Why I picked the Smoke Hollow Smoker

This model stood out above all other gas models I found. 

Smoke Hollow Dual Burner 44" - PS4400

Pros

Solid construction

   - Legs are heavy

   - Handles are steel not plastic

   - Hinges are welded heavy duty lift off style,

   - Racks are a little beefier than others

   - Doors fit well and seem tight

Plenty of space, many racks, 24” wide so full racks can lay flat, hang or on edge in a rib rack

Includes Rib Rack, 2 Jerky racks, and a nice hanger - some say hanging ribs have better flavor

Window to see what’s going on so you don’t have to open the door and let out the heat and smoke

Latches have rubber tip to keep them cool, but you still need to touch the metal to get it closed.

Dual burner gives you many options - alternate burners to extend smoke time without opening the door, super low on one burner, high temp with both blazing

Covered smoke stack - What’s a joker without a smoke stack?  Makes the cover look funny, but somehow I think a smoker needs a stack, and this one is covered so the rain won’t go in.

Double wall doors provide some insulation

Simple to convert to NG

Burner is out of the wind, inside the box

Vertical cabinet style is easy to load, and add or remove anything mid-smoke.

Price - Cheaper than a Weber Smokey Moutain  or Big Green Egg

Cons

3-sides are not double wall or insulated, neither are any other gas model I’ve seen

Running only one burner may not provide even heat, and using one burner may be needed to go really low

Finish is nice, but basically hi-temp paint, so it will rusts also the same as all gas smokers I've seen

No wheels

Due to window, temp gauge is at the top, but few serious BBQ guy use the door gauge, get a Maverick 

No probe hole, hoping to get WSM Silicon probe hole grommet

Latch style is more difficult to open and close and will likely be hot, but very secure and adjustable

Smoke stack not adjustable - I think that only really matters for charcoal, so it may not be a con

Price - A little more than the stock Lowes and HD models

Smoker Assembled

It went together very easily. I can't try it out until I add a tee to the gas line on the deck.  For now it hangs out in the kitchen.

Built like a brick smokehouse

My Smoke Hollow dual burner smoker arrived today.

Thankfully it was undamaged and well packed.  Other models have a reputation for arriving dented and scratched.  The box was big and heavy and nicely packed with styrofoam. 

Everything was packed inside the large upper section with the door latched tight.  It was so heavy and cumbersome to move, I chose to open it in the box and take it out piece by piece. 

                                  

Everything seems much sturdier than the models I looked at Lowes and Home Depot.

The door seams look tight.  Many people add some type of gaskets to the doors of vertical gas smokers to keep smoke and heat from escaping but according to Ed who makes a gas conversion kit  says a gas smoker actually needs more air movement to keep the flame lit.  So sealing them up too much can be a bad thing.  I'll test and decide then.

The Natural Gas conversion looks pretty simple so far, simply swap hoses.  

Here's the inside of the burner box.  The single burner models have a cast brass burner which I would have preferred but the dual burner model uses stainless steel.  Should last awhile, and based on the looks may be simple to swap out when needed, even with a universal burner.

I have not drilled out the orifice yet. Since this tends to run hot when using propane, I wanted to see if keeping it as is will keep the temps lower.  NG needs a bigger orifice to burn the same as LP.  If the flame won't stay lit I'll drill them out.  The cover will need to be removed in the burner box to access the orifices.

Time to get a smoker

Who doesn't love fall off the bone ribs with a rich smokey flavor?  The best way to cook such gems is with low and slow with burning wood smoke billowing all around it.  There are several ways to accomplish this.

Commercial kitchen smokers are usually electric refrigerator like devices that are basically computer controlled, climate controlled environments that you set and forget.  An electric element heats wood pellets or chips to generate smoke.  There are backyard versions of electric smokers, but they are a little too clean and simple to call them BBQ tools.  There must be fire to make it a manly tool.

Hard core BBQ guys only use charcoal or wood fired smokers, which are also the only type smoker allowed in competition.  However, they must be watched and tweaked constantly to maintain a constant temperature and smoke level.  While these look awesome and make great BBQ, I'm not willing to spend all day every Saturday messing with charcoal and vents, hoping I don't ruin a bunch of meat.
The best backyard charcoal version is the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) which is high quality and generally easy to use by comparison.  Meat is placed on 2 layers of racks and the lower rack can only be accessed by removing the upper rack.  Seems like a bit of a hassle.

A gas smoker is a nice compromise between the two - consistent easy temperature control with a flame.  I ran a natural gas line to our deck for our Weber Genesis grill which I love but no one makes a natural gas smoker so I was in for a conversion project no matter what I picked.  I was very close to getting the WSM and After Burner conversion kit but decided the inconvenience of how you load it and the lack of enough venting on the lid it was not ideal.  The fridge style was much easier to load and Sam's sells a version with 2 burners for even more heat control as well as a large door with a window to see what's going on.  As a smoking newbie, being able to see the smoke and meat as it cooks seems like a great advantage.  So I ordered the Smoke Hollow Dual Burner PS4400.  I'll convert it to Natural Gas once it arrives.