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And again why I love these grills so much


 
LMichaels said:
I came across an article a while ago and kind of glossed over it since I didn't have an interest in them. Then today came across a video today by a parts distributor actually showing which Z Grill models were the same or nearly the same as their big name counterparts. Pretty interesting. Especially since I think I mentioned a while ago so many of them all seem to be made very similar with all common parts
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Any chance some of the Z Grills are actually made by the other companies instead?
 
LMichaels said:
I came across an article a while ago and kind of glossed over it since I didn't have an interest in them. Then today came across a video today by a parts distributor actually showing which Z Grill models were the same or nearly the same as their big name counterparts. Pretty interesting. Especially since I think I mentioned a while ago so many of them all seem to be made very similar with all common parts
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When Barb was working at Safeway, I noticed that they had some Z grills for sale. One of the models was the twin to my Camp Chef, the only difference I could see was the controller was different but functioned the same as mine.
 
JKalchik said:
Rich, this is a poster child post for being your own care advocate. Personally, I'm far away your situation, but pretty much every care provider does have a record of what I'm on, and I categorically reserve the right to require prescription adjustments. I've been lucky in that everyone that I've gotten care from has understood this clearly. And a couple of them have remarked that they honestly did wish that more of their patients paid as close attention as I do.

Seriously..... take care of yourself. Ain't nobody else gonna.
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You're right there. Here's an example of what I'm talking about.
When I was discharged, they told me that I had three prescriptions waiting for me at the Safeway pharmacy.
When I picked them up one was a prescription for fever over 100. They came in every two hours day and night.
They check temp, BP, and oxygen levels. Never once was my temperature above 96,4.
Second was for a cough also which I never had in my stay.
Third was for a drug they took me off of in the hospital,
Then they insisted I have home oxygen as a condition of my discharge. Anything below 90% is not sustainable.
My O2 never went below 98% which is excellent even hitting 100% a few times.

Now which grill should I use to cook this rib eye, that is the type of issue I want to deal with.
 
Darian Hofer said:
Any chance some of the Z Grills are actually made by the other companies instead?
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I don't think so. The distributor indicated that Z makes them for other companies. But, I guess in the Chinese hierarchy one can never tell. But, honestly given how similar and "off the shelf" many of them look (with many common parts regardless of brand) it would not surprise me if Z is contracted by "name brands" they make most of the "generic" parts (oven, plates, grates, hopper assemblies) and then the "brands" use controllers of whatever design they want to build it to. Heck even the controllers are quite generic. You can put nearly anyone's controller on any grill. Except in the case of ones like the Weber and a couple others where they use DC motors for the fans and the auger. The majority use simple AC type motors and gearboxes. Not unlike old timers from washing machines and the like.
 
Rich Dahl said:
You're right there. Here's an example of what I'm talking about.
When I was discharged, they told me that I had three prescriptions waiting for me at the Safeway pharmacy.
When I picked them up one was a prescription for fever over 100. They came in every two hours day and night.
They check temp, BP, and oxygen levels. Never once was my temperature above 96,4.
Second was for a cough also which I never had in my stay.
Third was for a drug they took me off of in the hospital,
Then they insisted I have home oxygen as a condition of my discharge. Anything below 90% is not sustainable.
My O2 never went below 98% which is excellent even hitting 100% a few times.

Now which grill should I use to cook this rib eye, that is the type of issue I want to deal with.
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Dear <deity>...... I'd be having some rather pointed conversations then. There are some serious questions that need to be asked, not the least of which would be "are you looking at the right patient profile and EHR?" I probably need to stop, or I'm gonna get up on a soap box, and Chris is gonna come by and tell me to knock it off (properly so, I might add.) Ya know....... as much as I'd hate to spend the money out of pocket..... think about getting copies of your chart, records & orders, and take those to a completely different office for a second opinion. The more I look at your post, the more questions I have. :(

Now, for the really important question. I'd say charcoal, and get that steak down as close to the coals as you can. Unfortunately....... you're probably limited to either gas, or a range top these days.
 
JKalchik said:
Dear <deity>...... I'd be having some rather pointed conversations then. There are some serious questions that need to be asked, not the least of which would be "are you looking at the right patient profile and EHR?" I probably need to stop, or I'm gonna get up on a soap box, and Chris is gonna come by and tell me to knock it off (properly so, I might add.) Ya know....... as much as I'd hate to spend the money out of pocket..... think about getting copies of your chart, records & orders, and take those to a completely different office for a second opinion. The more I look at your post, the more questions I have. :(

Now, for the really important question. I'd say charcoal, and get that steak down as close to the coals as you can. Unfortunately....... you're probably limited to either gas, or a range top these days.
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Yes, agreed, need to get on point with the correct topic going forward. No need getting the boss upset.
Good news is we can still use charcoal, at least for now.
Also change of plans doing a small pork roast instead of the ribeye tonight.
My best guess is the gasser after humping my petunia all day trying to get caught up after four days in the hospital, I'm burned out, gonna take the easy road and sit and have a cool one while the roast cooks.
 
I just don't think those things will actually do what a true pellet cooker will. A facsimile? Sure but not true wood cooking. Wood "flavored"
 
Darian Hofer said:
You crack me up sometimes. What makes a pellet grill a true pellet grill? And what makes a cooker true wood cooking?
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They're more griddle than anything else. The food is cooked via a hot plate. I'm sure you can turn out some tasty things but, an actual pellet grill heats the food using the wood as fuel, not a heated aluminum plate
 
LMichaels said:
They're more griddle than anything else. The food is cooked via a hot plate. I'm sure you can turn out some tasty things but, an actual pellet grill heats the food using the wood as fuel, not a heated aluminum plate
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Cooking via hot plate would imply the food was only getting heat and cooking from the bottom. These seem to get heat and smoke into the entire cooker, surrounding the food. Similar to cooking with cast iron or grill grates on your pellet grill. I agree this or any small table top unit will probably not have the versatility of a full size pellet grill, or a pellet grill cook like an offset stick burner. I’m sure someone on this forum will have hands on experience in the next few months and can better evaluate.
Cheers
 
I'm not here to pitch the Ninja Woodfire but shared the link showcasing a couple new products since Larry mentioned his Brother has interest in one. So far I've used it only once for a pork tenderloin. I overcooked it because it cooked faster than I anticipated. There was definitely a smoky flavor but I don't know how deep it penetrated the meat. I would have been better-pleased with a little less smoke but it was not bitter and smelled pleasant. I do not see pics on the web of smoke rings with this unit.

The Woodfire also has a heat element on the ceiling (and a convection fan).
 
Darian Hofer said:
Cooking via hot plate would imply the food was only getting heat and cooking from the bottom. These seem to get heat and smoke into the entire cooker, surrounding the food. Similar to cooking with cast iron or grill grates on your pellet grill. I agree this or any small table top unit will probably not have the versatility of a full size pellet grill, or a pellet grill cook like an offset stick burner. I’m sure someone on this forum will have hands on experience in the next few months and can better evaluate.
Cheers
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It actually cooks only through the hot plate and blows smoke over the food. And only from a very tiny amount of pellets. So in the case of the product it's basically an electric griddle plate with the addition of adding a little smoke flavor. I've looked at them and they're kind of a cool little unit. But, not a "smoker". Would I buy one? Nope. But then again I am not planning on selling my home and living in a glorified Greyhound like my brother LOL
 
BFletcher said:
I'm not here to pitch the Ninja Woodfire but shared the link showcasing a couple new products since Larry mentioned his Brother has interest in one. So far I've used it only once for a pork tenderloin. I overcooked it because it cooked faster than I anticipated. There was definitely a smoky flavor but I don't know how deep it penetrated the meat. I would have been better-pleased with a little less smoke but it was not bitter and smelled pleasant. I do not see pics on the web of smoke rings with this unit.

The Woodfire also has a heat element on the ceiling (and a convection fan).
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Your knowledge and insight is appreciated.
Thank you.
 
LMichaels said:
Found out something interesting today about Z Grills. Oddly they are not sold in stores (though they can be ordered through a store) i.e. like I did with Sam's. And also even more interesting turns out they make many of the Traegers, The Camp Chef products, and a number of others. Quite interesting
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That’s not the case here in the part of Idaho where I live. I see Z-Grills advertised, displayed and sold at Albertson’s, Fred Meyer (Kroger), Home Depot, Lowe’s and other major retailers. I like the way some of them look.
 
Mark Silver said:
That’s not the case here in the part of Idaho where I live. I see Z-Grills advertised, displayed and sold at Albertson’s, Fred Meyer (Kroger), Home Depot, Lowe’s and other major retailers. I like the way some of them look.
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Never seen them in any local brick and mortar here.
 
Mark Silver said:
That’s not the case here in the part of Idaho where I live. I see Z-Grills advertised, displayed and sold at Albertson’s, Fred Meyer (Kroger), Home Depot, Lowe’s and other major retailers. I like the way some of them look.
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When Barb worked at Safeway last summer they were selling Z grills at the store.
 
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