I have a Rival Crock-Pot BBQ Pit. Bought mine at Kaufmann's Home Store at our local mall earlier this month (OCT) Kaufmann's listed price was $129.99, the highest price for this item I have seen anywhere. Amazon.com has it for $119 and WalMart shows it on its website, online, for $89 When I told the sales clerk/dept manager at Kaufmann's that WalMart was selling the exact same product for $89, she lowered Kaufmann's $129.99 price to $99 plus gave me a discount certificate good for 20% off any appliance. So I ended up paying $79 for my Rival BBQ Pit. I have used my BBQ Pit several times, for country style pork ribs, chicken leg quarters, a whole 5LB chicken, and turkey thighs. I have found the meat to turn out tasting as if it were steamed, which makes sense since you cook with the BBQ Pit covered and since it cooks on low heat, there are no vents, which would lower the inside cooking temperature too much. So all moisture inside recirculates around the barrel shaped lid with nowhere to escape, effectively steaming the meat. And you don't want to open the lid of the BBQ Pit too often to baste, since that lowers the inside cooking temperature too much, forcing you to cook on the high setting. There are 2 heat settings, High and Low. It is recommended to always cook on High when cooking pork, which takes away the advantage of slow cooking using low heat for the most tender meals. I have read several good reviews for this product, all saying how tasty and tender the meat turned out. IF you like tons of BBQ Sauce on your meat, such as pulled pork, this might work out .. otherwise, you will get steamed tasting meat that can be either too dry, if overdone, or too chewy if underdone; pale looking and without crispy skin. I tried brining the chicken leg quarters and the turkey thighs overnight in the fridge prior to cooking and that did help with the tenderness and flavor absorbtion of the meat. You will need to brine, marinate, season highly, add some water and liquid smoke to the cooking pit, use a product such as Magii or Kitchen Bouquet for color .. all sorts of tricks to get the meat to turn out with taste and visual appeal. I used a brining solution of 1/2 gallon water, 1/4 cup Kosher salt, 1/4 cup molasses, a splash of rice wine vinegar, a splash of apple cider, plus herbs and spices and a sliced up fresh lemon. I used molasses rather than white sugar to get a nice coloring of the meat. I used 1/2 skinless meat and 1/2 with skin on and both tasted good. The cooking pit is a removable stoneware insert, formed to hold 1 of 2 styles of chrome cooking racks (included), a flat rack and a raised rack, on foldup legs for upright cooking of uncut ribs. The appliance itself is flat black aluminum with brushed silver trim panels. There is one knob for High, Low, on/off. A light lights up when the appliance is turned on. It is quite heavy to lift even when empty and although the packaging reads it is countertop friendly, the paper instructions say to use a heat protector pad on your countertop and to not use it on a wood surface. It does get very hot to the touch while cooking, and I have mine on a cutting board sized countertop heat protecter metal pad. The stoneware (flat black) cooking chamber is removable for cleaning. I did spray mine with Pam before cooking and when I used sugar containing BBQ Sauces that like to burn on rock hard, I also put a sheet of aluminum foil inside the bottom of the stoneware insert. The stoneware insert is large & bulky, so much care is required when removing it for cleaning in sink or dishwasher. You could really achieve the same "BBQ effect" by simply putting a cooking rack in the bottom of your existing crock-pot, to raise the meat up out of the juices and fats and using BBQ sauces as a baste. There is no difference in taste. The Rival BBQ Pit will cook a 12LB roast, or 3 racks of ribs, or 2 whole chickens. So there is an advantage to using it IF you are cooking large portions of meat. All in all, I have to say my opinion is that the BBQ Pit is a gimmick .. an attempt to sell you one more crock-pot. And an expensive and heavy gimmick at that! It is the size of a microwave oven or large roaster and takes up a lot of counterspace, especially overhead space when the lid is fully opened. BTW the lid is also removable for easier cleaning, storing. The Rival Crock-Pot BBQ Pit comes with 2 chrome cooking racks, a silicone basting brush, and a small cookbook with a few recipes. I also have the smaller sized NESCO Roaster and find it to be more versatile and you can do the same things using it as you can with this new BBQ Pit. Plus the NESCO takes up less counterspace and is much lighter and its removable, non-stick cooking insert is unbreakable. Do not think of the BBQ Pit as an indoor replacement for your outdoor BBQ Grill. There is no wood or charcoal or dripping fats & juices smoky taste or smell, no charring, no crispy skin, no grill marks. Not much appetizing aroma while cooking. What you get is steamed tasting meat, covered with BBQ sauce. Gail R (WNY)

Well, Cooper would definitely eat any meat that I cooked, but he won't eat McDonald's chicken nuggets, if that says anything, LOL. He also won't eat popcorn, potato chips, crackers of any kind, pretzels or fruit. He loves rutabaga, butternut squash and sweet potatoes, though. I've never given him lamb, because I don't like it and so don't cook it. He likes beef best, but will eat pork, chicken, turkey, duck, and any kind of fish including mussels and sardines, which he'll fight with the Dead Cat over. Annie

I'm so intrigued by the discussion of the smaller sized Nesco roasters. Is the inner cookwell light in weight? My biggest concern about crockpots is the weight of the crock itself. I'm deathly afraid that my wrists couldn't handle the weight during cleanup. That's one of the problems I have with my enameled cast iron dutch oven. It' so heavy to lift and I'm always worried it'll slip while I'm washing it.

This one, called Swiss Bliss, is excellent. I've made it many times. I got it from a slowcooker group, and it is also posted on southernfood@about.com. 2 to 4 pound beef pot roast (lean chuck or bottom round) 1 envelope onion soup mix 1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (I use fresh) 1/2 medium green pepper, sliced 1 can (20-oz) tomatoes, drained and chopped, reserving liquid salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon steak sauce 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes PREPARATION: Place beef roast in crockpot and sprinkle with the onion soup mix. Add mushrooms, green pepper slices, and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine remaining ingredients and add enough water to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Pour over meat and vegetables, and sprinkle with parsley flakes. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. I usually take the lid off and turn the pot to high for about an hour before serving to thicken the juice.