Char-Griller Grand Champ XD Series offset

[latenight71]

I know Char-Griller doesn't have the best reputation for quality cookers but the Grand Champ XD Series has caught my interest. First, of course, the price is attractive at +/-$500. An expensive offset simply is not realistic for my current budget (the tax-man tooketh heavy this year) but a decent COS is. It also looks like Char-Griller has stepped it up a bit with removeable cast-iron grill shelves rather than cheap wire grates and they also include a charcoal basket and a front shelf. I do wish they'd disclose the gauge material used rather than the great descriptor of "made from extreme-duty steel" but that's the marketing game I guess. So, does anyone have experience with this model? Father's day is around the corner and thinking I might start dropping hints to my kiddos to deliver to Mama.

https://www.chargriller.com/collections/griller-top-picks/products/grand-champ-offset-smoker

[Dewesq55]

My nephew had one of their vertical offsets and he loves it.

[bbqLuv]

The test is in the grilling.
On a clear day, you can grill forever

[Steve B]

My first COS was a chargriller.
All I can say is I’m sooo glad I graduated from that.
I once let it rip. And it burned off all the paint on the firebox. Plus it warped. So it never sealed right again. Not that it did before.

That being said. What the pics you’re showing makes it look much better than the one I had.

[glitchy]

latenight71

[prepperjack]

12 gauge? So it smokes and protects your home! That is one helluva feature there.

[Panhead John]

I know you’ve been considering an offset for a while and it seems you’ve got the itch. Without seeing it in person, it looks to be pretty decent for the money. I’ve had a couple of cheaper offsets than this years ago. Before I even really knew what I was doing, I turned out a few pretty decent briskets and ribs on them.

You've also mentioned a more expensive one isn’t in the cards now. I say absolutely go for it! It’s not like $500. is gonna put you on the streets if it doesn’t work out. There’s gonna be a couple of possible issues with a COS. Air leaks and the paint burning off, possibly. Both easily fixed. While burning it in, look for any air leaks, which can easily be remedied with a high heat gasket material. A small bit of smoke leaking out isn’t gonna be that big a deal. If you do have a few rust spots down the road, Rustoleum makes some good high heat paint. You can turn out some darn good cooks on that thing once you learn it. A good thermometer and a good grill master can turn out some damn good food on that thing I bet. It has some nice features like you mentioned. Plus it looks pretty cool too. Go for it man.

EDIT: I just re-read the link to that smoker. It already comes with felt gaskets on all the doors and lids. Even better.

[prepperjack]

This looks like a decent smoker for the money. It looks like most of the modifications that would normally be done are already there and I have no doubt you'll be able to make some great food on that cooker. I'm not sure where you are in your skill level for stick burners, but for me, I think that starting out with an inexpensive one forced me to focus on the basics and in the end helped me to be a better cook. An acquaintance of mine bought a Yoder as his first smoker and never really took the time to learn about fire and temperature management or any of the basics like that, nor would he take any advice. And that, friends, is how I traded a 2-year old MacBook for a Yoder.

Also, as long as you maintain it, smokers are really easy to sell on the second-hand market, at all price levels. Heck, I just sold a 12 year old 22" WSM for $300 - I think I only paid $400 for it. But the guy I sold it to was crazy excited about it. I sold it because I just never used it - If I wanted something that I had to really manage, I used the Yoder, and if I wanted something that I just wanted to throw the meat on, I use my drum smoker. I also sold a really crappy Dyno-Glo grill that I bought for $200 last summer for $100 and I think even on that one I had 15 people message me on it in the first hour.

[Uncle Bob]

The expression, "...for the money...." is pretty much the key. prepperjack and PJ hit some good targets, it's really going to come down to how well you figure out the cooking process. A good vid to support that notion can be seen here; I Bought the Cheapest Offset Smoker at Home Depot and Made a Brisket - YouTube Here in The Pit we're a bit spoiled by the caliber of the folks who pay to play on this field. For the most part we're a group of dedicated outdoor cooks (or kooks in PJ's case ) who work at a comparatively higher level than the typical internet warrior. If you play in the "other" world, e.g. FB, you've probably seen folks who do little to no research and expect to be spoon fed instant success along with using a cooker that won't fail. Something like the Char Broiler probably will have plenty of faults that wouldn't be found in a better built product, but it could be a reasonably priced training device for your skill development. Master that and you'll be prime bait for an LSG, or Yoder, or..........

[Panhead John]

Even though I’m deeply hurt 😥 by Uncle Bob’s stinging comment, I agree with everything he said. (except for the kook part)

[glitchy]

Have you searched the used market? I’ve seen a few things positive about the Grand Champ in various places, but Ive seen some Horizons, Yoders, and Old Country offsets sell used for $500-700, just usually not close to me. There are even still a lot of the original Oklahoma Joes from before they sold out around. There are a couple FB groups dedicated to used smokers. Smokers and Grills Buy Sell Trade and Smokers & Grills Buying and Selling. If you can find one, I think a used pit made from 1/4 steel is probably going to be more enjoyable to use than even a good new COS. The OKJ Highland and the Grand Champ both are around 1/10th inch steel.

[glitchy]

I understand, my market has been pretty thin too as I've been on the hunt for a decent used one. Best prospect I saw was someone that appears to flip them, then I noticed that they are painting the inside of the pits when they are working on them. It was a nice original OKJ for $600, too bad they had to ruin it.

[Panhead John]

I noticed it has a removable ash tray with grates on top. This will keep the hottest temps off the bottom of the fire box, which should help prolong its life. Also if it’s 12 gauge steel like the mfg. claims, then it would be 7/64” thick, just a hair less than 1/8”. Glitchy mentioned it was 1/10”. 🥸

[glitchy]

Panhead John The last time I had a math class the teacher told me .109375 was closer to a tenth than an eighth. I also said ‘around 1/10th’. Really it’s closest to a 1/9th, but no one ever measures in ninths except Coors pint drinkers.

[Andrrr]

Just a thought but how about you take the $500 plus another $100 for all the mods you'll need to do to make it functional,take it out of the bank, put it in an envelope and let it sit in your house. Out of sight, out of mind. In the meantime find another small MCS item to hold you over. In a month or two or three when you get the itch and you have another $500 in the bank burning a hole in your pocket you can take that out and now you have a grand. Repeat as many times as necessary to get what you really want. Given what you'll ultimately end up buying you should have what you need in 1-1.5 years which in the grand scheme of things is nothing, and you'll only cry once.
I realize this is easier said than done and I don't do this either but it sure sounds good!

[Argoboy]

I think that this smoker will work OK and it will produce good food but it will not last, I had a Char Grill Akron Kamado and it worked good with no complaints except for the thermometer.