We were so excited to get this charcoal smoker! Putting it together was fairly easy, just as simple as following directions. My only complaint is that the door on the smoker was not flushed to the smoker itself, so we had to make some adjustments to get it to close properly. Beyond that, it's perfect! There are so many different variations of what and how you can cook on the smoker - you can use it as a grill, as a smoker, with charcoal, with wood chips, you can add apple cider to the water bowl for added flavor. We have cooked everything from burgers and steaks to brisket on this smoker and they've all had a very authentic, juicy flavor. Not to mention, it's rather large and has a neat, streamlined appearance and looks great on our patio! I would definitely recommend this to everyone!