Just finished my second load of pork butts in my new Amerique and thought I'd give a report.
I bought the 'Que to replace an 009 model which proved to be too small for my needs. I hated to part with it as it has been a reliable friend for almost two years, and performed perfectly.
The first thing I noticed with the "Que was that it holds the cooking temperature ROCK STEADY! When set at 230 degrees, it never fluctuates more than a single degree during the entire cooking time. The 009 it replaced was all over the map, but still produced great end results. I just feel more comfortable knowing that the temperature I set stays put. The temperature probe also proved to be dead accurate, as checked with my hand-held probe.
The second thing I noticed was that the 'Que can hold a LOT of butts! I smoked four yesterday, and could have added four more if I needed to.
The grease drain system in the 'Que is also far superior than the system on the 009, which somehow leaked grease all over the place. The stainless steel grease catch "drawer" slides in and out with ease and nary of drop of grease was to be found anywhere except in the drawer.
All in all, I'm thrilled with the performance of my new Amerique. The quality of construction, customer support, available options and this great forum are all reasons why I won't hestitate to recommend Cookshack to anyone looking for a smoker.
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