Well, is that a fact? You must be the world's expert authority on pellet grills. Congrats on that. All the pellet grills that I have used and owned for the past 20 years or so (Brinkmann, Traeger, etc.) have a smoke pot that is pretty small in the middle or one side below the grill, and they do not heat a large grilling area very well for searing with. Also they were not designed to sear meats on, they were designed to smoke in. But hey, what the fork do I know? Replies like yours are why I no longer post on this site any more.
I can only comment on my MAK, but agreed, even full out, its not really hot enough to sear very well....the burn pot sits in the geographical center of the grill, and even with the plate, the heat certainly isn't even......that being said, I think the dang thing smokes REALLY well, and makes smoking easy for simpletons like me. Just have to learn to believe the temperature settings in the probes.....even when you think it doesn't "look" done, ignore that, go by the temps! WAY too much smoked stuff is overcooked
well excuuuuuuse me!!!! I was just commenting on your post where you said pellet grills were not designed to grill on, and I beg to differ. So my pellet grill ( and many others) are designed to operate in the 150 to 500 degree range. As I recall most people do their smoking in the 150 to 275 degree range, so what do you do in the 300 to 500 degree range?I would say grilling Am I an expert authority in the field? No I am not, But I do know you can indeed grill on a pellet grill, hence the name grill. that was all I was saying, nothing more - nothing less. So take it as you wish . and you know what you can do with that fork!! And as a matter of fact pellet grills like the Englander, Fast Eddie, MAK and a few others are designed to grill and sear on with their direct heat option
There seems to be some debate if the smoker grills are any good at searing/grilling or just for smoking. I will officially offer my services as a judge for a cook off. It should probably last at least two days so several different recipes are sampled. We don't even have to limit the contest to smokers, I want to taste some of the baked goods I see on here too.
I have seen photos of folks baking pizzas on them. I smoked a pork but this last weekend on charcoal in a vertical water smoker thing and it was really good. 1200$ for an englander pellet grille. I would expect to, and have seen photos or others, using these pellet grilles for grilling as well as smoking. One of the selling points is that you can trash your other cookers.
I do a lot of grilling on mine as well, You cant sear a steak but you cant grill for sure. The steaks are great on the traeger grill. In fact if you try a reverse smoke they are really really tasty. Smoke on low for a while then turn the heat up in the end. From my experience with a pellet grill you dont need to sear a steak as they dont cook the moisture out of a cut of meat like a direct heat grill does.
Bringing this thread back.....I came across this and now I am thinking. I want to purchase one but not sure who makes a good pellet grill......help
Traeger was a great grill but in recent years they changed hands and I have been told that quality has gone down. I have one from before they were sold and it is 10 years old now and still in great shape. I have had to change the electrical board 1 time to control the temps, but the change included an upgraded thermostat and it has worked great ever since. Ive said it many times and will say it again. Pellet grills are easier than propane and taste better then charcoal. The only time I dont use it when cooking outside is if I am cooking on the fire pit or little webber with real wood. Thats only if I am looking for direct heat.
I've had the Green Mountain Daniel Boone for 2yrs and love it. I still love my trusty old Weber for grilling but the DB is so versatile. I use these whenever I'm grilling on it: http://www.grillgrate.com/
My pellet supply was running low so I stocked up today. Maple, Oak and Cherry this time. I was impressed with the Maple last time I used it, I thought it would be too mellow but it offers a great flavor. The Oak is great for steaks and burgers. This will be my first time smoking with Cherry but have heard good things about it.
I have had my smoker for about a year and have only used traeger pellets. The hardware store near me carries them so it's easy. From what I hear there are better choices out there. I am open to suggestions for pellet brands.
