New Searwood pic.

[Paul M]

Bit cheeky posting this here.....but.

I'm looking around for a pellet grill to fit my needs. I've not completely ruled out a Weber, but been looking at Pit Boss & Traeger ones.
But this Broil King one has caught my eye.
Broil King Regal 500 Pro
I understand Broil King have any just started doing pellet grills, anybody have comments on the brand itself?

 

[LMichaels]

Broil King has always put out some decent (not necessarily "great") but decent to very good products. Me personally not a fan of the stack. I prefer the louvered back vent(s) as my Member's Mark has and my Big Z or as Weber has been doing. Also pricing wise seems the BK is perhaps even a touch more $$$ than what this Searwood is promising to be, and given weber customer support is usually better for response and parts availability if I were in market this minute for a larger smoker I would seriously consider the new Weber.
Traeger IMO is trading on it's name more than anything and quite honestly I don't think you get a lot of value for your $$$

 

[Paul Warner]

My opinion (maybe not popular) but a pellet grill is primarily a low and slow smoker that operates
at lower temperatures and should be considered as such and not a jack of all trades, eg one size fits all!

Weber tried to fix this conundrum with some good results but the Smokefire cannot be considered a real
success in all honesty. Lets hope the Searwood is better and can disrupt the pellet space more!!

I have a Weber Summit Kamado S6 and this is truly a jack of all trades which took all the best things from
the ceramic offerings from BGE and KJ and eliminated all the negatives including cost. If i could only have
one grill this would be it.

I will likely get the Searwood but thats cos im mad! end of message!

 

[LMichaels]

I'm maaad maaad I tell you

 

[Bob Erdman]

Paul, your in the wrong forum. Pack up your coal and get out of here! I jest. IMO the SmokeFire is the jack of all trades. I feel the same way as you do with the S6. My WSM, Kettle and gas grills get no use since I started using a SmokeFire.

Be careful if you get a Searwood, that WSK might get lonely.

 

[Paul Warner]

Paul, your in the wrong forum. Pack up your coal and get out of here! I jest. IMO the SmokeFire is the jack of all trades. I feel the same way as you do with the S6. My WSM, Kettle and gas grills get no use since I started using a SmokeFire.

Be careful if you get a Searwood, that WSK might get lonely.

so, ur a big Smokefire fan, what you wanna see improved on the incoming Searwood? I still maintain that a WSK is more versatile than any pellet grill! There, i said it!! I am happy to be educated

 

[TimA]

The Summit Charcoal/Kamado is the most versatile cooker. Smokefire is right behind it, it’s not only low and slow, it cooks hot just fine. Why anyone needs 600* is beyond me, but hey it does it.

 

[LMichaels]

The Summit Charcoal/Kamado is the most versatile cooker. Smokefire is right behind it, it’s not only low and slow, it cooks hot just fine. Why anyone needs 600* is beyond me, but hey it does it.

I think you're right. Especially in the hands of the person who loves coal burning. But each has it's place and from what I can see both well deserved. Had the Searwood been the Weber offering when it first got into the pellet grills it would likely be one of those rather than Big Z on my deck.
As it is though both of mine can do an "honest" 500 (actually IDK why) but if you set them for 500 and are watching with an independent thermometer (like the T/Works Smoke) they will settle into running about 540-550. Why they lose their (normally almost spot on) accuracy when you run them flat out is beyond me. But they do run 40 to 50 deg hotter than the control panels report.
And like you Tim, I fail to see the need. When I do my steaks on either one, I get a beautiful "crust" running them to 400.

 

[Brett-EDH]

Why anyone needs 600* is beyond me, but hey it does it.

For the final crispy chicken skin. But I only WSK. I don’t understand pellet poopers.

 

[Brian B Atlanta]

For the final crispy chicken skin. But I only WSK. I don’t understand pellet poopers.

Not sure why you don't understand poopers. The searwood is on my radar and I have never owned a pooper but I could see my wife able or willing to operate one. Would she be willing to operate my performer there is no way she is going to deal with charcoal and by the way I would love to own a WSK but as a family of 2 it makes no sense for me to buy one as it is and I am retired and not dedicated enough to be doing charcoal 3 or 4 times a week which would be the only way it would make sense to me due to the cost. So the performer does the job there is no way to convince me the food tastes better off a WSK vs a Performer charcoal is charcoal and with the SNS I have can do anything I want with it. I don't do brisket but I do ribs and wings I guess maybe the WSK would do a better job with brisket maybe better temp control really don't know for sure it ain't gonna do a better job with wings and ribs.

Does not really matter if you own a WSK and happy thats fine, plenty of Performer people and WSM happy also and certainly plenty of Pooper owners happy. I don' t think it matters what you own if the food comes out to your liking its a personal choice what you want to cook on plenty of good choices out there.

 

[JimK]

Me too, but I am not sure where one will be able to be seen around me. Maybe the large Ace near Indy that has A LOT of Weber grills.

View attachment 85212

Where'd you get that picture of my garage?

 

[Brett-EDH]

Not sure why you don't understand poopers. The searwood is on my radar and I have never owned a pooper but I could see my wife able or willing to operate one. Would she be willing to operate my performer there is no way she is going to deal with charcoal and by the way I would love to own a WSK but as a family of 2 it makes no sense for me to buy one as it is and I am retired and not dedicated enough to be doing charcoal 3 or 4 times a week which would be the only way it would make sense to me due to the cost. So the performer does the job there is no way to convince me the food tastes better off a WSK vs a Performer charcoal is charcoal and with the SNS I have can do anything I want with it. I don't do brisket but I do ribs and wings I guess maybe the WSK would do a better job with brisket maybe better temp control really don't know for sure it ain't gonna do a better job with wings and ribs.

Does not really matter if you own a WSK and happy thats fine, plenty of Performer people and WSM happy also and certainly plenty of Pooper owners happy. I don' t think it matters what you own if the food comes out to your liking its a personal choice what you want to cook on plenty of good choices out there.

you don't need a wsk. i wasn't positioning a wsk as the end all be all. my only reference these days is my wsk.

as for pellet poopers, i've had a few cooks off of them, traegers to be specific, and i, and i mean i, don't see the reason for me, just me, to have one. it's a grill with a fan that blows smoke around from pellets. to me, just me, the smoke flavor isn't that amazing. but that's my thoughts.

everyone can do as they wish. it doesn't bother me one bit. it doesn't change my life either way. i just don't see pellet grills as this panacea of amazing food. i'd personally use a gasser with a smoke tube if i wanted "easy." but that's just me.

any kettle is a great grill. there's no questions about it.

it's your food. eat what you like to cook. i'm sure i'm making plenty of food that people wouldn't care for or make. and that's just fine with me. i don't get paid either way for making or not making something for anyone here.

 

[Greg Ross-MN]

I think the main selling point of a pellet smoker is you don't need to build and maintain a fire or adjust vents. You gain convenience but lose flavor. I cut my tooth on the WSM but once I had kids it was too much work. Now that my kids are a little older I've added an Oklahoma Joe Bronco to my collection. However it's still just way more convenient to essentially push a button and set a temp. Especially when it's below zero. Let's be honest, people are lazy most of the time....

 

[Paul M]

I think the main selling point of a pellet smoker is you don't need to build and maintain a fire or adjust vents. You gain convenience but lose flavor. I cut my tooth on the WSM but once I had kids it was too much work. Now that my kids are a little older I've added an Oklahoma Joe Bronco to my collection. However it's still just way more convenient to essentially push a button and set a temp. Especially when it's below zero. Let's be honest, people are lazy most of the time....

The State of California warning at the bottom of product guide, has put me right off BBQ'ing

Bronco Drum Smoker

The Oklahoma Joe’s® Bronco Drum Smoker gives more so you get more. More precision and more control to an authentic smoking experience.

www.oklahomajoes.com

 

[Bob Erdman]

so, ur a big Smokefire fan, what you wanna see improved on the incoming Searwood? I still maintain that a WSK is more versatile than any pellet grill! There, i said it!! I am happy to be educated

At this point, nobody knows if the Searwood is actually going to be any better than the SmokeFire. As a fan of Weber, I hope it's successful. The Searwood certainly generates a lot of interest with this group. I'm very satisfied with the performance and ease of use of the SmokeFire, until I see a Searwood in action I want for nothing.

Educated? I think you know more than what you think you know! Lol.

 

[Brett-EDH]

I think the main selling point of a pellet smoker is you don't need to build and maintain a fire or adjust vents

So like an indoor oven, set the temp and walk away? But what about all the temp fluctuations people talk about? This seems contradictory to what some people post about their pellet grills.

Build a fire and adjust vents? Maybe my experiences with my WSK are different but starting a fire takes 10 minutes and maybe I make one or two vent adjustments in an entire cook. Example, I just did a 8# brisket completely unattended for 8 hours. I watched it via my signals. Zero issues experienced.

You gain convenience but lose flavor. I cut my tooth on the WSM but once I had kids it was too much work.

Agreed. WSM is great for weekends but not simple to use on a weeknight to get a smoked meal to a dinner table in time and easily with consistency. However, a WSK does do this due to it being highly stable on temps, and zero flavor sacrifices.

However it's still just way more convenient to essentially push a button and set a temp. Especially when it's below zero. Let's be honest, people are lazy most of the time....

This sounds like why anyone would buy a pellet pooper. Easy, lazy and “good enough.”

I infer that it’s a way to get smoke flavor and the simplicity of a gasser.

Total side note, my wife doesn’t cook anything, and we’re all grateful for that. She does make a great fresh salad though and she can navigate the wine fridge. I’ll take what I can get.

Thanks for your detailed reply. I’m not against any kind of cooking machines. I just, personally, don’t see the value of owning and using a pellet grill. But that’s just me and where I live. For the few weeks it’s below 50° here, I’ll use my wok, oven or stovetop to cook without having to be outside in the rains or cold.

 

[Greg Ross-MN]

So like an indoor oven, set the temp and walk away? But what about all the temp fluctuations people talk about? This seems contradictory to what some people post about their pellet grills.

Build a fire and adjust vents? Maybe my experiences with my WSK are different but starting a fire takes 10 minutes and maybe I make one or two vent adjustments in an entire cook. Example, I just did a 8# brisket completely unattended for 8 hours. I watched it via my signals. Zero issues experienced.


Agreed. WSM is great for weekends but not simple to use on a weeknight to get a smoked meal to a dinner table in time and easily with consistency. However, a WSK does do this due to it being highly stable on temps, and zero flavor sacrifices.


This sounds like why anyone would buy a pellet pooper. Easy, lazy and “good enough.”

I infer that it’s a way to get smoke flavor and the simplicity of a gasser.

Total side note, my wife doesn’t cook anything, and we’re all grateful for that. She does make a great fresh salad though and she can navigate the wine fridge. I’ll take what I can get.

Thanks for your detailed reply. I’m not against any kind of cooking machines. I just, personally, don’t see the value of owning and using a pellet grill. But that’s just me and where I live. For the few weeks it’s below 50° here, I’ll use my wok, oven or stovetop to cook without having to be outside in the rains or cold.

Agree on most of your points but I personally haven't experienced crazy temp fluctuations. Around +/- 20 degrees. Indoor ovens are actually similar and fluctuate but the display doesn't change. What a pellet cooker does do is get lazy people into smoking meat. Two of my good friends both bought pellet cookers and they had gas grills. When I mention charcoal they have zero interest and just assume it's too much work. I like to think of myself as not quite as lazy as most and I much prefer the flavor of charcoal and wood. However, sometimes I just don't have time to light the charcoal and wait for the coals so I'll just push a button and call it good enough.

 

[Bruno]

I think saying pellet owners are lazy is both lazy and annoying. Personally I enjoy the tech aspect of it, I like to monitor my cooks from my phone.
I never liked food from my WSM and prefer the smoke flavor that I got from my SmokeFire.

 

[Greg Ross-MN]

I think saying pellet owners are lazy is both lazy and annoying. Personally I enjoy the tech aspect of it, I like to monitor my cooks from my phone.
I never liked food from my WSM and prefer the smoke flavor that I got from my SmokeFire.

I’m being a little sarcastic. Maybe it’s a poor choice of words. Overall they are appealing due to their ease of use. I’m a fan of both pellets and charcoal.

 

[Rich Dahl]

Having a heart issue and poor circulation in my feet and legs sometimes set and forget is what I need to get the job done. That falls on the Camp Chef, does it make low and slow taste as well as my long gone WSM, no it doesn't. But it allows me to enjoy most of that flavor without the constant hassle of cooking in the mountains with the swirling winds and low oxygen. Someday I hope to have something cooked on a smokefire so I can really see if the flavor hype is really there.
I have 3 gassers, and 5 charcoal grills and one Camp Chef pellet pooper. They all get used as time, temperature and seasons allow it.
Personally, I don't believe that there is one perfect grill, they all have their place depending on the circumstances of the cook. Out of all of them because there is just two of us the Jumbo Joe gets used the most when it's nice outside, as it's easy to set up and clean. next is the Camp Chef for low and slow when I don't want to hassle charcoal due to the weather. The performer is for larger cooks and Jim L's hot and fast ribs. The gassers are our outside ovens in the summer and for quick cooks in the winter, if I'm not cooking something in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
To each his own, I'm just glad I'm still able to do it no matter what I use.