... How easy is it to hold steady temps, how long do you get before having to reload charcoal? Seems like it would be a pain to have to take the entire stacker off to reload. Also, can you put something on the lower rack if need be (original kettle grill rack) or is that too close to the coals?
Troy will have more experienced answers but lemme "butt" in for a sec.
How easy is it to hold steady tempsIn my experience, anything with charcoal benefits from an initial setup and "stabilizing" period and then it's steady. Patience, small changes, wait for effect to take hold etc.
This could very well mean to not put food on right when coals are hot or get dumped from the chimney etc.how long do you get before having to reload charcoal?Heat reduction is influenced by ambient temperature, wind, amount and type of food, length of time and type of charcoal etc.
Seems like it would be a pain to have to take the entire stacker off to reloadIf there's no door, I concur. That said, a 22.5" kettle that doesn't have to worry about an indirect cook can hold a LOT of charcoal and that means one of two things: either you're scorching it, or smoking it ... in which case closing down vents closes down heat and therefore, fuel consumption. Also, consider that removing the stacker to dump in a chimney of lit coals would be faster than feeding them in through a door under a water pan or lower grate AND over the course of a cook, having the stacker removed doesn't lose as much heat as you may think; the machine recovers from heat loss quickly.