Still amazed at versatility

[LMichaels]

Wife wanted sliders last night. A while back Sam's had large packages of prime rib sliders. So I bought a pack, we made some (especially for grandson who's nickname should be "Whimpy" (Popeye not that he's a whimp). Anyway the Genesis is all taken apart, did not feel like dealing with LP tank on the Q so fired up the pellet popper.
Cranked it up to 475, got those burgers on and it did a fantastic job. Outside crusty like you would want, inside not over cooked. I swear the more I use the thing the more amazed I get. So much so that as mentioned in another post, I am actually considering pretty much giving up on gas grills.
I am truly considering getting another pellet popper and keeping one on the deck. I know I have asked before. But, those of you who live here in the land of all 4 seasons in one day. How, do pellets hold up? What happens if anything, you're into a longer cook and rain blows up outta the blue? How tolerant are pellets? I'm gettin the "itch" bad

 

[Bob Bailey]

I've never had a problem with rain unless it was a downpour with a lot of wind. My hopper lid drops down ~1/2" over the sides. High humidity can be a problem though. I'm in the high desert so humidity isn't an issue for me, but I know people in high humidity areas that have had lots of problems with wet pellets causing the auger to seize.

 

[Bruno]

Wife wanted sliders last night. A while back Sam's had large packages of prime rib sliders. So I bought a pack, we made some (especially for grandson who's nickname should be "Whimpy" (Popeye not that he's a whimp). Anyway the Genesis is all taken apart, did not feel like dealing with LP tank on the Q so fired up the pellet popper.
Cranked it up to 475, got those burgers on and it did a fantastic job. Outside crusty like you would want, inside not over cooked. I swear the more I use the thing the more amazed I get. So much so that as mentioned in another post, I am actually considering pretty much giving up on gas grills.
I am truly considering getting another pellet popper and keeping one on the deck. I know I have asked before. But, those of you who live here in the land of all 4 seasons in one day. How, do pellets hold up? What happens if anything, you're into a longer cook and rain blows up outta the blue? How tolerant are pellets? I'm gettin the "itch" bad

My SmokeFire didn’t seem to love this crazy winter of rain we had.
I hadn’t cleaned the auger for a couple years so I’m sure that played a part but I ended up with a brick of pellets in the auger I had to chip out.
Works like a champ now though.

 

[LMichaels]

So recommend occasional pull out auger system and clean out? Not the most difficult thing on the Member's Mark but not the easiest. I wanna watch this as I really am seriously looking at doing this. Heck I don't even miss rotisserie now because of the way this thing cooks large stuff (i.e. whole chickens, full rib roasts, tri tips, etc).

 

[BFletcher]

Is there an option to run the auger? If not, would it work to empty the hopper and then do a startup? Would doing that empty the auger? Or is this not simpler than a dismantle?

 

[LMichaels]

Is there an option to run the auger? If not, would it work to empty the hopper and then do a startup? Would doing that empty the auger? Or is this not simpler than a dismantle?

On mine, there is a prime button. I have found if you hold it, the auger will run and it can be repeated until empty. Though, the other thing is when you do that it does activate the hot rod. It would be neat if there was an actual function to simply run the auger only as long as needed.

 

[Bob Bailey]

Is there an option to run the auger? If not, would it work to empty the hopper and then do a startup? Would doing that empty the auger? Or is this not simpler than a dismantle?

If you unplugged the hot rod/glow plug and turned the unit on, most grills would run the auger and empty the auger tube. Some also have a prime setting that runs the auger without activating the hot rod/glow plug. This doesn't work when the pellets have been wet and set up into a solid mass. In this case, the auger must be unscrewed out of the solid mass which, in most cases, requires the assembly to be removed from the grill and the motor removed from it.

 

[ChuckO]

Is there an option to run the auger? If not, would it work to empty the hopper and then do a startup? Would doing that empty the auger? Or is this not simpler than a dismantle?

It really much easier than it sounds. The worst part is draining out the unused pellets, as it takes a while to do, and if you don't hold your bucket or box up close to the drain hole, the pellets get all over the place

here's how to clean out the Auger.

 

[LMichaels]

If you unplugged the hot rod/glow plug and turned the unit on, most grills would run the auger and empty the auger tube. This doesn't work when the pellets have been wet and set up into a solid mass. In this case, the auger must be unscrewed out of the solid mass which, in most cases, requires the assembly to be removed from the grill and the motor removed from it.

On mine, at least, if you disconnect the hot rod it immediately goes into ERR mode and forces a shutdown procedure. Which was an issue I had been having due to a bad circuit board in my control panel. I may design (or have my friend do it) a circuit to simply turn on the auger at will.

 

[Bob Bailey]

So recommend occasional pull out auger system and clean out?

My pellet grill is 10 years old and the only time I've cleaned the auger/tube was when it seized up due to solid mass of pellets. This was after the grill sat out, uncovered, during a storm when the rain was blowing almost horizontal. While some pellet dust will collect in the tube, most if it will be swept through into the fire pot as pellets feed through the tube. It is possible that dust could increase the possibility of the auger seizing up in a humid environment. Sifting the dust out of your pellets before filling the hopper should minimize the amount of dust and preclude any need to remove for routine cleaning. If the grill is going to sit out for an extended period, it would probably be best to empty the hopper and the auger.

 

[Rich Dahl]

Never had any problems with pellets in my Camp Chef. But I also keep it covered when not in use. I also drain the pellets after shutdown and keep them in a container in a shed. I've never cleared the auger and it sat all winter with the pellets in the auger and it fired right up when I did the bacon a week or so ago. Humidity isn't an issue here so I can't address that.
Even though the CC has a sear option that does work great for HH cooks I don't use it for that I prefer my Jumbo Joe or one of the gassers for quick cooks.

 

[Lew Newby]

All 3 of my pellet grills cooked through Florida thunderstorms and the pellets didn’t seem to be affected. The Smokefire circuit board is waterproof so that’s not a concern. I ran a test in 2020 leaving Weber and Pit Boss pellets in foil pans that stayed in the garage. Florida summer humidity. After 30 days both brands snapped good and burned well. Because I store the grill in the garage I leave pellets in the hopper. That’s me but many members of the Facebook group have reported the same problem that Bruno had.

 

[LMichaels]

Because I store the grill in the garage I leave pellets in the hopper

That is currently me as well. However, since I have disassembled the Genesis, I have been thinking about moving the pellet grill to the deck in it's place. Or even getting another. IDK if it would be another MM one. I'm still intrigued by a Smokefire but, not intrigued with how the ash and grease management works. The think I totally love with the MM (and other conventional ones like it) is the simplicity of maintenance. Normal maint, takes me all of 6 or 7 min. Though for the $$$$ right now even at $450 that little MM is overall one of the best things going. Well built, (yes I had circuit board issues), but they're supposedly coming out with an updated version of the PCB. And it's cheap to run as well. What's not to like?

 

[LMichaels]

So the grill has moved to it's new (at least for the season) home on the deck. Here is another thing I have noticed and wonder about. All the other pellet grills I see have a flame deflector between the fire pot and the heat diffuser plate. But not these. Wonder if it would be a good addition?

 

[LMichaels]

I know someone mentioned this. But those of you who have their grill stored outdoors (assuming kept well covered with a good cover which I have), do you dump the pellets after every cook?

 

[Bob Bailey]

I don't like to second guess the engineers. My guess is the design doesn't require a deflector to work efficiently. As long as you're happy with how it cooks, let it be.

 

[LMichaels]

I don't like to second guess the engineers. My guess is the design doesn't require a deflector to work efficiently. As long as you're happy with how it cooks, let it be.

Yeah, I see the point there. You can tell by looking at the deflector exactly where the burn pot is. But, I guess it fills both jobs just fine. They have them on sale again at Sam's ($425). Bless me Father I may sin.......................again but I am tempted to get a second one

 

[Steve-G]

I know someone mentioned this. But those of you who have their grill stored outdoors (assuming kept well covered with a good cover which I have), do you dump the pellets after every cook?

I have a Pit Boss pellet cooker, and I store it outside in WI weather with a cover. I do not dump the pellets after each cook, although I do try to minimize the amount of pellets in the hopper at the end of each session. I have never had an issue, although it is less than a year old. I don't sift my pellets or anything like that.

As far as your other question about a deflector over the burn pot, I did get one for mine. My hot spot in the center was probably 50 degrees hotter than the area just to the left and right of it. So using the deflector evened that out quite a bit and made life easier.

 

[LMichaels]

I have a Pit Boss pellet cooker, and I store it outside in WI weather with a cover. I do not dump the pellets after each cook, although I do try to minimize the amount of pellets in the hopper at the end of each session. I have never had an issue, although it is less than a year old. I don't sift my pellets or anything like that.

As far as your other question about a deflector over the burn pot, I did get one for mine. My hot spot in the center was probably 50 degrees hotter than the area just to the left and right of it. So using the deflector evened that out quite a bit and made life easier.

Ahh so the Pit Boss is like the Member's Mark? No flame deflector only the dispersion plate? Interesting

 

[DanHoo]

My pit boss did not have a plate over the burn pot.

It also has a slotted sliding heat shield so you could crank up the heat and get fire for searing. Add some rib steak fat and it's a pellet party.



I prefer the flavor of meat cooked on my WSK or BGE over the pellet, but the pellet was better flavor than cooking on a gas grill.

YMMV lots of this is my preference or my opinion, not trying to start a flaming debate (pun intended)