Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill w/New PID Gen 2 Digital Controller - Bronze review and price compare 2025
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you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you
Product overview
| Brand | Camp Chef |
| Model Name | SmokePro DLX 24 Pellet Grill (Bronze) |
| Power Source | Pellet |
| Color | Bronze |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 40.5 x 25 x 22 inches |
product features
- by entering your model number.
- Large capacity pellet hopper with exclusive ash cleanout system
- Electronic auto-start ignition for quick and easy start every time
- Dual LED temperature readout shows internal cooking temps and food temps
- Simple temperature selection system maintains heat
- Automatic auger dispenses pellets as needed for improved smoker efficiency
- Grilling Area Dimensions: 19.5" x 22",Smoking/Warming Rack Dimensions: 6" x 24",Total Rack Surface Area: 570 sq. in
This fits your .
Product Description
In 1990, founder Ty Measom found himself both frustrated and inspired with the size and quality of the outdoor cooking equipment available. He set out to create a product that was both portable and powerful. After countless hours of brainstorming, engineering, and tinkering, the Pro60 was born—and along with it—a company to pioneer the camp-cooking industry. The simple, yet durable design was applauded by outdoorsmen everywhere. Since then we’ve added griddles and grill box attachments, a variety of cast iron pieces, and more recently—pellet grills. Over the past 30 years, our product line has expanded, but our objective remains the same—provide a better way to cook outdoors.
We’ve raised the steaks in the outdoor cooking industry. So, we challenge you to ask yourself if your cooking equipment is tough enough for the task. Whether you’re barbecuing on the back patio or backpacking in Bolivia—delicious food is attainable despite your coordinates. So, get out there. Make memories with the people you love. Experience the beauty of nature. Feed your outside however you want with the durability, versatility, portability, and power of Camp Chef.
CAMP CHEF DLX Pellet Grills - The newly added Gen 2 controller is easy to use and introduces Smoke Control + PID technology.
PG24B
Camp Chef DLX 24" Pellet Grill, now that sounds like the grill for you.
Camp Chef DLX Pellet Grill
DLX 24" Pellet Grill - Bronze
Say goodbye to the world of guesswork and hours over a BBQ pit—the DLX Pellet Grill brings you an easy, reliable smoke, every time. The newly added Gen 2 controller is easy to use and introduces Smoke Control + PID technology. Tailor the amount of smoke your meal gets by adjusting your Smoke Number. You'll get flawless cook after flawless cook. Plus, Ash Cleanout makes clean up a breeze. Meaning less time fumbling with a suction hose and more time enjoying the beautiful day and delicious food.
- PID controller for consistent temperatures
- Includes 2 meat probes
- Adjustable smoke settings from 1-10 160º F - 500ºF temperature range, Easy to use menu dial, High-visibility, low-glare digital display
- Pellet Hopper Cleanout/Purge, Ash Cleanout System
- Cord Management System, Grease Management System
- Side attachment compatible (Sidekick or Sear Box)
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PID controllerEasy to use menu dial, PID controller for consistent temperatures between 160º F - 500ºF, and adjustable smoke settings . | 2 Meat ProbesWith the Meat Probe accessory, you’ll have total control over the temperature of your food. With an easy digital display, you will know in seconds what’s going on under the grill lid. Hit the hot spot every time with the Meat Probe. | Ash-Kickin' CleanoutEach cook on your pellet grill results in the ashes from your burned pellets. With a simple pull of a knob the ashes drop from the burn cup into a removable cup on the underside of your pellet grill. Do this between each cook for an easy, clean way to flush the burner and dispose of the ashes. | Attachment CapabilityThe Sidekick is designed to give you VersaGrillity as one of Camp Chef's single burner, 14-inch cooking systems, meaning you can add a griddle, grill, oven, stock pot, and more. The Sear Box is a master of one thing—searing. The included cast iron grill grates create beautiful sear marks and assist the Sear Box in reaching an astounding 900°F. |
| Total Cooking Surface | 570 sq. in. | 570 sq. in. | 570 sq. in. |
|---|---|---|---|
| PID Controller | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adjustable smoke settings from 1-10 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Color | Black | Stainless | Bronze |
| Pellet Hopper Cleanout/Purge | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ash Kickin' Clean Out | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hopper Capacity | 18 lbs | 18 lbs | 18 lbs |
| Attachment Compatible | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Side Shelf | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stainless Steel Meat Probes | 2 | 2 | 2 |
product description
product details
important information
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Questions about Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill w/New PID Gen 2 Digital Controller - Bronze
Q:
The bag of pellets is 20 lbs and costs $20...how long does that last? What are the average # of lbs for common cuts of meat? Brisket, ribs...etc.
Answer: you can get great pellets for less $... I use a competition blend from wal-mart that's $20 for 40 pounds. This grill does everything. I've made a few pies and used it as an oven a time or two, but i usually do most everything on low smoke. I think that with the 40 pound bags, it's comparable to cost of propane. I think that the competition blend smokes better than any single variety of wood. I've tried a half dozen types of pellets and like the blended the best...
Answer: You can get a bag of pellets for $9.99 at Cash and Carry Stores, all over the country. How long the pellets last in your grill depends , on what and at what temp you are cooking /smoking it. High temp uses them faster ,and low and slow ,not as much. What are you trying to do . # 8 to 15 pounds is common size for beef, pork, ribs, briskit cuts. I hope that info helps . FISHGRILLER
Answer:
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Answer: Pellets can be found at Gander Mountain for $15/ 20Lb bag. Find a coupon and pick up in store if you have one. Barring that I suggest the Perfect Mix pellets from cookinpellets. 40lb for about 34.00
Answer: Pro tip use a (12 pack of beer) box or similar
Answer: The least of your concerns with one of these smokers is going to be how much pellets you are using. Please trust me on this. My biggest concern is how much meat can I afford, I would keep this thing running 24/7. I smoked 2 racks of pork loin ribs for 5 hrs and it used maybe 2-3 inches of pellets out of the hopper. Temp was Hi smoke.
Answer: As other have said, it depends on the Cooking Temp and time needed... but it ALSO depends on the outside temp. Yesterday I cooked 10 pounds of Lamb directly from the fridge in 3 hours at 200 degrees. because of the warm weather (85 degrees) and direct sun on the top of the smoker, it took very little time to get up to temp. Then it used only a handful of pellets... probably less than 2 pounds.
Answer: Agree with 4 lbs for ribs and 6 or 8 for brisket(depending on thickness), depending on temps(and to a small extent, the quality of the pellets)
Answer: If I cook a slab of spareribs for six hours at 225°F I will probably burn about 4 pounds. If I grill chicken parts at about 325°F for about 1 hour, I will use about 1.5 pounds of pellets.
Answer: 1 pound pellets per hour at the high smoke setting. Ambient temperature 70 to 90°F. Cooking two pork butts. Pellets were Hickory from Gander Mountain.
Q:
How accurate is the thermometer on the smoker? Any one else had issues with it being off?
Answer: I find the thermometer temp to be very accurate with in 5 degrees when the smoke setting is at 1. When I set it to 10 or high smoke, temp swings can be as much as 25 degrees. Which is what you want because they way it allows the pellets to smolder in order to give your meat the smoke rings and great flavor in the outer bark. Btw the internal temp probe of the smoker is attached to the left side of the grilling area and I attach a thermo pro wireless temp probe to the inner middle edge of the grates to compre readings.
Answer: I have been comparing the thermometer to my readings on my Maverick ET 733; can't say which is more accurate, but there is often a 20 degree difference. Furthermore the Camp Chef regardless of which temp gauge I monitor (Maverick or Camp Chef built in) the temp fluctuations on my grill is absolutely horrendous: Setting it at 225 it ranges from 167 to 279 degrees. And I never open the grill. I purchased this grill thinking that it would provide a consistent temp - not even close. You can give that kind of inconsistency with any cheap grill, so paying 600 bucks has really annoyed me.
Answer: There are a couple of considerations. The meat probe is within a 4 degree range from another digital probe I own (Accurate enough). The cooking temperature probe runs fairly accurate. The thermostat keeps hunting within 10 degrees below set point to set point. I typically compensate by increasing the thermostat 25 degrees higher which has helped bring the expected cooking times ion par with what I have read. If you are seeing variations outside of these feel free to contact Camp Chef. They were fantastic to deal with when my meat probe failed.
Answer: I find it to be pretty accurate. Within about 10-15 degrees. That, of course, depends on where you are taking a read from. At the grates, the lid, or closer to the middle where the PG24's actual probe I located.
Answer: Pellet smokers are not as accurate in temp as electric and can sway a bit as pellets are fed into the burn area. That being said they do keep within a pretty tight range and do not swing that far out of range.
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Answer: I was reading through all of the comments on the accuracy of the temperatures. One pointed out a good fact about the pellets. I would suspect that that creates a fair amount of variance as they are added or burn down. However, do you ever track the oven in your stove. They frequently vary just as much as what you are describing here for the smoker.
Answer: I have suffered the same problem, with even worse temperature swings. There could be many factors, I covered them all in my review, but I know of people with Traeger smokers that are far less careful than I am with their pellets and the ambient temps when they cook and they have nowhere near the temperature swings that I have seen. I would not buy this smoker again because of the drastic temperature swings I have seen.
Answer: If your asking of the food thermometer I find it with a few degrees of my ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen. Otherwise the BBQ thermometer is very sensitive and rises and falls to maintain an average BBQ temperature. Hope this helps.
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Answer:
Q:
does this one have a fan
Answer: Yes it does - it is fabulous !
Answer: Yes
Answer: Yes
Answer: yes!
Answer: Yes
Q:
will this sear a steak
Answer: The grill gets up to 500 degrees F. To get a true high temp sear you should look at the Sear Box accessory (model# PGSEAR) that attaches to this Camp Chef Pellet grill. It is a propane powered accessory that will get up to 900 degrees F for that perfect high temp sear.
Answer: Do not get the sear box, instead get the sidekick, you can sear but also use several other accessories including a bbq sear box.. pizza oven and griddle.
Answer: Alone, no it won't. But the optional sear box is awesome....that's just what it is made for...I highly recommend getting it.
Q:
Do you guys that own one feel the temp. variance is as wacky as the Traeger...?
Answer: No. My traeger had huge swings of 40 degrees or more when it was in the ball park. I believe my camp chef holds within 15 degrees or so. That is you set the temp you want and don't open and close the lid. You don't decide to go from smoke to 350 then back to smoke. That will cause it to be off a little LOL.
Answer: Using my thermowrks smoke I have found that, especially at the high end of the necessary temp. swing the digital read out has no connection with what is actually happening at the grate level with the digital read out reading as much as 25 degrees higher then what it is at the food level. Averaging real measured tmep's over a period of time shows no more then a degree or two difference from set temp's.
Answer: Mine tends to be about 15 degrees hotter than the setting but does not fluctuate much at all unless you open the hood
Answer: I think camp chef controls are much better.
Q:
Does it function as a grill (searing a steak or burgers) w/o smoking?
Answer: I've cooked everything on it, except a steak. The grill gets up to 500 degrees but I like to sear my steaks at a higher temperature. The pit will always smoke when on and everthing comes out great. I haven't used my gas gril since I got this pit. I love it.
Answer: Yes, digrees on high. I grilled my pork steaks yesterday, it took 35 minutes and were very delicious ;)
Answer: Absolutely not. It's an oven. A great oven, but not for grilling. Tried the aluminum grill bars and not a substitute for a grill. It's for cooking "low and slow" and great for that.
Answer: You can grill stakes or burgers but with it wide open you do get some smoke.
Answer: The simple answer is yes! You can accurately adjust the temperature from apprimately 200 to over 500 degrees.The Camp Chef cooks by convection. Excellent for fish, foul and meats.
Answer: yes, it cooks up to 425 degrees
Answer: No. Temperature gets high enough but there is no direct heat -- it's all indirect heat.
Answer: NO.
Q:
how long do the chips last?
Answer: They aren't chips, they are compressed wood pellets. And an entire hopper full will last close to 40hrs. Depending on the size of the bag of pellets you use, you can get one to two hoppers per bag. That also depends on the mode you are cooking with - high smoke, low smoke, 275°, etc.....
Answer: It seems to depend on the maker of the pellets. I cooked a brisket at 250 degrees for 8hrs and used I wound guess 7 to 8 pounds.
Answer: I want to add that you should verify the hopper is full before you start. You don't want to run out of pellets halfway through a cook. Ask me how I know....
Q:
Is this just propane? Or Electric with a propane sear box?
Answer: The sear box is propane (and excellent) and the grill is wood pellets heated aided by a glow plug, which is powered by 110 volt outlet (also excellent).
Answer: Burns wood pellets, it’s electric to operate auger that delivers pellets.
Answer: Smoker is electric peller fed, sear box is propane
Answer: It is an electric smoker with a propane sear box.
Answer: It is an electric feed pellet stove on the left side and a propane grill on the right side.
Answer: Propane seat box
Q:
What is the lowest temperature that you can maintain?
Answer: I agree with R Wilson. I live in the Arizona heat and mine gets down to 140 - 150 at the lowest setting. We love it!!! The temperature probe, electronic controls, pellet feeder and clean out work great. We've smoked ribs, brisket, turkey and chicken. Everything comes out great! We use it more often than our $3000 propane built in.
Answer: Depends on the outside temp. I previously owned a 2007 Traeger Lil Tex and I find this machine far superior over that one. The electronics on this unit are far more precise and the clean out dump is so much more convenient. The low smoke setting works great for the long slow cook. Have done Babybacks for 10 hours and they were perfect. My guestimate on temp is 120 150f Also love the extra shelf and the recessed top on the hopper. I live on a ridge with plenty of wind and have had no wet pellets. Hope this helps.
Answer: low smoke setting is 160, high smoke setting is 225. I cold smoke in mine using an a-maze-n pellet maze & a lump of charcoal
Answer: 175f
Answer: 165 farenheit
Q:
Can this grill cook without adding much smoke to the meat? Would cooking at say 350 produce as much smoke as the low/high smoke settings?
Answer: The higher the temperature the less smoke you get. 300 degrees and higher you get very little smoke. Also, you could buy Oak or Adler pellets which have less flavor for your high temperature cooks.
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Answer: It doesn't add ANY smoke flavor to begin with.
Q:
is this comes with a cook book?
Answer: No. It came with some tips, but not a book. If you are considering this one, I would recommend shopping around. Very disappointed in the temp variation: it is ridiculous. The plus/minus is easily 75 degrees at 250 F. That may be okay for cooking a forgiving Boston Pork Butt, but that's risky for an expensive brisket.
Answer: Instruction manual has just a couple of simple ones.
Answer: Mine did not come with a cook book, but there are plenty of recipes online.
Answer: No, but lots of good ones out there. Instruction manual has a some simple ones.
Answer: no, just a few recipes in the manual.
Q:
does it come with a cover
Answer: No, only buy the camp chef brand, it will outlast the grill! Best cover made! You will love the grill
Answer: No
Answer: No.
Q:
Why does my grill get a lot of "dust" from the pellets. What can cause it to cook hotter then it is set.
Answer: The dust is caused by the convection fan blowing air into the fire pot and unfortunately is the nature of the best with a pellet grill. Now for the temp. You can adjust the chimney up and down to control temp a little better but there will always be some variance. Hope this helps with your pellet grill experience.
Answer: The "dust" is ash. This is normal and you will need to clean this out after about 12 hours if cooking. As for why it is "hotter" than you set it for, how much hotter? What are you setting it to, and what is it heating to? If the chimney is open too far you might be getting air in that causes the temp to spike? It's easy for the grill to regulate the temp up, but down is obviously harder.
Answer: I have seen different pellet brands that cause more dust. The camp chef and traeger branded pellets are more dense than others...I see the least dust with them.
Answer: I have found that the dust is caused by certain pellets. If I use Camp Chef pellets and keep them dry I don't have the dust problems.
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Answer: The two answers you have gotten I have to agree with, they are good answers....I vacuum my burn bowl before very use never had a problem with ash.
Q:
Does the Camp Chef PG24 come with a bag of wood pellets? I can't find anywhere that lists what is included.
Answer: No , start scouting out where you will find your supply of pellets! I do recommend the Camp Chef
Answer: No
Answer: No
Answer: No
Answer: No
Answer: No
Q:
What kind of cleaning utensils/ products can be used? I am looking for a grill/ smoker tool kit that would be good to use with this pellet smoker.
Answer: Regular grille clean tools are fine. I actually just take the grill and angled drip pan out and soak & clean in my deep utility sink. I also added an Teflon Oven spill mat to the drip pan so after a 18-20 hour BBQ clean up is a breeze. Hope this helps.
Q:
Would you please let me know how long it takes to start up and get to 250? How about 350? Thank you!
Answer: It has a lot to do with the outside temp. but about 20 min. to reach 250 and 10 to 15 more for 350. Hope this helps.
Answer: My best answer here would be approximately 15-20 minutes to 250 deg. and maybe 20 - 35 minutes to 350 deg. All depends on ambient temp and here in Florida it's usually very warm. Generally speaking it's certainly quick enough. Hope that helps.
Answer: About a half hour to 250 , then 15 more for 350. In the winter, it barely can reach 350.
Q:
What is the shell made of? What thickness?
Answer: It is powder coated steel. Pretty heavy duty.
Q:
Does it really take 3 to 5 months to get?
Answer: No
Q:
What is the electrical specs for this grill?
Answer: Standar outlet that you can have in your patio (120 volts, 15 amps)
Answer: Standard 120v plug. Other than starting rod the voltage should be very low
Answer: I would have to look, but I have mine plugged into a 120v outside socket. I believe they draw about three amps.
Answer: You plug it into a standard 120V outlet.
Q:
What is the inside height of this grill? We make a lot of beer can chicken and would like to know if this grill is high enough inside.
Answer: I'm not sure of the exact measurements.. But it is large enough for beer can chicken. My husband has made it several times with this grill/smoker! And for the record my husband LOVES this thing! Best gift I EVER got him!
Answer: The inside height is 9 inches.
Answer: 10.5 if you put the beer can holster right on the plate...9 if you put it on the grate
Answer: I am cooking on mine right now and I love it. It is 9 inches from gate to top. 9 1/2 total there is a lip at the lid line and 24 inches across. I'd say easily fit two birds. I took some pictures with a tape measure but you can post those on here.
Q:
Does this grill come with a cover, like on your own web site
Answer: It does not come with the cover. It is purchased separately for about $35
Answer: The grill cover is separate but well worth it in my opinion
Answer: No you have to buy the grill cover separately
Answer: No. I had to purchase one separately.
Answer: No it does not, We purchased one separately.
Answer: No I purchased it and it is very nice
Answer: No, it does not.
Answer: No it does not
Q:
Can it operate on 220 V in South Africa
Answer: No
Q:
Why so long to get it?
Q:
Is the body of this grill painted or powder coated?
Answer: All of the black components are powder coated, but keep in mind that powder coating is a type of paint. So the answer to your question is yes and yes.
Answer: Mine is painted very nice finish
Answer: Powder coated
Answer: Not sure but it is holding up well.
Q:
Do I have to use the meat probe sensor or can I keep it unplugged? I rather use my wireless temp monitor instead.
Answer: No, the meat probe is not required. It’s a convenience to keep from opening the grill to check for internal meat temp. Your own wireless should be fine.
Answer: No, you do not have to. The meat probe just gives you the ability to see the meat temp on the display of the controller when the button is pressed. It does not use the probe temp for any controls.
Answer: No you don’t have to use the meat probe sensor.
Answer: The smoker works fine without the meat probe. The temperature control for the smoker is separate from the meat temperature probe. That said, no reason why you couldn't use both the wireless and the included smoker meat probe for back up.
Answer: No need to use the built in probe, I use my wireless only
Answer: Totally up to you. Plus the same probe hole can be used for your thermometer.
Q:
is hopper rain proof ?
Answer: It seems reasonably rain proof as the top extends a bit beyond the opening and has a lip on it. I have had a moderate rain on mine and did not notice any moisture in the hopper.
Answer: Absolutely not…slightest rain and pellets are mush at the entrance to the auger. You have to cover it and even that is no guarantee.
Answer: Not for a driving rain, but remember, the pellets enemy is moisture. I purchased a cover for mine.
Answer: Yes, I do have a cover, but have had it rain on me before I got the cover on and had no problems.
Q:
How does extended warranty work?
Q:
Are the cooking grates stainless steel or something else? in the air between this and the silverbac by grilla grills
Answer: Steel, not stainless. And I don't know what silverback or gorilla grills are?
Answer: I want to say they are enamel. Since there isn't a fire it won't burn off. Nothing sticks to them. EVER!. The only thing I feel that is missing from this grill is a wifi controller.
Answer: The cooking grates are non-stick porcelain.
Q:
Can I make wood fired pizza in this?
Answer: Yes, you are able to cook a pizza in the PG24.
Answer: I have not, but I would think you could. It gets hot enough. The only thing to decide is whether or not to put the pizza directly on the grill or use a pan/tray.
Answer: Yup. Make sure you use a pizza stone.
Answer: I have done pizza and it came out very tasty
Answer: Yes and it is our favorite to cook on the smoker.. We have 2 stones because it is a hit for cook outs.
Answer: I would say yes. Turn on high let it get up to temperature.
Q:
Can I grill burger and hot dogs?
Answer: Once you try smoked hotdogs you won’t want to eat them any other way!
Answer: Hamburgers yes I have not tried any hotdogs yet
Q:
Red or blue led display?
Answer: Mine arrived today. It has blue LED with two meat probe inputs.
Answer: red
Q:
Have prob with getting to 250* f in smkyjo due to no insul. @ 20* f ambient.. any prob with this camp chef?
Answer: I live in N. Montana and used my Camp Chef all last winter without any added insulation. I was worried about the same thing but have been very pleased using in cold weather. Highly recommend it... Would totally buy it over and over. Just happy with the product.
Answer: I'm not sure. Haven't used it in cold weather as of yet! So far I have had great luck with the camp chef! But try getting ahold of the dealer directly. Good luck
Q:
what are the total grill dimensions
Answer: From what I can find it says its 47.5 inches tall, 50 inches wide, and 20.5 inches depth.
Q:
Can you really grill a steak and burgers on this thing in addition to smoking? How hot will it get and how long does it take to get there.
Q:
Has anyone had issues with the heating rod not getting hot enough to get the temperature up? Just purchased and can't get above 90 degrees after 30mn
Answer: I haven't had any heating problem. If the initial auger fill process was followed and it won't gain temperature I would call call or email Camp Chef customer service. I have had very good luck with them.
Answer: I've had mine for about 6 weeks. Yesterday I cranked it to 450 and it reached and held. Camp Chef has a live person help team on their web site through instant messaging. They can help you quickly.
Answer: So far I'm not having that issue Sounds like you need to call camp chef on that problem.
Answer: No Jeff ,it sounds like you might have something wrong with your grill. I have run mine in some pretty cold weather with no problems.
Answer: Did you open the ash clean out in the start up or did you push the start bypass button
Q:
Can you supplement this with additional wood chunks to generate extra smoke? Seems there's some criticism that it doesn't inject a heavy smoke flavor.
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: No you can't supplement with wood chunks. Get a smoke tube if you want more smoke, but in my opinion this smoker puts out more than enough smoke. I've had my PG24DLX for over a year. I like it so much I bought a 2nd one the PG24SE. Buy it, you won't be sorry
Answer: It is not set up to put chunks of wood in it. I have been using this grill for an entire summer, and have yet to cook something without smoke flavor. I can put a smoke ring in any kind of meat I cook, along with the smoke flavor.
Answer: I have seen some people put chunks of wood underneath the drip tray but idk how well or if it works. You can buy a smoke tube, there is a large variety, that will add extra smoke if you wish.
Answer: NO! This is a pellet grill so it only burns pellets which travel from the hopper to the igniter. It has a high smoke setting which gets pretty Smokey. If you want more, suggest you try different pellet varieties, or extend your smoking duration.
Answer: Yes as much as you can supplement any grill with additional smoke.
Answer: You can get a smoke tube and use the same pellets. I use the high smoke setting and for me that is good
Q:
Does extended warranty run concurrent with factory or does it start after factory?
Answer: I never buy extended warranties. Sorry.
Q:
do you have to have electricity to use these BBQs?
Answer: Yes. It works on Electricity. The pellets are moved to the BBQ via electricity.
Answer: Good day! Unfortunately you do have to use electricity to use these grills. However this has been the best grilling experience I have had using this grill. Worth the electrical tether!
Answer: Hi,
Answer: Yes. The system uses electricity to feed the pellets and also ignite them.
Answer: YES, BUT IF YOURE LOOKING FOR SMOKE FLAVORED MEATS, DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PRODUCT. IT COOKS WELL, BUT DOES NOT PUT ANY SMOKE FLAVOR IN ANYTHING YOU COOK. IVE TRIED 13 DIFFERENT PELLETS, AND COOKED ON "HIGH SMOKE" SETTING FOR 16 HOURS AND ABSOLUTELY ZERO SMOKE FLAVOR. THE FOOD WILL COME OUT TASTING EXACTLY AS IF YOU USED YOUR INDOOR OVEN. DONT LET ANY OTHER REVIEWS FOOL YOU. THE PRODUCT "COOKS" VERY NICELY, BUT DOES NOT "SMOKE"! I PURCHASED AN OFFSET SMOKER FOR 1/3 THE PRICE AND IT WORKS SOOOO MUCH BETTER IN TERMS OF SMOKE FLAVOR.
Answer: Yes
Q:
What temperature does lo smoke and hi smoke smoke at? Are the higher temp settings just for cooking or do they produce smoke as well?
Answer: Low smoke is 175 high smoke is 225. Higher temps produce smoke also.
Q:
Does this have a top rack as well?
Answer: Yes. has small top rack
Answer: Yes
Q:
If I order this product, will it be the updated 2019 version?
Answer: Don’t know. What is the difference supposed to be?
Q:
What is the length
Answer: Sorry for not getting back sooner I was out of town.
Answer: Fully assembled width is 50" x 24" deep. The cooking area is 24" wide x 19" deep. This is a great smoker
Answer: 51"
Q:
Since stainless and this one are about same price in hind site which model would you choose?
Answer: There wasn't a stainless option when I bought mine or I would had bought it. Easier to clean and no rust. It may turn blue around the heat. No big deal though. Go for it
Answer: Watch YouTube video buy tonybuddy123 for stainless version with is woodwind grill buy Camp Chef
Answer: I'm not sure of the difference in price ( did not know that head a stainless version) but I will say that I am very happy with mine!! Love it, and it continues to perform as it is supposed to.
Answer: I don't think you can go wrong with either one....I have several grills---I did ribs on Chef Pro first time---best ribs that ever passed my lips.
Q:
Can the PG24 be used with an inverter, and if so, how many watts?
Answer: If you look at the manual, you'll see that the internal fuse is rated for 5A (i.e. 120V x 5A ~ 600W). It's probably no more than that. There's just a simple control board, wood pellet lighter (which is off most of the time), blower fan and auger motor.
Answer: I really don't know. Sorry.
Q:
Is the sear box available using natural das rather than propane?
Answer: I only use propane, however, natural gas can be used
Q:
are there instructions for attaching the sear box?
Answer: Yes. The way to attach it is very simple with four bolts that are attached through pre-drilled holes.
Answer: Yes, full instructions plus smoking instructions.
Answer: Yes. It’s quite obvious. But the entire smoker assembly is easier with 2 people.
Answer: Yes. Fully explained. Easy.
Answer: Yes
Answer: Yes
Q:
Do these units have an electric blower to move the smoke around like a Traeger?
Answer: Yes. It has a convection style fan to help regulate the temperature inside the cooking chamber. It also has Camp Chef's patented ash clean-out system that no other pellet grill has. That way you don't have to use a shop vac to clean it out after every cook.
Answer: Yes. It will vary the speed to maintain cooking temperature
Answer: Yes my camp chef does have a fan and it seems to work very well
Q:
My friend has a green mountain daniel boon, his thermostat goes up in 5 degree incremints, this one goes up in 25 degree incremints, which is better?
Q:
where does all the grease go while cooking?
Answer: Runs down on a tray that slants for grease to flow into a small bucket that hangs on the outside o the smoker. Very good drainage system.
Answer: in the grease trap can
Answer: In a bucket(included) hanging on the right side of the grill
Answer: in the little bucket hanging off the side
Q:
Side burner - can i convert to natural gas?
Answer: Not sure, it doesn't have a pilot light or face so I'm not sure.
Product reviews of Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill w/New PID Gen 2 Digital Controller - Bronze
Kristina : Damage, Defects, and Disappointment
I was so excited for this, which may lead to more disappointment when it doesn't meet expectations.
It arrived with a bent side shelf, i ordered the sear box so i planned to replace it, but for the price it should not have come like that.
Then during assembly all screw holes were not drilled out at factory and i had to drill my own holes to make it work, but for the price it should not have come like that.
There were no rubber washers for the handle on the pellet box, didn't think much of it till i turned it one and it was a very annoying buzz from vibrations, i will need to fabricate my own to make it work, for the price it should not have come like that.
then came cooking time...i smoked a whole chicken fist day i got it at 300 for 2 hours, i followed all instructions for operation and there was barely any smoke during the cook, and i was very disappointed the final product had little to no smoke flavor at all.
I bought a "smoker" that doesn't even smoke...
It arrived with a bent side shelf, i ordered the sear box so i planned to replace it, but for the price it should not have come like that.
Then during assembly all screw holes were not drilled out at factory and i had to drill my own holes to make it work, but for the price it should not have come like that.
There were no rubber washers for the handle on the pellet box, didn't think much of it till i turned it one and it was a very annoying buzz from vibrations, i will need to fabricate my own to make it work, for the price it should not have come like that.
then came cooking time...i smoked a whole chicken fist day i got it at 300 for 2 hours, i followed all instructions for operation and there was barely any smoke during the cook, and i was very disappointed the final product had little to no smoke flavor at all.
I bought a "smoker" that doesn't even smoke...
SeaBass : Good, but not great at this price point
I want to love this smoker but there have been too many issues for a smoker in this price range. I will say that they have had great customer service, a quick email and photo of the damaged part and I had a new one on the way the same day. These are the issues I'm running into:
1. Too many instances of the temperature inexplicably dropping in the middle of a smoke, forcing me to take off my meat and finish it in the oven (which for my brisket may have been a blessing in disguise, turned out fantastic). I've followed the instructions to a T and there was plenty of pellets in the bin so I still can't troubleshoot the cause. Hopefully customer service can help me with this one.
2. Defective parts: I had a few parts that were defective. One part was clearly bent from shipping but the other was the chimney ring which is a welded piece of steel and had to have been from the factory that way.
3. Not well insulated: The smoke escapes from a multitude of areas on the smoker besides the chimney. On a windy day, this will drastically impact your smoke temp fluctuations. I did buy some insulation for around the lid which helped dramatically but still, at this price point it's something that should be done right from the factory to make it a better product.
4. Built-in thermometer did not work. Luckily I had already purchased a Bluetooth thermometer so I don't use it anyway. But again, at this price point, really?
Overall I like this smoker when it functions properly. I would say about 50% of the time the thing just gives up midway through a smoke and I'm forced to finish in the oven. If Camp Chef is able to troubleshoot this and get it running 100%, I will update my review.
1. Too many instances of the temperature inexplicably dropping in the middle of a smoke, forcing me to take off my meat and finish it in the oven (which for my brisket may have been a blessing in disguise, turned out fantastic). I've followed the instructions to a T and there was plenty of pellets in the bin so I still can't troubleshoot the cause. Hopefully customer service can help me with this one.
2. Defective parts: I had a few parts that were defective. One part was clearly bent from shipping but the other was the chimney ring which is a welded piece of steel and had to have been from the factory that way.
3. Not well insulated: The smoke escapes from a multitude of areas on the smoker besides the chimney. On a windy day, this will drastically impact your smoke temp fluctuations. I did buy some insulation for around the lid which helped dramatically but still, at this price point it's something that should be done right from the factory to make it a better product.
4. Built-in thermometer did not work. Luckily I had already purchased a Bluetooth thermometer so I don't use it anyway. But again, at this price point, really?
Overall I like this smoker when it functions properly. I would say about 50% of the time the thing just gives up midway through a smoke and I'm forced to finish in the oven. If Camp Chef is able to troubleshoot this and get it running 100%, I will update my review.
Rick Hall : Goes together great. It all stops there and nothing works like it should. I want my Traeger back!!!
It would seem the people who make this Ouija Board of pellet grills put all their Rubles into making it easy to put together, but hardly any into making it work. The controller genuinely sucks! I've read the manual several times and the controller never does what the manual says it should. I hate to think I got rid of my Traeger for this possessed POS! Now to add insult to injury to this companies customers, they are not open on the weekends and while they are open until 8 or 8:30 Monday through Thursday they close all customer service at 5 or 5:30 on Friday. Now, when does the most grilling go on in most states of the Union? Yep, the weekends! When are they closed? Yep, the weekends! How utterly ignorant is that??? And who ever set those hours must have also written the manual as it sucks worse than the controller does. This thing goes together so nicely, and then does NOTHING RIGHT!!!!! I can't even make it burn the oil off the innards by taking it to 350 for 30 minutes as every time it goes up, about the time it gets to 300 down it comes, with that wonderful burnt oil smell in the air to let me know it's not burnt off yet and likely will never be. But of course, even if that oil did get burnt off, how would I cook on this aberration of a pellet grill when the temp keeps crashing? I'm sure that's because once I Start I can't go back to the Temp set. And if I do the temp set first, I can't start. How great is that?? You can never wear these out since they can't be used!! Genius! I'm sure this had to have been made in some country with no work ethic. Don't worry about the warranty. Just send me a Traeger!
Kristina : Damage, Defects, and Disappointment
I was so excited for this, which may lead to more disappointment when it doesn't meet expectations.
It arrived with a bent side shelf, i ordered the sear box so i planned to replace it, but for the price it should not have come like that.
Then during assembly all screw holes were not drilled out at factory and i had to drill my own holes to make it work, but for the price it should not have come like that.
There were no rubber washers for the handle on the pellet box, didn't think much of it till i turned it one and it was a very annoying buzz from vibrations, i will need to fabricate my own to make it work, for the price it should not have come like that.
then came cooking time...i smoked a whole chicken fist day i got it at 300 for 2 hours, i followed all instructions for operation and there was barely any smoke during the cook, and i was very disappointed the final product had little to no smoke flavor at all.
I bought a "smoker" that doesn't even smoke...
It arrived with a bent side shelf, i ordered the sear box so i planned to replace it, but for the price it should not have come like that.
Then during assembly all screw holes were not drilled out at factory and i had to drill my own holes to make it work, but for the price it should not have come like that.
There were no rubber washers for the handle on the pellet box, didn't think much of it till i turned it one and it was a very annoying buzz from vibrations, i will need to fabricate my own to make it work, for the price it should not have come like that.
then came cooking time...i smoked a whole chicken fist day i got it at 300 for 2 hours, i followed all instructions for operation and there was barely any smoke during the cook, and i was very disappointed the final product had little to no smoke flavor at all.
I bought a "smoker" that doesn't even smoke...
Brian : Beware!
I purchased this grill in November of last year and absolutely fell in love with it. Great for smoking, grilling, everything. Easy to keep clean. I own a local catering company and even spoke highly of this grill in a magazine article published in my hometown about home grilling. Then, about a month ago, I ran out of pellets while starting up the machine. I added pellets, switched it over to feed and waited to hear the pellets feed. Once they did, I cranked it up and went into the house to prep the rest of my meal. Luckily, I had a window above my sink and saw the over-abundance of smoke. I rushed outside and smoke was pouring out of the spout near the drain bucket. Foolishly, I opened the lid and the entire grill exploded in flames, singeing my arms and face. As the unit was under my soffit I acted fast and had to drag the unit away from the house without burning myself further. I watched as the paint bubbled and flaked into the air.
This wasn’t really the worst part.
I dutifully took pictures and called the company the next day. After being redirected to a warranty claim form I was emailed a week or so later. The company claims that, even though I know my unit was cleaned regularly and wasn’t even old enough to have a big enough buildup of any debris for this to happen, their unit wouldn’t have caught fire like this and the finish isn’t covered under warranty. The finish. On the grill used as directed. That turned into a burning fireball against the side of my home and burned my hair and skin. Wasn’t covered by warranty. Now I have a rust box. And a story for anyone that considers buying Camp Chef. This is one of 4 Camp Chef grills I own, but will never buy another one.
Thanks for letting a fella down, Camp Chef.
This wasn’t really the worst part.
I dutifully took pictures and called the company the next day. After being redirected to a warranty claim form I was emailed a week or so later. The company claims that, even though I know my unit was cleaned regularly and wasn’t even old enough to have a big enough buildup of any debris for this to happen, their unit wouldn’t have caught fire like this and the finish isn’t covered under warranty. The finish. On the grill used as directed. That turned into a burning fireball against the side of my home and burned my hair and skin. Wasn’t covered by warranty. Now I have a rust box. And a story for anyone that considers buying Camp Chef. This is one of 4 Camp Chef grills I own, but will never buy another one.
Thanks for letting a fella down, Camp Chef.
Kelly Z : Look no further, buy this one!
It took a long time for me to pull the trigger on this order. I wanted my first pellet grill to be perfect. I'm really happy I made this purchase. It came ahead of schedule. It was easy to assemble and it looked gorgeous once put together.
I did a few cooks on it so far and had no issues using it. The temperature control is on point. Most importantly, food turned out amazing! This is a wonderful must have if you don't have a pellet grill yet!
I did a few cooks on it so far and had no issues using it. The temperature control is on point. Most importantly, food turned out amazing! This is a wonderful must have if you don't have a pellet grill yet!
L. K. Harris : DONT BUY IT. MAJOR DANGER
Do not buy this. After putting together I turned it on. After about 20 minutes of warming up, the top flew open. If I was next to it, it would have knocked me out or worse.
After waiting more than a week for a response from customer service, I finally got help.
After cooking on it once, major issues occurred.
After setting temperature to 250, I closed the lid and went inside. All of the sudden, I hear a huge bang, looked through the window and the door had flown open again with flames coming out. I ran outside and temp was up to 450. Unplugged and now will be ready to be picked up by trash man.
No Fourth of July BBQ for us. Just BS.
Horrible dangerous fire and injury hazard. TERRIBLE.
Get this off of the market.
After waiting more than a week for a response from customer service, I finally got help.
After cooking on it once, major issues occurred.
After setting temperature to 250, I closed the lid and went inside. All of the sudden, I hear a huge bang, looked through the window and the door had flown open again with flames coming out. I ran outside and temp was up to 450. Unplugged and now will be ready to be picked up by trash man.
No Fourth of July BBQ for us. Just BS.
Horrible dangerous fire and injury hazard. TERRIBLE.
Get this off of the market.
Bob D : Easy to use and get great results
I have had my Camp Chef DLX for just over a month now and I love it. It is very easy to use and get great results. Being able to set your temp and walk away for an hour or more at a time knowing that the temperature will be automatically maintained is awesome. Using it as a grill will take some getting used to as mine peaks about 460 degrees with the lid closed. I will definitely be adding the sear box in the future. I have grilled multiple times now. Best thing is no flare up due to the design of the grill.
I have smoked chicken, ribs and a pork shoulder so far and all turned out amazing, especially considering that it was the first time I had done them. There are tons of youtube videos to show you how to smoke and cook with a pellet grill.
With the correct prep the grill is simple to clean. I put foil over the drip pan before I fire it up and I am good to go. The Camp Chef has a way to dump the ash from the burner pot without having to take the grill apart. Once the grill has cooled down I remove the foil from the drip pan and fold the dirty side in leaving an opening for the ash from the burner pot. I then dump the ash from the burner pot (only do this from a grill that has gone through the shut down mode and cooled off) into the cup underneath, then remove the cup and dump it in the 'pocket' I left in the foil and then trash the foil. Without this feature you would need to take the grill apart and expose the burner pot so it can be vacuumed out.
The biggest thing with a pellet grill (or any smoker) is that you have to be patient with your cooking. The pork shoulder was about 14 hours from the time I started preparation until it was shredded and ready to eat. With some patience and planning you can make some wonderful meals with a pellet grill.
I have smoked chicken, ribs and a pork shoulder so far and all turned out amazing, especially considering that it was the first time I had done them. There are tons of youtube videos to show you how to smoke and cook with a pellet grill.
With the correct prep the grill is simple to clean. I put foil over the drip pan before I fire it up and I am good to go. The Camp Chef has a way to dump the ash from the burner pot without having to take the grill apart. Once the grill has cooled down I remove the foil from the drip pan and fold the dirty side in leaving an opening for the ash from the burner pot. I then dump the ash from the burner pot (only do this from a grill that has gone through the shut down mode and cooled off) into the cup underneath, then remove the cup and dump it in the 'pocket' I left in the foil and then trash the foil. Without this feature you would need to take the grill apart and expose the burner pot so it can be vacuumed out.
The biggest thing with a pellet grill (or any smoker) is that you have to be patient with your cooking. The pork shoulder was about 14 hours from the time I started preparation until it was shredded and ready to eat. With some patience and planning you can make some wonderful meals with a pellet grill.
Paul H. : Excellent performance, better than Traeger
I bought the Camp Chef after doing a lot of research and couldn't be happier with my purchase. Assembly was easy, operation is a snap, and once broken in, the flavor it imparts is excellent. Two features that this smoker has that a Traeger that I own does not have are the pellet clearing mechanism that allows you to change out different flavors of pellet easily and most importantly, the ash bucket device that allows for simple ash removal...with my Traeger, I have to pull the grills and grease plate out to get the ash out, and it's a pain. With the camp Chef, you just detach the ash bucket and dump it. I strongly recommend you purchase the optional sear box that is available with this model. I actually use it more than the smoker ... it is capable of reaching a very high temperature and thus sears steaks and burgers perfectly. I couldn't be happier with this purchase.
C. Popoli : Smoker is great, shipping is awful
The smoker is great, works flawlessly, temp controls are spot on, easy to assemble. Clean out is a snap. Cooks consistently and food is amazing. Being able to turn it on and let it go is life changing from charcoal and wood smokers. For the money, this has so many features compared to the big name. Also, the build quality is great! Highly recommend the smoker!
Shipping however...the worst! If you’re interested in this smoker, buy it from a local store. It arrived bent, with a large dent on the side and with the side shelf bent. Also the lid dint close all the way. Took some creative work with a rubber mallet and a hammer to fix. I was stuck, as we were planning to use it for thanksgiving, I couldn’t return it. UPS was late by a day, couldn’t track it in process, many calls to UPS and a trip to the sorting facility to pick up up myself (couldn’t in spite of being told I could) then to have it arrive damaged! Honestly, all my future purchases will be though brick and mortar stores from now on. I’m done with shipping through amazon and UPS. Happened too often things are broken or lost.
Shipping however...the worst! If you’re interested in this smoker, buy it from a local store. It arrived bent, with a large dent on the side and with the side shelf bent. Also the lid dint close all the way. Took some creative work with a rubber mallet and a hammer to fix. I was stuck, as we were planning to use it for thanksgiving, I couldn’t return it. UPS was late by a day, couldn’t track it in process, many calls to UPS and a trip to the sorting facility to pick up up myself (couldn’t in spite of being told I could) then to have it arrive damaged! Honestly, all my future purchases will be though brick and mortar stores from now on. I’m done with shipping through amazon and UPS. Happened too often things are broken or lost.
Phil F. : Never going back to gas
Had an LP grill for years. Added an electric smoker a few years back. Both decided to crap out late last year. Researched different combo units for a few months, then pulled the trigger on this one when it went on sale. Couldn't be happier. Wife and daughter assembled the unit in under an hour. Easy to start and use. Temperature stays stable for the most part as long as there isn't a 20 plus mph wind. Meat probes read about 5-7 degrees lower than actual, but that can be accounted for. Have done ribs, loins, chicken, pizza, burgers...smoked food, grilled food.....you name it and they have all come out excellent. Not much for sear as is the case with all pellet grills, but the kids don't like it that way regardless. Overall, very pleased.
Justin W : Fantastic grill for the money
I think a lot of reviewers here don't have enough experience in pellet grilling to recognize how many features are packed into this unit for the money. I'm not going to talk about the usual advantages of pellet grilling in general in this review (i.e., clean flavor, "set and forget", less ash,). Instead, I'm going to focus on what makes this one uniquely better than the other grills in it's class.
-Trap door for easy burn pot clean out every cook (if this was the only special feature, it would be enough!) Anybody who has cleaned out a pellet grill before knows how big a deal this is. The only other pellet grill company that offers a feature like this costs twice as much as the camp chef!
-The controller is exceptional: built in cool down function, high and low smoke settings, pellet prime for charging auger
-Built in digital meat probe!
-Built in meat probe port so you don't have to run you probe wires under the lid.
-EXTREMELY efficient on pellets.
-power outage bypass! When the power goes out mid cook, you can bypass the relight feature to save wear and tear on your hot rod (These guys really did their homework!)
-Smoke stack in the back means you have work space on the right hand side! So simple yet such a smart design choice.
-Squared off back side of grill creates more space inside the grill to actually use your upper grill rack without being cramped!
Cons.
-Warranty-(Forgive my soapbox here, folks.) I'd give it 5 stars if Camp Chef would give it a real warranty. One year is pathetic and WAY below the industry standard. Camp Chef, I know you are reading this because you guys are too excited about your great new product to not pay attention to feedback like this. Nut up and stand behind your awesome product. Why would anybody buy a product from an industry newcomer with no track record when you yourself are only willing to stand behind it for 1 lousy year?... Especially when the "industry leader" will guarantee their product for 3 years?!?! You are communicating that you have 1/3rd the amount of trust in your product that Traeger does. That's terrible! You should exceed what they are offering just to make the point in the industry! At a minimum, you should at least match their warranty just so it doesn't become a stumbling block to potential customers. Look, you basically took the lil tex and said "ok boys, so how can we make this better?!?" You did that! You totally knocked it out the park! Why cheap out with the warranty?!? As a customer, it makes me nervous that you know something I don't.
In summary, this grill is a great for the money! This may be Camp Chef's first attempt at making a pellet grill but they did their homework and they came to play. I predict this grill will take over the market if they keep up the great ideas and if they implement a longer warranty that shows they actually believe in their fantastic product.
***Update: 11/2014: It's been a year now and I still adore this little grill. I've got a kamado and 3 different kettles and this is by far the most convenient and easy to use. The smoke rings this guy puts on a brisket are amazing and the flavor is the perfect balance of wood flavor without overpowering the meat. I've researched about 15 different pellet grills and I still can't find a better value than what this grill offers
****Update 12/2014: So I finally found something negative to report. Today I was cooking 2 pork butts and a brisket and discovered that this grill does not do well with wind on a brisk day (It was 45 degrees here today). When set at 250 degree, the smoker could barely make it up to 190 degrees. I was able to bypass the problem by throwing a cheap moving blanket over the grill (an $8 fix) but I think it's worth noting.
-Trap door for easy burn pot clean out every cook (if this was the only special feature, it would be enough!) Anybody who has cleaned out a pellet grill before knows how big a deal this is. The only other pellet grill company that offers a feature like this costs twice as much as the camp chef!
-The controller is exceptional: built in cool down function, high and low smoke settings, pellet prime for charging auger
-Built in digital meat probe!
-Built in meat probe port so you don't have to run you probe wires under the lid.
-EXTREMELY efficient on pellets.
-power outage bypass! When the power goes out mid cook, you can bypass the relight feature to save wear and tear on your hot rod (These guys really did their homework!)
-Smoke stack in the back means you have work space on the right hand side! So simple yet such a smart design choice.
-Squared off back side of grill creates more space inside the grill to actually use your upper grill rack without being cramped!
Cons.
-Warranty-(Forgive my soapbox here, folks.) I'd give it 5 stars if Camp Chef would give it a real warranty. One year is pathetic and WAY below the industry standard. Camp Chef, I know you are reading this because you guys are too excited about your great new product to not pay attention to feedback like this. Nut up and stand behind your awesome product. Why would anybody buy a product from an industry newcomer with no track record when you yourself are only willing to stand behind it for 1 lousy year?... Especially when the "industry leader" will guarantee their product for 3 years?!?! You are communicating that you have 1/3rd the amount of trust in your product that Traeger does. That's terrible! You should exceed what they are offering just to make the point in the industry! At a minimum, you should at least match their warranty just so it doesn't become a stumbling block to potential customers. Look, you basically took the lil tex and said "ok boys, so how can we make this better?!?" You did that! You totally knocked it out the park! Why cheap out with the warranty?!? As a customer, it makes me nervous that you know something I don't.
In summary, this grill is a great for the money! This may be Camp Chef's first attempt at making a pellet grill but they did their homework and they came to play. I predict this grill will take over the market if they keep up the great ideas and if they implement a longer warranty that shows they actually believe in their fantastic product.
***Update: 11/2014: It's been a year now and I still adore this little grill. I've got a kamado and 3 different kettles and this is by far the most convenient and easy to use. The smoke rings this guy puts on a brisket are amazing and the flavor is the perfect balance of wood flavor without overpowering the meat. I've researched about 15 different pellet grills and I still can't find a better value than what this grill offers
****Update 12/2014: So I finally found something negative to report. Today I was cooking 2 pork butts and a brisket and discovered that this grill does not do well with wind on a brisk day (It was 45 degrees here today). When set at 250 degree, the smoker could barely make it up to 190 degrees. I was able to bypass the problem by throwing a cheap moving blanket over the grill (an $8 fix) but I think it's worth noting.
nobail4u : Get this new Camp Chef Smoker/Grill!
Move over Traeger!...Just received my new Camp Chef PG24S from Outdoor Cooking via Amazon. As you can see, I asked a ton of questions before I actually ordered. I will be able to finally clarify ALL of the things that I asked about and got unclear answers. I am very happy to say, this smoker/grill is a game changer. Especially in it's price range. You can easily spend $1400 on a smoker/grill and not get any of the features this wonderful gem has. 1. This is a EXCLUSIVE model built just for Outdoor Cooking. 2. Stainless embossed lid, hopper lid and stack cap. 3. Very sturdy construction...every bit as solid as my Traeger Lil Tex. Limited Edition which also came with the stainless goodies. 4. Built in probe for meat temperature. The badging on the lid is "Smoke Pro". 5. Two of the handiest features that the spendy smoker/grills do not have. The hopper can be emptied of pellets with thru a chute located at the bottom rear. This is activated by a knob that you simply pull. No more dreaded scooping out left over pellets that you want to change out to a different flavor. The second addition is a pellet ash cleanout from the burner. The burnt pellet ash is now dropped into a removable ash cup for disposal! No more vaccuming out the burn pot. You will still have to tend to ash residue in the barrel, but that is normal cleanup anyway. 6. During my initial "burn in" of the smoker, I set it to 350 degrees on the dial. As it reached 348 degrees, it held that temperature for nearly 30 minutes without bouncing! My Traeger would sway up and down 6-8 degrees constantly. I cannot wait to actually put this through the trenches with smoked pork butts, ribs and brisket. So far, I am extremely pleased with my purchase.
DA : I feel like I'm cheating
Man, where has this thing been my adult life?!? I've had this for several months now, and it replaced a Bradley Smoker, that I was just fed up with as it wouldnt cycle the wood pucks. I've done a brisket, ribs, pork shoulder/pulled pork, beef jerky, chicken wings, burgers, you name it. Everything has turned out fantastic, so much so, I feel like I'm cheating. I may get the add-on sear-box attachment and just ditch my gas grill this thing is so awesome. Worth every penny, I did lots of research when I started looking at pellet grills and let me tell you, the added little bonuses that this thing has compared to the other (even more expensive ones) are totally worth it. The hopper and fire-box clean-out are fantastic and make clean-up/storage a cinch. Cant wait till the weather warms up some so I can try cooking some other things.
Justin W : Fantastic grill for the money
I think a lot of reviewers here don't have enough experience in pellet grilling to recognize how many features are packed into this unit for the money. I'm not going to talk about the usual advantages of pellet grilling in general in this review (i.e., clean flavor, "set and forget", less ash,). Instead, I'm going to focus on what makes this one uniquely better than the other grills in it's class.
-Trap door for easy burn pot clean out every cook (if this was the only special feature, it would be enough!) Anybody who has cleaned out a pellet grill before knows how big a deal this is. The only other pellet grill company that offers a feature like this costs twice as much as the camp chef!
-The controller is exceptional: built in cool down function, high and low smoke settings, pellet prime for charging auger
-Built in digital meat probe!
-Built in meat probe port so you don't have to run you probe wires under the lid.
-EXTREMELY efficient on pellets.
-power outage bypass! When the power goes out mid cook, you can bypass the relight feature to save wear and tear on your hot rod (These guys really did their homework!)
-Smoke stack in the back means you have work space on the right hand side! So simple yet such a smart design choice.
-Squared off back side of grill creates more space inside the grill to actually use your upper grill rack without being cramped!
Cons.
-Warranty-(Forgive my soapbox here, folks.) I'd give it 5 stars if Camp Chef would give it a real warranty. One year is pathetic and WAY below the industry standard. Camp Chef, I know you are reading this because you guys are too excited about your great new product to not pay attention to feedback like this. Nut up and stand behind your awesome product. Why would anybody buy a product from an industry newcomer with no track record when you yourself are only willing to stand behind it for 1 lousy year?... Especially when the "industry leader" will guarantee their product for 3 years?!?! You are communicating that you have 1/3rd the amount of trust in your product that Traeger does. That's terrible! You should exceed what they are offering just to make the point in the industry! At a minimum, you should at least match their warranty just so it doesn't become a stumbling block to potential customers. Look, you basically took the lil tex and said "ok boys, so how can we make this better?!?" You did that! You totally knocked it out the park! Why cheap out with the warranty?!? As a customer, it makes me nervous that you know something I don't.
In summary, this grill is a great for the money! This may be Camp Chef's first attempt at making a pellet grill but they did their homework and they came to play. I predict this grill will take over the market if they keep up the great ideas and if they implement a longer warranty that shows they actually believe in their fantastic product.
***Update: 11/2014: It's been a year now and I still adore this little grill. I've got a kamado and 3 different kettles and this is by far the most convenient and easy to use. The smoke rings this guy puts on a brisket are amazing and the flavor is the perfect balance of wood flavor without overpowering the meat. I've researched about 15 different pellet grills and I still can't find a better value than what this grill offers
****Update 12/2014: So I finally found something negative to report. Today I was cooking 2 pork butts and a brisket and discovered that this grill does not do well with wind on a brisk day (It was 45 degrees here today). When set at 250 degree, the smoker could barely make it up to 190 degrees. I was able to bypass the problem by throwing a cheap moving blanket over the grill (an $8 fix) but I think it's worth noting.
-Trap door for easy burn pot clean out every cook (if this was the only special feature, it would be enough!) Anybody who has cleaned out a pellet grill before knows how big a deal this is. The only other pellet grill company that offers a feature like this costs twice as much as the camp chef!
-The controller is exceptional: built in cool down function, high and low smoke settings, pellet prime for charging auger
-Built in digital meat probe!
-Built in meat probe port so you don't have to run you probe wires under the lid.
-EXTREMELY efficient on pellets.
-power outage bypass! When the power goes out mid cook, you can bypass the relight feature to save wear and tear on your hot rod (These guys really did their homework!)
-Smoke stack in the back means you have work space on the right hand side! So simple yet such a smart design choice.
-Squared off back side of grill creates more space inside the grill to actually use your upper grill rack without being cramped!
Cons.
-Warranty-(Forgive my soapbox here, folks.) I'd give it 5 stars if Camp Chef would give it a real warranty. One year is pathetic and WAY below the industry standard. Camp Chef, I know you are reading this because you guys are too excited about your great new product to not pay attention to feedback like this. Nut up and stand behind your awesome product. Why would anybody buy a product from an industry newcomer with no track record when you yourself are only willing to stand behind it for 1 lousy year?... Especially when the "industry leader" will guarantee their product for 3 years?!?! You are communicating that you have 1/3rd the amount of trust in your product that Traeger does. That's terrible! You should exceed what they are offering just to make the point in the industry! At a minimum, you should at least match their warranty just so it doesn't become a stumbling block to potential customers. Look, you basically took the lil tex and said "ok boys, so how can we make this better?!?" You did that! You totally knocked it out the park! Why cheap out with the warranty?!? As a customer, it makes me nervous that you know something I don't.
In summary, this grill is a great for the money! This may be Camp Chef's first attempt at making a pellet grill but they did their homework and they came to play. I predict this grill will take over the market if they keep up the great ideas and if they implement a longer warranty that shows they actually believe in their fantastic product.
***Update: 11/2014: It's been a year now and I still adore this little grill. I've got a kamado and 3 different kettles and this is by far the most convenient and easy to use. The smoke rings this guy puts on a brisket are amazing and the flavor is the perfect balance of wood flavor without overpowering the meat. I've researched about 15 different pellet grills and I still can't find a better value than what this grill offers
****Update 12/2014: So I finally found something negative to report. Today I was cooking 2 pork butts and a brisket and discovered that this grill does not do well with wind on a brisk day (It was 45 degrees here today). When set at 250 degree, the smoker could barely make it up to 190 degrees. I was able to bypass the problem by throwing a cheap moving blanket over the grill (an $8 fix) but I think it's worth noting.
suzanne sartorie : Love Love Love this pellet grill
Love this pellet grill. I did a lot of research on different pellet grills and for many reasons I kept ending up on the Camp Chef and I'm very pleased that I did. Having the ash clean-out is a very nice touch and made my friends with other types of pellet grills jealous. This is a very well built and sturdy grill. You won't be disappointed on this grill over others. I also saved $$ over comparable grills.
Shipper was great- received a day earlier than planned. The delivery guy put it right up on my patio so I did nothing but unbox and put together. Instruction video was spot on and the whole thing took maybe an hour.
Shipper was great- received a day earlier than planned. The delivery guy put it right up on my patio so I did nothing but unbox and put together. Instruction video was spot on and the whole thing took maybe an hour.
Jesse : Dud right out of the freaking box!
Unbelievable! What a waste of time. After waitting over 2 weeks to get here, unpacking, and putting this lemon together, I loaded it with pellets, placed it in load, started it up and heating element does NOTHING. I bought a 500 dollar piece of metal that is good for nothing but loading pellets in a cup. I've tried all troubleshooting methods. What a waste. Back to looking for a grill that's not a dud or less than last 2 years.
David : Crazy high temperature swings keep leading to inconsistent cooks
For the price, this smoker is terrible. I've had it about 6 months now. The temperature swing is insane and totally inconsistent.
When you set it to a target temperature there's some fluctuation when the pellets are fed into the burn box. Normal fluctuation should be 10 to 20 degrees +/- depending on the target temperature. Camp chef informed me their standard fluctuation is 30 degrees +/-, however I've had 40, 50 or even 60 degree swings.
I'll have the grill set at 225 (hi smoke) and it would drop to 110 and get as high as 295 to 300. This makes it so inconsistent in the cook that I won't put anything expensive on it. I basically stick to pork butt and spare ribs.
The last pork butt got to 205 too quickly. It was dry and didn't pull apart properly. I'm not sure what brand would be better than this but I would stay away from camp chef.
When you set it to a target temperature there's some fluctuation when the pellets are fed into the burn box. Normal fluctuation should be 10 to 20 degrees +/- depending on the target temperature. Camp chef informed me their standard fluctuation is 30 degrees +/-, however I've had 40, 50 or even 60 degree swings.
I'll have the grill set at 225 (hi smoke) and it would drop to 110 and get as high as 295 to 300. This makes it so inconsistent in the cook that I won't put anything expensive on it. I basically stick to pork butt and spare ribs.
The last pork butt got to 205 too quickly. It was dry and didn't pull apart properly. I'm not sure what brand would be better than this but I would stay away from camp chef.
norwestie : The Camp Chef is almost as good as the (now) $2500 MAK and much better than ...
I’ve owned several pellet grills over the last 15 years. I’ve had Traeger (US made and Chinese), Green Mountain Grill, CharGriller and MAK. The Camp Chef is almost as good as the (now) $2500 MAK and much better than the other brands in maintaining temperatures and inducing a smoky flavor. Cleanup is easy and the quality of construction is very good. I love the easy dump switch for changing pellets and the way the burn pot can be cleaned out without disassembling the whole unit.
Glen : Fantastic.
Fantastic. This is the first pellet grill I have owned. I do bbq quite often, and have wanted a pellet grill/smoker for a long time. After reading reviews and researching the many grills out there I chose this one and what a choice. Just smoked some pulled pork and with little to no effort I am a chef????. Took about 30 minutes to put together. I highly recommend this grill!!
Johnny : After a long search/review, this is the one to get
After a week of reviewing the different models and options, this one was my choice. I can tell you that I was not let down. This grill is amazing. From low and slow, to 350-500 degree "oven" cooking, you cannot go wrong with this grill. I have cooked rib roasts, a turkey, ribs and many others in this grill. It bakes bread wonderfully, and the "low and slow" at 220 HI SMOKE is, well, just superb! Read up, find the best out there. You will be back here, and will want to get this one.
Sara Downer : Best Value
amazon price is $200 less than everyone else that was the main thing that drew me to this model specifically. did some burgers the first day and then just finished a brisket today. both turned out great in fact my first time ever smoking a brisket and it was amazing. even at the "regular" price of $699 this grill is a good buy based on the features it has that compare to more expensive models. the fact it is compatible with the sear burner is nice so you can add it later if you want and save a few hundred if you don't want it. Great grill for the money and it imparts a nice smoke flavor and all you need to do is flip a switch. Buy with confidence. Couple parts were damaged from shipping. Camp Chef customer service is amazing and got replacements in the mail immediately.
Blake W. Hiatt : Great Grill, great food!
I did a ton of research before settling on the Camp Chef pellet grill. So far, the grill has exceeded my expectations by a wide margin.
I'm very experienced with gas grills and after my gas grill started getting a bit long in the tooth, I decided to look at other grills, initially thinking I would simply get another gas grill.
However, a co-worker suggested I look into pellet grills and briefly explained how they are set up with electronic controls that regulate the temperature.
Intrigued, I started doing some research. Boy, are there a lot of pellet grills out there! But, in the end, the Camp Chef was the clear choice for this pellet grill neophyte. Even my experienced co-worker admitted the ash cleanout on the bottom is a great feature and he wished his much more expensive unit had that feature.
So far, I've done country ribs, whole chickens. prime rib, brats, meatloaf, stuffed pork chops and Mac & Cheese. (I use a Camp Chef Turkey Cannon infuser for whole chickens. It's too tall for the grill if the rack is in the Camp Chef. No bother, remove the rack and put the infuser directly on the drip pan. I put the infuser base in a pan to catch the drippings)
I forgot to mention, I purchased a stainless steel pan specifically for use with the grill.
One thing that took me a bit to learn, though there is plenty of information available, is the amount of time it takes to do a good smoke. Generally, I run mine at high smoke for a couple of hours then turn it up to 375 for the last little bit. I also do the initial smoke in a pan (keeps things moist) then move to the regular rack at higher heat.
My wife loves everything I've made so far and I enjoy putting things together for us to eat. All in all, it's a great culinary adventure and a great way to expand ones cooking horizons.
I did a lot of price research and I could not beat the price on Amazon, being as it included delivery. I could have purchased locally, for the same price as I paid on Amazon but then I would have been stuck wrestling the box in and out of my vehicle.
The Camp Chef came well boxed and the packaging was designed to aid assembly. Pull the top off the box, cut the tape holding the sides, the sides of the box fall down, roll the grill on its back, bolt on the legs, stand the grill up, attach everything else.
I had a bit of trouble removing the heat distribution plate so I could get everything positioned, but in the end, everything worked.
The built in heat probe failed almost immediately, but, the failure was probably due to user error. I've not contacted Camp Chef for replacement, because I've another electronic thermometer that sends a readout directly to a hand held unit in the kitchen. So, I've no reason to want or need to replace the temperature probe.
Great grill. Nothing like tossing something on a grill and forgetting about it for a two or three hours. And the taste is beyond belief.
For those who wonder about the cost of pellets, I suggest keeping an eye on Amazon. Generally, one can find good pellets for around $17 per 20#, delivered, which certainly beats running all over town looking for pellets.
Also, don't be afraid to experiment! If it's ovenable, it's grillable!
I'm very experienced with gas grills and after my gas grill started getting a bit long in the tooth, I decided to look at other grills, initially thinking I would simply get another gas grill.
However, a co-worker suggested I look into pellet grills and briefly explained how they are set up with electronic controls that regulate the temperature.
Intrigued, I started doing some research. Boy, are there a lot of pellet grills out there! But, in the end, the Camp Chef was the clear choice for this pellet grill neophyte. Even my experienced co-worker admitted the ash cleanout on the bottom is a great feature and he wished his much more expensive unit had that feature.
So far, I've done country ribs, whole chickens. prime rib, brats, meatloaf, stuffed pork chops and Mac & Cheese. (I use a Camp Chef Turkey Cannon infuser for whole chickens. It's too tall for the grill if the rack is in the Camp Chef. No bother, remove the rack and put the infuser directly on the drip pan. I put the infuser base in a pan to catch the drippings)
I forgot to mention, I purchased a stainless steel pan specifically for use with the grill.
One thing that took me a bit to learn, though there is plenty of information available, is the amount of time it takes to do a good smoke. Generally, I run mine at high smoke for a couple of hours then turn it up to 375 for the last little bit. I also do the initial smoke in a pan (keeps things moist) then move to the regular rack at higher heat.
My wife loves everything I've made so far and I enjoy putting things together for us to eat. All in all, it's a great culinary adventure and a great way to expand ones cooking horizons.
I did a lot of price research and I could not beat the price on Amazon, being as it included delivery. I could have purchased locally, for the same price as I paid on Amazon but then I would have been stuck wrestling the box in and out of my vehicle.
The Camp Chef came well boxed and the packaging was designed to aid assembly. Pull the top off the box, cut the tape holding the sides, the sides of the box fall down, roll the grill on its back, bolt on the legs, stand the grill up, attach everything else.
I had a bit of trouble removing the heat distribution plate so I could get everything positioned, but in the end, everything worked.
The built in heat probe failed almost immediately, but, the failure was probably due to user error. I've not contacted Camp Chef for replacement, because I've another electronic thermometer that sends a readout directly to a hand held unit in the kitchen. So, I've no reason to want or need to replace the temperature probe.
Great grill. Nothing like tossing something on a grill and forgetting about it for a two or three hours. And the taste is beyond belief.
For those who wonder about the cost of pellets, I suggest keeping an eye on Amazon. Generally, one can find good pellets for around $17 per 20#, delivered, which certainly beats running all over town looking for pellets.
Also, don't be afraid to experiment! If it's ovenable, it's grillable!
Just me. : Did not work out of the box customer support is a joke,
This thing DID NOT WORK. It would not feed pellets to start! I thought of returning it but I live in the sticks, so I literally disassembled it which I am sure voided the warranty, but tech support offered a hold time of unknown hours (gave up after one) and an email response time of two to three weeks. Customer support? I think not... Anyway, I pulled the control plate and the plate under the pellet reservoir, and saw that a part “B” was not connected to its corresponding socket (“B”) which went to the drive. Not just loose, hanging in space! I assume it was built on a late friday or a hangover monday. Recruiting a small young 12 year old relative with a strong hand and a willing heart, and unplugging it before, he connected the errant parts “B” and she kicked right off. What a crock of $#&!?.
Darrin Auxier : Ash Dump feature sets this apart from other pellet smokers/grills
The Good :
Ash dump is super easy, with a "lock" feature to prevent accidental dumping. With this feature, I'm not sure why people would buy anything else.
Pellet dump feature is very nice if you want to change wood flavors
Temperature control makes smoking easy
The hopper has a small window that lets you see when the pellet level is getting low.
There is a beer bottle opener on the grill! (seriously, why don't they advertise this?)
The "not as good"
The first couple of uses, the "ash dump" mechanism locks up - just tap on it from the bottom to help it open
The pellet dump doesn't get all of the pellets unless you sweep them (then of course there are still some in the auger so if you want a complete sweep you need to run the "feed" mechanism for about 10 minutes)
The Bad (why it only got 4-stars)
Mine arrived damaged - clearly a very heavy object fell on it, leaving the top right side bent. This also left a dent in a couple of other items (which I assume must have been packed right under the barrel) The hopper lid has a dent, and the handle shield was bent - but I was able to easily straighten the shield with pliers. It's still functional and I had a bunch of people coming over for ribs - so I didn't have time to mess with sending it back. I don't even notice the barrel being bent, but the hopper lid is pretty obvious.
OTHER NOTES
There is a honeycomb-like grate inside the hopper. When the pellets are completely level with this, you have about 7 pounds of pellets (plus a half-pound or so in the auger)
On the "High Smoke" setting, on a hot day with little wind, it consumed 5 pounds of pellets in 6 hours (so .83 pounds/hour at that setting). I was cooking ribs and spritzing every hour, so if left closed it would consume less.
At 350, it consumed about 2 pounds/hour
Check the camp-chef website for their recipes and try the candied-bacon chocolate chip cookies. They were great!
Ash dump is super easy, with a "lock" feature to prevent accidental dumping. With this feature, I'm not sure why people would buy anything else.
Pellet dump feature is very nice if you want to change wood flavors
Temperature control makes smoking easy
The hopper has a small window that lets you see when the pellet level is getting low.
There is a beer bottle opener on the grill! (seriously, why don't they advertise this?)
The "not as good"
The first couple of uses, the "ash dump" mechanism locks up - just tap on it from the bottom to help it open
The pellet dump doesn't get all of the pellets unless you sweep them (then of course there are still some in the auger so if you want a complete sweep you need to run the "feed" mechanism for about 10 minutes)
The Bad (why it only got 4-stars)
Mine arrived damaged - clearly a very heavy object fell on it, leaving the top right side bent. This also left a dent in a couple of other items (which I assume must have been packed right under the barrel) The hopper lid has a dent, and the handle shield was bent - but I was able to easily straighten the shield with pliers. It's still functional and I had a bunch of people coming over for ribs - so I didn't have time to mess with sending it back. I don't even notice the barrel being bent, but the hopper lid is pretty obvious.
OTHER NOTES
There is a honeycomb-like grate inside the hopper. When the pellets are completely level with this, you have about 7 pounds of pellets (plus a half-pound or so in the auger)
On the "High Smoke" setting, on a hot day with little wind, it consumed 5 pounds of pellets in 6 hours (so .83 pounds/hour at that setting). I was cooking ribs and spritzing every hour, so if left closed it would consume less.
At 350, it consumed about 2 pounds/hour
Check the camp-chef website for their recipes and try the candied-bacon chocolate chip cookies. They were great!
N. Bettes : What are you waiting for... buy it.
Great product, this takes grilling/smokers to the next level. I have and still own a 1000lbs steel 3 chamber log fired smoker a propane grill and griddle combo and a propane smoker. I've been cooking outside for 45 years. This pellet grill revolutionizes all aspects of grilling and smoking! This thing is fool proof, perfect smoked meats one day and the best steaks I have ever cooked, I should have switched to camp chef pellet grill years ago.
Northwest Guy : Outstanding Smoker!
I bought this to replace a Traeger Junior Pellet Grill that as I recall, I paid about $400 for about five years ago. It caught fire recently due to what I believe was a fault in its control unit that caused it to overfeed pellets into the firebox and was pretty much destroyed.
First impressions: The Camp Chief is much more substantial. It is made of heavier gauge metal, and many of the parts are better engineered. The legs are tubular steel instead of bent sheet metal, and they have built-in threaded inserts that make assembly easier and are far more rigid and stronger. The hinges for the lid and its handle are much stronger, substantial, and better made. The cover for the burner and the drip tray are made of a much heavier grade of steel (stainless?). The control is solid state and has discrete temperature and smoke stettings, as well as both an internal thermometer and a separate meat probe thermometer. It also has a protective screen built into the pellet hopper to keep fingers from the auger, as well as controls for empting the ash from the burner and the pellet hopper, features lacking from my last smoker.
Assembly: A snap. They included an Allen wrench for the eight leg bolts. There are also five phillips head screws for the accessory tray and two for the vent pipe. That's it!
Getting up and running: Loaded the hopper with my favorite pellets, selected the auger feed setting, pushed the button, and it was ready (this is only needed when the auger is empty of pellets such as for the first use). I brought it up to 350 degrees for half an hour before using as recommended in the manual.
First use: I started with something simple - chicken drumsticks. Just dusted them with Costco Rib Rub, turned the temperature to 300, turned them over once after about 25 minutes and removed them when done - about 45 minutes. They were PERFECTION! Juicy, smokey, cooked perfectly.
I'm looking forward to smoking brisket, ribs, and salmon with this smoker. I think that this is the start of a beautiful friendship!
First impressions: The Camp Chief is much more substantial. It is made of heavier gauge metal, and many of the parts are better engineered. The legs are tubular steel instead of bent sheet metal, and they have built-in threaded inserts that make assembly easier and are far more rigid and stronger. The hinges for the lid and its handle are much stronger, substantial, and better made. The cover for the burner and the drip tray are made of a much heavier grade of steel (stainless?). The control is solid state and has discrete temperature and smoke stettings, as well as both an internal thermometer and a separate meat probe thermometer. It also has a protective screen built into the pellet hopper to keep fingers from the auger, as well as controls for empting the ash from the burner and the pellet hopper, features lacking from my last smoker.
Assembly: A snap. They included an Allen wrench for the eight leg bolts. There are also five phillips head screws for the accessory tray and two for the vent pipe. That's it!
Getting up and running: Loaded the hopper with my favorite pellets, selected the auger feed setting, pushed the button, and it was ready (this is only needed when the auger is empty of pellets such as for the first use). I brought it up to 350 degrees for half an hour before using as recommended in the manual.
First use: I started with something simple - chicken drumsticks. Just dusted them with Costco Rib Rub, turned the temperature to 300, turned them over once after about 25 minutes and removed them when done - about 45 minutes. They were PERFECTION! Juicy, smokey, cooked perfectly.
I'm looking forward to smoking brisket, ribs, and salmon with this smoker. I think that this is the start of a beautiful friendship!
Brian : Beware!
I purchased this grill in November of last year and absolutely fell in love with it. Great for smoking, grilling, everything. Easy to keep clean. I own a local catering company and even spoke highly of this grill in a magazine article published in my hometown about home grilling. Then, about a month ago, I ran out of pellets while starting up the machine. I added pellets, switched it over to feed and waited to hear the pellets feed. Once they did, I cranked it up and went into the house to prep the rest of my meal. Luckily, I had a window above my sink and saw the over-abundance of smoke. I rushed outside and smoke was pouring out of the spout near the drain bucket. Foolishly, I opened the lid and the entire grill exploded in flames, singeing my arms and face. As the unit was under my soffit I acted fast and had to drag the unit away from the house without burning myself further. I watched as the paint bubbled and flaked into the air.
This wasn’t really the worst part.
I dutifully took pictures and called the company the next day. After being redirected to a warranty claim form I was emailed a week or so later. The company claims that, even though I know my unit was cleaned regularly and wasn’t even old enough to have a big enough buildup of any debris for this to happen, their unit wouldn’t have caught fire like this and the finish isn’t covered under warranty. The finish. On the grill used as directed. That turned into a burning fireball against the side of my home and burned my hair and skin. Wasn’t covered by warranty. Now I have a rust box. And a story for anyone that considers buying Camp Chef. This is one of 4 Camp Chef grills I own, but will never buy another one.
Thanks for letting a fella down, Camp Chef.
This wasn’t really the worst part.
I dutifully took pictures and called the company the next day. After being redirected to a warranty claim form I was emailed a week or so later. The company claims that, even though I know my unit was cleaned regularly and wasn’t even old enough to have a big enough buildup of any debris for this to happen, their unit wouldn’t have caught fire like this and the finish isn’t covered under warranty. The finish. On the grill used as directed. That turned into a burning fireball against the side of my home and burned my hair and skin. Wasn’t covered by warranty. Now I have a rust box. And a story for anyone that considers buying Camp Chef. This is one of 4 Camp Chef grills I own, but will never buy another one.
Thanks for letting a fella down, Camp Chef.
Tom Gregory, N4NW : Camp Chef DLX a truly deluxe smoker
This is my first Camp Chef smoker.
I gave it five stars because unlike other smokers I have owned/used the defector plate has not warped due to heat.
5 stars for the ash clean out feature.
5 stars for the easy dump feature of the pellet hopper allowing easy removal of unused pellets for storage (pellets will absorb moisture, which ruins them if left in the smoker that usually lives outdoors under a cover) and allows easy changing of pellets to different types.
5 stars for dual temperature readout capability, one reads the internal smoker temp and the other for use with a food probe.
I did not deduct any stars for the less than perfect seal between the hinged lid and smoker body as I solved this issue with the simple addition of Openfire BBQ replacement gasket (although it replaced nothing in the case of my Camp Chef DLX, as Camp Chef does not provide a lid gasket.) Hint Cam Chef, adding the gasket to the lid boosted routing of the smoke around the food and out the chimney and not along the edges of the top when closed. This beeps the smoke residues off the edges of the lid and off the front of the smoker.
I gave it five stars because unlike other smokers I have owned/used the defector plate has not warped due to heat.
5 stars for the ash clean out feature.
5 stars for the easy dump feature of the pellet hopper allowing easy removal of unused pellets for storage (pellets will absorb moisture, which ruins them if left in the smoker that usually lives outdoors under a cover) and allows easy changing of pellets to different types.
5 stars for dual temperature readout capability, one reads the internal smoker temp and the other for use with a food probe.
I did not deduct any stars for the less than perfect seal between the hinged lid and smoker body as I solved this issue with the simple addition of Openfire BBQ replacement gasket (although it replaced nothing in the case of my Camp Chef DLX, as Camp Chef does not provide a lid gasket.) Hint Cam Chef, adding the gasket to the lid boosted routing of the smoke around the food and out the chimney and not along the edges of the top when closed. This beeps the smoke residues off the edges of the lid and off the front of the smoker.
Jenny : Great Smoker! All 5 Stars!!!!
This is the first smoker I have ever bought. Was going to start slow and get a cheaper electric one but after reading the reviews of this one, I decided to give it a shot. I am really pleased with this smoker. Easy to assemble. Read and follow the instructions carefully, to avoid any problems with your first startup or your initial pellet feeding. Using the controls took me a bit to learn but that was because I was new to smoking. Emptying pellets and adding new flavored pellets is a snap. Get good quality pellets, do your research. Dont just get cheap ones.
My teenage son cant stop raving about the taste of the food. Ive done chicken quarters, burgers, brats, and pulled pork. If you are new to smoking, make sure you do plenty of research before you smoke. Get recipes, read up how different people who smoke do it, etc. I am having so much fun with it. Your smoker temp is susceptible to weather conditions. In the spring in the midwest, its windy so that brings your temp down. Just be aware of things like that before leaving bad reviews. Im going to get a little more practice in before I tackle a beef brisket. I hear they arent as forgiving as pork.
Newbies, just have fun with it and you'll get better smoking as you get experience with it. I love it.
I will add one more thing. When you try to clean out the ash cup before your startups, you may have to use a rubber mallet and pound the ash clean door from the bottom. The ash clean pull knob might stick after the first couple of uses because of the oil coating on it. Just bang it a couple times and the pull knob will work. Remember to shut and lock it after you clean the ash.
My teenage son cant stop raving about the taste of the food. Ive done chicken quarters, burgers, brats, and pulled pork. If you are new to smoking, make sure you do plenty of research before you smoke. Get recipes, read up how different people who smoke do it, etc. I am having so much fun with it. Your smoker temp is susceptible to weather conditions. In the spring in the midwest, its windy so that brings your temp down. Just be aware of things like that before leaving bad reviews. Im going to get a little more practice in before I tackle a beef brisket. I hear they arent as forgiving as pork.
Newbies, just have fun with it and you'll get better smoking as you get experience with it. I love it.
I will add one more thing. When you try to clean out the ash cup before your startups, you may have to use a rubber mallet and pound the ash clean door from the bottom. The ash clean pull knob might stick after the first couple of uses because of the oil coating on it. Just bang it a couple times and the pull knob will work. Remember to shut and lock it after you clean the ash.
necessaryevil : Great smoker for the price
After researching all types of of pellet smokers, the Camp Chef brand stood out for its multiple high reviews. It arrived quickly and was very easy to put together with two (not terribly handy) people. One person would have difficulty screwing on the chimney and lid handle by themselves, so two people is best. Got some pellets and started smoking the next day! The pellet feed system is easy to use, and temperature came up quickly. Temps never really stabilize over time, but vary depending on burn rate - seemed to be +/-25 degrees for the most part. Smoke tends to seep around the grill lid just as much out the chimney, so keep in mind for outside placement. Some components started to rust considerably after just two weeks of being outside. We're in a high-humidity area, but I was still disappointed in the amount of rusting. I don't think it will affect function in the short-term, but will see over the next few years for its durability. Overall, I'd recommend it for the price and ease of use!
Duncan Wright : Excellent pellet smoker
I've been on the fence about buying a pellet smoker for a while. I'm a pretty committed, die-hard believer in the Weber Smokey Mountain, charcoal and wood chunks. I've made countless pounds of brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage on my WSM, and I've never had a problem or a complaint. I felt like pellet smokers were easy mode. A cheat. And they are, but in a good way.
After a ton of research, I settled on the Camp Chef Smoke Pro DLX 24 as a pretty optimal sweet spot of features and price, and the reviews suggested they were well made, performed well, and good controllers and a logical layout. i couldn't agree more. It's a fantastic smoker and well worth what I paid. i didn't want or need the sear feature, I have plenty of better options for searing on various grills, so i went with the bare bones model, which is what I can strongly recommend.
When it arrived, my first impression was great. Assembly was straightforward and simple. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The included parts and hardware were well made, quality components. It has very nice fit and finish - somewhat unusual at this price point.
After I assembled it and set it up, I followed the recommendation for a 30 minute burn-in at 350F. Filled the hopper, turned the controller to fill until the auger began dropping pellets into the burner, and set it to 350. the burner has an electrically heated rod, like a glow plug, that ignites the pellets. Once the pellets catch, the heat is maintained by a thermostat which controls the auger, to deliver fuel, and fans, to deliver air. It works extremely well - once up to temperature, the internal temp usually stays within 3-4 degrees F of the controller setting. It's surprisingly consistent. Using a Thermoworks Smoke, I checked the internal temp to confirm, and the two probes, built-in and Thermoworks, agreed on the temperature within 1-2 degrees, so it seems to be very accurate too.
I bought the thing for Thanksgiving, where we usually smoke a turkey, or partially smoke it and finish inside in the oven. I wanted to do that this year, and thought that a pellet smoker would be a much simpler setup on Thanksgiving day than setting up a full burn in the WSM and maintaining it for a few hours. Ultimately, my wife decided she wanted to do the turkey inside, but my concession was two pheasants she got and two very large turkey thighs for smoking. I used Green Mountain Grill Fruitwood blend which seemed like a nice complement to game birds.
The Camp Chef DLX has two "high smoke" settings, 160F and 225F, as well as a full range of temp settings from 200-500F. Thanksgiving day, it was about 45-50 degrees out. My plan was to start low and slow, on a high smoke setting and then turn it up at the end to crisp the skin, until the probe in the breast read 170. I ended up going with 160 for about an hour and a half, which cooked very slowly but put some lovely smoke on the birds. I turned it up to the higher high-smoke setting for a another half hour or so, and then finally went to 350 for the remainder. It worked beautifully. Attached is a picture of the pheasants right before I carved. They were tender, and juicy with a nice amount of smoke on them and the skin was crisp. It was incredibly easy, just turning the dial to the setting I wanted and going back inside to drink with my guests. If I'd used the WSM, I would have been outside for hours, building and tending the fire, and no way I could have gotten the precise temperature ranges I used. Clean up on the Camp Chef couldn't have been easier. Scrub down the grates and pull a knob to open the bottom of the firebox to drop the ashes in the ash collector cup. After a 3 hour or so smoke, there was less than a shot glass full of ashes in the cup. This thing burns incredibly efficiently.
All of that said, I love the result from a traditional smoker, and there's no way this will be a full replacement. But it's another great tool in the collection, and the next time I want to smoke a chicken on a weeknight in cold weather, I know what I'll use.
After a ton of research, I settled on the Camp Chef Smoke Pro DLX 24 as a pretty optimal sweet spot of features and price, and the reviews suggested they were well made, performed well, and good controllers and a logical layout. i couldn't agree more. It's a fantastic smoker and well worth what I paid. i didn't want or need the sear feature, I have plenty of better options for searing on various grills, so i went with the bare bones model, which is what I can strongly recommend.
When it arrived, my first impression was great. Assembly was straightforward and simple. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The included parts and hardware were well made, quality components. It has very nice fit and finish - somewhat unusual at this price point.
After I assembled it and set it up, I followed the recommendation for a 30 minute burn-in at 350F. Filled the hopper, turned the controller to fill until the auger began dropping pellets into the burner, and set it to 350. the burner has an electrically heated rod, like a glow plug, that ignites the pellets. Once the pellets catch, the heat is maintained by a thermostat which controls the auger, to deliver fuel, and fans, to deliver air. It works extremely well - once up to temperature, the internal temp usually stays within 3-4 degrees F of the controller setting. It's surprisingly consistent. Using a Thermoworks Smoke, I checked the internal temp to confirm, and the two probes, built-in and Thermoworks, agreed on the temperature within 1-2 degrees, so it seems to be very accurate too.
I bought the thing for Thanksgiving, where we usually smoke a turkey, or partially smoke it and finish inside in the oven. I wanted to do that this year, and thought that a pellet smoker would be a much simpler setup on Thanksgiving day than setting up a full burn in the WSM and maintaining it for a few hours. Ultimately, my wife decided she wanted to do the turkey inside, but my concession was two pheasants she got and two very large turkey thighs for smoking. I used Green Mountain Grill Fruitwood blend which seemed like a nice complement to game birds.
The Camp Chef DLX has two "high smoke" settings, 160F and 225F, as well as a full range of temp settings from 200-500F. Thanksgiving day, it was about 45-50 degrees out. My plan was to start low and slow, on a high smoke setting and then turn it up at the end to crisp the skin, until the probe in the breast read 170. I ended up going with 160 for about an hour and a half, which cooked very slowly but put some lovely smoke on the birds. I turned it up to the higher high-smoke setting for a another half hour or so, and then finally went to 350 for the remainder. It worked beautifully. Attached is a picture of the pheasants right before I carved. They were tender, and juicy with a nice amount of smoke on them and the skin was crisp. It was incredibly easy, just turning the dial to the setting I wanted and going back inside to drink with my guests. If I'd used the WSM, I would have been outside for hours, building and tending the fire, and no way I could have gotten the precise temperature ranges I used. Clean up on the Camp Chef couldn't have been easier. Scrub down the grates and pull a knob to open the bottom of the firebox to drop the ashes in the ash collector cup. After a 3 hour or so smoke, there was less than a shot glass full of ashes in the cup. This thing burns incredibly efficiently.
All of that said, I love the result from a traditional smoker, and there's no way this will be a full replacement. But it's another great tool in the collection, and the next time I want to smoke a chicken on a weeknight in cold weather, I know what I'll use.
Just me. : Did not work out of the box customer support is a joke,
This thing DID NOT WORK. It would not feed pellets to start! I thought of returning it but I live in the sticks, so I literally disassembled it which I am sure voided the warranty, but tech support offered a hold time of unknown hours (gave up after one) and an email response time of two to three weeks. Customer support? I think not... Anyway, I pulled the control plate and the plate under the pellet reservoir, and saw that a part “B” was not connected to its corresponding socket (“B”) which went to the drive. Not just loose, hanging in space! I assume it was built on a late friday or a hangover monday. Recruiting a small young 12 year old relative with a strong hand and a willing heart, and unplugging it before, he connected the errant parts “B” and she kicked right off. What a crock of $#&!?.
DOOGIE : Good and bad...
looks nice but like many have said its hard for the temp to stay consistent. Temp will jump around if you do not keep an eye on it. I do like the ash pot for clean up which was one of my main factors in getting this and clean up so far is easy and another reason is the pellet discharge shoot to change then which is pretty slick. Another problem i have is the auger is think? is very noisy the housing vibrates and makes a loud noise and if i lift up from the bottom it stops but when i let off it starts again. Annoying..... I have messed with the screws and that did not help. If you can get it cheap its nice grill and seems to save money rather then buying charcoal all the time i just wish it would keep a solid temp and wasn't so noisy.. Meh...
John Hill : Cooks great brisket. Grilling take a little bit longer...
I replaced a combo gas/charcoal grill and an electric fridge smoker with this SmokePro bad boy and couldn't be happier. Things we use to grill over gas taste so much better when we grill with the SmokePro. Smoking brisket, chickens, fish, pork, etc is such a breeze and taste great.
Cleaning is also easy...if you prep.
There is a silver heat dissipator over the burn pot.
This thing can nasty after you grill a dozen times.
However, if you cover it in foil then it takes about 60 seconds to throw away the old foil and put new foil on.
After having this 3-4 months and using about 3 times per week, there will be quite a bit of ash build-up inside.
It has the consistency of fine grain sand.
It took about 5 minutes to take off the grill grates, change the foil on the dissipator, and vacuum out the ash with a shop vac.
A couple of thing to keep in mind...
This grill does takes about the same time as charcoal to get up to grilling temperature (425 - 450).
This grill does not get as hot as charcoal (max on this grill is about 500 whereas charcoal can get 650+).
If you have a grease flare up (hard to do but it did happen), it will bubble up the paint on the lid.
Only the lid was affected so if it really became a bother I could sand/repaint it pretty quickly.
If I could change something...
* Assembly was easy but there was one part where, to put on the legs, you have to set the smoker upside down on it's top. I wish there would have been a lid latch because the lid fell open on the concrete and got a little scuffed.
* The legs are sturdy but there is nothing inter-connecting them near the ground. There are holes drilled into the legs for, what looks like, a rack/shelf to be installed about 6 inches off the ground. If there was a shelf, it would also double as reinforcement for the legs.
Again, this SmokePro DLX has been awesome. The food is great, the unit is easy to use and clean up. Well worth it.
Cleaning is also easy...if you prep.
There is a silver heat dissipator over the burn pot.
This thing can nasty after you grill a dozen times.
However, if you cover it in foil then it takes about 60 seconds to throw away the old foil and put new foil on.
After having this 3-4 months and using about 3 times per week, there will be quite a bit of ash build-up inside.
It has the consistency of fine grain sand.
It took about 5 minutes to take off the grill grates, change the foil on the dissipator, and vacuum out the ash with a shop vac.
A couple of thing to keep in mind...
This grill does takes about the same time as charcoal to get up to grilling temperature (425 - 450).
This grill does not get as hot as charcoal (max on this grill is about 500 whereas charcoal can get 650+).
If you have a grease flare up (hard to do but it did happen), it will bubble up the paint on the lid.
Only the lid was affected so if it really became a bother I could sand/repaint it pretty quickly.
If I could change something...
* Assembly was easy but there was one part where, to put on the legs, you have to set the smoker upside down on it's top. I wish there would have been a lid latch because the lid fell open on the concrete and got a little scuffed.
* The legs are sturdy but there is nothing inter-connecting them near the ground. There are holes drilled into the legs for, what looks like, a rack/shelf to be installed about 6 inches off the ground. If there was a shelf, it would also double as reinforcement for the legs.
Again, this SmokePro DLX has been awesome. The food is great, the unit is easy to use and clean up. Well worth it.
BAS : Girl Assembles Grill in 75 Minutes!
Technically, I'm a 60 year old woman, but I liked the word play.
Wanted to describe for you how easy it was to put together. My total time was 75 minutes, which included the unpacking (about 20 minutes just for that). I carefully opened the box, and cut down the sides so that if required, could use the cardboard as resting materials for the grill. Worst case, if it doesn't work, I have to tape it all back up again. By the way - it is required - because you have to tip the grill onto its back to attach the legs. You don't find this out until you break into it all and read the directions.
Everything was carefully wrapped. Caution - the stainless steel heat diffuser and drip tray are fairly well oiled, so take care unwrapping (and clean them with several sprays of 409 - otherwise you likely will get burnt oil when you fire up) . Don't know for sure, because I have to go get some pellets.
The directions are pretty clear with pictures and WORDS! Provides details on exactly what size bolts to use, clearly shows where they are to be placed. Mind you, these aren't just bolts, but ones with lock washers too. Rest assured this isn't going anywhere. All you need for assembly is a phillips head screwdriver and crescent wrench to attach the smoke stack, and phillips for the handle and attaching the side table.. Comes with a nice allen wrench to put the legs on.
The hardest thing to assemble is the handle. For that, two people might be better, but I still managed just fine (maybe an extra 5 minutes) by myself.
Everything was very well made. Heavy duty materials, solidly finished, side table attaches with 5 bolts (normally you are lucky to see 3). Honestly, the quality on this grill is better than that of my gas grill, which cost more than $1000.
I did buy the cover - have to keep my new toy nicely protected. It fits like a champ.
Once I get my pellets and fire her up, will amend this review to let you know how well she works. Truly looking forward to it.
UPDATE: Cooked with the grill twice. Pretty easy to use, just follow the directions. There are also a couple of nice YouTube videos on this unit you can watch.
Can't wait to try out the various pellets to change smoking flavors. Working with a beef brisket today and using the temperature probe (per the directions that came with the grill). Did only a small brisket, since didn't want to have to want to wait 12 hours for the entire cook and rest procedure.
So far, so good. As it was starting, threw a piece of salmon on the grill with Montreal Steak Seasoning and some dried dill mix, little olive oil Let her go for about 45 min (since was cooking at 250 degrees), checked it with separate meat thermometer...taste test = YUM.
Then threw on a few chicken legs, let them go about 1.5 hrs (remember, cooking at low temp for the brisket). put a light glaze of BBQ sauce on them. Can't wait to try them. Did some brined chicken breasts last weekend - also good, but in boneless meats, watch the heat setting or they will dry out sooner than you expect.
Unlike standard grills, you don't have flames, so you aren't going to get the sear you may be used to. This is more of a smoker... As a side note, saw a couple of Traegers in the store, and let me tell you, my Camp Chef is made a lot better - sturdier assembly all around, heavy duty construction, so don't be enticed by the deals at Costco. It's worth the wait.
Of course, I also have a gas grill as well as a Primo (natural charcoal) grill.
Girl can't have too many Grills you know!
Wanted to describe for you how easy it was to put together. My total time was 75 minutes, which included the unpacking (about 20 minutes just for that). I carefully opened the box, and cut down the sides so that if required, could use the cardboard as resting materials for the grill. Worst case, if it doesn't work, I have to tape it all back up again. By the way - it is required - because you have to tip the grill onto its back to attach the legs. You don't find this out until you break into it all and read the directions.
Everything was carefully wrapped. Caution - the stainless steel heat diffuser and drip tray are fairly well oiled, so take care unwrapping (and clean them with several sprays of 409 - otherwise you likely will get burnt oil when you fire up) . Don't know for sure, because I have to go get some pellets.
The directions are pretty clear with pictures and WORDS! Provides details on exactly what size bolts to use, clearly shows where they are to be placed. Mind you, these aren't just bolts, but ones with lock washers too. Rest assured this isn't going anywhere. All you need for assembly is a phillips head screwdriver and crescent wrench to attach the smoke stack, and phillips for the handle and attaching the side table.. Comes with a nice allen wrench to put the legs on.
The hardest thing to assemble is the handle. For that, two people might be better, but I still managed just fine (maybe an extra 5 minutes) by myself.
Everything was very well made. Heavy duty materials, solidly finished, side table attaches with 5 bolts (normally you are lucky to see 3). Honestly, the quality on this grill is better than that of my gas grill, which cost more than $1000.
I did buy the cover - have to keep my new toy nicely protected. It fits like a champ.
Once I get my pellets and fire her up, will amend this review to let you know how well she works. Truly looking forward to it.
UPDATE: Cooked with the grill twice. Pretty easy to use, just follow the directions. There are also a couple of nice YouTube videos on this unit you can watch.
Can't wait to try out the various pellets to change smoking flavors. Working with a beef brisket today and using the temperature probe (per the directions that came with the grill). Did only a small brisket, since didn't want to have to want to wait 12 hours for the entire cook and rest procedure.
So far, so good. As it was starting, threw a piece of salmon on the grill with Montreal Steak Seasoning and some dried dill mix, little olive oil Let her go for about 45 min (since was cooking at 250 degrees), checked it with separate meat thermometer...taste test = YUM.
Then threw on a few chicken legs, let them go about 1.5 hrs (remember, cooking at low temp for the brisket). put a light glaze of BBQ sauce on them. Can't wait to try them. Did some brined chicken breasts last weekend - also good, but in boneless meats, watch the heat setting or they will dry out sooner than you expect.
Unlike standard grills, you don't have flames, so you aren't going to get the sear you may be used to. This is more of a smoker... As a side note, saw a couple of Traegers in the store, and let me tell you, my Camp Chef is made a lot better - sturdier assembly all around, heavy duty construction, so don't be enticed by the deals at Costco. It's worth the wait.
Of course, I also have a gas grill as well as a Primo (natural charcoal) grill.
Girl can't have too many Grills you know!
Kristina : Damage, Defects, and Disappointment
I was so excited for this, which may lead to more disappointment when it doesn't meet expectations.
It arrived with a bent side shelf, i ordered the sear box so i planned to replace it, but for the price it should not have come like that.
Then during assembly all screw holes were not drilled out at factory and i had to drill my own holes to make it work, but for the price it should not have come like that.
There were no rubber washers for the handle on the pellet box, didn't think much of it till i turned it one and it was a very annoying buzz from vibrations, i will need to fabricate my own to make it work, for the price it should not have come like that.
then came cooking time...i smoked a whole chicken fist day i got it at 300 for 2 hours, i followed all instructions for operation and there was barely any smoke during the cook, and i was very disappointed the final product had little to no smoke flavor at all.
I bought a "smoker" that doesn't even smoke...
It arrived with a bent side shelf, i ordered the sear box so i planned to replace it, but for the price it should not have come like that.
Then during assembly all screw holes were not drilled out at factory and i had to drill my own holes to make it work, but for the price it should not have come like that.
There were no rubber washers for the handle on the pellet box, didn't think much of it till i turned it one and it was a very annoying buzz from vibrations, i will need to fabricate my own to make it work, for the price it should not have come like that.
then came cooking time...i smoked a whole chicken fist day i got it at 300 for 2 hours, i followed all instructions for operation and there was barely any smoke during the cook, and i was very disappointed the final product had little to no smoke flavor at all.
I bought a "smoker" that doesn't even smoke...
Dan : Get smokin!
I ordered one of these for my dad a few years ago as a Father’s Day gift. After seeing how great his was, I decided to order one for myself this Father’s Day. (I’m worth it, jk).
This thing has two temp probes, quick clean ash tray, a quick empty hopper function and holds temperature very well. It has a big grilling surface. I was able to fit three full racks of St Louis spare ribs on the grill.
I have also used it in grill mode for burgers, chicken and tri tip. Works great, cooks fast and infuses a Smokey flavor in the meats.
A friend has a Traeger which is a nice grill also. I don’t think it’s worth the extra $300 for a Traeger. Just my $.02.
This thing has two temp probes, quick clean ash tray, a quick empty hopper function and holds temperature very well. It has a big grilling surface. I was able to fit three full racks of St Louis spare ribs on the grill.
I have also used it in grill mode for burgers, chicken and tri tip. Works great, cooks fast and infuses a Smokey flavor in the meats.
A friend has a Traeger which is a nice grill also. I don’t think it’s worth the extra $300 for a Traeger. Just my $.02.
Barb : Here is how to get hubby to cook
My husband loves and uses several time a week. It gets me off the hook for cooking these nights. But, this is a smoker and without the sear function everything starts to taste the same. The sear function adds the perfect ending touch. Other friends with this type grill lament not having the sear box
High Tech Redneck : Great pellet smoker
Arrived on schedule, very well packaged for shipping. Easy to put together (2 hours max). My first pellet smoker after being a true blue stick smoker for years. Did the initial burn in. Then did a rack of baby backs first. Perfect results, but not the smoke I was used to with my stick burner (it was set at 250 and high smoke). After some research on pellet smokers I ordered a smoke tube. Next up was a pork butt, this time I set it at 250 and smoke lever 10 and lit the smoke tube. plenty smoke now. Wrapped it in foil after 4 hours and reduced the smoke level to 2. When the meat hit 205 I pulled it and let it rest. Came out perfect. Love it so far. Worked exactly as designed.
Amazon Customer : Good, but some down sides after 6 months of use.
I did a lot of research before settling on buying the camp chef dlx. I have had it 6 months .It has features other pellet grills don't offer like the ash clean out.
The bad:However you still have to vacuum ash out of it. the clean only gets big peaces. Also had the temp prob go but vert fast called and got a new one. But it when out too. Buy after mark and stand a lone and it works great and is rated to 500degF. Also i did not like the it does not come with front wheels. I did not think it was a big deal, but it is hard to move without the wheels.
The good. It cooks great
The bad:However you still have to vacuum ash out of it. the clean only gets big peaces. Also had the temp prob go but vert fast called and got a new one. But it when out too. Buy after mark and stand a lone and it works great and is rated to 500degF. Also i did not like the it does not come with front wheels. I did not think it was a big deal, but it is hard to move without the wheels.
The good. It cooks great
Amazon Customer : I am a little concerned as upon my first time ...2 Year update
I am a little concerned as upon my first time using this grill I was unable to get the temps up to the instructed 350 degree burn in. I did let it burn in at the max temp it would go to which was 200 degrees for an hour. I had already committed to the smoking of a prime rib so I set the grill to high smoke and in my amazement it went to 225 degrees and cooked for 3 hours at that temp, for the second part of the cook it requires to set the grill to 400 degrees I did this and the grill would not heat up past 186 to 195 degrees. A little upset as this is not what I was hoping I would get with this product. I have emailed Camp Chef and will update this review upon the return communication and results of the issue.
UPDATE: I called Camp Chef and spoke with Julie, what an experience she was knowledgeable of the product and did not treat me as if the problem was my fault. She quickly diagnosed the issue by asking me questions about the operation of the grill. She told me it could be a problem with either the thermal coupler or the control panel, of course in my head the "Here we go swapping parts out one at a time shipping stuff back and forth until we find out the actual problem. Great no use of the grill for a while". How wrong that thought was, she said she would send me a new control panel and thermal coupler out right away, she sent me the instructions in an email and they were exceptional including color pictures. Due to the holiday slowness of mail I didn't get it til the Tuesday after Christmas, I swapped out the parts as per the instructions, straight forward swap out. Turned on the grill and ran thru the temps perfectly. I can not be happier with the grill so far, and as far as Camp Chef's support goes it is top of the line they treat you as human, they don't talk down to you and their ultimate goal is to get you running and happily cooking. Recommend this product and product support is top notch. Thanks again Julie@ CampChef
UPDATE-- Well almost 2 years owning this smoker and let me tell you the cooking we have done. Honestly we use the smoker/grill more than the stove and oven in the house. So I started having an issue after a cook I would turn it to shutdown and instead it would power cycle and go into startup mode again. I emailed support and they promptly replied we discussed in an email or 2 at the most the issues, and even being out of warranty they told me they are shipping me a new controller and would like me to send them back the old one so they can diagnose the problem in hopes to prevent the issue from continuing in the product. Now honestly you don't hear that every day a company wants to investigate one of their parts to perfect their system. Most of the time it is sorry your out of warranty replacement is $XX.XX. Camp Chef is awesome they have been there when I needed them and they are really top shelf support and engineering. They replaced the controller for free and the only thing they requested was the old one so they could see why it is doing what it is doing so they can improve their product even more. Whatever you do Camp Chef do not change your dedication to your customers. Thank you
UPDATE: I called Camp Chef and spoke with Julie, what an experience she was knowledgeable of the product and did not treat me as if the problem was my fault. She quickly diagnosed the issue by asking me questions about the operation of the grill. She told me it could be a problem with either the thermal coupler or the control panel, of course in my head the "Here we go swapping parts out one at a time shipping stuff back and forth until we find out the actual problem. Great no use of the grill for a while". How wrong that thought was, she said she would send me a new control panel and thermal coupler out right away, she sent me the instructions in an email and they were exceptional including color pictures. Due to the holiday slowness of mail I didn't get it til the Tuesday after Christmas, I swapped out the parts as per the instructions, straight forward swap out. Turned on the grill and ran thru the temps perfectly. I can not be happier with the grill so far, and as far as Camp Chef's support goes it is top of the line they treat you as human, they don't talk down to you and their ultimate goal is to get you running and happily cooking. Recommend this product and product support is top notch. Thanks again Julie@ CampChef
UPDATE-- Well almost 2 years owning this smoker and let me tell you the cooking we have done. Honestly we use the smoker/grill more than the stove and oven in the house. So I started having an issue after a cook I would turn it to shutdown and instead it would power cycle and go into startup mode again. I emailed support and they promptly replied we discussed in an email or 2 at the most the issues, and even being out of warranty they told me they are shipping me a new controller and would like me to send them back the old one so they can diagnose the problem in hopes to prevent the issue from continuing in the product. Now honestly you don't hear that every day a company wants to investigate one of their parts to perfect their system. Most of the time it is sorry your out of warranty replacement is $XX.XX. Camp Chef is awesome they have been there when I needed them and they are really top shelf support and engineering. They replaced the controller for free and the only thing they requested was the old one so they could see why it is doing what it is doing so they can improve their product even more. Whatever you do Camp Chef do not change your dedication to your customers. Thank you
Amazon Customer : Overpriced if you think you're getting a smoker and BBQ combo grill
Don't fool yourself into thinking this is both a smoker and a grill. It's a good smoker and we made great pastrami from it, but as a barbecue grill, it's unpredictable. It came in a zillion pieces and was a pain to put together especially as a couple of the pieces were not welded correctly, and if you don't set the temperature before turning it on it never warms up... and don't even get me started on if you change the temperature as sometimes it will adjust and other times it will just stop working and you!ll get the infamous "Flame" message. Also a reminder that this is electric so you don't get to be cordless - a long extension cord has become our best friend so that we can try to enjoy it outdoors in the summer. Will probably keep this for smoking but definitely are going to have to invest in a real grill as unfortunately this one is not a ton of fun for barbecuing meat.
Eric A : Easy Assembly and heavy duty construction
I did months of detailed research on what pellet smoker to purchase for under $700. I feel that I made the right choice. This Camp Chef DLX smoker arrived ahead of time, packed perfectly and really easy to assemble. Under 45 mins! Really a heavy duty device. It must weigh 130lbs. I got the Bronze one , and it looks sharp. Followed all the start up directions, feeding the pellet tube, before starting, and 350 for 25-30 mins to burn off manufacturing chemicals etc. then I filled her up with high quality Mesquite pellets and smoked a whole chick and some brats. Ohhhhhh the Smokey flavor was great . This weekend the real test , Tri Tip and Babybacks, corn and zucchini. In two weeks a Brisket! I love this smoker!
Michael : Very Poor Temperature Control
I have owned this smoker since fall 2017, just over 2 years. I would not buy this smoker again despite some nice features because of the very unreliable temperature control. Let me qualify that statement and say that I bought the Camp Chef cover for the smoker, I use an insulated Camp Chef blanket for cooler temperature smokes, I only used Camp Chef pellets for the smoker, I do not leave a full hopper of pellets in the smoker when not in use, I store the pellets in an air tight plastic container per Camp Chef's suggestion, and I use remote thermometers for the meat so that I do not open and close the lid during a smoke. Despite all of that I can still state that temperature control is a problem for my unit through the multiple grilling seasons I have owned this unit. If you would like details read on if not, look no further.
I will start by saying that their customer support tries to help, until they cannot. I do not want to speak ill of their customer support, I only want to state what has happened to me and speak from my experience which may be entirely different than your experience. I believe Camp Chef is made up of good people, but that the particular products I received cannot compete with the better performance that I have seen from other major brands (i.e. the big T). I have been in contact with Camp Chef numerous times and they have done their best, but in the end, their best cannot solve my problem, which is erratic temperature swings.
My experience with customer service:
-Upon receiving my smoker it had bent hinges on the lid and a mis-manufactured screw that would not let me attach the handle. I fixed the hinges and contacted them about the screw. They said they couldn't ship just a screw so they shipped me out a handle right away, they assured me 2 screws were included. It didn't come with a screw.
-I contacted them again, they created a part number for the screw and sent one to me along with a free shelf to attach to the grill for my troubles. That was a nice touch.
-It wasn't starting every time I turned it on from day one. I would flip the switch on and off, and finally I learned to turn it on and wait 10 minutes until it would magically turn on...until several smokes in when it wouldn't. I contacted them and they sent me a new control panel. I installed it.
-I noticed wild temperature swings (I had the charts for an entire smoke from a bluetooth thermometer), I told them, they sent me a new thermometer for the unit which I installed. It was a bit of a pain, but oh well, off I go to smoke.
-I noticed temperature swings again, I told them and they sent me an entire new hopper (includes the fans, auger, etc.) Basically, this gave me everything new except the barrel and grate where the meat sits. This should solve any and every problem because it is basically a new grill. Of course when I receive it there is damage to the box, the lid took a hard hit in transit and is unusable and the internal thermometer is bent. Rather than complain, I took the old lid off the old unit, replaced the new, broken, lid with the old one and re-used my "old" thermometer. I just felt bad having them send me more parts when it was obviously a packaging and transit problem. So off I go to smoke.
-I noticed more temperature swings and again contacted them. They said this must be due to a "pellet bridge" which they cannot control and there is nothing they will do further for me. - Thus ends my relationship with Camp Chef customer support - they broke up with me.
So, what temperature swings am I talking about? The details:
I usually smoke at 225 (the old control panel had a 220 degree setting). I am a fair weather smoker and so I typically smoke at outdoor temperatures of 60-80 degrees that are sunny or cloudy. I keep the insulated blanket on in the winter and very rarely will smoke on a sunny day that is in the 50's. It is fairly standard for this unit, in all of these conditions, to have swings from 195 to 240 degrees. While that is not ideal, I can live with that 45 degree swing.
The big problem I have is when the swings have a range greater than 200 degrees! In excess of 100 degrees on either side of my set point makes a guessing game of the meat! I have documentation for one particular day that was 75 degrees outside, no precipitation. The smoker was set at 220. dropped to within a couple degrees of 100, I moved the temperature knob around and then set it back to 220 to see if that would do anything, then it started gaining temp and I watched as it kept climbing past 300 degrees and at 310 degrees I finally opened the lid to save my meat. I let it cool down to 250 degrees and it started working in the range of 195-240 degrees for a couple hours. Then all the sudden it dropped below 110 degrees and then rocketed up past 300 again. Finally I just pulled the meat off the smoker and finished it in the oven. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. This happened again and again. The interesting thing is that for short smokes, this doesn't seem to be an issue. If I smoke for 6 hours or less then the range stays in the 195-240 range pretty consistently and may only momentarily dip down to 190 or 245. For some reason in that 7+ hour range, the temperature gets way out of whack and can go to extremes.
For this reason alone, I cannot recommend this smoker to anyone. I have friends and family with other brands of pellet smokers who have never experienced this "pellet bridge" and most can't believe that I put up with the 45 degree temperature swing on a regular smoke in the first place.
So, what do I like about Camp Chef?
One, their customer support really tried. I appreciate their effort, but after basically having 2 units, and them saying the temperature control is out of there control, I don't think their grill is as good as their customer support. I feel like they were forced to give up on me.
Two, their ash cleanout trap door (and the similar wood hopper cleanout trap door) is so simple, it is borderline genius. I am excited to see the patent run out so other smokers can copy the design.
Three, their pellets can be bought at a fair price.
So there you go, three positives, one very big negative = one long 2 star review. I hope this helps you in your quest for a good smoker.
I will start by saying that their customer support tries to help, until they cannot. I do not want to speak ill of their customer support, I only want to state what has happened to me and speak from my experience which may be entirely different than your experience. I believe Camp Chef is made up of good people, but that the particular products I received cannot compete with the better performance that I have seen from other major brands (i.e. the big T). I have been in contact with Camp Chef numerous times and they have done their best, but in the end, their best cannot solve my problem, which is erratic temperature swings.
My experience with customer service:
-Upon receiving my smoker it had bent hinges on the lid and a mis-manufactured screw that would not let me attach the handle. I fixed the hinges and contacted them about the screw. They said they couldn't ship just a screw so they shipped me out a handle right away, they assured me 2 screws were included. It didn't come with a screw.
-I contacted them again, they created a part number for the screw and sent one to me along with a free shelf to attach to the grill for my troubles. That was a nice touch.
-It wasn't starting every time I turned it on from day one. I would flip the switch on and off, and finally I learned to turn it on and wait 10 minutes until it would magically turn on...until several smokes in when it wouldn't. I contacted them and they sent me a new control panel. I installed it.
-I noticed wild temperature swings (I had the charts for an entire smoke from a bluetooth thermometer), I told them, they sent me a new thermometer for the unit which I installed. It was a bit of a pain, but oh well, off I go to smoke.
-I noticed temperature swings again, I told them and they sent me an entire new hopper (includes the fans, auger, etc.) Basically, this gave me everything new except the barrel and grate where the meat sits. This should solve any and every problem because it is basically a new grill. Of course when I receive it there is damage to the box, the lid took a hard hit in transit and is unusable and the internal thermometer is bent. Rather than complain, I took the old lid off the old unit, replaced the new, broken, lid with the old one and re-used my "old" thermometer. I just felt bad having them send me more parts when it was obviously a packaging and transit problem. So off I go to smoke.
-I noticed more temperature swings and again contacted them. They said this must be due to a "pellet bridge" which they cannot control and there is nothing they will do further for me. - Thus ends my relationship with Camp Chef customer support - they broke up with me.
So, what temperature swings am I talking about? The details:
I usually smoke at 225 (the old control panel had a 220 degree setting). I am a fair weather smoker and so I typically smoke at outdoor temperatures of 60-80 degrees that are sunny or cloudy. I keep the insulated blanket on in the winter and very rarely will smoke on a sunny day that is in the 50's. It is fairly standard for this unit, in all of these conditions, to have swings from 195 to 240 degrees. While that is not ideal, I can live with that 45 degree swing.
The big problem I have is when the swings have a range greater than 200 degrees! In excess of 100 degrees on either side of my set point makes a guessing game of the meat! I have documentation for one particular day that was 75 degrees outside, no precipitation. The smoker was set at 220. dropped to within a couple degrees of 100, I moved the temperature knob around and then set it back to 220 to see if that would do anything, then it started gaining temp and I watched as it kept climbing past 300 degrees and at 310 degrees I finally opened the lid to save my meat. I let it cool down to 250 degrees and it started working in the range of 195-240 degrees for a couple hours. Then all the sudden it dropped below 110 degrees and then rocketed up past 300 again. Finally I just pulled the meat off the smoker and finished it in the oven. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. This happened again and again. The interesting thing is that for short smokes, this doesn't seem to be an issue. If I smoke for 6 hours or less then the range stays in the 195-240 range pretty consistently and may only momentarily dip down to 190 or 245. For some reason in that 7+ hour range, the temperature gets way out of whack and can go to extremes.
For this reason alone, I cannot recommend this smoker to anyone. I have friends and family with other brands of pellet smokers who have never experienced this "pellet bridge" and most can't believe that I put up with the 45 degree temperature swing on a regular smoke in the first place.
So, what do I like about Camp Chef?
One, their customer support really tried. I appreciate their effort, but after basically having 2 units, and them saying the temperature control is out of there control, I don't think their grill is as good as their customer support. I feel like they were forced to give up on me.
Two, their ash cleanout trap door (and the similar wood hopper cleanout trap door) is so simple, it is borderline genius. I am excited to see the patent run out so other smokers can copy the design.
Three, their pellets can be bought at a fair price.
So there you go, three positives, one very big negative = one long 2 star review. I hope this helps you in your quest for a good smoker.
mhallacy : This is no longer a quality brand. Severe quality control and customer service problems.
I was excited to receive my new smoker, unfortunately within minutes of opening the box disappointment struck.
- There were small nuts, washers, and lock washers rattling around inside the control box and the smoker itself
- The enamel had gouges in it
- The pellet hopper lid had dents and scratches
- Where the pellet hopper connects to the smoker the temperature probe wire has been smashed, and there was yet another lock washer jammed in there too. This not only messes with the temperature probe reading, it makes the hopper slightly offset, which means the auger is off center, which causes a host of other problems (like flameouts).
It took over four days to get a response from customer service about the lock washers and nuts. They said "You can discard the extra washers, sometimes they get dropped in in manufacturing and are just extra", thanks guys, what about the rest of it?
- There were small nuts, washers, and lock washers rattling around inside the control box and the smoker itself
- The enamel had gouges in it
- The pellet hopper lid had dents and scratches
- Where the pellet hopper connects to the smoker the temperature probe wire has been smashed, and there was yet another lock washer jammed in there too. This not only messes with the temperature probe reading, it makes the hopper slightly offset, which means the auger is off center, which causes a host of other problems (like flameouts).
It took over four days to get a response from customer service about the lock washers and nuts. They said "You can discard the extra washers, sometimes they get dropped in in manufacturing and are just extra", thanks guys, what about the rest of it?
Dan : Get smokin!
I ordered one of these for my dad a few years ago as a Father’s Day gift. After seeing how great his was, I decided to order one for myself this Father’s Day. (I’m worth it, jk).
This thing has two temp probes, quick clean ash tray, a quick empty hopper function and holds temperature very well. It has a big grilling surface. I was able to fit three full racks of St Louis spare ribs on the grill.
I have also used it in grill mode for burgers, chicken and tri tip. Works great, cooks fast and infuses a Smokey flavor in the meats.
A friend has a Traeger which is a nice grill also. I don’t think it’s worth the extra $300 for a Traeger. Just my $.02.
This thing has two temp probes, quick clean ash tray, a quick empty hopper function and holds temperature very well. It has a big grilling surface. I was able to fit three full racks of St Louis spare ribs on the grill.
I have also used it in grill mode for burgers, chicken and tri tip. Works great, cooks fast and infuses a Smokey flavor in the meats.
A friend has a Traeger which is a nice grill also. I don’t think it’s worth the extra $300 for a Traeger. Just my $.02.
Michael : Very Poor Temperature Control
I have owned this smoker since fall 2017, just over 2 years. I would not buy this smoker again despite some nice features because of the very unreliable temperature control. Let me qualify that statement and say that I bought the Camp Chef cover for the smoker, I use an insulated Camp Chef blanket for cooler temperature smokes, I only used Camp Chef pellets for the smoker, I do not leave a full hopper of pellets in the smoker when not in use, I store the pellets in an air tight plastic container per Camp Chef's suggestion, and I use remote thermometers for the meat so that I do not open and close the lid during a smoke. Despite all of that I can still state that temperature control is a problem for my unit through the multiple grilling seasons I have owned this unit. If you would like details read on if not, look no further.
I will start by saying that their customer support tries to help, until they cannot. I do not want to speak ill of their customer support, I only want to state what has happened to me and speak from my experience which may be entirely different than your experience. I believe Camp Chef is made up of good people, but that the particular products I received cannot compete with the better performance that I have seen from other major brands (i.e. the big T). I have been in contact with Camp Chef numerous times and they have done their best, but in the end, their best cannot solve my problem, which is erratic temperature swings.
My experience with customer service:
-Upon receiving my smoker it had bent hinges on the lid and a mis-manufactured screw that would not let me attach the handle. I fixed the hinges and contacted them about the screw. They said they couldn't ship just a screw so they shipped me out a handle right away, they assured me 2 screws were included. It didn't come with a screw.
-I contacted them again, they created a part number for the screw and sent one to me along with a free shelf to attach to the grill for my troubles. That was a nice touch.
-It wasn't starting every time I turned it on from day one. I would flip the switch on and off, and finally I learned to turn it on and wait 10 minutes until it would magically turn on...until several smokes in when it wouldn't. I contacted them and they sent me a new control panel. I installed it.
-I noticed wild temperature swings (I had the charts for an entire smoke from a bluetooth thermometer), I told them, they sent me a new thermometer for the unit which I installed. It was a bit of a pain, but oh well, off I go to smoke.
-I noticed temperature swings again, I told them and they sent me an entire new hopper (includes the fans, auger, etc.) Basically, this gave me everything new except the barrel and grate where the meat sits. This should solve any and every problem because it is basically a new grill. Of course when I receive it there is damage to the box, the lid took a hard hit in transit and is unusable and the internal thermometer is bent. Rather than complain, I took the old lid off the old unit, replaced the new, broken, lid with the old one and re-used my "old" thermometer. I just felt bad having them send me more parts when it was obviously a packaging and transit problem. So off I go to smoke.
-I noticed more temperature swings and again contacted them. They said this must be due to a "pellet bridge" which they cannot control and there is nothing they will do further for me. - Thus ends my relationship with Camp Chef customer support - they broke up with me.
So, what temperature swings am I talking about? The details:
I usually smoke at 225 (the old control panel had a 220 degree setting). I am a fair weather smoker and so I typically smoke at outdoor temperatures of 60-80 degrees that are sunny or cloudy. I keep the insulated blanket on in the winter and very rarely will smoke on a sunny day that is in the 50's. It is fairly standard for this unit, in all of these conditions, to have swings from 195 to 240 degrees. While that is not ideal, I can live with that 45 degree swing.
The big problem I have is when the swings have a range greater than 200 degrees! In excess of 100 degrees on either side of my set point makes a guessing game of the meat! I have documentation for one particular day that was 75 degrees outside, no precipitation. The smoker was set at 220. dropped to within a couple degrees of 100, I moved the temperature knob around and then set it back to 220 to see if that would do anything, then it started gaining temp and I watched as it kept climbing past 300 degrees and at 310 degrees I finally opened the lid to save my meat. I let it cool down to 250 degrees and it started working in the range of 195-240 degrees for a couple hours. Then all the sudden it dropped below 110 degrees and then rocketed up past 300 again. Finally I just pulled the meat off the smoker and finished it in the oven. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. This happened again and again. The interesting thing is that for short smokes, this doesn't seem to be an issue. If I smoke for 6 hours or less then the range stays in the 195-240 range pretty consistently and may only momentarily dip down to 190 or 245. For some reason in that 7+ hour range, the temperature gets way out of whack and can go to extremes.
For this reason alone, I cannot recommend this smoker to anyone. I have friends and family with other brands of pellet smokers who have never experienced this "pellet bridge" and most can't believe that I put up with the 45 degree temperature swing on a regular smoke in the first place.
So, what do I like about Camp Chef?
One, their customer support really tried. I appreciate their effort, but after basically having 2 units, and them saying the temperature control is out of there control, I don't think their grill is as good as their customer support. I feel like they were forced to give up on me.
Two, their ash cleanout trap door (and the similar wood hopper cleanout trap door) is so simple, it is borderline genius. I am excited to see the patent run out so other smokers can copy the design.
Three, their pellets can be bought at a fair price.
So there you go, three positives, one very big negative = one long 2 star review. I hope this helps you in your quest for a good smoker.
I will start by saying that their customer support tries to help, until they cannot. I do not want to speak ill of their customer support, I only want to state what has happened to me and speak from my experience which may be entirely different than your experience. I believe Camp Chef is made up of good people, but that the particular products I received cannot compete with the better performance that I have seen from other major brands (i.e. the big T). I have been in contact with Camp Chef numerous times and they have done their best, but in the end, their best cannot solve my problem, which is erratic temperature swings.
My experience with customer service:
-Upon receiving my smoker it had bent hinges on the lid and a mis-manufactured screw that would not let me attach the handle. I fixed the hinges and contacted them about the screw. They said they couldn't ship just a screw so they shipped me out a handle right away, they assured me 2 screws were included. It didn't come with a screw.
-I contacted them again, they created a part number for the screw and sent one to me along with a free shelf to attach to the grill for my troubles. That was a nice touch.
-It wasn't starting every time I turned it on from day one. I would flip the switch on and off, and finally I learned to turn it on and wait 10 minutes until it would magically turn on...until several smokes in when it wouldn't. I contacted them and they sent me a new control panel. I installed it.
-I noticed wild temperature swings (I had the charts for an entire smoke from a bluetooth thermometer), I told them, they sent me a new thermometer for the unit which I installed. It was a bit of a pain, but oh well, off I go to smoke.
-I noticed temperature swings again, I told them and they sent me an entire new hopper (includes the fans, auger, etc.) Basically, this gave me everything new except the barrel and grate where the meat sits. This should solve any and every problem because it is basically a new grill. Of course when I receive it there is damage to the box, the lid took a hard hit in transit and is unusable and the internal thermometer is bent. Rather than complain, I took the old lid off the old unit, replaced the new, broken, lid with the old one and re-used my "old" thermometer. I just felt bad having them send me more parts when it was obviously a packaging and transit problem. So off I go to smoke.
-I noticed more temperature swings and again contacted them. They said this must be due to a "pellet bridge" which they cannot control and there is nothing they will do further for me. - Thus ends my relationship with Camp Chef customer support - they broke up with me.
So, what temperature swings am I talking about? The details:
I usually smoke at 225 (the old control panel had a 220 degree setting). I am a fair weather smoker and so I typically smoke at outdoor temperatures of 60-80 degrees that are sunny or cloudy. I keep the insulated blanket on in the winter and very rarely will smoke on a sunny day that is in the 50's. It is fairly standard for this unit, in all of these conditions, to have swings from 195 to 240 degrees. While that is not ideal, I can live with that 45 degree swing.
The big problem I have is when the swings have a range greater than 200 degrees! In excess of 100 degrees on either side of my set point makes a guessing game of the meat! I have documentation for one particular day that was 75 degrees outside, no precipitation. The smoker was set at 220. dropped to within a couple degrees of 100, I moved the temperature knob around and then set it back to 220 to see if that would do anything, then it started gaining temp and I watched as it kept climbing past 300 degrees and at 310 degrees I finally opened the lid to save my meat. I let it cool down to 250 degrees and it started working in the range of 195-240 degrees for a couple hours. Then all the sudden it dropped below 110 degrees and then rocketed up past 300 again. Finally I just pulled the meat off the smoker and finished it in the oven. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. This happened again and again. The interesting thing is that for short smokes, this doesn't seem to be an issue. If I smoke for 6 hours or less then the range stays in the 195-240 range pretty consistently and may only momentarily dip down to 190 or 245. For some reason in that 7+ hour range, the temperature gets way out of whack and can go to extremes.
For this reason alone, I cannot recommend this smoker to anyone. I have friends and family with other brands of pellet smokers who have never experienced this "pellet bridge" and most can't believe that I put up with the 45 degree temperature swing on a regular smoke in the first place.
So, what do I like about Camp Chef?
One, their customer support really tried. I appreciate their effort, but after basically having 2 units, and them saying the temperature control is out of there control, I don't think their grill is as good as their customer support. I feel like they were forced to give up on me.
Two, their ash cleanout trap door (and the similar wood hopper cleanout trap door) is so simple, it is borderline genius. I am excited to see the patent run out so other smokers can copy the design.
Three, their pellets can be bought at a fair price.
So there you go, three positives, one very big negative = one long 2 star review. I hope this helps you in your quest for a good smoker.
Tim : Showed up broken
Assembled it and started the 30 minute burn in. Kept popping my GFI breakers. After trying multiple outlets and extension cords, called Camp Chef. They knew the problem was the hot rod right away so this appears to be a common issue. They are going to send me a replacement (3-5 days processing, then delivery, so minimum of another week).
That, and I have to replace the hot rod myself. Watched the video and got the old one out-it wasn’t as easy as they made it look.
Long and the short, I don’t have a working grill and won’t for at least a week and I have/will spend at least an hour fixing a “new” grill.
That, and I have to replace the hot rod myself. Watched the video and got the old one out-it wasn’t as easy as they made it look.
Long and the short, I don’t have a working grill and won’t for at least a week and I have/will spend at least an hour fixing a “new” grill.
High Tech Redneck : Great pellet smoker
Arrived on schedule, very well packaged for shipping. Easy to put together (2 hours max). My first pellet smoker after being a true blue stick smoker for years. Did the initial burn in. Then did a rack of baby backs first. Perfect results, but not the smoke I was used to with my stick burner (it was set at 250 and high smoke). After some research on pellet smokers I ordered a smoke tube. Next up was a pork butt, this time I set it at 250 and smoke lever 10 and lit the smoke tube. plenty smoke now. Wrapped it in foil after 4 hours and reduced the smoke level to 2. When the meat hit 205 I pulled it and let it rest. Came out perfect. Love it so far. Worked exactly as designed.
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