I am having challenges assembling my new Chimp...

[Michael_in_TX]

Apparently someone else thinks it is their Christmas present.



It is a bed now....

[rickgregory]

"Dad's paying attention to this. If I lay on it, he'll have to pay attention to me!"

[Michael_in_TX]

lol in all seriousness, those that have a Chimp....those protection bars that you have to remove before you can extend the legs, wow those did not want to come out. I had to use a flathead screwdriver and carefully, very carefully, wedge them out.

Total assembly time was about one hour....most of which was letting the cat sit on the hopper and figuring out what to do with the protection bars. Without those constraints, it would have been 20-30 minutes.

[Michael_in_TX]

Already ordered the cover and "pimp" package from Grilla. I'm off to the store to pick up a bag of pellets. Traeger and B&B are the only ones I've seen locally. B&B is closer (HEB) so I think I'll pick up a 20 lb bag of Post Oak pellets. Seems like a good starter fuel.

Probably will attempt a seasoning/burn-in tomorrow. Might even do something simple like burgers just to get used to the controller.

[Steve B]

My first thought was.
Chimps should be born with all their appendages intact. So they shouldn’t need assembling.
Sorry. I just got done watching a wacked out SiFi movie.

[rickgregory]

The Chimp is on my short list for something to get next season so I'm curious to hear how you like yours.

[Jerod Broussard]

That dude is furrrrrrrryyyyy!!! Holy Crap!!

[Michael_in_TX]

He is our second-oldest cat...he's now eighteen years old. Purebred Russian Siberian. (A cousin of the Maine Coon.) Yes, very floofy. Also, loves my cooking, especially grilled fish.

[Michael_in_TX]

Initial seasoning (450 F for 45 minutes) in progress....



Grilla did an excellent job with the AlphaConnect setup. Their app is one of the most intuitive I have ever used. The hardest part of the setup was me trying to remember what my Wifi password was.

[FireMan]

Cute little bugger!

[Michael_in_TX]

The AlphaConnect controller certainly hits it for convenience. I didn't realize it, but the grill has a remote start. I don't even have a remote start on my car! I also like how one can begin the shutdown procedure from the app, removing a trip to walk outside.

I was originally going to do some burgers as a simple first cook, but my wife wasn't able to get home in time so I did something....rather unconventional. I did fish sticks. (Yeah, the frozen kind.) There is a bit of a method to this madness. I had just had these fish sticks a day or so ago, so I was curious to see if I could detect any smoke flavor on them. (I wasn't expecting to.)

They cook in 15 minutes at 425. I think I detected some smoke, or at least a slightly different flavor than doing it in the oven, but it was subtle. Obviously at 425 the pellets are burning very cleanly and there is very little smoke byproduct being produced.

I did do the cook with the Pro mode instead of the PID mode and there is indeed a marked difference in the allowed temperature swings. With PID, 10 degrees if that in either direction. With the Pro, 25 degrees or so. (The idea is that with the wider temperature swings, especially when it drops, burns the pellets slower and ostensibly produces more smoke.....although at 425, the effect is very little I am sure.)

[Soonerpop]

Congrats on the Chimp. I’m gonna have a Grilla one day.

[Chuppy]

Have lots of fun with it, I have the Silverbac.