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[pmillen]

I'm going to try to get to the burgers tonight.  I'll set the controller at 12:00 O'Clock per Th3Batman's experience, close the lid and monitor grate and burger temps.

It won't be much of a loss if it's a failure.

EDIT:  Ten minutes later I find out that other plans have been made for me for tonight and burgers don't fit in.

[pmillen]

I cooked four ¼-pounders tonight.

     I made them with this thing so I know it's the same burger that I usually cook over charcoal.

I put a small handful of pellets in the Bullseye firepot and turned the igniter on.  When the pellets flamed, I installed the diffuser and grate and set the controller at 12:00 O'Clock.  The temperature went right up to 526° at the grate and 575° on the lid thermometer and held there.  There was no visible smoke.  I waited a half-hour and took the burgers out of the refrigerator and put them on.

The temperatures dropped because the lid had been opened but quickly climbed back to 472° at the grate and 480° on the lid thermometer.  At the 3-minute point I could see grease smoke.  I flipped them at four minutes as I do when grilling ¼-pounders over charcoal.  They were just barely releasing from the grates.

After four minutes on side two I took them off.

They were done through but were only light brown with weak grill marks.  Grill marks aren't very important to me, especially on a hamburger, but I believe that the slight sticking to the grates and the minimal sear and grill marks indicated that more heat and/or more time is required.

Flavor wise...I didn't notice a campfire-like cooked over a wood fire flavor that I was hoping for.  They were good burgers but they need to be better to move me from my current charcoal preference.  I'll soon try four more with the controller turned a couple of notches past straight up.  I think I want the 700° that charcoal in a Weber kettle produces.

No photographs.  Why bother?

[Ross77]

Let us know how hot it gets past 12:00.  It must be close to 700 if it was 526 at 12:00.

You haven't sold me.  I'm still on the fence for either a Weber Performer or Bullseye.  I assume it's more convenient than charcoal?  More flavorful than a gas grill?

We all want to see pics!

[pmillen]

I need to check to see what the upper limit is on my Rock's Stoker pit temperature probe.  I don't want to burn it out.

It's definitely more convenient than charcoal even though I feel the need to vacuum it clean after every cook.

I don't get any flavor from my propane grill.  But I didn't get anything from the Bullseye pellets either (hickory).

EDIT:
1.  I may try mesquite.  We usually don't like the flavor but at this temperature it may produce very little which we might like.
2.  A stick on the diffuser might make smoke.

[Ross77]

Interesting. When I cook at higher temps on my RecTec 680 I feel like there is a little something extra there flavor wise.

[pmillen]

I probably don't have a fully-functioning palate.

[Bentley]

Mine are 410°f, but my unit is probably coming up on 8 years old!

I need to check to see what the upper limit is on my Rock's Stoker pit temperature probe.  I don't want to burn it out.

[pmillen]

Mine are 410°f, but my unit is probably coming up on 8 years old!

I need to check to see what the upper limit is on my Rock's Stoker pit temperature probe.  I don't want to burn it out.

How did you discover that?  I looked all over the web site and didn't find anything.  I sent them an email this morning but it's Saturday so I didn't expect a rapid reply.

I had it at 700° a couple of days ago and it seems to have started to melt the insulation.

[WiPelletHead]

Mine are 410°f, but my unit is probably coming up on 8 years old!

I need to check to see what the upper limit is on my Rock's Stoker pit temperature probe.  I don't want to burn it out.

How did you discover that?  I looked all over the web site and didn't find anything.  I sent them an email this morning but it's Saturday so I didn't expect a rapid reply.

I had it at 700° a couple of days ago and it seems to have started to melt the insulation.

If you go to Rock's website and click on the probes, they are rated up to 450 deg.

[pmillen]

If you go to Rock's website and click on the probes, they are rated up to 450 deg.

Oh!  I see...if I click on the photo—nothing.  If I click on the use and price line—nothing.  But a quality description, including the temperature rating, comes up if I click on the line that lists the cable length.

I must just be stupid...OR...it could have been designed better.

Thanks for the tip.

[Bentley]

John was a member of the California BBQ Association, so had a chance to meet him a few times at Q-Fests...and I think he told me then.  He donated one to Pelletheads, I guess it is 450° and not 410°.  I though a few years ago he upped them to the 500° range, but maybe that was the Tappecue!

[Th3Batman86]

It absolutely should be vacuumed each time. That is the biggest pain. The concave shape funnels everything back down to the firepot

[pmillen]

When I started my second cook, the one after the burgers, I vacuumed the firepot and examined the pellets at the auger tube end.


Even though some appeared to have been vacuumed away, the ones left behind were charred and had probably been glowing as Th3Batman86 pointed out in another thread.

That doesn't please me.  It probably raises the hopper fire risk level.

[Ross77]

My RecTec 680 has the same fire pot setup and some at the end are charred. I’ve never had an issue. Just follow the shutdown procedure and you should be ok.

[Th3Batman86]

The difference is on the 680 (I have one) the ashes get blown out and distributed around the grill. On the bullseye they fill up the firepot. I am worried enough buildup and the fire is at or above the level of the auger. I worry about auger fire on the bullseye and I never did on my traeger or the 680. Also even after shut down on the bullseye I have had hopper smoke. This worries me too.