After years of fighting the Pellet grills influx I decided to step in and see what all the hype was about. I have smoked traditional on charcoal & wood for the last 30 years. So, for over the last...
After years of fighting the Pellet grills influx I decided to step in and see what all the hype was about. I have smoked traditional on charcoal & wood for the last 30 years. So, for over the last 2 years I have purchased a Green Mountain pellet grill from Charcoal & More in Louisville area and a Memphis Pro Pellet grill from BBQ Authority in Chicagoland.
Over the last year I have taught BBQ classes on Green Mountains, Traeger, Pit boss, Smoking Brothers, Weber Smoke/Fire and Louisiana Pellet grills.
So, I feel I have picked up a lot of valuable experience on the Pellet grill market and what is the pellet customer looking for and how to answer the question “Why can’t my pellet smoker have the same smoke flavor as a charcoal smoker”?
With my 30 years in Charcoal smoking and grilling I’m working on different methods & techniques that will help close that gap and bring more of that rich smoky BBQ flavor to the brisket, Butts, and pork ribs for the pellet grill customers.
You did not see any reviews on the smoker’s phone applications or Wi-Fi setup because I’m more concerned on how the mechanics and quality of the cooking process vs the applications that take the user’s attention from the “Cooking process”. I see a lot of the sales cycles of pellet smokers concentrated on the features of the phone applications vs the features and benefits of the actual smoker itself. I here so many complaints from BBQ dealers about how the applications aren’t working right or cannot get hooked up to WiFI by their customers that they feel like IT tech support verses BBQ support.
Memphis Pro Pellet Grill: $3400 (304 Stainless Steel)
With the existing experience from the GMG and pellet smoking, I jumped right into the Memphis Pellet Pro grill. I again started with high temperature grilling (400) degrees; the Memphis Pro can reach up to 750 degrees if needed. I was able to hit the power button and adjust the temperature to 400 and in 3 minutes I was ready to go. A lot quicker than starting charcoal grill and a lot cleaner. I grilled hamburgers and ribeye’s, but I did use my grill grates because I like grill marks. My next step I went full on beef tenderloin smoking first at 250 degrees and then once the internal hit 120 degrees I bumped the Memphis Grill to 350 degrees (took 1 minute and 30 seconds) to reach 350 to finish in a reverse sear. My next cook was Beef plates ribs. I also at the same time fired up the charcoal smoker to do a head-to-head cook off on flavor, textures, and timing. That will be the next video, but I was surprised on how well the Memphis did smoking the bigger denser meat.
Likes:
Quality of BuildChangeable Smoking Plate/Grilling PlateEasy to clean vs othersFast start upLarger Pellet Hopper (18) Pounds I did squeeze 20 inLid stainless steel gasket.Dislikes:
CostPellet Hopper behind Grill (Hard to get to in Outdoor Kitchen Set up)Cleaning the Stainless Steel.Overall, this a fantastic smoker/grill that is high in quality and is very easy to use and maintain. You do pay for the quality but is it for the guy just wanting to get into pellet cooking probably not, this grill is for the guy who wants the “Best” and is willing to spend the money for it. Consider the Memphis Grill the “Wagyu” of BBQ grills.
Chris Marks