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22 replies

Tomorrow I fire up the new AmeriQue!

FM Former Member
My husband has promised to go to the store early (I like to sleep late) and pick me up a pork shoulder or a brisket so I can put it in my new A/Q and stab it with the probe. (If it's a brisket I won't start it until Sunday night.) I can't wait to play with my new smoker!

Let's hear from the rest of you AmeriQue'rs, too. I know you are out there, we are shipping them like crazy.

Donna
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FM Former Member
My Amerique arrived Friday. Seasoned it for three hours. The temp held within a degree either side of 225 all the time.

I let it go on to the Hold cycle and it worked just as advertised. Hope to put some ribs in tonight.


CS has another winner in the stable: AmeriQue the beautiful. What a sweet machine!

Hook
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by Smokenque:
So,Donna... I'm assuming Smiler you fired it up on Sunday.. I don't see your glowing comments.. wasssss up?


Life had something else in store for me on Sunday. Finally, yesterday afternoon I seasoned my new AmeriQue! It was dark when it finished, so I couldn't see how it looked. It just got light enough a few minutes ago so I could check it, and it looks ready to go. Between dogs to go to the vet, kid to haul around, and so on I am going to pick up something to smoke. I will probably just have time to swing by Albertson's, so it will have to be whatever they have that looks good. I have to try the probe, so it will be a brisket or a pork butt most likely. I am so excited about this smoker. I even took a little movie of the smoke coming out of it, but it's 11MB so I can't attach it.

The entire time it was seasoning I could just step out on the deck and see the oven temp and the time left in the cook cycle on the display. I think it's an LED display, which I have always called Lights up Electric Device, to the amusement of my engineer husband. Anyway it is bright green and the numbers are pretty big, so it's easy to see, even at night. I found that it was quite readable, also, in sunlight.

The casters lock, and until I figured out that one of them was locked I had some trouble moving it around. After I unlocked it, the smoker glided around my deck easily.

It comes with a stainless steel drip pan, which slides into guides on the underneath side of the smoker's floor. The guides hold the drip pan in place so that it catches drippings from the hole in the bottom of the smoker and the hole in the drip tray on front of the smoker. I know I am going to appreciate that feature.

I decided to add some wood after it had been smoking a while -- you wouldn't ordinarily do this when cooking, but I was seasoning it and wanted LOTS smoke -- so I turned off the heating element and used a big oven mitt to pull out the wood box to add more wood. I had about 4 or 5 big hunks of hickory in the wood box and it smoked like crazy. I had the door open from my living room to the deck and had to close it because there was too much smoke blowing into the house from about 15 yards away.

One thing I noticed, when you set the time an temp on the membrane control panel, you can't just stab it with your finger and get a split second response. You have to give it a second or two to change the display, then it's easy to do. I am impatient and I was stabbing away at it and thinking, "Oh, great, this thing doesn't work." Not true! You just have to go a little slower than my usual speed of light, and be patient.

The appearance of the AmeriQue is very nice. It is stainless steel, and has a very attractive logo decal on the front. We chose AmeriQue as the name (submitted by Neil Britt of California, who won one for his efforts in our name contest) because barbecue is uniquely American cuisine. Anyway, this smoker would be a great in an outdoor kitchen.

I will keep you posted on the how the cooking goes.

Donna

PS Bet you didn't expect all that information, LOL
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by Smokenque:
Are the grates on the Amerique Stainless or are they plated like the Smokette?


They are plated. I have asked Stuart to get prices on stainless steel grills for the Smokettes, Series 50 and AmeriQue smokers. If we offer them as an optional item, then people who want them can decide if they are willing to spend the money. They are rather expensive, I hear, although I don't know the cost.

Donna
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by Smokenque:
BUT... did I see TWO Amerique's in that one pic? What a way to go.. wanna loan me one to get a 2nd opinion? I'll probably be driving pretty close to your area in a week or so. Big Grin


You want it? I'll sell it to you ... it's a test model and it is having some controller problems, but I doubt if it's anything but replacing the board. Rules: you have to pick it up and you have to work with Cookshack customer service to get it fixed. It's brand new and I'll make you a good deal.

Donna

PS Shoot off your mouth around here and you get results, LOL.
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by smoky:
Gotta question for you 'new' AmeriQue owners. Is the IQ controller backlit so you can see the temps and time in the darkness of the wide-open spaces? It would be marvelous if it is. Confused


Yes, it is backlit with a bright light green color and it is great in the dark!

Donna
B bembringMember
The smoker arrived today and the box is damaged, it's taped and does not look like the way cookshack ships.
I took pictures of it before I opened it.
I cut the tape and looked inside I see that It's scratched on top and the top hinge is completely bent outward.
I called UPS they said that claims person would call me by end of day tomorrow.
I have a party this weekend and am very disappointed that I will not be able to use my new Amerique this weekend to cook for all of my friends that are coming over.
It's very strange that I received the pepper rack yesterday and that the smoker came one day late and when I called UPs yesterday they said that it was late do to a weight adjustment.
I called Karen and sent her an email with pictures.

Briane
FM Former Member
WOW!!! Sorry to hear your unit didn't arrive in the greatest of shape...my SM050 met the same fate when I opened it last week.

The box was in pretty bad shape and had been taped as well. Most of the damage you describe is identical to the damage my unit had - bent hinge, etc. Seems like UPS gets it there, but they don't ever really say anything about getting it there in one piece.

Fortunately, the folks at Cookshack took care of this as soon as they were notified, and a new one is on the way. Give them a call and let them know...
FM Former Member
My Amerique arrived with the latch bent too. There was a hole in the box right over it. Unfortunately, I didn't notice it until after the driver left. The door still closes and I don't think it will be a problem for me. We'll see when I cook. I hope they get yours fixed soon, Briane.

Sounds as if UPS isn't doing its job again. They also ran me around pretty good on the delivery. When I left my office Thursday night, the unit was "in Salt Lake and on time for delivery Friday."

Friday AM, I called UPS to make sure. Got the message "delivery changed to the following Monday." I was torqued! Re-arranged my schedule to be home to accept delivery and no smoker. coming. Front line folks NO HELP at all. Several calls later, I convinced a supervisor that I was a very unhappy camper and finally got it delivered. I never use UPS. Been hassled by them too many times.
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by Hook:
My Amerique arrived with the latch bent too. There was a hole in the box right over it.
Sounds as if UPS isn't doing its job again.


They go through this periodically. File a claim for the damage, losing money is the only thing that gets the attention of these huge companies.

Donna
FM Former Member
Alert!

My next door neighbor is a supervisor with UPS in Houston and he has been telling me horror stories regarding the conditions of the work force there. He even told me not to use UPS but use Fedex or DHL. He is sadden by the way UPS has turn their mode of operations into. He is a short-timer and awaiting retirement. Thought I would put my .02¢ in.

Everyone have a good Easter and keep the CS smoking. Smiler
B bembringMember
I did file a claim still waitng for a call from an insepector from UPS to call me back.

quote:
Originally posted by Donna:
quote:
Originally posted by Hook:
My Amerique arrived with the latch bent too. There was a hole in the box right over it.
Sounds as if UPS isn't doing its job again.


They go through this periodically. File a claim for the damage, losing money is the only thing that gets the attention of these huge companies.

Donna
FM Former Member
Donna,
Have they solved the temperature problem with the control pad??? The touchpad on my CS250 will not work in my shed when the outside temperature is below about 45 degrees. Could be a problem for others in northern climates. For members who encounter problems as I did you can solve the problem a few ways.
1. I build a fire in the stove in my shed to warm it up prior to cooking.
2. Use a heat source, like a hair dryer, to heat the touch pad for a few minutes until it works.

Of course, once the unit is on it generates enough heat to eliminate the problem but getting it to come on is the problem.

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