Smoking is a healthy way of cooking your food. This method retains the natural flavors of meat and fish while being cooked in indirect heat. There are many ways of smoking nowadays. The old and tested way is by burning several pieces of wood. The heat it gives off cooks the food placed inside a container.

Recently however, this rudimentary way of smoking is replaced by electric water smokers. These are appliances filled with water inside. The water when heated gives out steam and cooks food in an enclosed container.

Char-Broil electric water smoker is one of the known types of electric smoker. It is referred to also as the trash can smoker. Its 1650-watt electric power produces heat to smoke food. Its 380-square inch of cooking space has a large water pan that evens out the heat and produces steam.

Amidst its popularity, the car-broil electric water smoker is being debated upon. There are arguments raised regarding its pros and cons. Bottom line is, people want to find out how efficient this appliance really is. Or maybe there are better alternatives to it.

Char-Broil Electric Water Smoker has a pan for wood chips to produce smoke. Its large porcelain water pan can catch the drippings and produce moisture, helping release even heat. The unit has two chrome plated cooking grates that holds up to 50 pounds of food as well as a topped-off lid.

This device has several advantages. It doubles the capacity of an electric grill. It is easy to use. It is made from tough materials and is very durable. It has convenient dial adjustments.

Halfway filled water pan keeps the drippings from burning. This adds a humid environment, best for your barbeque needs.

On the downside, it is quite a hassle to assemble. The unit is not thermostatically controlled. The paint tends to peel off inside the barrel and on the lid after a few weeks.

Temperature control is elementary, similar to an electric charcoal starter. The temperature meter is pretty much useless. Controls have only three settings; off, not hot enough and barely hot enough. This can cause fire hazards if you do not know what to do.

Smoke control is another problem. The instruction emphasizes that the wood chips should be put into the water pan for smoking. Wood chips do not start burning easily because of lack of heat. Aside from this, drippings fall onto the wood as it begins to cook. This gives a burnt meat smell and flavor.

The smoker's lid does not allow passing of smoke over the meat and exits through the smoker's top. This results to a smoke pocket in the lid, causing the slow pouring out of its seal within the base. There are water drippings on the food, promoting a foul taste once the lid condenses.

The thermometer is a piece of junk. You still need to use an internal thermometer and a smoke baffle. The tin foil is also a good option for this. Shove the foil in the hole and let the smoke out on one side of a hole.

In the end, what you use in your kitchen and how you cook your food is matter of personal preference. Some people may not like char-broil electric smoker. But for some, it's the best appliance they have.