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[Bentley]

This is a modified copy of an email I sent to the Manufactures we have listed on this site!

Hello Everyone,

All but two of you Participate in a Performance Test at Pelletheads.com, that is reason one I am writing you.  I want it known I am no longer a Member of Pelletheads.com and have nothing to do with the Forum Administration of the site now, nor will I moving forward. 

What I did want you to know is I started my own Forum.  It is called Pelletfan.  The only reason I am telling you this is I have put a section on it for each of you.  Whether it is my God given right to or not...probably not the best way to operate.  Larry Hill and Pelletheads.com had other rules for how a Manufacture got on his site.  That is not my way.  So the 2nd reason for this is mail is to ask for your permission to have that section? 

If you want yours removed, just let me know and it will be taken down, no hard feeling or bias.  Just so you know...I would have to put a simple message saying that at this time the Manufacture does not want a section on this site.  I will not have time to constantly be answering questions as to why I do not have one for X Manufacture. 

I don't expect you all to be posting on my site, over the last 10 years at Pelletheads.com, I have come to understand all to clearly why Manufactures chose not to, I will leave it at that.  What I would appreciate if you allow me to have a section for you, is to have a contact person I could reach out to if questions arise that I cannot answer? Obviously if a contact at your company wants to become a Member,  we would love it!

If I do not get a response from you I will assume you do not have an issue with your site on my forum.

[pmillen]

Bentley, if you had the opportunity, would you conduct Performance Reviews?

[Bentley]

Performance Tests...I would consider it.  Members and the Manufacture might have to realize, it might be 90% data and 10% cooking.  And I guess depending on Manufacture and what they wanted to do with the unit after Performance Test, it might be 100% Data, just to keep the pit as Pristine as possible.

[Bobitis]

Performance Tests...I would consider it.  Members and the Manufacture might have to realize, it might be 90% data and 10% cooking.  And I guess depending on Manufacture and what they wanted to do with the unit after Performance Test, it might be 100% Data, just to keep the pit as Pristine as possible.

Pfffttt... Pristine my sorry Aunt Susan Samples. No pit gets fully rated until it gets dirty. 

[LowSlowJoe]

Honestly...  short of a biscuit test with biscuits spread out evenly across cooking surface, cooking food really doesn't tell that much about a pit..   What I mean, is virtually any pellet grill can cook great food in the hands of a competent cook.   At some point , all that cooking and photos of it, is just food porn.   

 Data, good shots of the interior and exterior, maybe some video of smoke output at 225F... and well, for most pellet grills, there's not really a whole lot more you can learn in even 2 or 3 weeks of cooking on one.   I guess cooking something really greasy might tell  you how well the grease drip system works, but there's probably ways to figure out something like that , without cooking.

 

[pmillen]

Honestly...  short of a biscuit test with biscuits spread out evenly across cooking surface, cooking food really doesn't tell that much about a pit..   What I mean, is virtually any pellet grill can cook great food in the hands of a competent cook.   At some point , all that cooking and photos of it, is just food porn.   

 Data, good shots of the interior and exterior, maybe some video of smoke output at 225F... and well, for most pellet grills, there's not really a whole lot more you can learn in even 2 or 3 weeks of cooking on one.   I guess cooking something really greasy might tell  you how well the grease drip system works, but there's probably ways to figure out something like that , without cooking.

There's food for thought here.  But you never really know how a pit will perform until you load it with cold food.  That's why I liked Bentley's PTs with probes at various locations around the grates.  We didn't have any surprises waiting for us when he was done testing.

[Bentley]

The stuff that is Objective is what I think most folks want to see.  And to me, can it grill.  As LSJ said...and I found in 7 years of Performance Testing, under 350°. all about the same, some were better then other with stability of temperature but all the food tasted the same.  It was when you get to 500-600°..or could you was the question some times!

[Kristin Meredith]

I disagree about the food somewhat.  I want to see if it can brown up the skin of a whole chicken or does it look boiled?  does the bark on a pork shoulder have some color or does it look like I baked it? will it grill some salmon or give a nice crust to a pizza? etc.  I think seeing certain cooks are still important.

Do I think we need to cook the amount of stuff that we cooked on the first test of a GMG Daniel Boone when the pellet pit was new to the vast majority of consumers and they weren't sure about these new things?  No.  But some things are needed.

[LowSlowJoe]

I disagree about the food somewhat.  I want to see if it can brown up the skin of a whole chicken or does it look boiled?  does the bark on a pork shoulder have some color or does it look like I baked it? will it grill some salmon or give a nice crust to a pizza? etc.  I think seeing certain cooks are still important.

Do I think we need to cook the amount of stuff that we cooked on the first test of a GMG Daniel Boone when the pellet pit was new to the vast majority of consumers and they weren't sure about these new things?  No.  But some things are needed.

 Some very good points...   But then, if your doing to that type of thing, perhaps a minimal set of standard food items, that aren't too expensive... a chicken and a pork shoulder... always done the same way, or as close to the same as possible.

   Yet, I could imagine... that some pits might actually perform these types of tests better at some specific temperature... and it potentially could be misleading.  Mostly I'm thinking  as it relates to smoke output and how that might affect how the bark on a butt looks... I've for some time felt that most pellet grills probably have a sort of sweet spot, where they produce best smoke output, and to know what that sweet spot is, takes a little experience with that grill. For instance... My Traeger Junior might smoke best at 225 and produce a lovely pork but... but my Davy Crockett could easily smoke just as much , if not more at 265F ( but then it also smokes well at 225F)...   So, anyway, my only concern would be that potentially , one grill just might not do quite as nice at some preconceived idea of the perfect temperature for cooking that item.  Science gets all thrown out the window.

[Kristin Meredith]

I agree about it being the same thing each time and cooked using the same method.  And I will be the first to acknowledge that I would be looking at stuff we/I would eat -- chicken, salmon, burger, pizza, steak.  The uncles love Bent's pulled pork, so I know that would not go to waste.  I think that would show a broad enough spectrum of what a pit would cook and make for some nice photos too!

[pmillen]

So, anyway, my only concern would be that potentially , one grill just might not do quite as nice at some preconceived idea of the perfect temperature for cooking that item.  Science gets all thrown out the window.

Perhaps asking the manufacturer for the best temperatures for chicken and pork butt would eliminate that variable.

[Bentley]

And having thought on it for a short time, I am sure the Manufacture wants as much exposure as possible, they want to see pictures of food cooking on their units.   And I do not mind doing it.  I get to caught up in...I am always going to try and give the product back so they can do something with it.  It is used, it is that simple, they will not be able to see it and I am sure they realize it when it goes out the door, I guess I need to wake up and realize it too!  I guess depending on how much advertising they get, it is cost effective advertising and gets there data into the main stream...to send out a unit.  I am not sure we have enough eyes to justify it right now...but maybe in 3 months!

[pmillen]

it is cost effective advertising and gets there data into the main stream...

It's the only advertising that I can think of that will "live" for 5 years or more.

[Bentley]

See, a reason my life did not turn out...well, I have never been able to see a larger picture!

[ZCZ]

See, a reason my life did not turn out...well, I have never been able to see a larger picture!

You are definitely seeing a larger picture when you set up this site Bentley!
You hit a grand slam home run.
Thanks again and thanks for letting a newb like me cook in the Royal.
Z