What makes our Firesmiths Hero Smoker & Grill so special?

Barrel or ugly drum cooking as it’s lovingly referred to in the US , has been around for a very long time. In fact braaing and cooking food in a barrel or drum has been around much longer than most fancy braai equipment. Even right here in South Africa we have seen mielies being smoked and grilled on the roadside or braai enthusiasts creating DIY braais and smokers from old petrol barrels.

These days, barrel or drum cooking has grown even more in popularity with added modern features and functionality than just a bare “drum”. So much so in fact, that it’s now as much a part of a normal US BBQ lover’s cooking arsenal as the kettle grill became when first introduced in 1951. And the reasons behind it is simple. Let’s look at the science:

With typical side or horizontal grilling you can get nice grill marks on your steak but not really balance or tenderness. Food is typically exposed to direct heat and cooked on one side with the other side left out in the cold.

This causes uneven cooking and can result in meat becoming dry and therefore not as tender and juicy – not smart!

This is smart!

Once turned vertically however and with proper airflow design, temperatures remain constant throughout the cooking session. Coupled with our unique hanging method and 360 heat dynamics for even cooking, your essentially looking at a vertical albeit stationary “rotisserie” which allows you to cook your food Low & Slow or Hot & Fast – whilst kissing it all the way throughout your cook with delicious smoky notes…

IT GETS BETTER!
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR FIRESMITHS HERO SMOKER & GRILL's  AWESOME FEATURES!

Braai me right round, baby right round!

Unlike traditional braai’s or kettle units in which you braai your meat or other food over a single, direct heat source, the drum or cylindrical shape of the Firesmiths Hero Smoker & Grill places your food right in the middle of the action – cooking the meat from all sides, all at the same time. Our 360 heat dynamics™ design effectively traps heat, moisture and flavour when cooking that results in consistent, incredibly tasting and perfectly cooked food every time you use it – all without needing to babysit your food so you can spend more time with family & friends!

Let’s hang out

Complementing our unique 360 heat dynamics design is the ability to hang your meat. Yes, you heard right. Hanging your meat vertically allows your food to cook evenly from top to bottom. It will not get burnt, and being securely hooked there is no need to worry that it will fall during your braai! It’s simple science or as we would like to call it – Firesmiths Hero magic doing it’s work, and it looks great too!

Give it to me tender and juicy… 

Thanks to the hanging method and 360 heat dynamics of your Hero Smoker & Grill, food cooks evenly from top to bottom, and all those delicious juices continuously self-bastes your food in flavour and moisture. With the remaining juices falling onto the hot coals, it then produces a further smoke vapour that rises back up into the Hero, creating another layer of moisture and flavour that you simply cannot achieve with a traditional braai! You can also further enhance your food by infusing the coal basket with your favourite wood chunks, wood shavings or herbs – like rosemary for lamb. Getting creative and experimenting is part of the fun!

Let’s get grilling!

With the Firesmith Hero added unique ability to flip the heat diffuser, and in doing so raising the charcoal basket closer to the grill, you get greater direct heat that is perfect for achieving a deliciously brown layer finish that makes a steak so delicious.

Double-Up  

Your Firesmith Hero Smoker & Grill comes standard with a horizontal hinged grill grate. This enables you to “collapse” the one half of the grill grate and have the other half of the grate remain flat. Perfect for when you want to hang food such as ribs or chicken, and to still be able to smoke delicate food like fish or veggies horizontally.

Look at all this space!

Want to braai and smoke 9 large rack of ribs or a whole leg of lamb? How about two large chickens and some veggies? With the Hero Smoker & Grill you can! It’s vertical design takes up minimal space in your outdoor area, and delivers a cooking ability to available-space-ratio that a traditional braai simply cannot surpass. Did we mention it tastes way more lekker?

9 large racks of ribs? – No problem

2 large chickens and leg of lamb? - Yip

1 Pork Crown – You bet!

Cook me any way you want me!

Enjoy the superior versatility of the Hero Smoker & Grill with multiple cooking setups. Do direct, indirect, hanging, baking or even cooking. You can even hang food horizontally at the same time by collapsing the half-hinged grill grate! Your Hero Smoker & Grill does it all in style!

Direct

InDirect

Baking

Hanging

Loves to multitask!   

Step-up the versality of your Firesmith Hero Smoker & Grill by purchasing the optional Tri-Grate. Consisting of a three-piece modular design you can cook an enormous variety of food such as chicken legs, jalapeño poppers, veggies, prawns, fish and so much more! And yip, you can even collapse one of the Tri-Grate modular sections to hang food along with what you are cooking horizontally!

Beef or Chicken?

Who likes limited options? Not your Firesmiths Hero Smoker & Grill! If you fancy seafood, veggies, cheese or even pizza you can! Once you have cooked in your Hero,  you will understand why even smoked pizza is way better than from your local take-away spot!

Anybody can become a Hero!

Our Firesmiths Hero Smoker & Grill was made to be easy to use. We designed the charcoal basket to take the exact amount of charcoal or briquettes to allow you between 6+ hours of perfectly smoked and cooked food as well as the ability to take more control should you wish to further regulate the internal temperature of your smoker.

By simply shifting the air intake damper at the bottom of the smoker, as well as the chimney exhaust damper at the top of the lid, you can set the temperature that you want to cook at. Opening the dampers up fully will increase the flow of air and therefore temperature into your smoker whilst closing them will do the opposite – you are in full control!

Easy does it

In terms of cleaning, it’s not necessary to wash your Hero inside after each cooking session. You want to keep it “seasoned” (for more information on how to season your Hero prior to first use click here). Simply remove the ash pan with the burnt through coals (once cooled) and discard the ash into the bin. Should your smoker get dirty on the outside, simply rub it down with a wet cloth when not in use and then cover it with one of our fitted covers to keep it looking as good as new.

When we designed our Hero Smoker & Grill, we wanted it to be a product you can easily setup, ignite and be super easy to clean- whether at home or outdoors. With its stylish ox wagon wheels and nifty side handle you can easily move our drum smokers around to wherever you need it. 

Built to Last

Our Firesmith Hero Smoker & Grill might not be an actual superhero but it holds it own! Made from tough 18 gauge steel and powder coated with a high heat resistant finish, your Hero smoker can withstand the heat of cooking at high temperatures as well as making it extremely durable by being rust and water resistant. 

Setup for success!

The Firesmith Hero comes supplied with everything you need to start smoking and grilling in order to become a true smoking master:

Built to Last

1. Firesmith Hero Smoker & Grill
2. 3 x meat hanger rods
3. 9 x steel hooks
4. Charcoal basket
5. Ash basket
6. Heat Diffuser plate
7. Hinged grill grate
8. Lifter-tool
9. Professional Temperature Gauge

Check out our recipes & videos section for some amazing food recipes you can try out on your Firesmith Hero as well as useful tips & tricks!

Get Geared Up

In order to become a true smoke master you need the right gear. We offer a range of great accessories to further enhance your Firesmith braaing and smoking experience. Click here to see what is on offer.