958050 Broil King Regal Charcoal Offset 500

ASSEMBLY MANUAL	Click here to download
OWNER'S MANUAL	Click here to download

Showing Page 1 of 4

Bought this on sale

by: SmokerAl

Source: broilking.com

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

broilkingbbq.com

I bought this smoker in December of 2020 from Lowes It was on clearance and since then I have not seen this smoker available unfortunatelyBackgroundI got into charcoal grilling sometime in 2011 and have not looked back Sometime in 2014 I got into smoking and since that time I have been looking for a product that offers lots of room and great smoke flavour my last smoker was a vertical water smoker 18 cooking gratesTHE BADAfter many uses at least once per weekend and once per week I have a few issues but ultimately I am very happy with this for the price I paidGrillingSorry to say but the grilling option has just not panned out as I had hoped Things seem to take longer to grill on this and come out dry it is simply harder to manage than a traditional charcoal grill Im not sure why I cannot master this aspect of the smoker but since I bought it as a smoker and not a grill I felt the grilling was a bonus that just has not materialised As well when I get the charcoal into the metal trays the trays warp as does the steel at the front of the smoker it was not designed to handle the heatPaintUnfortunately it appears that the paint on the firebox is cooking off When I have the firebox very hot full on flames I get a bad burningchemical smell that I presume is coming from the paint which is cracking and falling off around the top of the firebox This has not affected the meat that I know of but is concerning of course because it could be imparting chemicals into my meat and speaks to potential longevitySteelThe steel appears to be 2mm and should be at minimum 3mm However aside from the warping of the front of the unit when attempting to grill this has not affected anything as you will see belowAirflowThe dampers to allow for air flow are simply not large enough and the door to the firebox effectively remains open the entire cook to maintain the heat necessary to combust the wood This may have to do in part with the short chimney which does not provide enough of a draw to create the necessary air flow neededFuelAt the end of the day it appears to me that attempting to use actual splits instead of a combo of wood chunks and charcoal would not work out in part because of the air flow issue and also because of the paint issueSealingThe firebox side and main door did not come with any sealing material and I am not sure whyTarpFor some reason I have had a very difficult time finding a tarp for this unit I gave up and simply bought a large BK tarp It works but I would prefer that this smoker came with a tarp meant specifically for it For 1000 just add an extra 50 and provide a tarp with itConclusionWhat would make this better1 thicker steel in the front to prevent warping2 larger intake dampers andor longer chimney3 better quality paint4 firebox sealing5 a tarpTHE GOODDespite the above I have found a method to use this smoker and have not had any failures Everything smoked comes out perfect every time the fire is easy to manage and this is an incredibly efficient smokerRotisserie CompatibleBroil King offers a rotisserie for this unit and I am very excited to try it out Fuel EfficiencyDespite the 2mm steel on the cooking chamber this unit both gets up to temperature quickly and maintains that temperature with very little fuel My recommendation is to use lump charcoal instead of briquettes The briquettes do not seem to get hot enough without using a lot whereas the lump requires little more than a handful every hour or so I find that a bag of charcoal lasts me several allday smokes To provide a comparison my charcoal grill will burn through a bag of charcoal in 34 cooksUnderGrill TraysThe trays are a great idea I think the trays are supposed to replace the baffle used in older models to provide better heat and smoke distribution I can tell you that it works and the temperature variance from one side to the other is negligible The trays also catch some of the fat drippings and you can place a pan directly on the trays if so desired The meat cooks evenly and is full of that wonderful smokey flavourCastIron GratesI love the cast iron grates Be sure to season them but BK offers replacement grates which is nice The grates I suspect add to the superior heat distributionCooking SurfaceThis really goes without saying there is lots of cooking surface to work with and that has been wonderful Fire ManagementI have found two ways to run the fire The first is to get some lump charcoal going close the doors but leave the dampers open mostly when up to temperature and simply place chunks of wood in the firebox The chunks eventually combust not fully just enough to provide that thin blue smoke so long as the chunks are about 2 inches away from the lit charcoalThe other way to do this is to have a full on fire with your charcoal adding the chunks directly to the lit charcoal For this option you have to leave the firebox side door open and warm up the chunks before hand the traditional wayBoth options are relatively easy and work well and require very little charcoal to keep going As above I am hesitant to try full on splits but will be doing so at some point this summer to see what happensCleanupCleanup is nice and easy This may be the case with all offset smokers but the ashcatchers the trays and the sectioned grates make this pretty easySearboxIt is very nice to have a searbox to reverse sear whatever you are smoking if so desired I do this often and it is especially nice when smoking beef roasts LongevityI really should not comment on longevity because I have only had this unit for about 6 months However other than the paint on the top of the firebox there is nothing that raises concern for me respecting longevity I suspect I will have this unit for at least 10 years if not longerSatisfactionAt the end of the day I am extremely satisfied with this purchase It has provided great food and great fun Once this pandemic is over I will be putting the additional size to good useCONCLUSION

Overall Rating:

Needs New Design

by: ChefBoyarGeez

Source: broilking.com

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

broilkingbbq.com

Im very happy with this smoker Just a few issues I have found 1 Needs a thicker gauge steel does not hold heat well 2 The fuel consumption is very high do to there not being enough draft3 need to add a collector type smoke stack on the left which Im modifying as I review 4 Smoke stack should be higher as stated in a previous review 5 would be nice to add a quality built charcoal box as an accessory 6 the air intake vents should be at the bottom of the firebox door Not in the middle 7 those dial type vents are not very good for air flow You want the air to come in from bottom of firebox No sense in blowing air across the top of charcoal 8 Tuning plates and baffle plates should be an added accessory I will do another review and add pictures after my modifications are done

Overall Rating:

Great Value

by: RobUrban

Source: broilking.com

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

broilkingbbq.com

I have had this grill for about 5 years and have had offset smokers for over 20 years This one is by far the best Lost one of the plastic evening feet during set up and customer service sent me a whole leg to replace it Have friends with 2000 grills trying to duplicate my turkey and brisket to no avail Definitely recommend this grill to anyone ready to step up to he next level of offset grilling but not willing to commit crazy money for a hobby

Overall Rating:

Design Issues Galore

by: Impulse

Source: broilking.com

No, I would not recommend this to a friend

broilkingbbq.com

July 2020 bought the offset XL smoker Used 2x and its collected dust since Smoking Offset does not pull heat through the cooking chamber evenly even with dampers open Heat travels out and up and not through the cooking chamber for even heating Place items near the offset vs the exhaust and the temp varies greatly Vents Once they heat up they start to expand and stick making adjustments challenging Maybe it was the paint getting tacky as its already flaked off Charcoal Grilling The metal trays used once and now are warped and dont sit flush in the channel Offset charcoal Dont try to use lump charcoal as when you fill it and once it burns down it all just falls through the grates in the offset and into the clean out tray CleanOut ROYAL PAIN The collection box on both sides doesnt sit flush in the cooking chamber nor on the offset side Any ashes fall into the gaps causing you to not only clean the trays but the actual cook box so the tray slides back in and doesnt rust Then theres the drippings Make sure you cook on a level surface Any variation and all that grease runs into those same gaps and under the ash collector Only way to get clean was to hose the entire grill out Not an easy task to turn a grill on its end for the water to drain I have a drum smoker but wanted to try something different Unfortunately made an impulse buy and so it sits

Overall Rating:

Really happy with my purchase

by: colindavies39

Source: broilking.com

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

broilkingbbq.com

I bought this approximately 6 weeks ago from bbqbarnuk and am really happy This is the 2020 version so no dampers between the firebox and the smoke chamber so this seems to have fixed the i cant get temperature in the cook chamber fault The double walled and gasketd cook chamber door is well made and seals well The firebox although has the double wall isnt gasketd which is a shame but does seal well This is a heavy well made unit that holds good temperatures and holds onto the temperature well Mine was already fully built and delivered built by bbqbarnuk they did a good job on the assembly All ive done is season and cook on it and its been great the paint hasnt discoloured anywhere and its been used 2 or 3 times a week in the last 6 weeks the only fault i have had is the distortion of the tray in the cook side when using it as a bbq but good stainless will distort this is the only fault and i as a fabricator can live with this

Overall Rating:

Broil King Regal Charcoal Offset 500

Model# 958050

Specifications

Features

Dual-Purpose Smoke Charcoal Trays

Bottle Opener

Lower Shelf

Removable Stainless Steel Ash Trays

Roto-Draft™ Dampers

Durable Front Shelf With Tool Hooks

Accu-Temp™ Thermometer With Chrome Bezel

Porcelain-Coated Cast Iron Cooking Grids

Documents

Reviews