Pellet Fan
Pit Talk -- Comments and Questions Regarding These Pellet Pits => Memphis => Topic started by: hokiepop on December 15, 2017, 06:23:44 PM
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I was looking on Craigslist for some pellets and stumbled across an ad for Memphis grills on sale by a local vendor. There were two Memphis Elite floor models on sale so I drove across town to look at them even though I have a barely used Kuma.
I could not pass up the deal-I got a floor model Memphis Elite with an extra temperature probe and 2 bags of pellets for $ 1900 delivered. Now I just have to figure out how to tell my wife that we own 2 pellet grills!
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merry christmas
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Wow that’s a deal, i paid $1300 for a used pro
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$1900 for an Elite?!?! Nice score :)
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Very nice.
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Wow! That's a deal
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The store I purchased the grill from was bought by another chain and they will no longer carry Memphis grills. The other floor model was the older version without Wi-Fi but selling for the same price-even though I don't think I will use Wi-Fi I figured I might as well get the newer model especially since it has 3 ports for temperature probes.
I am curious how the pellet usage of the Elite will compare to my Kuma Platinum. The Kuma is very efficient on cooks I have done.
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The store I purchased the grill from was bought by another chain and they will no longer carry Memphis grills. The other floor model was the older version without Wi-Fi but selling for the same price-even though I don't think I will use Wi-Fi I figured I might as well get the newer model especially since it has 3 ports for temperature probes.
I am curious how the pellet usage of the Elite will compare to my Kuma Platinum. The Kuma is very efficient on cooks I have done.
It looks like they are the same controller or similar. I suspect the Elite will be better in colder temps for efficiency due to its wall thickness and gasket insulation.
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Good job on the purchase and welcome to the Memphis team!
Z
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I, too, would have jumped on that deal. I never see deals like that. It's my fault, tho', I never look at places where I might find them.
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Congratulations! It would be great to hear your thoughts on Kuma vs Memphis since you have both grills. I think a lot of people cross shop these two brands.
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Since the weather in RVA has decided to emulate Siberia I have only managed one cook on the Memphis, a 14 pound turkey.
Unfortunately the day I picked to cook the turkey the temperature never got above 35 and the wind was from the North at 15-20mph. With only one cook to compare the two grills I am not sure how valid my observations are but I have a few to share.
The Memphis used a lot of pellets, much more than I was expecting. Now to be fair, the Elite is a bigger grill than the Kuma but I still think the pellet usage was high for that cook even with all the wind. I had an issue with the probe during the turkey cook, the probe said the meat was done but when I checked the turkey with my trusty Thermapen the IT of the turkey was 20 degrees lower than the set temperature. The probe on my Kuma has always been dead on. I have another probe for the Memphis that I will try on the next cook to see if the problem is the probe.
I actually prefer the Kuma's grease collection system to the the Memphis so far. On the Kuma almost all the grease runs down into the drip trays making clean up very easy. It seemed that a lot of the grease from the turkey cooked on the Memphis never made into the drip trays but was on the deflector itself. The disposable aluminum drip pans for the Kuma are much smaller and much less expensive. I know a lot of guys don't use the disposable trays but I find them very convenient when it comes to clean-up.
The most puzzling thing I have noticed so far is the amount of ash beneath the Memphis deflector-I wonder if this was due to the wind. For one cook I thought it was a lot of ash. I used the same BBQ Delight pellets that I have used on the Kuma but it would take 4-5 cooks on the Kuma to generate that much ash.
I don't mean for this comparison to sound like I dislike my Memphis-it is built like a tank-the grill grates are unbelievably thick, the stainless steel is beautiful and despite its significant weight it rolls very easily (I am keeping it in my garage until I can build a patio this Spring). I just need to get more experience using it. For anyone interested in a Kuma I can readily recommend that pellet grill-it is well built, a pellet miser, has a controller that is easy to use and is very easy to clean. My brother-in-law likes it so much he wants to buy mine.
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I use aluminum cake pans that I bought at WM for the inside of my Memphis trays.
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For what it is worth.
-The probe on my Pro is 20º off as well. It is not the probe. It's the programing..I just plan accordingly. It's far easier to add time to the cook..Then there is carry-over especially in large pieces of meat.
-There is a test done by placing the meat probe centre grill and elevated about 1". An aluminum ball ( you fab) is used to hold it in place. The meat set temp has to be maxed out so as not to override the actual temp. This way you can see both temps-they
should be the same.
- Trays. I bought 2 metal ,9 x 13 x 2" pans. Had to trim them marginally to fit. I found the aluminum pans were easily punctured, as I scrape and re-use. - The ash and grease form a paste that is easily scraped out.
- Ash below the deflector. By me that is a plus. I find almost no ash above.
- You didn't state what temp the cook was.
Hope this sheds some light on the matter.
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Similar to Canadian John, my Memphis and MAK probes run higher than the Thermoworks. I quit using the grill probes. I also agree on the ash issue. I love the big drip pan that keeps most ash below the grates. I've had the opposite experience on pellets versus my other 3 pellet grills. The Memphis seems to use less do to its construction. I have never seen a Kuma though so I can't compare to that. I hope your enjoyment level increases so that you don't feel you made a bad decision on the purchase down the road.
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My probe was also off 20 degrees. If the problem is programming shouldn't Memphis be able to fix it? I believe the controller for the Memphis and the Kuma are identical and the Kuma probe is spot on.
For the first hour I cooked the turkey at 225 to generate more smoke but then raised the temperature to 325 until the controller said done. After I checked the IT of the turkey and discovered it was not done I raised the grill temperature to 350 to get it done.
You are right, better to have the ash below the deflector plate than blowing around the food cooking-I was just surprised at how much ash was generated as my experience with the Kuma was so different.
I will have to check out buying and modifying metal cake pans to fit the drawers-the disposable trays that fit the trays are not cheap and I agree they would tear pretty easy if you tried to scrape them. Thanks for that tip.
I am sure I will grow to love my Memphis, its reputation is legion among the experienced pellet fans on this forum. Now if central Virginia would just warm enough so I could use it I would be a happy camper!
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I am sure I will grow to love my Memphis, its reputation is legion among the experienced pellet fans on this forum. Now if central Virginia would just warm enough so I could use it I would be a happy camper!
The Memphis takes a little to get to 'know' it.. But in the end - it works very well and consistent.. :cool: The elite has a lot of area to warm up when cold, but - once warm up is complete - it should be fairly efficient with the pellets.
Having 2 grills should compliment each other very well.. I appreciate ours when cooking more than one thing at a time..
Warm up? Have to agree with you there.. The sun came out today in SW MI and the temp came up to the mid-teens - Wifes said Pellet Mac and cheese and steaks were on the agenda.. Oh yeah :bbq: .. Between the parents, in-laws, and neighbors - I barely managed to save a small steak and a good spoonful of the mac and cheese.. Got the thumbs up from all.. :clap:
The Kuma looks to be an excellent unit.. Glad to hear you enjoy yours.. One was on my 'Short list', except a local dealer was clearing out their old inventory of Memphis units before the wifi units came out and the 'Pro' ended up coming home with us..
Happy Smoke to you and your family this new year.. :bbq: