Pella Pellet Add-On for Weber Kettle by Spider Grills?

[jgaepi]

Good morning. Meathead Huskee Have either of you guys or others seen this Pella kickstarter contraption? My coworker wants to avoid investing in a dedicated smoker and sent me this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ter?ref=659gqz. Any thoughts for him? Thanks. ElGuapoCarlos

[Troutman]

Here’s my 2 cents worth. Units like this I’m sure would retail in the $200-300 range. For another $100 or so you could get an entry level pellet cooker. Controller looks cheap with basic non-PID logic, so figure lack of control. Having the burn pot enter through a Weber air vent, really? That would eventually ruin the kettle I would think.

Bottom line, knowing nothing more than that, I say pass.

[jlazar]

Their website lists it for $279.

[Huskee]

Here's my thoughts upon a simple first look:

Never heard of it, very innovative concept. However, and this is very subjective, the taste of charcoal & wood is much richer and more authentic than pellets, so you're spending hundreds to get less flavor, and need an electric plug, in a device that's already capable of some great smoking activity...this is what I see upon first look. Not saying it's not a viable option for those who want the convenience of pellets w/o buying a whole new getup. Me, I'd say get $100 Slow 'N Sear and you get a relative amount of hands-off + temp control and all the flavor.

[Kevin_nj]

Not in the market for such a device since I already have a Kettle & a MAK. With that said, I'm turned off by the lack of information on how this device attaches to the Kettle and functions.
My assumption is that it somehow attaches to the ash-pan?

[treesmacker]

There is a video on the linked site that shows a person attaching it to the kettle and then cooking ribs followed by burgers.

[JimLinebarger]

To me it's another variation of the RecTec Bullseye. SNS, spin grate, griddle, and elevated grate add-ons are a better investment for about $300.

[OldnSlow]

I'm really curious to know if any club members have actually purchased and cooked with this thing.. It appears to be beyond the Kick Starter phase now and there are a few YouTube videos of it in action.

[castironchris]

I just saw a video on youtube of meat cranium attaching this thing to a kettle or trying too!! Pretty funny to me but not to him!! He is supposedly going to post a cook on it soon.

[Potkettleblack]

Wouldn't a BBQ fan controller cost about the same, keep you out of keeping pellets, in addition to charcoal, and give you more options?

I dunno, I'm asking.

[Andrrr]

I would think so but I’m not so sure the average person even knows thermostats exist for charcoal grills. I know I didn’t before AR. Maybe someone should start a go fund me page for one...

[Rusty3351]

I see that new gadget is available to test. Would Max do a test and review to see if this does as advertised? I would like to know that there are good options without breaking the bank!

[Jfrosty27]

Seems like just another attempt at a better mousetrap. If you want to cook with pellets, buy a pellet smoker.

[bbqLuv]

Looks like a great upgrade. Just Duct tape it on and there you go.