Value -
The CharBroil Simple Smoker runs at around $299 from most of the sites we saw. Shipping will set you back quite a bit as the Simple Smoker is not a small, nor light object. In looking at the competition out there (grills and smokers) the $299 for the versatility and performance is not bad at all. Even looking at propane grills and traditional wood smokers will put you in the same $250-300 range that you are with the Simple Smoker. Over all it would not be a bad investment for the retail price.

Conclusion -
The CharBroil Simple Smoker is a very well put together product. Even thought we had reservations about using a non-traditional smoker we found that we would use the same techniques and principals to get very similar results. On top of that the ability to keep an eye on things from just about anywhere is a great benefit. We could drop food and take care of other things while the food was cooking. The notifications on when to add more chips, when you were getting close to hitting the temperature set and the timer were all part of what makes the Simple Smoker great for beginners and veterans alike.

CharBroil took the time to put in more than a few safe guards to ensure that your connected smoker will not be compromised and used to burn your house down (of course it should not be inside anyway). When you are outside of your home network you have very little control over the smoker. You can edit an existing cook (chamber temp and meat temp), but you cannot start a cook or a cleaning. Of course even if you could program a cook or cleaning form outside someone will have to push the start button on the cooker.

This is not to say that there is not a learning curve or that CharBroil does not need to tweak their app to get in line with what consumers would want to see. However, none of these are deal breakers so they should not deter you from picking one up if you are in the market. With its combination of flexibility, control and performance we are awarding the CharBroil Simple Smoker our Silver Key Award.