Pellet Fan
All Things Considered => General Discussion--Food Related => Topic started by: TLK on December 04, 2018, 02:37:04 PM
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so SWMBO took a new job that moved us from Ohio to Maryland. I had a beautiful outdoor kitchen complete with gasser, Yoder and WBO. Never going to build something to that level again. Since everything was permanent I don't have anything to cook with outside and need to buy something. so my question for the group is what is the best all purpose unit that will allow smoking plus grilling at 500+degrees. I was very happy w my Yoder but wondering if I should consider anything else since I am starting from nothing.
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Memphis
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I don't own either of them but if I were picking one to do everything I would pick a MAK or a Memphis.
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Memphis
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Just to be a contrarian, how about a PG500? If I was going to shell out YS640 prices, I'd go there first. Of course, if your budget is a lot higher, why not an Elite?
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I Love my Memphis Pro, but I vote PG 500!
Edit: And since I lost my internet connection as soon as this was posted, I will tell you why. I grill a lot more then I BBQ or Smoke. The Memphis, as I have said for 9 years, does a wonderful job of that, but you have to...Ahh, I just realized that the new models have the flame zone, so it would be different then my 2010 MP, you dont have to heat the whole pit up. Still gotta give the nod to the PG500 for speed to grill temps and a little bigger dedicated area! But as I said, 90% of my pellet pit cooks are grilling
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Memphis, love my Elite!
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On the lower end of the spectrum is the Camp Chef with the sear station.
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On the lower end of the spectrum is the Camp Chef with the sear station.
I think they now have a model where you can buy a sear station and a griddle and swap them out depending on what you want to use with the propane connection on the right side of the pellet grill. And yes, the prices is very economical. It would certainly be a good introductory model for folks. The Memphis and the FEC have a good history from user experience on here if you can afford the investment.
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Memphis- The walls being insulated makes cooking a joy.
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PG500/PG1000
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Add me to the Memphis group.
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Sorry for the slow replies - still no inter web here at the house...
I grill more often than I smoke so direct grilling capability is a must.
space is rather limited so I don't want something too big for the area
would like to keep it under $1500.
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The PG500 is just a bit out of your price range, but it would do exactly what you're after. It is a grilling machine, and a fantastic smoker. You can go for an Englander PG100 (https://heatredefined.com/products/21pg100), looks like they are $899 at home depot. It's a licensed copy of the PG500, but made out of steel, instead of stainless steel. Also lacks the warming drawer of the PG500.
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Like Bentley, I do way more grilling than smoking so it is a very important consideration for me. I have the PG1000, I love it, but if I had to replace it I would buy a PG500 in a second.
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After a few months of owning a PG500, I can say it is awesome for grilling and for smoking, and for the speed at which you can go between both. For instance you can very easily smoke a steak for 30-60 minutes then raise the temps quickly and move the steak to the chargill area to finish cooking. It just works without fuss. This was something I was looking for in a "next" grill, and I'm really pleased with how well it works in the PG500.
A somewhat surprising new use with the PG500 has been for cooking frozen pizza... just using it like an oven with a stone in the top right zone. No issues with reaching temps, and preheats just about as fast as the oven. I think it picks up just the slightest bit of flavor from the fire, although this hot of a fire burns pretty clean.
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I sure do like my Blaz'n Grand Slam grill with the Sear Kit and Pro Shelf option! Highly recommend for under $1500!
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PG 500...reach and get it and you won't regret it.
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PG500 gets my vote... Only thing a PG500 needs, is a rack system for the indirect side... If someone made/sold a rack system that could easily hold , 4 or 5 appropriate sized racks that easily slid in and out... it would have a bit more capacity then it does without these. Capacity is rarely a problem for me in my PG500... but I think about how great it would be if I had a rack system all the time... for things like Jerky, massive amounts of chicken wings, ribs, chicken halves... the list could go on and on....
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Only thing a PG500 needs, is a rack system for the indirect side
Oooh, that is a good idea. Now to find 18x18 (ish) racks and some all-thread!
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Only thing a PG500 needs, is a rack system for the indirect side
Oooh, that is a good idea. Now to find 18x18 (ish) racks and some all-thread!
This is the closest I could find, which work OK for thin items, but I agree, something with adjustable spacing between the racks would be ideal.
https://www.westonsupply.com/3-Tier-Jerky-Oven-Rack-p/07-0155-w.htm
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Only thing a PG500 needs, is a rack system for the indirect side
Oooh, that is a good idea. Now to find 18x18 (ish) racks and some all-thread!
This is the closest I could find, which work OK for thin items, but I agree, something with adjustable spacing between the racks would be ideal.
https://www.westonsupply.com/3-Tier-Jerky-Oven-Rack-p/07-0155-w.htm
I use those racks in my MAK to make jerky. They are a bit of a pain to clean though even with putting frog mats on top of them.
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This is the closest I could find, which work OK for thin items, but I agree, something with adjustable spacing between the racks would be ideal.
https://www.westonsupply.com/3-Tier-Jerky-Oven-Rack-p/07-0155-w.htm
Nice! Price is reasonable too. That and some all-thread/washers/nuts would make for a nice rack system.
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Is it just me or do the pictures of the PG500 look like it was beaten with an ugly stick??
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Is it just me or do the pictures of the PG500 look like it was beaten with an ugly stick??
Do you mean the brand new pics or after the PG500 has been used a bit? If its the former, I don't know what to tell you. I love how it looks so I would say it's just you. ;) If it is after some cooks I would agree in part. The stainless steel can be challenging to keep clean. I do like how my food looks coming out of it which to me is what really matters. I think the PG500 is more impressive in person than the pics. I am so proud of mine.
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Is it just me or do the pictures of the PG500 look like it was beaten with an ugly stick??
I agree with you. I like the look of the PG1000 much better.
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Hmmm, I wouldn’t say ugly, but maybe industrial or commercial looking though, but I like that.
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Is it just me or do the pictures of the PG500 look like it was beaten with an ugly stick??
I have a PG1000, but I still like the look of the PG500. Not having a shelf in front is nice though.
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I need to sell my grid iron and my traeger and buy a PG1000
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Always like the look of the 500 better then the 1000. I think I was always drawn to the 2 doors, and it is just a sleek design.
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Is it just me or do the pictures of the PG500 look like it was beaten with an ugly stick??
Do you mean the brand new pics or after the PG500 has been used a bit? If its the former, I don't know what to tell you. I love how it looks so I would say it's just you. ;) If it is after some cooks I would agree in part. The stainless steel can be challenging to keep clean. I do like how my food looks coming out of it which to me is what really matters. I think the PG500 is more impressive in person than the pics. I am so proud of mine.
didn't mean to offend. I was looking at the pics from the website. I agree that its how the food looks coming off that is more important. Anyone know if these are sold in local stores or is just off their website
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FYI - On those jerky racks... Cabela's has the same racks for $30... lookup "Cabela's Three-Tier Jerky Rack with Tray", I own about 9 of these racks, I use them all the time, but I don't use them with the fold up legs in place, I find those to be almost worthless...
Also... Cookshack already sells grates that might easily fit in a rack system for a PG500... they are 14x18", they are the same size for their residential smokers SM025, SM045, and SM066. They do also sell brackets that are designed to go inside those smokers, that I think could be used in a PG500, with a little ingenuity....
There is one problem.... well, two... One problem is , they are NOT CHEAP. The other problem is, the right hand side of the PG500, where the door mounts... it infringes on the space that would be needed to easily slide 14x18" racks in and out...
The racks in question are part numbers are...
PV003 , which is a 14x18" nickle plated grate, for $38 , PV003SS is a stainless steel version and costs $59 a piece, and the PV009 which is a nickle plated mesh rack for $54 I've coveted the mesh rack for a long time, but have never been willing to pull the trigger.
I should buy one of these racks listed, just to see what it would take to find a way to make it slide in and out, past the protrusion on the right hand side , where the door mounts...
I have found other grill grates that are a little narrower, that I believe would fit... I even bought a couple, I just have not gotten around to finding a way to build the side brackets to use to hold them in place for cooking on.
Cookshack already sells side brackets that could be used PM022 ( don't know the exact dimensions of these)... but they want like $116 for a set, and I'm not 100% sure they could be tweaked to make work...
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Is it just me or do the pictures of the PG500 look like it was beaten with an ugly stick??
Do you mean the brand new pics or after the PG500 has been used a bit? If its the former, I don't know what to tell you. I love how it looks so I would say it's just you. ;) If it is after some cooks I would agree in part. The stainless steel can be challenging to keep clean. I do like how my food looks coming out of it which to me is what really matters. I think the PG500 is more impressive in person than the pics. I am so proud of mine.
didn't mean to offend. I was looking at the pics from the website. I agree that its how the food looks coming off that is more important. Anyone know if these are sold in local stores or is just off their website
I happen to love the look of the PG500... It's very industrial looking. Looks even better in person , than in photos... I do like the look of the PG1000, and if I had a super fine back yard and house I'd probably like a PG1000. However, I'm not convinced that the PG1000 is any better at cooking, in fact I have a hunch that the PG500 is technically better at cooking... for one thing, when you open the doors, the heat doesn't have as much chance of escaping... It's probably a minor issue , if it's a issue at all... but for me, I don't see any technical advantage for the PG1000, unless it's the double walled construction for insulation , but I honestly never felt a need for insulation, in fact in the summer, I'm sometimes wishing the thing would run a bit cooler inside...
As for your question... I'm sure some shop , somewhere has a PG500 in a showroom.... I just don't know of any. I'm 100% convinced , that if more people actually saw a PG500 in person, they would sell a lot more of them. I was kinda shocked when I saw mine for the first time, It was much bigger than I had thought ( in a good way )... your best bet would be to call Cookshack and talk to them about who dealers are near you and weather or not anyone might have one in a showroom, etc...
Another thing you might consider, is trying to find a owner who lives near you... I'm in southeastern Michigan, and if anyone ever wanted to see one in person, I'd be more than happy to show mine off... ( It is dirty as all get out though... :) )
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I don't see any technical advantage for the PG1000, unless it's the double walled construction for insulation
The insulation is a bigger deal than I thought. That big ol' PG1000 is as easy on pellets as my Davy Crockett. Very impressive for something so big. My Jim Bowie by comparison is just a pellet disposal unit.
As for putting the racks together, I probably need to swing by a restaurant supply store. My idea of putting them together would be "flexy rack" style, like this http://www.alexmeyer.com/audio/flexy/
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Is it just me or do the pictures of the PG500 look like it was beaten with an ugly stick??
Do you mean the brand new pics or after the PG500 has been used a bit? If its the former, I don't know what to tell you. I love how it looks so I would say it's just you. ;) If it is after some cooks I would agree in part. The stainless steel can be challenging to keep clean. I do like how my food looks coming out of it which to me is what really matters. I think the PG500 is more impressive in person than the pics. I am so proud of mine.
didn't mean to offend. I was looking at the pics from the website. I agree that its how the food looks coming off that is more important. Anyone know if these are sold in local stores or is just off their website
No offense taken...just sharing my experience. I understand the concern about appearance. If I chose based solely on looks I would choose a Yoder. Love how it looks. But I am in love with my PG500. I honestly cannot imagine ever having anything else. Good luck in your search!
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Unless things have changed in the last 10 years, the 1000 is one of, if not the only residential unit that is solid core insulated (true insulation not just double walled). As far as losing heat, it recovers very fast and that type of issue is not a factor. It is almost over kill!
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Wow, I did not know they actually had insulation in between the two walls... Learn something new everyday
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Wow, I did not know they actually had insulation in between the two walls... Learn something new everyday
Yup. 800° spinglass insulation.