Pellet Fan
Pit Talk -- Comments and Questions Regarding These Pellet Pits => Which Pit Should I Choose? => Topic started by: ballantyne on December 02, 2020, 06:02:32 PM
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Hello Pellet Fan! I come to you, hat in hand, as a newbie. I'm new to smokers and smoking, and am trying to learn as I go. If you're sick of greenhorns who have little experience to contribute dropping in to ask questions, please feel free to ignore me. :)
I'm looking for advice on a pellet grill purchase. I'll start by explaining why I even want a new smoker in the first place. It's a bit of a story. If you're the TL;DR type, the upshot is that I'm trying to decide between a Camp Chef Woodwind 36, a Pitts and Spitts Maverick 850, and a P&S 1250.
Anyway. About 2.5 years ago, I received a Camp Chef SmokePro DLX as a wedding present. It's been a reasonably solid unit. It has some limitations, but nothing that would warrant me looking to replace it.
Then, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we had a blustery day, and the wind blew my grill off the patio. It wound up upside-down in the rocks. It probably landed on its back, then rolled over onto its head, because the back of the grill where the chimney attaches was dented in.
Well, shoot. That was supposed to be our turkey cooker. So, I got out a hammer and a bit of scrap wood and pounded out the dent as best I could. Then I fired it up. It still worked! It's still dented, and still has a pretty big gap where the chimney attaches, but it smoked two turkey breasts just fine.
...mostly just fine, actually. When I cranked up the heat at the end of the cook to get a reverse sear, I noticed it didn't get as hot as it used to be able to do. And that's a problem, because while I have BBQ aspirations, I mostly use my pellet grill as a grill, not a smoker. I've so far not moved beyond turkeys and ribs. (Brisket is the next thing I want to learn. It's my favorite BBQ food by far.)
I was all set to just get another DLX. It's cheap and has been sufficient for my needs (well, mostly; more on that later). But then I thought, what else is out there on the market? And so, much like my poor pellet plopper, I have tripped and fallen right down the rabbit hole.
The requirements that have guided my research so far are:
1. PID controller
Before I started down the rabbit hole, I had never heard of a PID controller, nor did I realize that I don't have one. My SmokePro was made before Camp Chef switched their entire lineup to PID controllers, which explains why it takes my set temp as more of a suggestion than a command.
Now that I know about PID controllers, I definitely want one in my next grill.
2. At least a bit bigger than what I have
I mostly just cook for us two, but I have occasionally hosted large gatherings of family and friends. On several such occasions I have wished for more capacity, as I've had to cook things in stages or do things like cook one of the turkey breasts in the instant pot (it didn't turn out nearly as well).
3. Ability to grill
I'm actually not super picky about a quality sear, mostly because I don't have the skill to achieve one, haha. I've been satisfied with the grilling output of my DLX running at 500 degrees. I mean, heck, one of my in-laws now really wants a pellet grill after tasting a burger I grilled on mine.
So I don't think I need any fancy searing setups. Just a pellet grill that gets up to 500 or so will do fine.
4. Ability to perform in a wide range of temperatures
I live in the southeast Denver metro area. We get our share of 100 degree summer days and cold (at times sub-zero) winter nights. I'd like to be able to use my grill all year long. The DLX seems to do fine when turned all the way up, but if I want a lower temperature for smoking, the ambient temperature and things like sun and wind really impact the temp I actually get.
5. Relatively low-maintenance
This eliminated the Yoder from consideration. If I need to scrub, sand, and paint every year just to keep the thing from rusting, I'm likely to just let it rot instead.
I'm religious about covering my grill after use, but accidents happen. Denver isn't the rainiest place on Earth, but we do have very unpredictable weather. Sometimes it's going to rain while the grill is either in use or cooling down.
6. Heavy construction is a plus
My last grill got blown over after all. But this isn't an absolute requirement. If I wind up with something lightweight, I guess I could use a sandbag (or a few bags of pellets) to weigh it down.
7. Cost no more than $2500
This is the kicker. This eliminates most recommendations I commonly see. For example the MAK 1-star is too small, and the 2-star is too expensive. Anything from Memphis that is large enough is too expensive. Etc.
I'm already going to have a hard enough time convincing my wife to buy in on this ("Why do you need a new one? The one you have still works just fine!"). Setting a price cap will help.
So, that brings me to my 3 choices: Camp Chef Woodwind 36, Pitts and Spitts Maverick 850, and Pitts and Spitts Maverick 1250.
The plus of the camp chef is that it is relatively inexpensive while still coming with all the bells and whistles I could want. I adore their ash cleanout system, and their wifi setup looks like one of the best around.
Downsides are a thinner construction, leading to wider thermal swings.
The plus of the Pitts and Spitts is that it looks like it performs better, and is definitely built better. I'm warming up to their expanded metal cooking surfaces given they would let me cook things that would fall through a traditional grill grate.
Downsides, I'm not thrilled about the need for frequent vacuuming, but I'll survive I'm sure. I've heard that their wifi module add-on is garbage, so I probably wouldn't buy it. That's not a dealbreaker. I mean, I'm a tech nerd and all, but I honestly can't think of much use for wifi in a smoker.
In terms of 850 vs. 1250, well...the 850 would probably be big enough. But with the 1250 I would never worry about running out of space again. That thing is a beast. And according to P&S customer service the pellet consumption penalty isn't that great with the bigger grill, so I basically just need to decide if it's worth the extra $425.
If you read this far...wow! Thank you! And if you have advice for me, thank you doubly!
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Have you considered the Cookshack PG500? It's not PID, but it has a very configurable controller that many folks like better than PID. It's in your price range, has more overall capacity than the DLX, grills better than probably any other pellet cooker out there. Just a thought.
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Have you considered the Cookshack PG500? It's not PID, but it has a very configurable controller that many folks like better than PID. It's in your price range, has more overall capacity than the DLX, grills better than probably any other pellet cooker out there. Just a thought.
I've seen lots of recommendations for the PG500 all over the web, so I've looked at it. I frankly don't understand how to use it. It subdivides its cooking area into four zones, meaning it doesn't actually have that much capacity. And I don't know when I'd use direct vs. indirect, top rack vs. either, and I would probably never use the warming drawer. Too complicated and fiddly for this beginner's taste.
Edited to add: I'm sure it's a fantastic machine. It looks like a pro-level tool. But I'm a rank amateur, and would probably not be able to use it well.
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Just curious, why have you eliminated Green Mountain?... and Blaz'n Grills?
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Just curious, why have you eliminated Green Mountain?... and Blaz'n Grills?
GMG looks like it's in the same zone, quality- and price-wise, as Camp Chef. And since I have experience with CC but none with GMG, I figured, go with what you know.
I'd consider a Blaz'n. The P&S just looked nicer to me. I like its design (the roll-top lid appeals to me), its fully-welded construction, its simplicity, and the reports of its performance. I appreciate that they have been in the smoker business for 30 years, and they seem like they have their head on straight as a company.
What do you like about the Blaz'n?
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I am not sure where they are on the price scale but they should no be far off, if I was looking to drop that money. MAK or Cookshack PG1000. I know there are many other good bands and models out there these would be my starting points.
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Both the Rectec RT-700 and the Weber Smokefire EX6 meets your criteria, and each of them weigh about 200 lbs.
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I live near Parker, so if you want to check out a Blaz'n Grill or a Yoder, you could swing by the house sometime. Near Lincoln & Chambers.
I also recently just bought a ton of Smoke Ring pellets and would be happy to sell you some at my cost.
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Have you considered the Cookshack PG500? It's not PID, but it has a very configurable controller that many folks like better than PID. It's in your price range, has more overall capacity than the DLX, grills better than probably any other pellet cooker out there. Just a thought.
I've seen lots of recommendations for the PG500 all over the web, so I've looked at it. I frankly don't understand how to use it. It subdivides its cooking area into four zones, meaning it doesn't actually have that much capacity. And I don't know when I'd use direct vs. indirect, top rack vs. either, and I would probably never use the warming drawer. Too complicated and fiddly for this beginner's taste.
Edited to add: I'm sure it's a fantastic machine. It looks like a pro-level tool. But I'm a rank amateur, and would probably not be able to use it well.
Don’t get hung up on the zones, it’s not complicated or fiddly at all. It’s the same concept as using a 4 burner gas grill with 2 burners on and 2 burners on low or off. As far as capacity, I have yet to feel like I didn’t have enough space. Based on your comment that you grill more often than cook slow and low (I do too) I feel it would suit your needs very well.
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We are MAK owners. Over a decade with them. Based on your budget the Pitts and Spitts are well made. Don’t know about their electronics. We also own a old design GMG Jim Bowie which runs good but seems to use a lot of pellets because of its size or it could it appears that way from the hopper size. Don’t forget the used market. We paid $100 for the Jim Bowie and put another $100 in it.
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The Pits and Spits seem very well constructed. Very typical/traditional design. I was able to put my hands on one at a BBQ specialty store and was impressed with the build. Same with the CookShack PG500 sitting right next to it, impressive build.
Lone Star Grillz is in the process of releasing a pellet grill. It looks very sweet. They are a very desired brand in the offset world. Fireboard makes the controller. I'm guessing only a tornado would blow it off your patio too.
I had a Woodwind 24 WiFi before my SmokeFire, it was a nice grill. The WiFi did work really well for me too and the app was nice and straightforward. I felt like it would last several years, but nothing like P&S, LSG, Yoder, MAK, or Blaz'N. Another brand that's often overlooked is Smokin Bros. They are made in the USA too.
Also, I haven't had any hands on with Recteq (many others here have) or Grilla, but they are somewhere between the premium brands that have been discussed and the cheaper level like Traeger and CampChef in terms of metal thickness, etc. and in the $700-$1200 range. I hope you find the perfect replacement.
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My only advice is purchase the best you can afford. If that means saving a little longer then I would strongly recommend you do. Remember quality stands the test of time.
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I love my Maverick 850. It holds temps within a few degrees and seems like it uses less pellets than the GMG did. I got the two piece drip tray and haven't tried searing on it yet. And if the wind blows the pit off your porch, you're in trouble. It is very heavy.
I had the wifi on the GMG and seldom used it. You can always get a Meater thermometer when they're on sale and do the same thing. It will show meat internal temp and grate temp on the app. The downside is it kills the battery on my phone very fast. I think it's because of having to have the location services turned on. I only use it with briskets and pork butts.
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iI've had a Blazin Grid Iron for 4 years and its been a great grill. 2 large turkeys are no problem. It gets used prox 4 times a week and i like the fact when they do upgrades, most are available for my grill. Mine sets outside all year and i do keep it covered. I can highly recommend Blazin.
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Now the Recteq RT-700 and the Blaz'n Grid Iron are on my short list. This decision isn't getting any easier. :help:
I like that the Recteq has a lot of stainless in sensible places. It's relatively cheap too. They claim their shutdown cycle blows most of the ash out of the burn cup. Can anyone confirm or deny?
I like that Blaz'n is double-walled and has a slide-out firepot for easy cleaning. That black cherry finish is pretty, too. But by the time I add all the accessories I would want, it pushes the cost up to within spitting distance of a Maverick 1250.
Hmmm.....
I live near Parker, so if you want to check out a Blaz'n Grill or a Yoder, you could swing by the house sometime. Near Lincoln & Chambers.
I also recently just bought a ton of Smoke Ring pellets and would be happy to sell you some at my cost.
I'm also in Parker, near Motsenbocker and Main. Small world. I may take you up on that if I can convince my wife to go along with this.
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As Jimsbarbeque said, don't forget about the used market. That's where I got my P&S from at a VERY good price.
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Now the Recteq RT-700 and the Blaz'n Grid Iron are on my short list. This decision isn't getting any easier. :help:
I like that the Recteq has a lot of stainless in sensible places. It's relatively cheap too. They claim their shutdown cycle blows most of the ash out of the burn cup. Can anyone confirm or deny?
I like that Blaz'n is double-walled and has a slide-out firepot for easy cleaning. That black cherry finish is pretty, too. But by the time I add all the accessories I would want, it pushes the cost up to within spitting distance of a Maverick 1250.
Hmmm.....
I live near Parker, so if you want to check out a Blaz'n Grill or a Yoder, you could swing by the house sometime. Near Lincoln & Chambers.
I also recently just bought a ton of Smoke Ring pellets and would be happy to sell you some at my cost.
I'm also in Parker, near Motsenbocker and Main. Small world. I may take you up on that if I can convince my wife to go along with this.
My first was a rec tec, if you want to grill, this is not the one to go with. You would be better off with a pit boss with the sliding tray or the camp chef. When I was looking to buy it they told me would grill just as well as a gas grill. 5 years later when I needed a controller I was talking to the RT guy and he said yea they are not great for grilling. Wish I had talked to him 5 years earlier. I had grill grates also.
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I love my Maverick 850. It holds temps within a few degrees and seems like it uses less pellets than the GMG did. I got the two piece drip tray and haven't tried searing on it yet. And if the wind blows the pit off your porch, you're in trouble. It is very heavy.
I had the wifi on the GMG and seldom used it. You can always get a Meater thermometer when they're on sale and do the same thing. It will show meat internal temp and grate temp on the app. The downside is it kills the battery on my phone very fast. I think it's because of having to have the location services turned on. I only use it with briskets and pork butts.
I have a few questions about the 850, if you don't mind. It looks like the internals are all uncoated steel. Is that right? Is there any rust concern with that? Seems odd that they would powder coat the exterior and leave the interior bare.
Do you feel like it's big enough? It's really hard to find info on that specific model, because everyone seems to opt for the 1250 instead. The pictures make it look dinky, but then the 1250 looks enormous. If you were called on to grill for a BBQ hosting 20 people, could you do it in one batch?
How often do you have to vacuum it out? Is it a pain?
As for wifi support, I agree that it's very nice for monitoring temperature probes. I have a Weber iGrill (not wifi, but bluetooth) for that purpose that suits me well.
My first was a rec tec, if you want to grill, this is not the one to go with. You would be better off with a pit boss with the sliding tray or the camp chef. When I was looking to buy it they told me would grill just as well as a gas grill. 5 years later when I needed a controller I was talking to the RT guy and he said yea they are not great for grilling. Wish I had talked to him 5 years earlier. I had grill grates also.
What about it makes it unsuited to grilling?
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My first was a rec tec, if you want to grill, this is not the one to go with. You would be better off with a pit boss with the sliding tray or the camp chef. When I was looking to buy it they told me would grill just as well as a gas grill. 5 years later when I needed a controller I was talking to the RT guy and he said yea they are not great for grilling. Wish I had talked to him 5 years earlier. I had grill grates also.
What about it makes it unsuited to grilling?
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Mine would not go over 435 I could set it at max and let it run for an hour+ I called they sent parts, the parts sent were much quieter than the originals. But no different, then they had me taking pictures and sending, the fan is not deep enough in the hole, you need to get under there and bend the legs to set i deeper. I get under it and beat the xxxx out of it with a hammer and 2x2 sent them more pictures they said that looks great, I said it didn't change any thing. we ran tests and I timed and we tested and I timed, and go no where. they were not sure, and by that time they had messed me around just long enough to pass the 30 day return window. My help to over come my issues had pretty much dried up as it was mine now.
There is no open flame so and not getting hot enough or quick enough made it not great. Most units that work well to grill have a system to allow you to direct grill,, like sliding drip pans or something of that nature. think about your gas or charcoal grill, are you going to light one side or set up the hot coals on one side and grill on the other? No you are going to grill over the direct heat source.
I learned to use mine to its limitations, low temps cooks, and highest temp would be 350 maybe 375. I did put a faster auger motor in that helped but still could not max out the temp at 500 in under and hour. So for me pretty much no high temp grilling and little to no smoke flavor using their pellets, left me less than thrilled with my easy bake oven. I bought a little GMG it was a far better cooker than the rec tec ever was both from high temp cooking to smoke flavor. The RT was a $1300+ mistake for me.
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I'll bring up Yoder again, to keep you in the right direction.
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I'll bring up Yoder again, to keep you in the right direction.
:)
Yoder is actually one of the first grills I ran across when I was starting my research. I was willing to overlook its homely looks (subjective I know, but I think they're ugly) because it looked super cool. Then I started looking at what people were saying about them.
All I could see were two camps: people who were over the moon about theirs; and another, equally large, group whose smokers were constantly rusty, who didn't like the controller, who said the heat was uneven. Some of the folks who love theirs admit the rust issues, but dismiss them because they are willing to sand and paint on a regular basis. I know myself, and I know that I wouldn't keep up with that, and my grill would just rot.
IIRC Yoder paints their grills instead of powder coating because a damage paint finish is easy to repair, whereas a powder coating is beyond the abilities of many to fix should it be damaged. Fair enough, but the result seems to be a lot of rust for a lot of folks.
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It is very easy to talk oneself up the price ladder. As I looked more and more at Pitts and Spitts, I started worrying about the uncoated carbon steel interior. If I'm spending that kind of money on a grill, I want it to last as long as possible. So then I start looking at the all-stainless versions...
...which puts me in the price range of a MAK. I had mostly been ignoring them because they seemed like a poor value for the money, and I wasn't willing to spend $3k on a grill. But it's hard to ignore the vociferous hordes of MAK owners who love their grills. I have never read a single bad thing about them. And they look super nice...
...or, if I can't convince the wife to go along with that kind of expenditure, I could get the Camp Chef and resign myself to replacing it when it dies.
So I'm still looking at a trio of grills. Camp chef woodwind, Pitts and Spitts 850 stainless, and MAK 2-star. The MAK is frontrunner in my mind right now.
Thanks for all the advice and for putting up with my questions.
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If you are in the price range of Mak you should look at the PG1000 of PG500. Mine 500 is a beast and grills great food as well with ease. If you want one that does both it's literally perfect. If I had the money I'd get the 1000.
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If you are in the price range of Mak you should look at the PG1000 of PG500. Mine 500 is a beast and grills great food as well with ease. If you want one that does both it's literally perfect. If I had the money I'd get the 1000.
Respectfully, I'm curious why everyone is obsessed with Cookshack. I look at them and I just don't understand it. The subdividing into zones leaves limited space for a given task. The high heat zone is tiny, whereas on the MAK for example you can use the entire bottom grate to sear. The controller is non-PID (though, does it have a feedback loop with the thermostat? That's all I really care about, not the exact algorithm employed) and sounds like it has lots of fiddly settings, requiring experimentation, whereas on the MAK it's simple.
About the only thing I like better on the Fast Eddy is the pull-out ash drawer. IMO that (or something like it) should be standard on all pellet grills, but instead it's relatively rare.
I also don't understand why anyone would buy the PG1000 over the 500. They look like the exact same cooker, only the 1000 looks like a traditional grill whereas the 500 has this weird french door cabinet thing going on. And for that nicer form factory you pay almost $1200. Am I missing something? Because if not that's a lot of dough for not much benefit.
But I've just done (WAY too much) research on the internet, and no amount of that can substitute for actual experience. So, again respectfully, can you explain to me why I'm wrong?
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I have several brands, but not a Cookshack. From what I can tell, you will never get a MAK as hot as a Cookshack. I do own a MAK.
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> I look at them and I just don't understand it.
The different zones and complexities of the controller were the reasons I steered clear and bought a Memphis. However, after seeing folks here and on the old PH site explain how it works, how much food you can actually cook on it, and how simple it is to use, I realized I was a bit hasty. Knowing what I know today, I would strongly consider a Cookshack if I were buying again. I love the Memphis for smoking and even baking - but don't care for the way is sears and grills.
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It is very easy to talk oneself up the price ladder. As I looked more and more at Pitts and Spitts, I started worrying about the uncoated carbon steel interior. If I'm spending that kind of money on a grill, I want it to last as long as possible. So then I start looking at the all-stainless versions...
When I got my P&S, it had surface rust on the inside of the barrel. It looked like the guy had washed it out and let it sit with water in it for a while. I brushed all the rust out and seasoned it with olive oil then did a burn in. No sign of rust anywhere a year later. Here's a link to the pics. I need to add some more of how it looks now. https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=4635.0
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If you are in the price range of Mak you should look at the PG1000 of PG500. Mine 500 is a beast and grills great food as well with ease. If you want one that does both it's literally perfect. If I had the money I'd get the 1000.
Respectfully, I'm curious why everyone is obsessed with Cookshack. I look at them and I just don't understand it. The subdividing into zones leaves limited space for a given task. The high heat zone is tiny, whereas on the MAK for example you can use the entire bottom grate to sear. The controller is non-PID (though, does it have a feedback loop with the thermostat? That's all I really care about, not the exact algorithm employed) and sounds like it has lots of fiddly settings, requiring experimentation, whereas on the MAK it's simple.
About the only thing I like better on the Fast Eddy is the pull-out ash drawer. IMO that (or something like it) should be standard on all pellet grills, but instead it's relatively rare.
I also don't understand why anyone would buy the PG1000 over the 500. They look like the exact same cooker, only the 1000 looks like a traditional grill whereas the 500 has this weird french door cabinet thing going on. And for that nicer form factory you pay almost $1200. Am I missing something? Because if not that's a lot of dough for not much benefit.
But I've just done (WAY too much) research on the internet, and no amount of that can substitute for actual experience. So, again respectfully, can you explain to me why I'm wrong?
The PG1000 is insulated, and I *believe* is a different grade of stainless steel. The truth of the matter is on any of the grills is that the only real searing you are going to be doing is the area right over the fire pot, so while the other grills may seem to offer more area vs the PG 500/1000 for searing it’s just not so IMO. You are hung up on them being fiddly with both the zones and the controllers and they absolutely are not, there are no diffusers, drip tray exchanges etc to go from smoking to searing, just turn up the temperature and you are ready to go. The controller has the ability to be fine tuned, but it absolutely does not need to be, especially with the newer software that they are using. The zones are pretty self explanatory, but for the most part I use either zone 1(direct) or 4(indirect) using 2 and 3 sparingly mostly to throw some veggies in while the meat is cooking. Getting back to why anyone would buy a 1000 vs 500, I have the 1000 because I got a smoking dealing on it, but I wouldn’t spend the extra money on it knowing what I know now. It holds the heat too well during the summer and can be tough to maintain temperatures of less than 225*. That said, I would not hesitate to spend the money on the 500.
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So, to summarize, the FEC is the best around at direct flame grilling. Right?
I need to reemphasize that I really am far from a master griller. I have so far been pleased with my Camp Chef SmokePro's ability to grill. On high (which is somewhere between 400 and 500 depending on outside temperature, wind, etc.), I get grill marks on chicken and burgers. The food tastes great. Maybe I just don't know what I'm missing?
I've been reading Meathead Goldwyn's book, and he rhapsodizes about the magic of a good sear. So maybe I'll try finishing on a cast iron skillet inside the house one of these days. And if I end up with a MAK, I can get sear grates for it. The results look pretty good (https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=2004.0) from where I'm sitting.
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Back to your question about RT 700 clearing its ash from firepot: Don't have experience with the 700, but the 590 and B380 seem to keep the ash down to allow all the perforations to allow full air flow. Now as for searing, while I was satisfied that the 590 with GrillGrates has temps on FULL near 600* and sears very well. Since you are looking for a smoker that will clock 500*, the 590 set on 500 will get you there in about 24 minutes on an average ambient temp day. If you set it to FULL, it will get you to over 500 in about the same time, (faster feed). I have had it up to 540 or more without the GG's installed.
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The thing about the FEC is that I have never heard about someone having a grease fire like most other pellet grills when someone switches from a low heat smoke with lots of grease to a high heat cook immediately after to sear or cook something else. Others that own one can chime in on that.
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The thing about the FEC is that I have never heard about someone having a grease fire like most other pellet grills when someone switches from a low heat smoke with lots of grease to a high heat cook immediately after to sear or cook something else. Others that own one can chime in on that.
(https://ch3301files.storage.live.com/y4m_rsRtEStFKLWl0oeMGpUZvoKzK8fNgG5XUhz9u7WyZztvb-cjqNgD20KckidV41stTGhgSG9XwHbHZ7xbOLCEbWnB0J_aWcnaf9AZEiC0mx8SJa1ux8eSqufI_1tQB7tuuc40DhNPiPKWW9JpGSfJYBNRyBTXsBokEiMZPh-YMRoS_gXTa0WiPC3e1_XLTkr?width=665&height=510&cropmode=none)
This is the PG1000 cut-away but the PG500 internally is the same.
The fire (12) isn't under the grease drip pan (19), so the old grease is never heated to its flash point.
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That is the unit that I like.
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The thing about the FEC is that I have never heard about someone having a grease fire like most other pellet grills when someone switches from a low heat smoke with lots of grease to a high heat cook immediately after to sear or cook something else. Others that own one can chime in on that.
Agree, That is the genius of the design. Clearly there are grills out there that are better at high temp grilling, similarly there are better smokers on the market, but I have yet to see anything that would convince me that there is a single unit that does both any better than the FEC. If the goal is to have one unit to do everything, you simply can’t go wrong.
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I have had my PG500 for two years and have never had to fiddle with anything. The zones are not confusing to me because I only smoke or grill and those zones work perfectly for either. It is simple, predictable, and very low maintenance. I could not be happier.
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Can one of you FEC owners refresh my memory on the zones and what you cook in that zone typically? I am again very intrigued by this grill and the price of only a few thousand can be feasible if I sell some things.
Lower Left - Zone #A -
Upper Left - Zone #B -
Upper Right - Zone #C -
Lower Right - Zone #D -
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On the top shelf, I use upper right (Zone C) for vegetables while I'm cooking something on the lower right (Zone D). Zone C will generally be roughly 20% hotter than Zone D. Zone B will be even hotter.
- Zone A–
- Zone B– Baked potatoes while smoking something in D.
- Zone C- Asparagus or large tomatoes that I've stuffed with cheese after scooping out the pulp. I pull them when they start to squat.
- Zone D-
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If the grill was set at 250°, does anyone have documented roughly what each zones temp would be?
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I do not believe there are any better PELLET (actually probably ANY) unit for grilling then the 500 or the 1000. I guess I am about 11 years behind the times, and maybe several of the Manufactures have come up with grill options. But the 500 & the 1000 were simply made for that. And it is a flame grilled cook, not just heat. So I would say there is no better grilling option on a PELLET GRILL, then those 2. If a different Manufacture sees this and knows I am wrong, please send me a unit and I will Performance Test it and educate myself!
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(https://ch3301files.storage.live.com/y4mTCjzXIwQGjXVyRS5b9Vp1egD2yKiBH_2zKDNAszFDDGV4QHZbe-dYL_wO5lSsOQWzkCzDmb0lI6hnjiG3C3R8j6h4Rdyb111VLLBHDYWwMrtIjFWDRdk1pDlE0h_OSf-9P3_45xVqB94Gf0UJhQkkNvov4XHXQ1f5JXRjEEnFsXEA3DWjJRjFnyXzdaduEpr?width=1113&height=740&cropmode=none)
EDIT: See https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=307.msg2448#msg2448 (https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=307.msg2448#msg2448)
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I don't own one but I did tour their factory and was very impressed with the quality of construction. Purely hand made of the finest quality material. Only consideration might be is whether the smoking areas and grilling areas are large enough for your needs. As direct area is about 10" x 18" and the smoking area is 18" x 18" (not including the upper shelf) If you add zone #3 that would be another 10" by 18" for smoking. (at higher temp then #4). I was not in the market for a new pit at that time-but still very impressed.
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(https://ch3301files.storage.live.com/y4mTCjzXIwQGjXVyRS5b9Vp1egD2yKiBH_2zKDNAszFDDGV4QHZbe-dYL_wO5lSsOQWzkCzDmb0lI6hnjiG3C3R8j6h4Rdyb111VLLBHDYWwMrtIjFWDRdk1pDlE0h_OSf-9P3_45xVqB94Gf0UJhQkkNvov4XHXQ1f5JXRjEEnFsXEA3DWjJRjFnyXzdaduEpr?width=1113&height=740&cropmode=none)
EDIT: See https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=307.msg2448#msg2448 (https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=307.msg2448#msg2448)
This is a very comprehensive and well done experiment of the temps within a given zone at specific controller settings. At first glance I think it can be a bit confusing to someone not familiar with the grill because of using numbers to indicate the test probe locations instead of letters. I gave this to my brother in law when he got his 500 and it just confused him, he asked me why there were so many zone 1’s, he was getting confused between zones and test probe placements. After I explained it to him he understood, and loves his 500 which he got for Xmas last year. It’s a helpful chart, but possibly adds to the “fiddly†misconception.
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The current PG series controller is different from mine and from the date of the above chart. As I recall there are now 3 temperature ranges that you can program the HHt and LHt for; 170-280°F, 285-350F and 355-600F. The controller will automatically set the HHt and LHt to your saved setting when you set your desired temperature. You can override the saved settings if necessary (i.e., for different weather or for different smoke production).
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Not sure if already mentioned, but another advantage of the PG500/1000 is the way the smoke is routed. It's the only grill I know where the smoke exits below the grate level, forcing all smoke that was generated to pass over the food on the main grate. Most other grill designs have a drip tray blocking most of the smoke generated from below.
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Looks and sounds like once you get your grill you should do grate temp measurements at those different preset values to understand temps on different zones of the grill. From there, I suspect that they wouldn't change much after that so once you know your grill you should be in good shape to cook what you want where you want on the unit. Thanks for all of the insight. Now, I need to remember where this is, or ask Bentley to move some of this FEC stuff into a thread in the FEC section about learning that grill.
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Not sure if already mentioned, but another advantage of the PG500/1000 is the way the smoke is routed. It's the only grill I know where the smoke exits below the grate level, forcing all smoke that was generated to pass over the food on the main grate. Most other grill designs have a drip tray blocking most of the smoke generated from below.
On the MAK, the smoke exits through vents at the back, just above the bottom grate. So if you want the smoke exiting below your food, you can cook on an upper rack.
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Use your pellet grill to cook/smoke. Sear on gas or charcoal. No pellet grill will do it as well. My gas grill is my "searing station".
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Sorry, but this is just a silly statement! You have obviously never owned a pellet grill that will. Not only will it do it better, it does it better with wood smoke!
Use your pellet grill to cook/smoke. Sear on gas or charcoal. No pellet grill will do it as well.
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Sorry, but this is just a silly statement! You have obviously never owned a pellet grill that will. Not only will it do it better, it does it better with wood smoke!
Use your pellet grill to cook/smoke. Sear on gas or charcoal. No pellet grill will do it as well.
I stand corrected
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Sorry, but this is just a silly statement! You have obviously never owned a pellet grill that will. Not only will it do it better, it does it better with wood smoke!
Use your pellet grill to cook/smoke. Sear on gas or charcoal. No pellet grill will do it as well.
Ever do it this way? Here is a video of me with the weed burner ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ1iTmpmhvk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ1iTmpmhvk)
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Yep, I have, just like I did with the chilis.
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Yep, I have, just like I did with the chilis.
I haven't tried yet it with chilies. it's on my list. Bet it works good.
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Use your pellet grill to cook/smoke. Sear on gas or charcoal. No pellet grill will do it as well. My gas grill is my "searing station".
Lotsa pics on PF that show excellent searing with pellet grills. With either direct flame or indirect.
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Not sure if already mentioned, but another advantage of the PG500/1000 is the way the smoke is routed. It's the only grill I know where the smoke exits below the grate level, forcing all smoke that was generated to pass over the food on the main grate. Most other grill designs have a drip tray blocking most of the smoke generated from below.
On the MAK, the smoke exits through vents at the back, just above the bottom grate. So if you want the smoke exiting below your food, you can cook on an upper rack.
OK, I probably didn't describe it very clearly. The benefit of the design of the PG is not that smoke exits below the food, it is that the smoke is forced to pass over the food on the main grate before it exits. In other grill designs, smoke is generated below the drip pan, and makes it's way to the cooking area from gaps around the pan. Much of that smoke has the potential to exit through the exhaust without ever coming in contact with the food. Of course, turbulence in the chamber does allow some smoke to contact the food, but not as much as with the PG design. At least, that's what folks that own them say.
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Not sure if already mentioned, but another advantage of the PG500/1000 is the way the smoke is routed. It's the only grill I know where the smoke exits below the grate level, forcing all smoke that was generated to pass over the food on the main grate. Most other grill designs have a drip tray blocking most of the smoke generated from below.
On the MAK, the smoke exits through vents at the back, just above the bottom grate. So if you want the smoke exiting below your food, you can cook on an upper rack.
OK, I probably didn't describe it very clearly. The benefit of the design of the PG is not that smoke exits below the food, it is that the smoke is forced to pass over the food on the main grate before it exits. In other grill designs, smoke is generated below the drip pan, and makes it's way to the cooking area from gaps around the pan. Much of that smoke has the potential to exit through the exhaust without ever coming in contact with the food. Of course, turbulence in the chamber does allow some smoke to contact the food, but not as much as with the PG design. At least, that's what folks that own them say.
Don't forget some of the CampChef Grills have vented diverter/drip pans that allow smoke thru past the meat. However I'm still not fully happy with the smoke flavor. :(
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>Don't forget some of the CampChef Grills have vented diverter/drip pans that allow smoke thru past the meat.
>However I'm still not fully happy with the smoke flavor.
The Weber uses 'flavorizors' instead of a drip pan which theoretically allows a lot more smoke to permeate. Folks here and elsewhere have reported that it produces some of the strongest smoke flavors for a pellet grill. However, it has it's share of problems due to that design.
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I just put a brisket on my camp chef. I’ve never done a brisket, but it’s my favorite BBQ meat so I really want to get good at it. Hope it turns out!
The low overnight is 23 degrees F. It’s about 27 right now. I’ve got the pit running in high-temp smoke mode, which is supposed to be about 220 with lots of smoke. It’s bouncing between like 195 and 220, but I know from experience that if the wind picks up at all, it can lose about 30 degrees.
This is also sort of part of my evil plan to convince my wife that we need a new smoker. If it doesn’t turn out, I can point to the lack of temperature control as a suspect. Mwa-ah-ah.
Incidentally, this was the smallest brisket they had at Costco when I went looking. It’s 15 pounds and measures about 19 inches wide after trimming. To you PG500 owners, would I be able to fit this sucker in the indirect zone? It seems like it might fit diagonally...
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Wish you well on your brisket. Hard to beat those from Costco. Show us the end product please. :clap:
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The brisket actually turned out very well for a first effort. I overcooked it a little, so the flat was a little dry (though still tender) and the point was falling apart a little. I think the fact that I was cooking a USDA prime brisket saved my bacon.
So, my evil plan was a failure, and dinner was a success. I’ll take the success. :pig:
I did notice the smoke ring and flavor were weak. Weaker than I usually get. Maybe a water pan would help?
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Picture of the brisket sliced up.
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Wish you well on your brisket. Hard to beat those from Costco. Show us the end product please. :clap:
Everyone keeps talking about the Prime meats from Costco and Sam's. My Costco and Sam's never has any prime meat. Is this a regional thing or what?
The perfect pellet pit to me would have to be able to have a rotisserie in it. This has turned me away from RecTec and Yoder which I think is great except for that exception.
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I don’t know if it’s regional, but my Costco usually has Prime Ribeyes, NY Strips, and briskets, and around the holidays I sometimes see tenderloins.
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Mine has them all. Almost all of the time.
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Ours have a limited selection of cuts.
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I've heard it said the northeast gets hosed when it comes to prime meats at Costco. Don't know if that's true.
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I've heard it said the northeast gets hosed when it comes to prime meats at Costco. Don't know if that's true.
Costco always has prime meats in the store near me in Eastern PA while Sam's has limited supply if any at times.
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Abundance may or may not be related to consumer preference and ability to buy the pricier cuts. (as well as availability).
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Use your pellet grill to cook/smoke. Sear on gas or charcoal. No pellet grill will do it as well. My gas grill is my "searing station".
Cookshack even has commercial grade stand-alone charbroilers that exclusively grill with pellets. https://cookshack.com/collections/commercial/products/copy-of-cb036-36-charbroiler
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I was at the Costco in Parker/metro Denver area and they had a bunch of prime cuts of beef that I've never seen at a Costco before. Mostly bigger than I could use and some where upwards of $250.
A bunch of prime whole briskets at $2.99/lb. That's cheaper than I've seen in a while.
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The Costco in Chesterfield, VA has prime tenderloin, rib-eye, ny strip and brisket pretty much year round. Both packaged steaks and whole primals.
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Some disturbing news from my son-in-law. He was told that Costco Beef steak products were all blade tenderized when processed. Apparently this is done with a machine and increases the possibility of contamination. He told me his source said that such steaks not be served rare and perhaps even medium rare as a result. So he went to our local Costco to see. He found that the the steaks labels all stated that the meat was blade tenderized in processing. I will do further research on this process, but watcha think?
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I confess that I don't read the meat labels as carefully as I should. That's changin'.
Blade tenderizing is fraught with danger. I wonder if stating that its been done is a label requirement.
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Here tis. Be sure and watch the video of a blade tenderizing machine at work. Note that the tenderloins were not processed that way, not the flank steaks.
https://completecarnivore.com/beware-blade-tenderized-steaks/
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>He was told that Costco Beef steak products
> were all blade tenderized when processed.
Yes, it's been that way for at least 5 years. I've seen that label on supermarket beef as well.
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I do not believe I have ever bought an individual steak from Costco. They always seem $2-$5 more per pound. It is always a roast or a pack of tri-tip or a large section of round or sirloin. To the best of my knowledge I have never seen anything about blade tenderization on the packaging. I have known they do it for many years, and I guess I trust them to the point even if I did by an item that had been blade tenderized, I would feel comfortable.
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Would be interesting to see how they clean and sterilize the blade machines. Awful hard to get to all the surfaces. I may ask the butcher next time I am there. If they place it in a closed high temp washer and daily, then I will not be concerned. I know their meat prep room is very cold so that is a plus.
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My first was a rec tec, if you want to grill, this is not the one to go with. You would be better off with a pit boss with the sliding tray or the camp chef. When I was looking to buy it they told me would grill just as well as a gas grill. 5 years later when I needed a controller I was talking to the RT guy and he said yea they are not great for grilling. Wish I had talked to him 5 years earlier. I had grill grates also.
What about it makes it unsuited to grilling?
Mine would not go over 435 I could set it at max and let it run for an hour+ I called they sent parts, the parts sent were much quieter than the originals. But no different, then they had me taking pictures and sending, the fan is not deep enough in the hole, you need to get under there and bend the legs to set i deeper. I get under it and beat the xxxx out of it with a hammer and 2x2 sent them more pictures they said that looks great, I said it didn't change any thing. we ran tests and I timed and we tested and I timed, and go no where. they were not sure, and by that time they had messed me around just long enough to pass the 30 day return window. My help to over come my issues had pretty much dried up as it was mine now.
There is no open flame so and not getting hot enough or quick enough made it not great. Most units that work well to grill have a system to allow you to direct grill,, like sliding drip pans or something of that nature. think about your gas or charcoal grill, are you going to light one side or set up the hot coals on one side and grill on the other? No you are going to grill over the direct heat source.
I learned to use mine to its limitations, low temps cooks, and highest temp would be 350 maybe 375. I did put a faster auger motor in that helped but still could not max out the temp at 500 in under and hour. So for me pretty much no high temp grilling and little to no smoke flavor using their pellets, left me less than thrilled with my easy bake oven. I bought a little GMG it was a far better cooker than the rec tec ever was both from high temp cooking to smoke flavor. The RT was a $1300+ mistake for me.
[/quote]This is what grill grates are for. They actually trap the heat in under the grate getting the Temps up to 500+ degrees making it very capable of grilling.
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For my unsuitable for grilling was that not would not get hot enough, in a timely manner. There is no direct flame/heat access, which I knew going in but could have lived with it had it gotten to high enough temps to do a decent job. with out the direct flame/heat I could cook just as well and much quicker in a skillet on my stove.
The odd thing is and that is what was part of my discontent was other owners were reporting 500
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Would be interesting to see how they clean and sterilize the blade machines. Awful hard to get to all the surfaces. I may ask the butcher next time I am there. If they place it in a closed high temp washer and daily, then I will not be concerned. I know their meat prep room is very cold so that is a plus.
Was purchasing some prime center cut sirloin yesterday and noted that they were blade tenderized (Costco). I asked the butcher about this. He said they use a needle type blade tenderizer and that it is sterilized after each big run. Usually more than once daily. I did not ask how. However, I believe they are very careful about this for liability reasons. I have also vowed to grill all tenderized meats to at least medium, which is how we like em anyhow. FYI that I promised some time ago. Sorry for the delay.