Pellet Grills

[midocr]

Any pellet grillers here?

My stick burner finally bit the dust last summer and my upright smoker is on it's last leg. I just picked up this Camp Chef (PG24MZG) on clearance from Lowes for $359. Been looking at pellet grills for about a year now, mostly Traeger and Pit Boss. In the forums I follow, seems like every other post is a problem or complaint about those two. I looked up Camp Chef and didn't see a lot of negativity in reviews. This unit is definitely better built and heavier than the comparable sized Pit Bosses they had. Assembly was fast and easy. No missing or extra parts and everything fit!

Did the burn off. I haven't done a cook yet. Hopefully this weekend. I'll see how it does with outside temps in the teens.

I have to build a sieve to filter the small particles and dust from the pellets and get some watertight storage containers. As I understand it, dust and moister are the two biggest issues with pellets. I also need to seal the lid and maybe get a winter blanket for it.

Any suggestions? Favorite pellets? Brands? Techniques? I'm looking forward to learning this new cooking technique.

 

[Pa]

I've never heard of these. What are the advantages over a glass grill?

Friends of ours have a pellet stove to heat their family room and really like it.

 

[midocr]

I've never heard of these. What are the advantages over a glass grill?

Friends of ours have a pellet stove to heat their family room and really like it.

Pellet grills use formed wood pellets as the fuel, just like the pellets your friend uses in their stove. The grill needs an electric source. The pellets are fed to a burn chamber that has a heat rod that ignites the wood pellets. There is also a small fan that keeps the fire burning and can make it hotter. You can get pellets in just about any type of wood that is good for cooking or combinations. You are essentially cooking with a wood fire. Temperature is regulated by a controller that is set to whatever temperature you desire or smoke setting you need, as it controls the speed and amount of pellets it feeds to the fire. One of the advantages is less clean up over and actual wood fire. The pellets burn down to almost no ash. The grill can be used to grill or smoke depending on the setup and settings. I'm looking forward to the convenience this type of grill offers. I have a gas grill but have always preferred cooking over wood or lump charcoal. I love to do smoked BBQ. I'll see how this plays out.

 

[socrdude]

We have a Traeger.. got it at Costco.. they were doing a week demo and got their last one on the last day as they were packing up and did not want to load it i up and haul it away.. so got it for 50% off the Costco price... We use ours all the time.. but it does struggle when its cold cold outside... we do have a Acorn true Charcoal grill as well, as I am a purist for smoked (Ribs/Brisket) and find the Acorn does as well as the Green Egg. I have used various brands of Pellets and use either a Mesquite or Hickory.. depending on what I am cooking.

 

[mrbeal]

A friend of mine has a pellet smoker, I forget the brand. He loves it. It can also be used as a "grill" but I'm not convinced it's the best way to go for burgers. You have to decide what pellets you want to use just as you decide what wood you want in a smoker.

 

[JW53]

Any pellet grillers here?

My stick burner finally bit the dust last summer and my upright smoker is on it's last leg. I just picked up this Camp Chef (PG24MZG) on clearance from Lowes for $359. Been looking at pellet grills for about a year now, mostly Traeger and Pit Boss. In the forums I follow, seems like every other post is a problem or complaint about those two. I looked up Camp Chef and didn't see a lot of negativity in reviews. This unit is definitely better built and heavier than the comparable sized Pit Bosses they had. Assembly was fast and easy. No missing or extra parts and everything fit!

Did the burn off. I haven't done a cook yet. Hopefully this weekend. I'll see how it does with outside temps in the teens.

I have to build a sieve to filter the small particles and dust from the pellets and get some watertight storage containers. As I understand it, dust and moister are the two biggest issues with pellets. I also need to seal the lid and maybe get a winter blanket for it.

Any suggestions? Favorite pellets? Brands? Techniques? I'm looking forward to learning this new cooking technique.

Yes...Have had mine a PG1000 "fast Eddy's" by Cookshack since 2012 and love it. I'm currently using BBQ Delight Pellets as they are pretty good and readily available in my area. Have not had the best luck with Traeger as they seem to produce alot more ash. The best pellets I've had are cookschacks own pellets but I'm quite a ways away from Oklahoma so shipping is crazy expensive. As to wood type/flavors Oak and hickory are my standby, wil ocassionaly get cherry for ribs. Have also tried Apple, Mesquite, and Sugar Maple . I ended up getting several Kingsford Charcoal storage containers at Home Depot. Black plastic containers with a blue lid, half the lid is hinged, so easy to open and pour into the hopper. Have stored pellets outside in these containers over the years and they have stayed dry.

The one thing with pellet smokers is that the amount of smoke is not going to be as heavy compared to a stick burner. It's a lot more subtle which both my wife and I prefer. Favorite items to smoke are Pork Butts, Ribs, Brisket , and Prime Rib. It's really so easy. Plug into outlet, set temp, Get it up to temp and make the necessary adj, Place meat on the grate and then close lid and wait till it's done. Can start a brisket for a 14hr smoke and not worry about having to get up and add wood to the fire or maintain temp. Have also done Tri Tip, burgers, pizza on a pizza stone, biscuits, bacon, chicken, porkchops and shrimp.

The PG1000 and it's sibling the PG500 are little different from most of the pellet grills out on the market. It has 5 different cooking zones. The firepot is not in the middle of the smoker but is located to the far left and has a steel baffle to prevent heat from moving laterally. Instead the heat move up , across the top , down , before exiting through the chimney that is located to the far right and down below the smoking drawer. So when I'm smoking ribs and select 225. The temp in Zone 1 grates over the firpot will probably be around 380, Zone 2 upper shellf left 325, Zone 3 upper shelf right 270, Zone 4 Main smoking area 225, with Zone 5 the smoking drawer probably around 170. One of the things we do like to do when not in a hurry is set temp to around 250 and smoke the steaks for 20-30 minutes. Take the steaks off and crank the smoker up to 600. This will give us a direct grill temp of around 960 in zone 1. Sear the steaks about 30 sec a side to a nice rare-medium rare. Once your finished just turn off the grill and let it cool,since it burns so cleanly may have 1/4 to a 1/3 cup ash in the firepot. Even after a full 17lbs brisket I've never ended up with more than a 1/3 cup of ash. Just use a small plastic scoup or the wet vac to clean out.

Keep your drip tray clean, I line and replace with foil every time I use it. As mine is not over the firepot not as worried about getting to hot or having a grease fire start. Also if your having problems getting the fire lit or if turning to low watch out for pellets overloading the firepot that can then really set a blaze once they ignite.

Buy some frogmats for smaller items that you don't want to fall throught he grates. Below image of a 4 bone in Prime rib about 30 min per lb at 250.

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Then some Baby Backs. 3 hrs at 225

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Picture of the PG1000

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Enjoy your new pit and shout out if you have any question.

 

[JW53]

Another image placed it under a small Gazebo , you can see one of the containers to the left of the pit that hold the pellets. Meant also to remind you only use food grade pellets. Pellets used in stoves are not normally food grade.

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[Naptown]

We have pellet stoves. Asked a friend whose family sells stoves about pellets. We look for the pellet association seal. Currently using pine pellets and happy with them. Got them from the local tractor supply.

 

[midocr]

We have a Traeger.. got it at Costco.. they were doing a week demo and got their last one on the last day as they were packing up and did not want to load it i up and haul it away.. so got it for 50% off the Costco price... We use ours all the time.. but it does struggle when its cold cold outside... we do have a Acorn true Charcoal grill as well, as I am a purist for smoked (Ribs/Brisket) and find the Acorn does as well as the Green Egg. I have used various brands of Pellets and use either a Mesquite or Hickory.. depending on what I am cooking.

I used an offset stick burner for years. It finally rusted through last year. I'll probably get another one but wanted to try this too. I use mostly hickory and apple for pork and chicken with a bit of mesquite here and there for beef. Looking forward to trying some of the more hard to find woods that are readily available in pellet form - pecan, cherry, peach and the combos.

A friend of mine has a pellet smoker, I forget the brand. He loves it. It can also be used as a "grill" but I'm not convinced it's the best way to go for burgers. You have to decide what pellets you want to use just as you decide what wood you want in a smoker.

As I said, I've done wood smoked BBQ for years. I have a good supply of hickory and apple which won't do me a bit of good with this grill. I am looking forward to seeing what it will do with burgers, steaks and chops. I've heard that grease build up is a problem at times. Just something to keep an eye on I suppose.

 

[midocr]

Yes...Have had mine a PG1000 "fast Eddy's" by Cookshack since 2012 and love it. I'm currently using BBQ Delight Pellets as they are pretty good and readily available in my area. Have not had the best luck with Traeger as they seem to produce alot more ash. The best pellets I've had are cookschacks own pellets but I'm quite a ways away from Oklahoma so shipping is crazy expensive. As to wood type/flavors Oak and hickory are my standby, wil ocassionaly get cherry for ribs. Have also tried Apple, Mesquite, and Sugar Maple . I ended up getting several Kingsford Charcoal storage containers at Home Depot. Black plastic containers with a blue lid, half the lid is hinged, so easy to open and pour into the hopper. Have stored pellets outside in these containers over the years and they have stayed dry.

The one thing with pellet smokers is that the amount of smoke is not going to be as heavy compared to a stick burner. It's a lot more subtle which both my wife and I prefer. Favorite items to smoke are Pork Butts, Ribs, Brisket , and Prime Rib. It's really so easy. Plug into outlet, set temp, Get it up to temp and make the necessary adj, Place meat on the grate and then close lid and wait till it's done. Can start a brisket for a 14hr smoke and not worry about having to get up and add wood to the fire or maintain temp. Have also done Tri Tip, burgers, pizza on a pizza stone, biscuits, bacon, chicken, porkchops and shrimp.

The PG1000 and it's sibling the PG500 are little different from most of the pellet grills out on the market. It has 5 different cooking zones. The firepot is not in the middle of the smoker but is located to the far left and has a steel baffle to prevent heat from moving laterally. Instead the heat move up , across the top , down , before exiting through the chimney that is located to the far right and down below the smoking drawer. So when I'm smoking ribs and select 225. The temp in Zone 1 grates over the firpot will probably be around 380, Zone 2 upper shellf left 325, Zone 3 upper shelf right 270, Zone 4 Main smoking area 225, with Zone 5 the smoking drawer probably around 170. One of the things we do like to do when not in a hurry is set temp to around 250 and smoke the steaks for 20-30 minutes. Take the steaks off and crank the smoker up to 600. This will give us a direct grill temp of around 960 in zone 1. Sear the steaks about 30 sec a side to a nice rare-medium rare. Once your finished just turn off the grill and let it cool,since it burns so cleanly may have 1/4 to a 1/3 cup ash in the firepot. Even after a full 17lbs brisket I've never ended up with more than a 1/3 cup of ash. Just use a small plastic scoup or the wet vac to clean out.

Keep your drip tray clean, I line and replace with foil every time I use it. As mine is not over the firepot not as worried about getting to hot or having a grease fire start. Also if your having problems getting the fire lit or if turning to low watch out for pellets overloading the firepot that can then really set a blaze once they ignite.

Buy some frogmats for smaller items that you don't want to fall throught he grates. Below image of a 4 bone in Prime rib about 30 min per lb at 250.

View attachment 1678328

Then some Baby Backs. 3 hrs at 225

View attachment 1678330


Picture of the PG1000

View attachment 1678331

Enjoy your new pit and shout out if you have any question.

I looked at Cook Shack. They appear to be very nice units. I bought mine for the price. Seems well built. I'll see.

I've heard grease build up can be an issue. I plan on using HD foil to line and will keep an eye on it.

I too like a mild smoke flavor. I know guys who pour the smoke to everything they cook. I bit too strong for my tastes.

Haven't heard of Frogmats. Will look into that.

Thanks!

 

[midocr]

We have pellet stoves. Asked a friend whose family sells stoves about pellets. We look for the pellet association seal. Currently using pine pellets and happy with them. Got them from the local tractor supply.

I have a friend who uses stove pellets in his grill. Not sure what the composition is. Think I'll stick to the more traditional types of cooking woods.

 

[JW53]

I looked at Cook Shack. They appear to be very nice units. I bought mine for the price. Seems well built. I'll see.

I've heard grease build up can be an issue. I plan on using HD foil to line and will keep an eye on it.

I too like a mild smoke flavor. I know guys who pour the smoke to everything they cook. I bit too strong for my tastes.

Haven't heard of Frogmats. Will look into that.

Thanks!

You can get frogmats through Amazon...Just don't use them over direct flame. I bought a roll of the material and then cut with pair of Kitchen shears to fit my indirect zones.

Also Never had any real luck in lining the grease bucket with foil so ended up just get premade foil buckets. It just seemed every time I used HD foil there was always a place where the grease would seep through and was a mess to clean.

Your going to love the ability to just set a temp and not have to babysit the fire. Look into the GrillEye remote Temp probes, Allows up to 6 probes, I just use with 2. But can select my cut or type of meat in the app and then set my temp. Becomes kinda of a preset so I can return the next time I cook that cut. Blue tooth and when cooking a large cut will alternate readouts from each probe and the sound alarm on phone when temp is reached, really nice towards end of cook.

Initially your going to get some ash, After a couple of cooks the sides of the pit will develop a layer of smoke/grease which will trap any airborne ash.

Do try the reverse sear on steaks. Low temp smoke 20-30 minutes followed by high temp sear.

 

[Minuteman3]

I have a Pit Boss vertical smoker and absolutely love it!! For grilling I have a "traditional" gas grill ... and I'm looking forward to it dying so I'll have an excuse to get a Traeger or something similar that offers both grilling and smoking.

Top thing we smoke ... prime rib. I'll use a thermometer to bring the internal temp to about 120ºF, then bring it in to a 500ºF oven for 5-10 minutes just to brown up the exterior. Just mouth watering!!

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

I use mostly Alder pellets. The smoky taste is pretty mild, but that's my wife's preference. It works well for all kinds of meats - beef, pork and chicken. It's also wonderful for her fish (I don't like seafoods). Since there's a lot of alder in western Washington, if you buy firewood for a camp fire it's usually what you get. So the odor coming from the smoker congers up all sorts of good vibes.

Enjoy!!

Ken

 

[JW53]

I have a Pit Boss vertical smoker and absolutely love it!! For grilling I have a "traditional" gas grill ... and I'm looking forward to it dying so I'll have an excuse to get a Traeger or something similar that offers both grilling and smoking.

Top thing we smoke ... prime rib. I'll use a thermometer to bring the internal temp to about 120ºF, then bring it in to a 500ºF oven for 5-10 minutes just to brown up the exterior. Just mouth watering!!
View attachment 1678336

I use mostly Alder pellets. The smoky taste is pretty mild, but that's my wife's preference. It works well for all kinds of meats - beef, pork and chicken. It's also wonderful for her fish (I don't like seafoods). Since there's a lot of alder in western Washington, if you buy firewood for a camp fire it's usually what you get. So the odor coming from the smoker congers up all sorts of good vibes.

Enjoy!!

Ken

Prime rib is our standard go to for Christmas. Smoke it til it reaches internal of 120 like yours, Take it off and foil while I increase the Pits temp to 500. Remove from foil and put it back on at 500 for 5-10 minutes to sear and firm up the bark. Take it off and loosely tent for about 20-30 minutes while I finish the rest of the side dishes. In this case Potatoes Anna with Gruyere cheese in between layers, Arugula salad with supreme orange slices, and Popovers. Wine in this case was a nice Sleight of Hand Syrah.

We don't use alder, for the most part for our prime rib, Tri Tip and steaks use Oak, Brisket normally Oak or Mesquite, Butts usually Hickory but we have used apple, and for ribs Cherry or hickory.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[gchappel]

I grilled and smoked meats for years.
Now I sous vide almost everything. Sous vide is basically cooking in a water bath. Meat is vacuum sealed in a bag, along with needed seasonings (and smoke if you want it.)
A big standing rib roast/prime rib cooks for 8-24 hours at 131-135F. This allows the center of the meat to get to temperature, without overheating the exterior- just like a long smoke. The time also tenderizes the gristle. Then throw it on the grill for a couple of minutes to char the exterior.
Easy, no mess. We can't tell the difference from when I used to spend hours smoking away.
Now to decide what wine to pair.
gary

 

[JW53]

I grilled and smoked meats for years.
Now I sous vide almost everything. Sous vide is basically cooking in a water bath. Meat is vacuum sealed in a bag, along with needed seasonings (and smoke if you want it.)
A big standing rib roast/prime rib cooks for 8-24 hours at 131-135F. This allows the center of the meat to get to temperature, without overheating the exterior- just like a long smoke. The time also tenderizes the gristle. Then throw it on the grill for a couple of minutes to char the exterior.
Easy, no mess. We can't tell the difference from when I used to spend hours smoking away.
Now to decide what wine to pair.
gary

Will sous vide pork chops and when we cook Picana. When the Picana is sous vide the fat actually becomes like butter, just melts in your mouth. At that point I'll just take it and heat a saute pan and quickly sear the exterior as I baste with butter and the juices. Perfectly done. If you haven't tried it, sous vide Hollandaise souce for eggs benedict, every thing in one bag and the once done just wisk. Again perfectly smooth and creamy.

 

[midocr]

You can get frogmats through Amazon...Just don't use them over direct flame. I bought a roll of the material and then cut with pair of Kitchen shears to fit my indirect zones.

Also Never had any real luck in lining the grease bucket with foil so ended up just get premade foil buckets. It just seemed every time I used HD foil there was always a place where the grease would seep through and was a mess to clean.

Your going to love the ability to just set a temp and not have to babysit the fire. Look into the GrillEye remote Temp probes, Allows up to 6 probes, I just use with 2. But can select my cut or type of meat in the app and then set my temp. Becomes kinda of a preset so I can return the next time I cook that cut. Blue tooth and when cooking a large cut will alternate readouts from each probe and the sound alarm on phone when temp is reached, really nice towards end of cook.

Initially your going to get some ash, After a couple of cooks the sides of the pit will develop a layer of smoke/grease which will trap any airborne ash.

Do try the reverse sear on steaks. Low temp smoke 20-30 minutes followed by high temp sear.

What exactly is the purpose of the Frogmats? Is it just a convenience/cleanup thing?

I've already ordered extra foil bucket liners. Seems like a no brainer to use those as cheap as they are.

I have a couple different wi-fi/bluetooth temp units. This grill has two probes to monitor temps but no wi-fi/bluetooth. I'll use a combination of both depending on the situation.

A little ash on the food has never bothered me. I love cooking over an open fire. I've been looking for a good, heavy set of fire irons for open campfire cooking.

Yes, I will try the reverse sear method. I've heard so many people talk about it recently. Not sure why I haven't tried it yet.

Thanks!

 

[midocr]

I have a Pit Boss vertical smoker and absolutely love it!! For grilling I have a "traditional" gas grill ... and I'm looking forward to it dying so I'll have an excuse to get a Traeger or something similar that offers both grilling and smoking.

Top thing we smoke ... prime rib. I'll use a thermometer to bring the internal temp to about 120ºF, then bring it in to a 500ºF oven for 5-10 minutes just to brown up the exterior. Just mouth watering!!
View attachment 1678336

I use mostly Alder pellets. The smoky taste is pretty mild, but that's my wife's preference. It works well for all kinds of meats - beef, pork and chicken. It's also wonderful for her fish (I don't like seafoods). Since there's a lot of alder in western Washington, if you buy firewood for a camp fire it's usually what you get. So the odor coming from the smoker congers up all sorts of good vibes.

Enjoy!!

Ken

Like I said, I spent a lot of time looking and researching pellet grills. I am the first in my group of friends to have one so I didn't have any direct contact or experience with them (except for one who uses a Traeger in his restaurant. He's had several problems with his.). I guess it's all relative and problems will pop up with every brand from time to time. I've never seen alder but will look for it. My local TSC seems to have the best selection and price on pellets. My go to is hickory and apple. I'm looking forward to trying peach and pecan.

 

[midocr]

I grilled and smoked meats for years.
Now I sous vide almost everything. Sous vide is basically cooking in a water bath. Meat is vacuum sealed in a bag, along with needed seasonings (and smoke if you want it.)
A big standing rib roast/prime rib cooks for 8-24 hours at 131-135F. This allows the center of the meat to get to temperature, without overheating the exterior- just like a long smoke. The time also tenderizes the gristle. Then throw it on the grill for a couple of minutes to char the exterior.
Easy, no mess. We can't tell the difference from when I used to spend hours smoking away.
Now to decide what wine to pair.
gary

Sous Vide is not something I have explored. The technique sounds basically full proof. Will be another step in my journey at some point.

 

[JW53]

What exactly is the purpose of the Frogmats? Is it just a convenience/cleanup thing?

I've already ordered extra foil bucket liners. Seems like a no brainer to use those as cheap as they are.

I have a couple different wi-fi/bluetooth temp units. This grill has two probes to monitor temps but no wi-fi/bluetooth. I'll use a combination of both depending on the situation.

A little ash on the food has never bothered me. I love cooking over an open fire. I've been looking for a good, heavy set of fire irons for open campfire cooking.

Yes, I will try the reverse sear method. I've heard so many people talk about it recently. Not sure why I haven't tried it yet.

Thanks!

Frogmats will prevent foods from going through the grill grates. We will cook bacon, sausage links and patties as well as biscuits on the smoker and don't worry about them seeping or falling through. Pretty inexpensive and just last. Once finished with a cook I'll just brush them off in the sink and then put them in the dishwasher.

You'll only get that ash initially, once a little grease and smoke build up on the interior walls that small amount of airborne ash seems to stick to the walls and no longer falls on the food.

Yep the reverse sear on the steaks is really good.

Probably my favorite are pork butts. Will brine them two days in large trash bag placed in a strofoam cooler, add water, cup of sugar and cup kosher salt, and then empty a bag of ice over it. 48 hrs later take out , rinse, dry and apply a dry rub. Usually if have the time like to put back in the frig overnight then bring out next day add little more rub and start the smoking process. Usualy bone in butts take about 12-14 hrs at 215. Once done let rest for a bit and then remove the bone and start the pulling process. We prefer pulled much more than sliced. We normally cook two butts at. a time so that we are sure to have plenty of leftovers. Will partition the leftovers into a number of double and single servings and vacuum seal the bags and freeze. If I want a sandwich I'll just take one of the bags and place in a pot of boiling water to heat it up. It seems that when we store and later reheat there is a slight intensification of the smoke flavor. Hungry need to check the freezer to see if we still have some from last cook.

Being just the two of us we do the same with the brisket, Slice the flat and usually cube the point for burnt ends. And for ribs will normally cook 3 slabs, cutting them in half rack and freeze for later.