Pellet Grill

Smoking and Grilling
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Steven P
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Pellet Grill

Post by Steven P »

Does anyone have one of these or have any experience with them?

I'm looking at replacing my Char-broil POS gas grill with something nicer and came across these on Amazon. I haven't been able to find any comparative reviews between the options.

It looks like there are a few companies that make them and prices range from $700 to $1200 for mid-range versions.

I have to get my deck built before throwing my hat in the ring on any new grill option but it never hurts to ask around.
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carrisr
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Pellet Grill

Post by carrisr »

I use and am very happy with my Green Mountain pellet grill. the grill shop in Marion stocks them. They are relatively better priced than other companies and it works very well for me. I use it mostly for smoking, but I also use it for grilling. One limitation is temperature, they only go up to 550F or so. If you want hotter then you have to go with hard woods or charcoal. You already have that covered though.

The biggest features for me are conveniece and readily available fuel. The Green Mountain grills have electronic temp regulation, so are "set it and forget it". May not be a big deal to others but I go for convenience nearly every time. The store in Marion has a wide range of pellets available, from blends to hardwood specific. You can also find pellets, just not as big of a selection, at other locations.

The downside is that they need electricity to feed the pellets and run the temp controller. If the power goes out they turn off. The fire keeps burning though so as long as you are there to catch it you can restart and go on without losing temp as long as the power comes back within 10 minutes or so. I have had it go out in the middle of a nasty thunderstorm once though and it sucks running out in the pouring rain to turn it back on.

If you want to see/taste the grill in action let me know.


On 02/05/2013 08:51 AM, Steven P wrote:
Does anyone have one of these or have any experience with them?

I'm looking at replacing my Char-broil POS gas grill with something nicer and came across these on Amazon. I haven't been able to find any comparative reviews between the options.

It looks like there are a few companies that make them and prices range from $700 to $1200 for mid-range versions.

I have to get my deck built before throwing my hat in the ring on any new grill option but it never hurts to ask around.



"Payday came and with it beer"
- Rudyard Kipling



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Randy Carris
Randy All the Time Brewing
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Steven P
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Post by Steven P »

Do you still get a decent smoke ring on the low and slow settings? I saw that you can get a separate box to hold pellets if you need more smoke.

I read that they burn about a pound an hour for the most part, so a bag of pellets could last quite a while it seems.
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"Milk does a body good my ass. Beer is the healthier choice and hops are a wonderful medicine."
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carrisr
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Pellet Grill

Post by carrisr »

Yes, you get a decent smoke ring. It's not as heavy as Tim is able to get with his setup, but I like it A good many of the winning competition BBQer's use pellet grills. Yes, I suppose you can add a pellet box if you want more smoke, but I've never tried it. Set at 225 there's enough smoke to make my eyes water when I open it the lid and I come in the house smelling like a forest fire...

This Spring when you are thinking about it you should come out to my place, we'll smoke somethin' up. I used it pretty heavy last year and I've even been smokin though the winter, though not every week.


On 02/05/2013 03:04 PM, Steven P wrote:
Do you still get a decent smoke ring on the low and slow settings? I saw that you can get a separate box to hold pellets if you need more smoke.

I read that they burn about a pound an hour for the most part, so a bag of pellets could last quite a while it seems.



"Payday came and with it beer"
- Rudyard Kipling



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Randy Carris
Randy All the Time Brewing
mjmarsha
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Location: Robins, IA

Post by mjmarsha »

I have a Traeger that I have had for about 5 years now. If I had to do it over today I would go with the Green Mountain from Grillworks in Marion. The GM is a much improved version of the Traeger in many aspects. That being said I still have had some awesome easy BBQ on the Traeger.

Pellet grills are kind of a set-it-and-forget it kind of thing and are super easy to use. There is no constant babysitting required. Get a wireless temperature probe and you can sit inside watching tv and still monitor your meat. Also the really cool thing about pellet grills is that you can bake in them.. biscuits, brownies, cookies, etc. Smoked chocolate chip cookies are actually pretty good. Biscuits are even better! Smoked Meatloaf is good... pretty much anything you would use an oven for you could use your pellet grill for.
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tony b
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Post by tony b »

That's how I roll, baby.

For those of you who've been to my place know that my kitchen doesn't have a conventional oven, by design. Just a small countertop convection oven and a microwave over the stove top. All big items get put on the Kamado grill and not just meat - baked bread, pizza, even the green bean casserole and pan of stuffing for Thanksgiving!

The suggestion of cookies got me to thinking - Cherry Smoked Snickerdoodles!
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mjmarsha
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Post by mjmarsha »

Apple pie baked on a pellet grill is pretty awesome too!
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