So, I ended up giving "The Beast" to my older son. As I detailed in a different thread, he is a junior in college and plays on the baseball team. They were required to live in campus their first two years, and now he and three friends/team mates share a house. Well, I wasn't going to let these young men - and certainly not my first born - move into a house without a proper outdoor cooker. He was pretty pumped when I told him I wanted him to bring it to school with him.
Fast forward to this weekend. Wife and I and another set of house/baseball parents we've become friendly with up in Oregon visiting. I broke that beast in for real last night! Two tri tips, beans, and a pan of Italian sausage/onions & peppers. Those boys ate (and drank) like kings! Great night!
Interesting thing: When it got hot, the lid and bowl really changed color noticeably. The bowl almost got a bit lighter, the lid definitely got darker.