While Weber thinks about it, Broil King is out with their own PELLET GRILL


 
Jon Tofte

Jon Tofte

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I have said it before, but I remain convinced that Weber is hard at work on a pellet grill model. (If they aren't, they are missing it, in my opinion.) I am really hoping that if it is true that it will be a game changer just like the Genesis was for gas grills. I will keep watching and optimistically hoping:D!

However, other competitors are not just sitting around. I just noticed that rival Broil King has come out with a pellet grill. In some ways it as first looks like just another of many pellet grills flooding the market. However, a closer look shows some innovations, if it delivers what they say.

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https://broilkingbbq.com/grills/smoke/smoke_pellet_xl_pro/

This is the first pellet grill that I have seen that includes a rotisserie option. Maybe there are others - I am no expert. A rotisserie seems like a natural fit for these grills.

Broil King advertises a maximum temperature of 600 degrees. That is hotter than my Rec Tec, Traeger, GMG, etc can deliver and if really true expands the usability of their offering to regular grilling. My Rec Tec does make very good tasting burgers, but even with the GrillGrates option my used one came with, it cannot deliver searing heat for burgers, steaks, etc. You have to accept how they look. Maybe this new Broil King can do better.

Helping with the high heat grilling are heavy duty cast iron grates. Some may not like that, and I have to admit my Rec Tec 304 stainless grates are easier and less stressful to maintain. I still have an affection for cast iron, though, and I like it WAY BETTER than the typical porcelain covered thin rods many pellet grills come with.

The temperature read out is extra large and legible.

The advertisement promises innovations in grease clean out and ash management.

This grill includes two meat probes and a wifi controller (as does my Rec Tec). It is up to date with its competition.

What do you all think?
 
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Pricey.

I have considered looking for a cheap used pellet grill and installing a Weber roti.
Its a pretty easy hack. However, I only use my roti a few times a year, so its a
project for the future, no time soon.
 
I personally have not looked into pellet grills. Mainly because I am not a big fan of smoked food. I love grilling but I don’t like the wood smoke flavor. But I think they may be great alternative for the BBQ fans. On the other hand Weber may cut into their own profits if they come out with a grill that eliminates the use of a dedicated smoker such as the WSM.
 
Stefan,

That is an interesting idea. I think, though, that Weber faced that when they realized they had to have a gas grill and again when they realized the gas kettle just didn't cut it. Times were changing, and they had to get on board. If they hadn't I think they would be either out of business or a very small niche player making kettles and derivatives. I can't say that the pellet grill deal is as powerful a force as the move to gas back in the 70's but it is clearly gaining momentum when now you see these grills and their pellets for sale at Ace, Lowes/Home Depot and even WalMart. Just a few years ago they were only at specialty stores.
 
I have heard from a few of the guys I picked up my rehab grills from that they had gone to Pellet grills. I should probably research pellet grills and try to see what the fuss is all about, but I just don't seem to have the incentive. I am happy with my gassers. I like the convenience and performance and just can't see what a pellet grill would offer that I can't get out of my gasser.
 
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I think the pellet grills are tailored to the folks who grill with charcoal and smoke as well. I just don’t know if they provide the same heat as charcoal grills and if you can sear on them.
Plus they need electricity to operate the feeder and I don’t know how pellets rate against charcoal price wise.
 
Its my understanding, and it could be wrong, that the cheaper pellet grills are trouble and aren't going to last very long, they have a lot of moving parts. Also electronics to go buggy.

Either build a quality , which means high priced, grill or don't do it at all.

Personally, I would not want a pellet pooper. Whether they produce good smoke flavor is controversial, some say yes, some say no .... but I enjoy managing my fire. To me, its part of the cook.

One of the most successful barbecue comp teams from this area, uses pellet poopers. Butcher BBQ won the Jack Daniels last fall and had reserve grand at the American Royal, so evidently, they're getting enough smoke flavor.
 
Seems to like you could add a ton of electronic sensors and climate control apparatus to a coal burner and get the same results. Even a gasser.
 
I don't want to become our "pellet grill advocate." I guess I will just offer a few comments:

Pellet grills do have moving parts and and an electronic controller. Some better than others, but there is no question that these two items mean maintenance and replacement down the road. On that aspect, they can't compete with the simplicity of a kettle or kamado grill or even a simpler gas grill like our trusty classic Genesis grills.

Just like gas grills, pellet grills already come in a wide range of price and quality. There are equivalents to the lower-end gas grills that seem to be kind of thin on metal and which feature regular steel grates coated with porcelain. On the other extreme their are solid high grade stainless pellet grills (such as MAK) and super heavy duty powder coated ones (Yoder). Somewhere in between are ones like my Rec Tec that have a lot of stainless parts but aren't at the high end. You can spend three or four hundred bucks or three of four thousand (or even more). It just depends, similar to gas grills.

The stability of temperature control is a very nice aspect. There are ways to do that with gas and even charcoal, too. Pellet grills just make it simpler as it is how they work.

So far, my experience is that my Rec Tec produces decent smoke. It is not as heavy and thick as a charcoal fire with wood chunks, but I am very happy with the flavor. There is a big range of quality in pellets just like grills. High quality pellets (ex: Lumberjack, CookinPellets.com) produce better results. I like that you can pick your wood flavor/blend and that the cooking is then entirely based on that from start to finish. However, I also enjoy using pellets in a smoker tube on a gas grill, too.

So, I guess I would say that to me pellet grills are not the end all. I would never want to be without my high-heat searing Genesis gas grill. But, I am having a hard time justifying having so many kettles and a Big Green Egg anymore. I wouldn't want to not have a couple...OK a few, but I no longer need as many as I have. My Rec Tec can do six racks of ribs on just the main grates alone. More with the extra rack that I was fortunate to get with my barely used purchase. You could probably do 3 kettles' worth of food (4 large Green Egg's worth) on my Rec Tec.
 
Bruce said:
I have heard from a few of the guys I picked up my rehab grills from that they had gone to Pellet grills. I should probably research pellet grills and try to see what the fuss is all about, but I just don't seem to have the incentive. I am happy with my gassers. I like the convenience and performance and just can't see what a pellet grill would offer that I can't get out of my gasser.
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Like I said in the past my daughter has a pellet grill and really likes it. The set it and forget aspect is what they like. I have thought about looking for a used one because sometimes I want to smoke something but don't have the time to babysit the WSM or kettle. I do know from experience with my daughters and another friend that the pellet grills make some fine tasting chow.
 
The Butcher BBQ team does very well with pellet poopers, but they ones they use cost between three and four thousand.

And for a BBQ comp team, the consistency is a big deal. They get the same product on every cook, no matter weather or other conditions.
 
Lynn Dollar said:
The Butcher BBQ team does very well with pellet poopers, but they ones they use cost between three and four thousand.

And for a BBQ comp team, the consistency is a big deal. They get the same product on every cook, no matter weather or other conditions.
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Lynn,

I have participated in only one professional BBQ contest - (confession: I was in the amateur "backyard" division). That was a number of years ago, but I couldn't help but notice that the true professional teams were almost all using pellet grills (Traegers at the time). That was my first exposure to a pellet grill, but it was the beginning of me looking into them.

I agree that the consistency is probably a big reason pros go for it. I know Rec Tec has rolled out some colossal models aimed specifically to BBQ competition teams.

https://www.rectecgrills.com/beast-rt-cmg/
 
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I would think that you could incorporate the "set and forget" feature into a gas grill just as easily, if not easier. Basically the same thing as a household oven.
 
I have a Genesis, a Performer, a WSM, and a GMG Daniel Boone pellet grill so I can speak to a few of the points here. There are some cheap pellet grills out there that you should stay away from, but you can get a decent pellet grill for less than $350. I know someone who competes and has gotten a call with one he got on clearance for $100. In spite of the horror stories, they are pretty reliable. A pellet grill is NOT a substitute for a gasser IMHO - or a Performer or a WSM. The food off a pellet grill will not have the same smoke profile as food off a WSM (more subtle) but as Jon says, it's pretty tasty. Pellet grills don't sear meat well unless you get a model that has direct access to the flame or has a sear station, but even if it does, it doesn't sear like my Genesis (which is what I use if I need to sear meat cooked on the Daniel Boone). Some of the best steaks I've cooked have been cooked on the Daniel Boone at 225 until the steaks reach 120-130 internal, then seared on the Genesis. Major reverse sear. Pellet grills don't get as hot as a Genesis or Performer (mine gets to 500 degrees) but if I'm going to cook hotter than that, I’m not using a pellet grill. And, you shouldn't cook in a thunderstorm (I put it under a 4x6 canopy when rain is predicted.)

Pellet grills aren't a replacement for what you have, they're an addition. I really like the way mine cooks ribs and chicken. I cook on all my cookers including the Daniel Boone. It's not better or worse, just different. If you have a bunch of grills and smokers like me, you'll be adding another one eventually. I suggest you try a pellet grill. I'm not sorry I did.
 
Bruce said:
I would think that you could incorporate the "set and forget" feature into a gas grill just as easily, if not easier. Basically the same thing as a household oven.
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Bruce,
I agree they could definitely do that on a gas grill. I think the comparison is really aimed at charcoal grills and smokers. A good one like the Big Green Egg or a WSM in the right hands can hold a steady temperature for a long time, but they are not “set and forget” and you can’t magically adjust the temperature up and down by just spinning a dial or using your phone from the office.

I think pellet grills appeal to those looking for charcoal/wood smoke flavor (as Lew says not quite the same but still with those characteristics) but who don’t have time or willingness to master cooking with real fire. I am hardly a bbq King, but I can usually do decently with a kettle or my Big Green Egg. (Still need to try a WSM!) But there are many times when that time commitment isn’t possible but where a pellet grill can make very good ribs, pork shoulders or brisket possible nonetheless. In addition, a larger pellet grill like my Rec Tec Bull can turn out a small event’s worth of bbq that would require multiple smaller grills.
 
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I like what Lew said its an addition and I don't own a pellet grill, I have a Performer my favorite grill, a 1000 and a Silver C as well as a UDS which I just spent last week painting which should be the last time I need to do it. The UDS is my smoker and it works fantastic since I only do ribs and that stuff 5 or 6 times a year it does the job tried to justify a WSM math does not work out but it is a wonderful smoker but because of the size of my charcoal basket on the UDS I can easily when doing a brisket which maybe do once a year run 14 hours on a load of charcoal.

All my grills have a purpose and I have actually on very rare occasions used all of them with my best friend assisting me. For my daughters shower before she got married did wings on the Performer, ribs on the UDS, and pork tenderloin on the 1000. Unless I had all those grills no way to get all that food done in a timely fashion and yes it might be overkill for the average person.
 
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