It is Black Friday here in the States and i have been waiting to purchase this Champion but i am sure glad you made this video and people have left these comments. I never considered the Oklahoma Joe but i will start looking at it and the Pit Barrel instead. Yall saved me especially the comments.
Good idea for the lid seal, I'm going to do this as mine is peeling away after just two smokes. Got the unit for NZD299 on clearance at Bunnings so can't really complain :)
@@andrewcalder754 it’s a great smoker for the price and produces great smoked meat. The sealing has made a huge difference for me. Good luck and thank you for the watch and comment.
You are going to be happy with the rope as a seal. I used a similar product on a cooker that was blowing threw seals every year or so and it has held up much better. Thanks for the video.
Hi thanks for the watch and comment. So far yes I am happy, the biggest impact has certainly been the seal down the bottom. The rope is doing a great job but the lid isn't quite flush still, I need to try and adjust it a bit. Having said that though my cooks have benefited from the enhancements. Appreciate the comment.
Hi thanks for the comment and watch. I’ve only had the 1 cook on this smoker since the patch work and it 100% made a difference in my opinion. I need to get a few more cooks on it to see how they go long term but all signs are positive. Good luck.
Thanks for the guide, it looks much better from the inside. Those before pictures were worrying! does the door compartment seal well? Also, is the silicone safe to have around your food?
The door can be tightened by the hinges so it seals well, I’ve not had smoke leaking out. The silicone is safe around the food as far as I know, what I used is designed for use in/around ovens. The sealant itself can handle temperatures up to 480f/250c so I won’t be doing any cooks in here hotter than that.
Hey Mate, I have my Champion under one year with all kinds of bad issues from rust all around the firebox door to the chimney flu control bolts rusted and the controller sticks. If that's not enough the three tiny cheap hinges to hold the grates in place have warped under the heat and of course the grates tip over all the time and lose the food. And I too had to replace the cheap gasket after FOUR months with something at the hardware store which proved way better. My unit was almost $1000 USD and in my opinion it was a huge ripoff. Top it having to put up with arrogance and crappy company support I had no choice but to file a formal complaint here with the Better Business Bureau. Worst decision ever to buy this piece of junk. Looks are deceiving. Just go and get a great Pit Barrel for far less money and you'll be happy.
@@thebiffer100 sounds like you’ve had a nightmare experience. Personally I’ve not had the rust issues but mine does stay in my shed when not in use. There’s definitely without doubt better barrel smoker options on the market I agree with you 100%. I’m not affiliated with pit boss at all. Mine is still working issue free since the minor changes, perhaps I’m just lucky? I have no doubt this 1 will deteriorate over time and would invest in a better quality 1 next time. This is a much cheaper option in this part of the world, interestingly though you can’t purchase them anymore here in Oz. Sorry to hear you had a nightmare experience, hopefully your luck changes.
Great video thanks mate, looking into getting one of these drum smokers. How was the temp stability before the mods? What temps where you getting with minimal vents opened? I’m Curious as want to use it for low temp cooking like briskets etc. Also what Sika sealant did you use, is it the appliance version?
@@philist14 before the modifications keeping it at 225f was a challenge and I kept seeing it creep up closer to 275/300f despite all dampers being almost closed. The air was getting in from the bottom and I had no chance keeping temps where I wanted for a lower temp. Now 225f - 250f is a breeze and it’s almost like set and forget. I uploaded a baby back ribs video last week, check that 1 out and you can clearly see the temps being stable now, dampers working as they should etc. This smoker since the mods is sound as a pound, fuel is ok, not as good as a kamado but I am getting great smoke flavour and colour. For the price it is (here in Australia) it’s a bargain in my opinion but I know in the USA it’s much more expensive for some reason.
@@spars3326 very fair call and I agree. I just wanted to put out a video to show what I did at a reasonable price to improve the smoker’s performance. Since the modifications maintaining 250f has been a breeze.
look and listen how thin the metal is on that "champion" tin can . very cheaply made . forget this POS ..... get a oklahoma joe bronco for less than half it's price !
Fair comment, I’m enjoying some cooks on this but I also agree there’s better options out there. Here in Australia this is a cheap option for those wanting to learn on a barrel. If I purchased a barrel again I wouldn’t buy this again. A Bronco here in Oz is 3 times the price, yet in the USA it’s different. This video is purely a recommendation for how my smoker improved its performance. Thank you.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
It is Black Friday here in the States and i have been waiting to purchase this Champion but i am sure glad you made this video and people have left these comments. I never considered the Oklahoma Joe but i will start looking at it and the Pit Barrel instead. Yall saved me especially the comments.
Good idea for the lid seal, I'm going to do this as mine is peeling away after just two smokes. Got the unit for NZD299 on clearance at Bunnings so can't really complain :)
@@andrewcalder754 it’s a great smoker for the price and produces great smoked meat. The sealing has made a huge difference for me. Good luck and thank you for the watch and comment.
You are going to be happy with the rope as a seal. I used a similar product on a cooker that was blowing threw seals every year or so and it has held up much better. Thanks for the video.
Hi thanks for the watch and comment. So far yes I am happy, the biggest impact has certainly been the seal down the bottom. The rope is doing a great job but the lid isn't quite flush still, I need to try and adjust it a bit. Having said that though my cooks have benefited from the enhancements. Appreciate the comment.
yer i did the same thing to mine havent yet tried it but im sure it will be much better
Hi thanks for the comment and watch. I’ve only had the 1 cook on this smoker since the patch work and it 100% made a difference in my opinion. I need to get a few more cooks on it to see how they go long term but all signs are positive. Good luck.
Thanks for the guide, it looks much better from the inside. Those before pictures were worrying! does the door compartment seal well? Also, is the silicone safe to have around your food?
The door can be tightened by the hinges so it seals well, I’ve not had smoke leaking out. The silicone is safe around the food as far as I know, what I used is designed for use in/around ovens. The sealant itself can handle temperatures up to 480f/250c so I won’t be doing any cooks in here hotter than that.
Excellent!
Hey Mate, I have my Champion under one year with all kinds of bad issues from rust all around the firebox door to the chimney flu control bolts rusted and the controller sticks. If that's not enough the three tiny cheap hinges to hold the grates in place have warped under the heat and of course the grates tip over all the time and lose the food. And I too had to replace the cheap gasket after FOUR months with something at the hardware store which proved way better. My unit was almost $1000 USD and in my opinion it was a huge ripoff. Top it having to put up with arrogance and crappy company support I had no choice but to file a formal complaint here with the Better Business Bureau. Worst decision ever to buy this piece of junk. Looks are deceiving. Just go and get a great Pit Barrel for far less money and you'll be happy.
@@thebiffer100 sounds like you’ve had a nightmare experience. Personally I’ve not had the rust issues but mine does stay in my shed when not in use. There’s definitely without doubt better barrel smoker options on the market I agree with you 100%. I’m not affiliated with pit boss at all. Mine is still working issue free since the minor changes, perhaps I’m just lucky? I have no doubt this 1 will deteriorate over time and would invest in a better quality 1 next time. This is a much cheaper option in this part of the world, interestingly though you can’t purchase them anymore here in Oz. Sorry to hear you had a nightmare experience, hopefully your luck changes.
Great video thanks mate, looking into getting one of these drum smokers. How was the temp stability before the mods? What temps where you getting with minimal vents opened? I’m Curious as want to use it for low temp cooking like briskets etc.
Also what Sika sealant did you use, is it the appliance version?
@@philist14 before the modifications keeping it at 225f was a challenge and I kept seeing it creep up closer to 275/300f despite all dampers being almost closed. The air was getting in from the bottom and I had no chance keeping temps where I wanted for a lower temp. Now 225f - 250f is a breeze and it’s almost like set and forget. I uploaded a baby back ribs video last week, check that 1 out and you can clearly see the temps being stable now, dampers working as they should etc. This smoker since the mods is sound as a pound, fuel is ok, not as good as a kamado but I am getting great smoke flavour and colour. For the price it is (here in Australia) it’s a bargain in my opinion but I know in the USA it’s much more expensive for some reason.
@albatrossbbq that's brilliant news. Thanks for the quick reply too mate. Yes I noticed it's price is low for us here in Oz. 🍻
@albatrossbbq what Sika sealant did you use, is it the appliance version?
@@philist14 this 1 mate. www.bunnings.com.au/sika-300ml-sikasil-670-fire-silicone-sealant_p1220017
@@albatrossbbq legend thanks mate
Where can I get that rope at?
Pending where you live just your local hardware store.
Pit Boss needs to fix it. Not you. WTFO?!?!?
@@spars3326 very fair call and I agree. I just wanted to put out a video to show what I did at a reasonable price to improve the smoker’s performance. Since the modifications maintaining 250f has been a breeze.
For the price it makes me laugh pitboss doesn't take it upon themselves to make this clearly needed upgrade as standard.
look and listen how thin the metal is on that "champion" tin can . very cheaply made . forget this POS ..... get a oklahoma joe bronco for less than half it's price !
Fair comment, I’m enjoying some cooks on this but I also agree there’s better options out there. Here in Australia this is a cheap option for those wanting to learn on a barrel. If I purchased a barrel again I wouldn’t buy this again. A Bronco here in Oz is 3 times the price, yet in the USA it’s different. This video is purely a recommendation for how my smoker improved its performance. Thank you.
@@albatrossbbq didn,t notice where you are . that may be a excellent value there . take care , jeff
I have 2 Broncos myself and love them after 3yrs of HEAVY USE with the same seal it came with.