Been doing some research on pellet grills and I'm interested in folks experience with pellet grills. I interested in the 'set and forget' nature of the pellet grill but I'd like something that is very gentle with a brisket staying close to 225 (maybe plus or minus 10 degrees). I'd also like to set it for a 160 degree over night hold and not see big spikes I've read about on some reviews.
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I run a Yoder and have no problem with it holding even temperatures. I have noticed that if I am running about 225 then set it for 375 it will overrun into the 400s before settling down. It hasn't affected what I am smoking though. I believe it's a programming thing averaging. It is definitely a set and forget cook. If you are cooking in higher winds it can affect it a bit but the cooks always come out fine. I also use it all winter long with no issues.-
Like captainlee my Yoder YS-640 holds temps well. For overnight cooks, even in the winter, it burns a pound of pellets/hr. I have the insulated jacket for it (it wears it all year round) and the insulation keeps the pellet burn rate at 1 lb/hr.
I cook/smoke everything at 250 F and with a full pellet hopper and the insulated jacket you'll get a beautiful night's sleep.
Sweaty Paul
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My experience with the Traeger Ironwood is easily within the +/- 10 degree range at the outside. My last cook (Pork Tenderloin, 86' total @ 225) showed temps noted every 15' of 225; 225; 229; 227; 233 (started basting); and 216. Some deviation within those segments of coarse, but nothing to be concerned about.Comment
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I own a Traeger 575 and Grilla Silverback. With the Traeger I’ve never noticed any temp swings, though it’s not used as often because it’s at the lake house.
The Grilla has 2 cooking modes. One is called PID which I believe is much more controlled and thus less prone to temp swings. All pro is the other mode that allows for temp swings, I believe to mirror outdoor cooking more and maybe add more smoke? I don’t know. I’ve only used the all pro mode and there are noticeable temp swings, sometimes upwards of 50° but it always corrects itself.Comment
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The LSG pellet pooper holds temp better than my kitchen oven. My old Camp Chef DLX 24 had about 25 to 30 degrees of swing to it, but averaged out, it was pretty steady. As with any smoker there is a learning curve. With poopers, you need a few runs to figure out what the offset needs to be between set temp, and actual temp.Comment
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My Recteq is very tight. It’s a PID controller that only swings a few degrees +/-Comment
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Depends on the brand and price point, but even some of the cheaper grills now hold within 15 degrees +/-. Most of the more expensive grills hold within 10 or even 5 degrees +/- and still put out good smoke.Comment
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Throwing MAK into the mix here as being rock solid for temp management. Yes, it is at the high end, but certainly they are certainly worth considering in your research.Comment
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Depends on the thickness of the metal, the outside conditions and the type of controller. As noted above, a PID controller does a much better job of maintaining a pretty even temp. My Yoder, as above, does a good job of this.
However... my previous OLD OLD OLD Traeger had a controller with P-settings that was a timed release - there was a 30-degree temp swing up and down. But... but but BUT... some people actually believe this is BETTER for smoke flavor. Dumping pellets and letting them burn rather than trickling just a couple at a time very slowly, evenly and consistently.
Not sure I could truly speak intelligently on whether that is beneficial or not, but it is something I have heard/read discussed a number of times.Comment
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FWIW I've tested a few different firmware versions and manual settings on my MAK and there are various ways to maintain fairly tight control AND still give a lot of smoke. My current settings actually generate usable smoke over 350F which is great for crispy wings with a light smoke flavor. I know a lot of grills significantly reduce smoke output once you go over 300 but some brands are now playing with multiple short fast rounds or a long slow round of the auger to get that higher temp smoke
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A kitchen oven will have 10* temp swings because its constantly turning on and off.
A few years ago I was testing a turkey roaster for use as a warming oven for brisket. Here's my charts, the first one is with the roaster oven empty, and the second one with a half pan filled with hot water, as a heat sink , to similate a brisket.
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ItsAllGoneToTheDogs its a Westinghouse from the 1950's. Was handed down to my Mother from my Grandmother, and then to me. -
Lynn Dollar that's amazing! (My first TV was a Westinghouse and I thought my parents bought me the budget brand... had to learn about the history of the company... sure enough that TV was still going strong almost 30 years later when it finally got retired) -
ItsAllGoneToTheDogs Westinghouse turkey roasters are coveted on Ebay. They sell for around $80.
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This is interesting stuff folks, thank you. I'm wondering if PID mode versus max smoke mode is the issue?
Make sense to me that temps would vary a lot during smoke mode and I'm fine with that. I could see running it in PID mode for later in a brisket cook when it is wrapped to finish, or for an over night hold.Comment
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The only times I run PID on my Chimp are for jerky and I use PID as I do not want the temp getting away from 190 F both on the high side nor on the low side (risking a flame out). I also use PID on the rare occasions I am trying to cook at 450 F or above, primarily as PRO takes forever to get to 450 F due to the swings.
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My Traeger Timberline 850 has about a =/- 10*F in super smoke mode.
In super-smoke mode, it produces noticeably more smoke.
Super-smoke mode is only available up to the 225*F.
Pellet grills when working correctly are a "set it and forget it, smoking easy bake oven".
hope this helps.Comment
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Buying quality pellets has a lot to do with the temperature swings.
Better pellets (like Traeger) tend to run very close to the set-point.
Your results may vary.Comment
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I own a silverbac. I really do not stress over tight temps, but have always been pleased with how tight it holds.Comment
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