Oakford(Nexgrill)580 Assembled

[Jay D in Jersey]

Got an email and a text from Home Depot that the new pellet grill was in and awaiting pickup early this morning. Drove into Wilmington,DE to pick it up(no sales tax). Box was in perfect condition. Loaded it into the back of my SUV and drove home. Assembly took me 2 hours, not because it was difficult but screwing the legs on was mostly by feel until it was assembled enough to stand it upright and tighten everything up. I'll wheel it to the back of the house later. Doubt I'll fire it up today as we're running with one car most of the day while ones in for inspection, oil change,etc...plus I have yet to buy pellets.
It is very well built. Gaskets seal the short stack and lid. Lid is similar to newer Weber gassers with an interior steel liner. Casters are polyurethane. Once I get it in place, it's not getting moved. I'll grab some pictures once it's in place and after burn in and wifi connection is complete.
Let's see what this pellet grill cooking is all about.

 

[Joe Anshien]

I sure hope you like pellets more than I. It is either gas or charcoal for me but I am looking forward to your pictures and review.

 

[ChuckO]

Did it always come with a five year warranty? Are the electrics five year? If so, I take back my criticism of it. For some reason I thought that the warranty was only for a year

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

Did it always come with a five year warranty? Are the electrics five year? If so, I take back my criticism of it. For some reason I thought that the warranty was only for a year

No. Three on electrical and grates. Five on cookbox and structure.

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

I sure hope you like pellets more than I. It is either gas or charcoal for me but I am looking forward to your pictures and review.

We're not lovers of a robust smoke taste...milder is better for us.I found the Akorn kamado to be an extremely versatile cooker but it required a lot of attention for any decent cook... not to mention needed accessories like a stone, charcoal chimney, tumbleweeds or similar fire starters, TipTopTemp or some type of temperature control. Also, it is easy to overdue the smoke profile with lump and wood chunks...oak, cherry, apple, mesquite. Kamados are great but require time and some effort. They are one reason pellet grills exist.
Perhaps the set and forget convenience of pellet grills can be construed as laziness, I don't care, it's a time saver and time is a valuable commodity to me. I can cook something on the Oakford which is tucked in off the rough on the tenth fairway and if it needs a sear to finish it, I'll walk up the steps of our deck to finish anything on the Genesis II E-325 with the sear and other burners blazing.
I'm just happy to have two grilling options. A gas grill is a must for us.
The Genesis II in this house and the Broilmaster P3 at our beach house. A charcoal or wood burning grill at this house is a great option. I'm just hoping someone makes a home for the Akorn and all the accessories soon!
I did the burn off on the Oakford yesterday morning. I bought two bags of pellets. Tractor Supply house brand and Bear Mountain Hickory. Used the TS pellets for initial burn off. It worked great. I ran it at 380 for 90 minutes. Bluetooth worked OK but wifi was wonky because of distance. Hopefully the extender Amazon delivers today will fix that. I bought an Inkbird wifi thermometer as a backup. Seems to have better range.
They're on sale on Amazon now:
Limited-time deal: Inkbird WiFi Meat Thermometer IBBQ-4T, Wireless WiFi BBQ Thermometer for Smoker, Oven | APP Calibration Temp Graph | Mobile Notification Timer Alarm | Rechargeable Digital Grill Thermometer, 4 Probes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XNTJKY4?tag=tvwb-20

Kind of an interesting venture. Looking forward to some decent food going forward.

 

[Joe Anshien]

We're not lovers of a robust smoke taste...milder is better for us.I found the Akorn kamado to be an extremely versatile cooker but it required a lot of attention for any decent cook... not to mention needed accessories like a stone, charcoal chimney, tumbleweeds or similar fire starters, TipTopTemp or some type of temperature control. Also, it is easy to overdue the smoke profile with lump and wood chunks...oak, cherry, apple, mesquite. Kamados are great but require time and some effort. They are one reason pellet grills exist.
Perhaps the set and forget convenience of pellet grills can be construed as laziness, I don't care, it's a time saver and time is a valuable commodity to me. I can cook

Is your Akorn the AutoKamado? That looks like a really nice grill, and if it had come out before I got my Masterbuilt Gravity I may have gone that route. I do like the charcoal and wood smokey flavor and have to admit I like seeing the smoke ring. While having tried pellets with the SmokeFire some of the pellets always missed the hopper and I kept finding them all over months after I got rid of the grill. The other thing is pellet grills seems to have a more things to go wrong. They have an Auger and glow rods that need to be precisely calibrated and can jam where the gravity has just a fan and gravity. If the controller goes bad it can be replaced with a Fireboard or similar after market controller used on grill. That Inkbird you posted on sale is a great deal. I have been using this for about 4 years and have been really happy. It has 2 units instead of wifi and the range is fantastic. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084L86VTX/?tag=tvwb-20

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

Is your Akorn the AutoKamado? That looks like a really nice grill, and if it had come out before I got my Masterbuilt Gravity I may have gone that route. I do like the charcoal and wood smokey flavor and have to admit I like seeing the smoke ring. While having tried pellets with the SmokeFire some of the pellets always missed the hopper and I kept finding them all over months after I got rid of the grill. The other thing is pellet grills seems to have a more things to go wrong. They have an Auger and glow rods that need to be precisely calibrated and can jam where the gravity has just a fan and gravity. If the controller goes bad it can be replaced with a Fireboard or similar after market controller used on grill. That Inkbird you posted on sale is a great deal. I have been using this for about 4 years and have been really happy. It has 2 units instead of wifi and the range is fantastic. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084L86VTX/?tag=tvwb-20

No. My Akorn, which I'm currently selling, is the table/cart model...before they came out with the Auto kamado.
I actually have that very same wireless thermometer. Bought it back when I bought the Akorn. It's very accurate but not very intuitive...at least not to me. All good points regarding pellet grills, but I think they have been around long enough, with a variety of sizes, that the parts are somewhat standardized and becoming more readily available. Also, I paid $367 for the Oakford...not exactly a bank breaker. I debated between it and the Pitt Boss Lexington, which is just under $300 but no wifi or Bluetooth. I've seen the Akorn auto kamado for under $300...so very close in price. The weak spot on the Akorn is the ash pan. It's rust prone and water finds it's way down to it even covered. The preventative measure is to empty and store the ash pan upside down under the lid on the grate.

 

[Joe Anshien]

No. My Akorn, which I'm currently selling, is the table/cart model...before they came out with the Auto kamado.
I actually have that very same wireless thermometer. Bought it back when I bought the Akorn. It's very accurate but not very intuitive...at least not to me. All good points reellet grills, but I think they have been around long enough, eith a variety of sizes, that the parts are somewhat standardized and becoming more readily available. Also, I paid $367 for the Oakford...not exactly a bank breaker. I debated between it and the Pitt Boss Lexington, which is just under $300 but no wifi or Bluetooth. I've seen the Akorn auto kamado for under $300...so very close in price. The weak spot on the Akorn is the ash pan. It's rust prone and water finds it's way down to it even covered. The preventative measure is to empty and store the ash pan upside down under the lid on the grate.

I picked up one of those Akorns with the ash pan rusted out, the rest of the grill part was not much better. I think I still have the handle and hinge I salvaged. I picked it up for the cart and used a while for my WSM. In fact I think I advertised the hinge for free on here a while back but no takers. They worked well on my WSM.

 

[ChuckO]

I loved my Akorn (albeit Jr) It was my high heat go to

Pork chops

Skinny Pork Chops @ 700 degrees

Pork Chops for dinner tonight. Never have been able to make good chops over charcoal, so I cooked the family's chops in the Genny and I cooked mine in the Akorn Jr Got her up to 700 with a couple hand fulls of Jealous Devil Lump And on they go Two minutes Two minutes can do some...

tvwbb.com

Tri Tip

Tri-Tip at 700+

My first cook on the Akorn without the diffuser. It wasn't a quality piece of meat going in, so not a lot of expectation for this cook. Ultimately, it wasn't bad not my best Tri-Tip, but not bad, Royal Oak Lump for fuel I personally liked the crust, reminded me of when my dad cooked...

tvwbb.com

Point being, don't be too quick to sell your grill. There will be down time with the pellet pooper, having a back up is never a bad thing

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

I loved my Akorn (albeit Jr) It was my high heat go to

Pork chops

Skinny Pork Chops @ 700 degrees

Pork Chops for dinner tonight. Never have been able to make good chops over charcoal, so I cooked the family's chops in the Genny and I cooked mine in the Akorn Jr Got her up to 700 with a couple hand fulls of Jealous Devil Lump And on they go Two minutes Two minutes can do some...

tvwbb.com

Tri Tip

Tri-Tip at 700+

My first cook on the Akorn without the diffuser. It wasn't a quality piece of meat going in, so not a lot of expectation for this cook. Ultimately, it wasn't bad not my best Tri-Tip, but not bad, Royal Oak Lump for fuel I personally liked the crust, reminded me of when my dad cooked...

tvwbb.com

Point being, don't be too quick to sell your grill. There will be down time with the pellet pooper, having a back up is never a bad thing

The Akorn I'm selling is my third one. Got the first one about 2010 or so. Had it for five years and got rid of it after we moved, kids were on their own, new, smaller place. Then I got the Junior. Pretty good little cooker. Sold it shortly after we moved again and bought another regular sized cart model.
Probably used it six maybe eight times since 2020 when I bought it.
They're great, versatile cookers that pretty much do it all but they are far from set and forget...maybe the newer auto versions are. Don't know.
I've got room for one other grill in addition to the Genesis II E-325...so the Oakford 580 it is. Have a guy coming next week to buy the Akorn and all that goes with it.
I'm just dialing in pellet grill cooking. Have a load of Tractor Supply house brand pellets in the hopper now with a bag of Bear Mountain Hickory on deck.
First cook on the Oakford was burgers last night for four. It was 38 and windy and dark. Took longer than I thought but the burgers were excellent.
I like this pellet grill thing so far!

 

[Bob Erdman]

If you thought the burgers were great, you should try some chicken thighs marinated in Lawry's Signature Italian Marinade. You'll thank me later. That's my go to quick meal. Happy smoking with your new pellet grill.

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

If you thought the burgers were great, you should try some chicken thighs marinated in Lawry's Signature Italian Marinade. You'll thank me later. That's my go to quick meal. Happy smoking with your new pellet grill.

I like chicken thighs...skin on, bone in but boneless skinless is great too. Like using a rub lately though. But I'll give your recommendation a shot.

 

[LMichaels]

I like chicken thighs...skin on, bone in but boneless skinless is great too. Like using a rub lately though. But I'll give your recommendation a shot.

One thing to do to, hone in your pellet grill cooking (but I now find it my "go to") is stick with S&P only. Use a binder if you like. A little oil, or plain ol yellow mustard, or some of that Japanese (soy sauce based) BBQ sauce. Anything relatively neutral.. Then work for a pellet brand/mix plus times, temps and so on that develops the flavor profiles you find you like. From there you can start upping/changing seasoning profiles if you like. But quite honestly it's a pretty rare time I change up the seasonings. I have been finding between the Smokehouse branded pellets, decent meat, and the time/temp profiles I am developing I can develop a ton of flavor without needing to rely on fancy rubs or marinades.
It will be a learning process. PG cooking is not the EZ Bake oven the haters tout it to be. It IS easier than say charcoal or stick burning (maybe even than gas cookers) BUT there IS a learning curve. Hell I am over a year in and still way down low in my curve.

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

One thing to do to, hone in your pellet grill cooking (but I now find it my "go to") is stick with S&P only. Use a binder if you like. A little oil, or plain ol yellow mustard, or some of that Japanese (soy sauce based) BBQ sauce. Anything relatively neutral.. Then work for a pellet brand/mix plus times, temps and so on that develops the flavor profiles you find you like. From there you can start upping/changing seasoning profiles if you like. But quite honestly it's a pretty rare time I change up the seasonings. I have been finding between the Smokehouse branded pellets, decent meat, and the time/temp profiles I am developing I can develop a ton of flavor without needing to rely on fancy rubs or marinades.
It will be a learning process. PG cooking is not the EZ Bake oven the haters tout it to be. It IS easier than say charcoal or stick burning (maybe even than gas cookers) BUT there IS a learning curve. Hell I am over a year in and still way down low in my curve.


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We bought a bottle of that stuff...got it at the Acme. Also saw the big bottles at Costco. One thing I didn't pay any attention to last night was starting and running at 225 to keep the smoke going for a few minutes then cranking it up to 350 or more to finish. In other words...minimal smoke. Learning curve .

 

[LMichaels]

We bought a bottle of that stuff...got it at the Acme. Also saw the big bottles at Costco. One thing I didn't pay any attention to last night was starting and running at 225 to keep the smoke going for a few minutes then cranking it up to 350 or more to finish. In other words...minimal smoke. Learning curve .

Not only learning the grill but learning the differences in what you "feed" it (the fuel). I have found now that the Smokehouse pellets (more so the 50/50 oak hickory blend) but even the blend at Sam's (Oak, Maple, Hickory, Cherry) do smoke even running at 450. Just not as much. But last night I was making a strip loin roast and a couple steaks. And even cranked out to 450, the MM was rolling smoke.
So, I think you will be surprised at your little Oakford will be able to do.

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

Finally got the WiFi working! Time will tell if it remains stable and solid. I played with range extender placement and think I've got it placed optimally. We'll see.
But it allows complete control of the grill not just temperature readings and control but on/off functionality too.

 

[LMichaels]

Try going to a MESH wifi system. Range extenders are a total PIA and deplete signal at every stage. MESH systems are getting much less expensive now, especially the MESH 6 systems now that 7 is out.

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

Try going to a MESH wifi system. Range extenders are a total PIA and deplete signal at every stage. MESH systems are getting much less expensive now, especially the MESH 6 systems now that 7 is out.

Yeah, I tried a MESH system when we first moved here. Also tried the Xfinity pods...useless. It didn't play well with the Xfinity X1 wifi. I returned it and actually paid a tech guy $1000 to get the cable and Wifi working well. Worth every penny. He traced existing coax lines and jacks and setup a MoCa connection for the 75" TV I have in our basement. This extender seems to be getting the job done just fine now. I was not being open minded about placement but I think I'm in good shape now. Signal is strong enough and stable thus far.

 

[LMichaels]

Yeah, I did not realize you were using that XFinity system. I tried one of those. Total trash IMO. I went with my own, Motorola modem, into the mesh system. It's top notch. I put a node out back in my other garage to handle needs out there, one in front of house and one in basement. Good blanket coverage. Even almost a half block away

 

[Jay D in Jersey]

In fact I'm getting about 35 mbps next to the extender on my phone. The extender is under a bank of windows upstairs and the Oakford is at ground level about 25' away.