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[silverbullet]

So much has been said already here's my 

• Manufacturers need a way to differentiate themselves from other brands.

Some already have My Louisiana sticks in my mind here. Drop feed system with a shorter auger. Curved driptray & No chimney.

I guess as an owner that has a pit that produces plenty of smoke and get outrageously hot, I feel I have the all in one.  Not a tech guy, have WiFi on another unit, never used it.  So for me, I have the one unit that meets all my needs!  Now capacity is always an issue if you have a large crowd.

That's me. I don't need anything else. Plus & also have the DC for the camper & for overflow if needed. Don't have WIFI nor do I find the need to have it. As the times advance I'm sure more advances will come to the pellet grill's. Right now I'm very content with what I have.

[okie smokie]

geez I think I'm getting old.  Pellet smoking is a time for me to escape from technology.   It's a lazy guys way to experience BBQ of old.   Taking large tough cuts of meat and making them succulent. 

Inevitable sure I guess.   Over complicating a proven winner I am concerned about.  If you could put a packer brisket into a computer and have the best brisket you've ever tasted in 5 minutes, would you?   That would just kill it for me. 

DK

I'm with you DK.  WIFI, SHMIFI! All I want is a good reliable pit that can turn out the goodies without too much attention.  Being able to check on progress while you are at the Home Depot or in the potty is of no interest to me.  I think that essentials to me are:  solid build, PID control, and both decent slow-smoke and hot grill capabilities. All the rest is ginger bread for many of us.  While I like SS and direct grilling, I can get along just fine without them with my GS.   

[RichW]

Most of the pellet grills function the same way and have similar features, with differentiation coming in areas like controller temp regulation, inclusion of multiple probes, WiFi options, etc. I’m curious what technological advances are in the pipeline that maybe your average enthusiast like me may not have heard about.

I do like this question, it's totally relevant.   But my response is why?

Up until a few years ago all pellet grills were Traeger clones.   I just don't understand the obsession with a single pit for all jobs.  Direct sear, cold smoking box, wifi.   All nice to have, but all could be done with other devices.    I for one am pretty happy with a regular pellet grill and gasser.    I'm not terribly excited about technological advances.  Sous vide doesn't interest me at all, should all pits now come with a water bath?

DK

I do agree with the pellet grills main objective being dedicated to that of a well controlled temperature and wood smoking cook unit.  Many suburban or city dwellers simply have a matter of limited real estate for outdoor cooking yet will miss the fast and hot grilling that they were used to with the gas grill they parted with and the charcoal grill mystique.  I found that after just a few great smokes/cooks I wanted more out of my pellet grill that now occupies my deck so I started my journey of modifications.  I changed the heat shield from the standard distribution shield and sloped drip tray to a Kuma style slide open to fire pot. I have added a 40,000 btu's of gas burner to the searing section;  I now have a great smoker and "direct to fire searing" with plenty of heat to get the grill hot in less than 5 min. from the time I plug in until I drop the steaks.  The added benefit is I get more smoke flavor on the meat now than I did with the reversed sear approach.  So I say why shouldn't we expect progressive grill manufactures to produce a grill with more diverse features for the masses.  What can it hurt.

[Redapple]

The only advance I want is ability to smoke at temperatures between say 120F and 180F all  year long, with ease and reliability...      In the main chamber of a pellet grill..

So I effectively want a pellet grill with a firepot and auger system that can stay burning , and only add about 50F additional heat above ambient conditions. And produces 'clean' smoke  while doing it...

I have to agree with you...make a pellet smoker with the firepot truly separated from the cooking chamber, like an offset stick burner and add cold smoking to the list of capabilities.

[JoeGrilling]

Things I would like to see:

Wide body - 24" wide with the ability to cook six St Louis style ribs on the main grate.
403 Stainless Steel Main Grate
WiFi
Easy pellet drain
403 Stainless steel throughout
direct grill

I am almost ready to built my own if nobody is going to build one like this.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Things I would like to see:

Wide body - 24" wide with the ability to cook six St Louis style ribs on the main grate.
403 Stainless Steel Main Grate
WiFi
Easy pellet drain
403 Stainless steel throughout
direct grill

I am almost ready to built my own if nobody is going to build one like this.

Memphis Elite can do all of that.

[glitchy]

Memphis Elite can do all of that.

Won’t all of the current model Memphis grills do that?

[glitchy]

Sorry, I missed the six and just saw 24” wide for ribs. Bucket vacs cover the quick pellet dump for about any grill My Traeger has a quick dump and I’ve only used it twice.

[Bar-B-Lew]

Yeah, I don't really understand the need for a pellet dump unless you have an auger jam.

[wahoowad]

I think I just experienced my first ever auger jam and have to say that pellet dump was pretty handy

[Bar-B-Lew]

I think I just experienced my first ever auger jam and have to say that pellet dump was pretty handy

The auger jams I have had were due to pellets getting wet and almost getting cement like in the auger tube.  Had to chisel it out and use a mallet to hammer the auger out of the tube.  Not a fun project. Happened two times.  Knock on wood it has been a few years.

[wahoowad]

mu hopper was half full so I couldn't tell exactly what happened. I'm assuming the pellets blocked and just were not dropping into the hopper. After removing the pellets I probably broke up whatever blockage was in place and things started moving again. It took a few minutes for the pellets to hit the cup which reinforces my belief I had a blockage.

[LowSlowJoe]

What I would like to see, especially for my YS640, is a variable speed control for the fan motor.

I hand wired one in to my PG500... mine has a fan that seems to run stronger than it should ,  I set it a bit lower to avoid excessive smoke/heat blowing back into my auger/hopper, and/or from blowing out of every crevice/gap  there might be near a ash drawer or warming drawer...

 But, I'm curious why you feel the need on your Yoder?

[Goosehunter51]

I am thinking a built in Pellet Cam with live feeds to Pelletfan because there is nothing more sexy than cooking meat. 

[okie smokie]

I just feel that the fan in the Yoder runs to fast.  I would like a bit more smoke flavor and thought if you slowed the fan speed downn a bit and let the smoke linger a while longer, whatever it is you were smoking would pick up more flavor.  Just my thoughts.  Would be interesting to experiment with.  If I were handier I know that this is something not all that difficult or complicated to do yourself.

The temp that you set will determine fan speed.  Higher air flow for higher temps. If you set the fan to blow slower, it will stay on longer on low slow cooks to maintain heat.   Intermittent on and off with full speed is a better way to control temp and make smoke.  That is what most controllers do, I think?