Hi all - I really could use some help here. I'm struggling to get my Grilla up to 500 degrees (ballpark). I tried to do this on my last three cooks for setting the crust on a prime rib or using Grill Grates for searing, but the Grilla never climbed above 375 when set for 500. I contacted Grilla and they said it was likely because my pellets weren't "fresh". I need to get a "fresh" bag and it shouldn't be a problem. I have used Grilla's brand of pellets as well as BBQrs Delight. For example, I tried it last night starting at 475 set temp, using Mesquite BBQrs Delight pellets, with an ambient temp of around 40. The highest the Grilla temp readout registered was 350, and then it started going backwards down to 295 and wouldn't go above that. I ran the Grilla for an hour. I vacuumed it out prior to the burn. The pellets have been stored in their bags and are not damp or falling apart when I load them into the hopper. Last time I checked I never found a best-by date on a bag of pellets. Thanks!
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Try mesquite pellets. More oomph.
I dont run my Grilla up that high because it burns pellets really fast. I have the Weber Genesis for Warp 10. During burn in, it didn’t really ever hit 500. And there’s no smoke adherence at that temp, so the only reason to bring your pellet grill up that high is because it’s your only cooker. Or easiest cooker. -
you might try using some Jack Daniels charcoal pellets. People use them for their high heat input. I would blend about 20% charcoal pellets with your normal pellets.Comment
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IMO, "Use fresh pellets" is greek for "we don't want to deal with your problem".
Having said that, the older pellets are, the greater chance that they have absorbed moisture. I've also read on other forums that if you store bags of pellets on concrete, they will absorb moisture. Don't know if that's true but the pellets I store in the garage are on a couple pieces of wood.
Have you ever had the grill that hot? It sounds like a controller/sensor problem, not a pellet problem.Comment
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I guess I should have read yours before my response, but it never hurts to hear it from more than one source. -
Something I actually am qualified to answer, yay! So if your concrete floor does not have a moisture barrier and isn't sealed it actually does weep moisture. You can test this with a piece of plastic duct taped to the floor on all 4 sides. If your pad isn't sealed properly there will be obvious discoloration after 24-48 hours. This is also a reason a lot of people have failing epoxy or paint in their garage, the moisture separates the paint from the pad.
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I think most pellet cookers are going to have problems getting that hot. I have problems getting my charcoal grills that hot unless I build a really large fire. My gasser gets to 800* but its built for that. I think the size of the burn pot and the poor insulation qualities of most pellet cookers is the reason. And telling you to get some fresher pellets sounds like a load of garbage to me.
Like others have said, if you want to sear at those kinds of temps you may want to consider a gasser or a kamado or some other cooker that is built for and routinely gets that hot. Good luck !!Comment
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You should be able to get your temps above 350 with just about any pellet short of those visibly affected by moisture. I've used pellets stored outside on concrete and got temps over 450 on my Traeger. I fact I ran it at 425 last night with the pellets that have been in the hopper for a couple of weeks of wet weather. You might have a controller issue and should recontact the manufacturer. I think they gave you a BS answer and need to be more helpful with troubleshooting. We spend too much money on these things to have them blow it off and blame you or your situation right off the bat.Last edited by CaptainMike; January 16, 2019, 12:33 PM.Comment
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I've had 2 different brands of Pellet Grills, Traeger and Memphis since about 2005 using several brands of pellets and have Never heard or read anything about Fresh pellets. Hopefully CandySueQ (An expert on pellets IMO) will chime in. Smells fishy to me!Comment
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... like when you figure out the puzzle spells out "buy more Ovaltine". While pellet storage could be the issue (a covered 5gal plastic pail might solve this for you) the pellets are typically too dense to soak up ambient moisture. only the top layer of the bag would be effected, not the whole bag. I have more of an issue with not pouring in the pellet 'dust' from the bag, but i digress.
More on topic: pellet grills (et.al.) are notorioulsy known for their low sear capabillity. While it's possible, it's not the best way to go about searing meat. I would look at using a different "tool" in your toolbox.... like a gasser or weber.Comment
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- Have you noticed any smoke in the pellet hopper?
- When you clean out the burn pot, do you see burnt pellets in the auger tube?
If the answer to either of those is "yes", you may be experiencing burn back ... a condition in which pellets in the auger tube ignite and start burning back toward the hopper. There are a couple of reasons why this can happen and #1 seems to be related to having too much pellet dust in the bottom of the hopper and therefore in the auger tube. The dust is highly combustible and should be thoroughly cleaned out before trying again.
If indeed your OG is experiencing burn back, then the temperature "stall" can be explained by the fact that the auger is feeding already burnt pellets into the burn pot and the result is too little fuel to get it up to those high temps. If it turns out that pellet dust is the problem, then you should consider a couple of things:- Use high quality pellets that are not inherently dusty. Grilla and BBQr's Delight are both high quality brands so you're already good there.
- Don't just dump the entire contents of the pellet bag into the hopper. If there is dust in the bag ... and there will be even with quality brands ... it will collect mainly in the bottom. I usually try to leave an inch or two in the bag while dumping. In fact, I no longer dump at all but now use a grain scoop to transfer pellets from bag to hopper.
- If your pellets have been banging around in a container or bag for a while then some of them are going to be ground to dust over time due to jostling when moving them. This may be what the Grilla support folks were thinking when recommending "fresh" pellets. FWIW, I don't believe that they were blowing you off by suggesting "fresh" pellets. In my experience with them, they are the most helpful, no-BS support people I've ever dealt with.
Finally, you need to consider the type of pellets you are burning. If you're using pure fruit wood, then you're likely to experience difficulty getting up to the really high temps (say, above 400) because fruit wood just can't supply the BTU's that woods like oak, mesquite, etc., can. Personally, I use high-oak content pellets like Grilla Grill's Competition Blend and I keep a supply of BBQr's Delight fruit wood pellets in case I think I need to add specific smoke flavor.
Last edited by MBMorgan; January 16, 2019, 01:58 PM.Comment
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You could be seeing an issue with the temperature probe. Try cleaning it. Do you have any type of digital measuring system to verify the internal temperature? Because the temperature is going up and down, I would be leaning toward a bad temperature probe....Comment
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I appreciate the responses thus far. I'm going to try and reply to all of the comments here, instead of individual posts.
bten - Are you referring to BBQrs Delights Jack Daniel's Pellets? If so, I have some of those. Also, I think there is an issue with the temp probe. I keep it clean after each cook. I have used the Maverick XR-50 to track the temps and there is always a 10-30 degree difference from what the Grilla temp readout reports, versus the Maverick. I shared this information with the folks at Grilla and it went unaddressed. Additionally, I have experienced 40 degree differences as of late with what the Grilla reports and what the Maverick shows. I understand that the temp will not be even and it cycles like an oven, but 40 degrees is too far off the mark.
CaptainMikeTroutman dsohmer - I agree with each of you. I think the idea of "fresh pellets" is silly. The pellets are not falling apart, I keep the majority of the pellet dust out of there when loading the hopper, and they are not visibly effected by moisture. I'm not convinced this is an issue.
Skip - I too hope that CandySueQ will chime in given her experience with the Grilla and her expertise in pellets.
MBMorgan - I have had a back burn issue in the past. Grilla suggested bending up the brackets that support the deflector plate in order to eliminate the issue. I also took the extra step of dumping the hopper each time to make sure any decent amount of dust is vacuumed out before firing. This seems to have resolve that specific issue. I'm glad your experience with their customer service has been stellar. I have contacted them multiple times with various issues and have found their overall responses to be less than helpful. Curious, do you call or email them? If so, who do you chat with at Grilla?
A general comment for the masses - I don't depend on the Grilla for searing. I just wanted to try it out, give it a go, you know? Hell, if the thing can climb to 500 degrees as advertised, I want to see it happen! I have other grills I can use to properly sear. Part of my rationale is: if the sucker is already on, let's just use it instead of heating up another grill/burning other fuel or heating up the house. Sometimes I put my smoked mac and cheese on there, so I need 350-400 for that and now I can't even swing that temp.
Again, thank you all - I appreciate your time. I'm happy to hear more thoughts and suggestions.Last edited by jghorton; January 16, 2019, 05:38 PM. Reason: Updated comment to @bten, RE: cleaning temp probeComment
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I know nothing of grilla pellet poopers but my pit boss I can adjust the auger speed if I need to adjust tempsComment
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I cook at 400 once a week, Steak, pork chops, sometimes chicken. not a grilla, but rec tec, bumped it to 450 on occasion, never tried 500 but will now. I'm using smoke ring pellets. They are at least one year old as got a pallet of them. It does not mater what kind, maple,apple, hickory, pecan, mix. all the same. I do keep my pellet's in the garage. Don't know anything about a grilla.
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I know this is not the same thing, but actually it really is. I am a home brewer, and routinely buy 55# sacks of malted barley. I store the grain prior to use in those orange "Homer" buckets from Home Depot, because they have an O-ring in the lid. It really goes a long way to keeping the grain dry and fresh, even stored in my garage in the Alabama heat and humidity. Moisture is the enemy of stored grain, and it has never been an issue over the years.
I would think that if you store the pellets in a good air tight container like that, they will be plenty dry and "fresh" as far as burning goes, and absorb little moisture.Comment
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Could it be your outside temp ? My Traeger will fluctuate 20- 30 degrees depending on the ambient temp and the wind. The Traeger pellets (combination specified wood and other hard wood) will get me to about 440 on a good day. As bten commented make sure probes are clean and backed up with another temp device. If stale pellets were the problem, Where is the expiration date...HMMMM.Last edited by Timbo54; January 17, 2019, 01:00 AM.Comment
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