated steel is prone to cracking. One small crack and the steel underneath will instantly begin to rust through.
What you get in the package
The following items are what you can expect to see inside the package of the Bradley Digital 4-Rack Smoker:
- One (1) Char-Broil vertical electric smoker
- One (1) drip cup
- One (1) water pan
- One (1) chip pan
- Three (3) cooking grates
Our verdict
Overall, we like the value for money offered by Char-Broil’s vertical electric smoker. By that, we do not mean you can expect fully digital or automatic controls in this smoker for just over a hundred dollars. But that does not mean this vertical electric smoker is bare, either. It sticks to the basics but does its job really well.
Its heating element, double-walled construction, and tightly sealed door all combine to produce a wide temperature range, maintain even temperatures, and retain all its heat inside the smoker. The door is mounted with an analog temperature gauge that accurately tells you the temperature inside the cooking chamber. Meanwhile, you have variable temperature settings that go from 100F to 350F.
It comes with a few basic extras, such as chrome-plated cooking grates, a drip cup, and wood and chip pans. This vertical electric smoker from Char-Broil brings smoking back to basics (well, almost) and does it well.