The Outsunny BBQ Smoker with lid is a charcoal grill in barrel form. A horizontal, cylindrical body made of powder-coated black metal, whose upper half opens as a lid, sits on a tubular frame with two wheels. The manufacturer lists it under article number 846-147V00BK, and the Amazon catalogue links the same model number to ASIN B0DY7WP7DZ. According to our price box it costs approx. €100 (Amazon page on 20.10.2026: €99.90). In our catalogue it is listed under charcoal grills.
We have not grilled anything on it, and we have not had it in our hands either. The basis is the product page on aosom.de, the multilingual instruction manual, the Amazon catalogue and the product photo. An earlier version of this text counted the warming rack as part of the grilling area and promised an assembly time of about 45 minutes. None of the sources supports either, and on the charcoal quantity the manual is stricter than the old text claimed.
Is the Outsunny a real smoker?
Not in the sense of an offset smoker. It has a single chamber: embers, grill grate and warming rack all sit in the same barrel. A firebox attached at the side is not part of the delivery and cannot be seen in the photo either.
In a classic offset, the fire burns in a small chamber next to the cooking chamber. Hot air and smoke draw across, pass the meat and leave the cooking chamber at the other end through a chimney. The food never sits above the embers. That is why such a unit holds low temperatures for many hours, and why it is usually heavy and large. The photo shows no chimney on the Outsunny.
Outsunny itself only writes that you should regulate smoke and heat “via the adjustable vents”. In the picture, ventilation slots can be seen on the round end face of the lid. Smoking is still possible with this design, just in a different way. You push the embers to one end of the charcoal grate, put the meat at the other, close the lid and add smoking chips or a piece of wood onto the charcoal. How two zones work in one grill is explained in the guide Using direct and indirect heat properly.
Barrel, grates and area
The product photo shows the construction quite clearly. The barrel lies across the frame, the lid is hinged at the back and has a bar handle on top, and the round thermometer sits on the inside of the dome. Under the middle of the barrel hangs a cylindrical cup, which by position and manufacturer data is the ash catcher with Ø 20 x 14 cm. On the left the frame stands on two wheels with a diameter of 15 cm, on the right on two legs. Between the legs there are only cross braces. The grill has no side tables, and no lower shelf either.
According to the manufacturer, the main grate measures 71 x 38 cm. That gives exactly the 2,698 cm² that Outsunny states as the grilling area. The warming rack at 63.5 x 20 cm comes on top and is not included in this figure; on paper it has a good 1,270 cm². In the photo it hangs as a narrow wire grid at the back above the main grate, so further from the embers. Bread rolls or finished sausages stay warm there without continuing to cook (our deduction from the position).
Outsunny advertises that eight burgers and eight hot dogs fit on the grate at the same time.
Our assessment of the shape: 71 cm in length by 38 cm in depth is a long, narrow rectangle in a round barrel. That is favourable for two zones, because there is real distance between embers at one end and food at the other. On a kettle grill of the same area, the zones lie closer together. Outsunny does not say what material the three grates are made of, whether chrome-plated wire, enamel or cast iron; the product page only says metal.
In detail: air, embers and a charcoal limit
On a barrel grill without a firebox you have two controls. The first is air. The more oxygen reaches the charcoal, the hotter it burns, and if you close the openings you slow the embers until they eventually suffocate. The second is the position of the charcoal. If the meat lies directly above it, it gets the full radiant heat. If it lies beside it and the lid is closed, it cooks in the hot air under the dome, similar to an oven.
A third control that some grill carts have is missing here. Outsunny mentions no height adjustment for the charcoal grate or grill grate anywhere, so you cannot change the distance between embers and grate with a crank.
On the charcoal quantity, the manufacturer contradicts itself. The product page recommends less than 1.8 kg and at most 70 percent of the charcoal grate. The instruction manual says under the safety notes: “The maximum quantity of charcoal must not exceed 1.4 kg.” We go by the manual, because it formulates an upper limit and gives the stricter figure. In the same section it also says the product is “only intended for small fires”.
What follows from that? For sausages, steaks and vegetables over direct heat, one load is usually enough. For a pulled pork, which depending on the cut cooks indirectly for many hours, you will have to top up in a barrel with this limit, and every opening of the lid costs heat. How long 1.4 kg burns depends on the type of charcoal, the air and the outside temperature. Briquettes usually glow longer and more evenly than lump charcoal, which can be decisive with a fixed quantity limit; the differences are described in Charcoal or briquettes?.
Dimensions, weight and where to put it
Assembled, the Outsunny measures 95 x 71.5 x 102 cm in length, width and height according to the manufacturer. These are overall dimensions across barrel, frame and wheels. The Amazon catalogue gives the same three values, converted, in a different order, and a weight of 35.27 pounds, which corresponds to the 16 kg Outsunny states.
The grill grate sits at a height of 78 cm. Kitchen worktops are usually a good deal higher, around 90 cm. If you are tall, you will therefore work at the Outsunny slightly stooped.
To move it, you lift the side with the legs and roll the grill on its two wheels, like a sack truck. At 16 kg you can do that alone. Wheels with a diameter of 15 cm run harder over lawn and gravel than over paving, which is pure mechanics. Once the grill is hot, it stays where it is; the manual is clear on that (see below).
When choosing where to put it, what matters less than the footprint is the distance the manual requires from combustible structures.
Safety, cleaning and care according to the manual
The German version of the manual bundles 29 safety notes. We reproduce them here in our own words, complete in substance and sorted by topic. The manual itself is what counts.
Setting up: The grill is used outdoors only, never indoors and never in an enclosed or habitable space such as a house, caravan, motorhome or boat. The manual explicitly warns of fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. It is also off limits in or next to recreational vehicles and boats. Flammable and combustible objects or materials must be kept away. Outsunny requires a minimum distance of 3 m (10 feet) to combustible structures at the sides and rear, and the grill must not stand under combustible overhead structures. The ground must be flat, level, stable and heat-resistant.
Before use: Check every time that the grill is fully and securely assembled. Before the first cook, you heat it up and keep the fuel glowing hot for at least 30 minutes.
Fire: Methylated spirit and petrol are forbidden for lighting and relighting; only firelighters complying with EN 1860-3 (a European standard, so it applies in the EU) are allowed. Paper, cardboard and similar material do not belong in flames or charcoal. Large fires are excluded, and the 1.4 kg of charcoal mentioned above is the upper limit. You do not extinguish charcoal with water, and you do not cool the grill down with it either.
Operation: The grill gets very hot and must not be moved while it is in operation or hot; let it cool down completely before touching it. It is never left unattended. Keep children and pets away, the product must not get into their hands, and particular care is needed near children. Anyone under the influence of alcohol or of prescription or over-the-counter medicines does not use the grill. Hair, clothing and jewellery stay away from embers and flames. You do not touch hot surfaces and always wear heat-resistant protective gloves; the handle can get so hot that it seriously injures an unprotected hand, so use a glove or pad. The utensils must be heat-resistant, and accessories that Outsunny does not recommend or sell are not intended.
Condition and purpose: You should not repair or repaint the grill; a damaged unit is disposed of. It is intended exclusively for non-commercial outdoor use, for cooking food for human consumption, and for nothing else.
Cleaning: Only once the oven body has cooled down completely. For food and oil stains, the manual recommends soaking it in water for 10 minutes and then cleaning with a soft cloth. If you have rinsed it with water, dry it as well as possible and store it in a cool place.
Two points in there look contradictory at first glance, water forbidden and water recommended. Our reading: the ban applies to embers and hot metal, the soaking to the cold grill. More consequential is the sentence on painting. If the powder coating flakes off and the barrel rusts, Outsunny does not provide for touching it up, but for disposal.
What the manufacturer does not state
Beyond what is said above, the product page, manual and Amazon catalogue lack the following information:
- Material thickness of barrel and lid
- Heat-up time and charcoal consumption per hour
- Warranty terms; the manual contains no warranty section
- Spare parts and their availability
- A matching cover from its own range
- A firebox or smoking chamber to retrofit, and no statement on offset operation either
- The year since which the model has been on the market
Three alternatives from our catalogue
| Model | The difference | Price | Our rating | Choose this one if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outsunny BBQ Smoker with lid (this one) | Barrel with 71 x 38 cm main grate, no shelves | approx. €99.90 | 7.5 | you want a lot of grate length and have a side table |
| TAINO HERO Smoker small | smaller grate, charcoal grate height-adjustable by crank, folding side table | approx. €74.90 | 7.8 | you grill for two to four people and want to adjust the embers towards the grate |
| SunJas Grillwagen Holzkohle | similarly large grate, air vents at top and bottom, side tables and shelf | approx. €86 | 7.6 | you also want to control the air supply from below and put plates down next to the grate |
| Everdure HUB II | lights the charcoal electrically, has a rotisserie | approx. €2,503 | 9.4 | you can spend many times as much and want to do without a chimney starter and charcoal handling |
The prices are guide values from our price boxes and fluctuate in the shops. The rating is our editorial assessment based on the manufacturer data.
The TAINO HERO small stands out. According to the price box it costs approx. €74.90, the Outsunny approx. €100, and the TAINO ranks higher in our rating but has the smaller grate. The SunJas Grillwagen, at approx. €85.99, is also below the Outsunny and comes with shelves. The Everdure HUB II sits in the table as a counterpole; it shows what you can spend a lot of money on with a charcoal grill.
When the Outsunny fits and when another grill does
Number of people: Outsunny states 5 to 10 people. Our assessment: for five, the main grate is enough in one go; for ten, you grill in two or three rounds and use the warming rack as a buffer.
Steak or low and slow: For direct grilling and shorter indirect cooking times such as chicken thighs or a piece of pork neck, the barrel fits. If you regularly want to smoke brisket or pulled pork for a whole day, you are better served by an offset smoker. Otherwise the charcoal limit forces you to keep topping up. An overview of smoker designs is given in Smoker for beginners.
Work surface: Without a side table you need a side table of your own for plates, tongs and marinade. If that is too awkward for you, go for the TAINO or the SunJas.
Balcony and small garden: Because of the 3 m clearance the manual requires, the Outsunny is in our assessment unsuitable for most balconies and for terraces directly against a wooden facade.
Budget: On top of the approx. €100 come firelighters complying with EN 1860-3 and heat-resistant gloves, both of which the manual requires. We are not aware of a cover from the manufacturer itself. Read strictly, a cover from another brand does not match the instruction to use only accessories recommended or sold by the manufacturer; whether Outsunny counts a cover as an accessory in that sense, we do not know.
The grill does not suit two groups: anyone who wants to use it commercially, for example for catering or at a sales stand, because the manual rules that out; and anyone who makes multi-hour smoking at a stable temperature their main purpose. If, on the other hand, you mainly grill directly for a larger family, occasionally cook indirectly and can plan with around €100, the Outsunny gives you a long grate. We would prefer it to the TAINO for that group if grate area matters more than the crank.
