Assassin 24 Thoughts

[Southstar]

I'm about to pull the trigger on the Assassin 24 and wanted to hear any opinions on what I should do. Should I; place the chute on the side, get a 5th rack (plan on making lots of ribs and chicken ), place the hole for the guru wires in a different spot, any other upgrades I should get. I am coming from cooking a BGE for 3 years and have no idea what I'm doing. I need more capacity. Also I will be at the Dallas cooking competition at Valley View on Saturday if there is anybody out there with an Assassin. I would love to see one in action.

 

[Smokin' Greene]

I really like assassin products, but why not Lone Star Grillz Insulated vertical. You could go pick it up and save the shipping charges. I love my mini LSG.

 

[Southstar]

I was looking at the LSG Mini, and Stumps Baby XL as well. I like the Assassin 24 because it has a bit more cooking space and all the standard opitions. I could go pick up the LSG but its 650 lbs and will need a forklift to move it once I get home( I think).I emailed Assassin yesterday and am waiting on my quote on shipping. I was looking at uship.com and I can have the Assassin delivered for around $250.

 

[bbqwizard]

I have the Assassin 28 and have 5 shelves but also included a 6th rail in case I want to change up the heights or add another shelf down the road. I personally like the heat in the back, but depending on how you plan to transport or cook on it, you may prefer to have it on the side. It really just depends on how you like to cook. Either way you have to "cook to the cooker" meaning that you have to cook to the way the beast wants to cook. I have two port holes in the back, which i think is great for the Guru Probe. With that said, I wish i ALSO had one or two on the side for meat probes should I choose to use them.

Congratulations on your purchase!

 

[Southstar]

I have the Assassin 28 and have 5 shelves but also included a 6th rail in case I want to change up the heights or add another shelf down the road. I personally like the heat in the back, but depending on how you plan to transport or cook on it, you may prefer to have it on the side. It really just depends on how you like to cook. Either way you have to "cook to the cooker" meaning that you have to cook to the way the beast wants to cook. I have two port holes in the back, which i think is great for the Guru Probe. With that said, I wish i ALSO had one or two on the side for meat probes should I choose to use them.

Congratulations on your purchase!

Ahh!! Thanks for that tip I have the Cyber Q and will need the extra port holes for my meats. Do you have any idea what size fan I will need with the Assassin 24? Thanks for your input.

 

[Southstar]

How much can the water pan hold in the Assassin 24? Cannot find any pictures or You Tube videos with the water pan.

 

[kevinbglenn]

I also have the Assassin 28. I have been using it for about a year now. LOVE IT !!!. Mine has two probe ports on the the back, firebox on the back and 6 shelves. My water pan hold right at 1.5 gallons.

https://flic.kr/p/GvrqYf


https://flic.kr/p/GDDopi

https://flic.kr/p/FJ6JZC

 

[Enrico Brandizzi]

Can anyone tell me if The Assassins works ONLY with water in for ALL the cooking last
Or can it be used with just a little water enough for the 1-2 initial cooking hours?

 

[sfrancis353]

I don't use a water pan at all with my Assassin 24. I had them add an extra probe point so I had one on each side.

 

[kevinbglenn]

I always use water in the pan for pork, ribs, and beef. If I am cooking chicken or turkey I take the pan out and run dry. I ran water in my WSM's before moving to the Assassin and I like how mine Assassin cooks with my rubs at my preferred cooking temps. I have ran it dry and wet with pork and ribs and always like the results with water in the pan. Try it both ways for yourself and see what works best for you. Good luck.

 

[Southstar]

Kevinbglenn thank you for putting those pics up. You got me all fired up!!

 

[willisl64]

I've had my Assassin 24 for 2 weeks now. I really like it. I did have them put in an extra set of runs so I can put in 5 cooking racks if needed. Nice to have that versatility. I've not used the water pan yet, but I am going to use it on my cook this weekend, 4 butts, some wings and a pot of Keri's Hog apple beans. I LOVE the amount of cook space on the cooker. The fit and finish of the cooker is very good, and the price is hard to beat when comparing like cookers with other brands. You will not regret the purchase.

 

[Southstar]

I've had my Assassin 24 for 2 weeks now. I really like it. I did have them put in an extra set of runs so I can put in 5 cooking racks if needed. Nice to have that versatility. I've not used the water pan yet, but I am going to use it on my cook this weekend, 4 butts, some wings and a pot of Keri's Hog apple beans. I LOVE the amount of cook space on the cooker. The fit and finish of the cooker is very good, and the price is hard to beat when comparing like cookers with other brands. You will not regret the purchase.

Thanks for your input. What is the spacing between your racks?

 

[bubbamac00]

I have had my Assassin 24 for about 2.5 years and still love it. It has all of the standard options and spacing for 4 racks with a single probe port in the back and the charcoal chute on the back. But it does everything that I want. I have cooked 8 butts and two briskets on it at one time as my largest cook but it is easy enough for a single butt and a couple racks of ribs as well. Truly a great cooker. I went and visited the shop in Macon before I bought one and watched how they were made. Jeff was really hospitable and I put a deposit on one that day. I keep wanting to get the charcoal grill as well but just have not ordered it yet. Great people with a great product.

 

[bubbamac00]

To add, I have never used the water pan in mine. Just always felt there was enough moisture in the chamber to not warrant it and I really like the bark I get without it so I just never used it.

 

[SimcoBBQ]

1. Chute in the back or side is really depends on where your smoker will be set up. For instance if the back of it is going up against a wall or house then you may want a side chute.
2. Probe ports probably need to be on the side of the chute (that's where the fan will be connected)
3. No real need for a water pan in a gravity fed unit. Yes you can use it but why? By design they hold a ton of moisture and hold solid non-fluctuating temps. Water pans are for bottom fired cabinets as more of a heat sink than anything.
4. Of course 1, 2 and 3 are just my opinions , but I have a standard setup with the exception of 7 rack runners and 5 racks. I don't have a problem with the back probe ports and you can easily get 4 probes thru the port.

Oh and a 10 cfm fan is plenty

 

[canoe]

folks must like them..I have been hoping to score a good deal on a used one. seems like they seldom come available and when they do they sale quickly and they are never cheap.

 

[mep]

1. Chute in the back or side is really depends on where your smoker will be set up. For instance if the back of it is going up against a wall or house then you may want a side chute.
2. Probe ports probably need to be on the side of the chute (that's where the fan will be connected)
3. No real need for a water pan in a gravity fed unit. Yes you can use it but why? By design they hold a ton of moisture and hold solid non-fluctuating temps. Water pans are for bottom fired cabinets as more of a heat sink than anything.
4. Of course 1, 2 and 3 are just my opinions , but I have a standard setup with the exception of 7 rack runners and 5 racks. I don't have a problem with the back probe ports and you can easily get 4 probes thru the port.

Oh and a 10 cfm fan is plenty

The suggestions above are really good. I've had my Assassin 24 for 2yrs 9 months. Mine is the standard set-up. I wish that I had ordered extra rack runners, so that I could customize the spacing of the racks.

I've never used the water pan and haven't had any problems with the moisture of the meat.

I've gotten to where I don't use the ports most of the time and just run the cables through the door.

 

[Southstar]

1. Chute in the back or side is really depends on where your smoker will be set up. For instance if the back of it is going up against a wall or house then you may want a side chute.
2. Probe ports probably need to be on the side of the chute (that's where the fan will be connected)
3. No real need for a water pan in a gravity fed unit. Yes you can use it but why? By design they hold a ton of moisture and hold solid non-fluctuating temps. Water pans are for bottom fired cabinets as more of a heat sink than anything.
4. Of course 1, 2 and 3 are just my opinions , but I have a standard setup with the exception of 7 rack runners and 5 racks. I don't have a problem with the back probe ports and you can easily get 4 probes thru the port.

Oh and a 10 cfm fan is plenty

Thank you for your insight. Glad I already have the 10 cfm fan.

 

[wtxsmoker]

I had an assassin 24. The thing I did not like was the rear opening fire box. You could not push it back to the wall. Had to set it in the middle of the patio to get to the back