Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker 6 in 1 BBQ Grill Auto Temperature Control, 450 Sq in Bronze review and price compare 2025
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Product overview
| Brand | Z GRILLS |
| Model Name | 2020 Upgrade |
| Power Source | Wood Pellet |
| Color | 450 sq in Bronze |
| Item Weight | 84 Pounds |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 45 x 28 x 49 inches |
| Fuel Type | Electric, Liquefied Petroleum Gas |
product features
- by entering your model number.
- ★ ULTIMATE 8-IN-1 (Cover included): Barbecue wood fire pellet grill: bbq✓bake✓roast✓braise✓smoke✓grill✓sear✓char-grill
- ★ Pellet Grill Technology: There isn't an easier way to get wood-smoked flavors than with a pellet grill. Try it, and you'll taste the difference from a GAS or CHARCOAL grill
- ★ Set the Temperature, Relax, and Enjoy: Z Grills pellet grills will do all the work for you once you set the temperature. No labor-intensive start-up. No babysitting the grill. Enjoy the cooking!
- ★ Consistent Results Every Time: The PID technology holds the tightest temperature possible throughout your cooking for consistent results.
- ★Smoke, Grill, and Everything in Between: With its 180° to 450° F temperature range, this pellet grill has 8-in-1 versatility to grill, smoke, bake, roast, sear, braise, barbecue, and char-grill with incredible hardwood flavor.
- ★Designed for Small Families, yet Big on Flavor: Perfectly sized for small households, the 450A features 452 sq. in of cooking space while infusing big flavors into your food.
- ★Built to Last: Sturdy steel construction with a high-temperature powder coating finish makes the pellet grill long-lasting, bringing you years of ultimate wood-fired grilling experience.
- ★Less Pellet Filling, More Smoking: The 15 lbs large-capacity pellet hopper offers longer cooking time, eliminating the need to refill the hopper constantly.
This fits your .
From the manufacturer
The ULTIMATE 8-in-1 Grill & Smoker
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Advanced Wood Fire TechnologyZ Grills wood pellet technology gets you wood fire flavor at the convenience of propane or gas. You can cook for about 20 hours per 20 lbs. of pellets. Super versatile and wide temperature range from 180 to 450 degrees to grill, smoke, bake,roast, braise or BBQ. | Z Grills TechnologyWood pellet grills are taking off in the market and quickly becoming the preferred choice over charcoal, propane, and gas grills. Z Grills stands out in the taste, versatility, and consistency among all the grills. | Consistent & PreciselyDigital temperature control automatically adds pellets as needed to regulate the temperature. Most stay within 10 degrees of the set temperature. Convection heat distribution technology ensures food gets cooked evenly to perfection. | Huge Grilling Area & Hopper Capacity450 Square inches grilling area; 15-pound hopper capacity. Foldable working shelf. Heavy duty all terrain wheels. Rust proof cover & racks. |
WOOD PELLET GRILLS VS.TRADITIONAL GRILLS
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The FlavorThe reason professional barbecue chefs use wood is that it provides the best flavor. Pellet grills use all-natural hardwood as fuel, delivering unmatched pure, hardwood taste. Try it and taste the difference. | The VersatilityUnlike gas or charcoal grills, pellet grills have an adjustable, wide temperature range, allowing for 8-in-1 versatility. That means you can smoke a rack of ribs low and slow, or grill a wood-fired pizza hot & fast, and even bake a berry cobbler, all with the same grill. | Cost-EffectivePellet cooking typically costs less than a comparably sized gas grill. A bag of pellets (20 lbs) costs about 25 dollars and can burn up to 50 hours. While propane gas tanks are usually 30 dollars for a full tank, and you’ll typically get 20 hours of cook time even when cooking on low. |
| Total Cooking Area | 452 sq in | 538 sq in | 601 sq in | 694 sq in | 694 sq in | 1060 sq in |
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| Main Cooking Area | 324 sq in 21.5" * 15.5" | 399 sq in 26.1" * 15.1" | 350 sq in 32.5" * 10.8" | 504 sq in 19.2" * 26" | 504 sq in 19.2" * 26" | 432 sq in |
| Warming Rack Area | 128 sq in 22.6" * 5.3" | 139 sq in 27.4" * 5.1" | 251 sq in 21.3" * 11.8" | 190 sq in 6.9" * 27.5" | 190 sq in 6.9" * 27.5" | 374 + 255 sq in |
| Hopper Capacity | 15 lbs | 10 lbs | 10 lbs | 20 lbs | 20 lbs | 20 lbs |
| Assembled Weight | 84 lbs | 84 lbs | 83 lbs | 112 lbs | 146 lbs | 145 lbs |
| Assembled Dimensions | 45" x 28" x 49" | 47" x 20" x 45" | 47" x 21" x 49" | 48" x 22" x 51" | 48" x 22" x 51" | 54" x 25" x 53" |
| Package | one package | one package | one package | one package | two packages | two packages |
| Cooking Grids | Porcelain Coated Cast Iron | Porcelain Coated Cast Iron | Porcelain Coated Cast Iron | Porcelain Coated Cast Iron | Porcelain Coated Cast Iron | Porcelain Coated Cast Iron |
product description
Style:ZPG-450A
SMART SMOKE TECHNOLOGY --- Set it and forget it, Automated electric feed system maintains temperature from 180ºF to 450ºF, Smart Digital Controller keeps temps within +/- 20 degrees F and makes setting the grill temperature as easy as turning a dial HUGE GRILLING AREA & HOPPRT CAPACITY--- Great for Home, party, and Tailgating: 450 Square inches grilling area; 15-pound hopper capacity. Foldable working shelf; heavy duty all terrain wheels ULTIMATE 8 IN 1 BARBECUE WOOD FIRE PELLET GRILL ---Grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, barbeque food all in one grill . GREAT SMOKE FAVOR NOT ONLY GRILL EASIER--Fueled by premium 100% hardwood pellets to generate heat and smoke, infusing your food with a savory wood-fire taste that’ll make your taste buds sing 3 YEARS WARRANTY -- We GUARANTEE you that our grills are made from top quality materials.
product details
important information
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Questions about Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker 6 in 1 BBQ Grill Auto Temperature Control, 450 Sq in Bronze
Q:
Is the grill water proof, would it be ok to use in the rain?
Answer: The hopper is sealed, but I would not use it in the rain, in fear that the pellets would get wet. I suspect that trying to clean the hopper of wet and deteriorated pellets would be extremely time consuming.
Answer: It is not waterproof.
Q:
What is the lowest temp you can smoke at?
Answer: When I turn my ZGrill to smoke it averages from 190-220 degrees. It will produce a lot of smoke at first, then it will cycle smoke every 10 minutes or so. I have cooked all kinds of meat on the grill, and it works good on ribs using the 3-2-1 routine. (3 hrs smoke, 2 hrs wrapped, 1 hr with sauce)
Answer: Smoke setting is around 125. Just a hint, I found mine was cooking uneven but by screwing the chimney cap up or down, depending on what side was cooking hotter, I could even it out. My temps are now pretty consistent throughout the grill.
Answer: 125 for smoke only. 200+ for everything else
Answer: There is a smoke setting and it''s below . It runs at around 125.
Answer: 140 to 150
Answer: 250 degrees
Q:
Has anyone had trouble with the grill tripping a circuit breaker or GF outlet?
Answer: Never has happened to me. Try another supply and see what happens. GFI's are sometimes kinda finicky, but if it's tripping a circuit, it could be a bad smoker, or a weak circuit breaker.
Answer: It isn't your grill. GFI outlets are known to trip. I have changed my outlet out and have had no further issues.
Answer: Yes, but not on this specific unit. I ended up having to replace a faulty igniter.
Answer: No problems at all i Love the smoker
Answer: Nope
Q:
What are the grill grate measurements?
Answer: 15.5” x 21”
Q:
Does the z grill 550a have a removable heat diffuser for griling and smoking?
Answer: No, there is a dial that you set for smoking and then turn up the temp dial for grilling. If you don’t want smoke you put food in after the temp is turned up. Directions advise to start on smoke setting and from there dial in your selections on temperature.
Answer: Yes, the diffuser can be removed.
Q:
If you buy extended warranty for 4 years does that start after 3yr manufacturer warranty?
Answer: not sure, I'll have to check that out.
Q:
I've never owned a pellet wood smoker before. What are the differences between these and charcoal smokers? Besides wood and charcoal.
Answer: charcoal is harder to regulate temperature and cook times. with wood pellets its a breeze. even though wood pellets are more expensive u only use what u need so is cheaper in long run
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: No flare ups, even heating, and the ability to smoke and grill. Different pellets can produce different tastes dependent upon what meat, fish, poultry you are cooking. Set the temp, walk away.
Answer: Also, unlike the others, you have to plug the WP Grill into an external electrical outlet which is not that convenient. But the taste is much better so it's worth it. You have to plan on where to place it so it's close to an outlet or you'll be running extension cords.
Q:
ZPG 550B outside dementions
Answer: Per the data in the product description, 45" x 28" x 49"
Q:
I want to place this on a table top with no legs and let the pellet box hang off the edge of the concrete table. Will this work?
Answer: Since the leg mounts are flat and below the round bottom this possibly could work. But the concrete could crack from the heat if there is mosture in it.
Q:
I have a wing and drumstick rack that measures 18"x7.5"high x 6"w. will this fit inside?
Answer: No, it will not fit inside. I just measured how high my drumstick and wing rack is and it's just under 6" high and makes it inside the Z-Grill with less than 1/2" to spare. My wing and drumstick rack measures 14"x5.5"high x 6"w
Answer: Inside dimensions 21” wide, 15” deep, 7” from grate to highest point.
Answer: Yes. it will be fit inside.
Answer: I don’t think so, I just measured from grill to top of smoker and it measures less than 7 inches tall.
Q:
Has anyone else had on going issues with the pellet auger constantly jamming?
Answer: Never had that issue and been using it almost weekly since before Thanksgiving. Gone through over 100 lbs of pellets. Contact their support for assistance.
Answer: When you add pellets be certain that you do not add the powdery dust from the bottom of the bag. You might try cleaning as others have suggested. Then scoop pellets from bag and add to the hopper. When you near the bottom of the bag, if it has powder, discard or use a slotted spoon to seperate the pellets from the powder.
Answer: I've used my Z-Grill for close to a year now, and never had any hang ups. Make sure you're using the recommended pellets. I ordered my pellets when I ordered my smoker from Amazon.
Answer: We are having that issue now. How did you fix it??
Answer: So far no issues with auger here.
Answer: No. You need to vacuum it out occasionally. You probably have something clogging it up
Q:
Is the 450A large enough to smoke a full sized brisket?
Answer: Yes. You can remove the small, upper rack and fit one in there. Awesome grill!
Q:
Do these not have a temperature gauge on them?
Answer: Digital readout on heat setting but no temperature probe.
Answer: Yes they do. With optional meat probe. Follow directions during initial setup, then afterwards its set tbe temp and wslk away.
Answer: Yes, it does. It's a digital temp reading. Works great. This is an awesome grill.
Answer: It has a digital temp Guage by the temp control knob
Answer: It does not have a built in thermometer for probing.
Q:
Hi. Can you build one with 220-240 volt power rating. shipping to Singapore. Thanks.
Answer: I have no idea but DO NOT BUY this grill! I bought and returned to of them for the exact same problem. I bought a Pit Boss instead.
Q:
What temperature will grill stay at on the smoke setting ?
Answer: 180°
Q:
does this have a PID controller?
Answer: Yes
Q:
How long should this take to reach maximum temperature? It’s already been 20 minutes and it’s only at 325°
Answer: My husband uses this to smoke briskets. He usually fills the hopper with the pellets and turns it on to preheat, which usually takes about 45 minutes to an hour. When he puts the brisket in, he inserts a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of the meat. Close the door and do not open until it is done. You have to periodically check the hopper and level out the pellets and add more if necessary throughout the cooking process. Smoking is a slow process. My husband usually smokes our briskets for 8-10 hours, depending on the size of the brisket. Hope this helps.
Q:
There is a tan wire/cable/cord (very thin) between the hopper and the grill chamber. What is this? There is no mention of it in the instructions?
Answer: Temperature Sensor.
Q:
My grill will not hardly make any temperature above 250 and takes forever to get there. What Is wrong?
Answer: Be sure to start on smoke setting for 15 minutes with lid open, close lid. Set temp.. also be sure there is nothing causing the pellets to enter the hot box...
Q:
Z Gills vs Treager Grill, which’s one is better?
Answer: I haven't used Traeger, but our Z Grill is fantastic!
Answer: We have a ZGRILL and a Pit Boss the ZGrill is compatible, cooks well.
Q:
what tempdo you smoke ribs?
Answer: 200 for about 3 hours then I wrap with foil and use butter, apple cider, and brown sugar. Wrap and smoke another 2 hours. Then remove foil and turn smoker up to 225 putting them on the smoker for another hour with BBQ sauce. Perfect! I also put a rub on mine when I first put the ribs on. This is the 3-2-1 method. Can’t go wrong.
Answer: I used the 3-2-1 method at 250 degrees. They came out great.
Q:
Does this grill have the pellet purge door so I can change out he type of pellets? If not it is a 100% no go.
Answer: I don't think it has a purge door. I don't recall seeing anything in the manual about it either.
Answer: no you need to scoop out the pellets and let it run to burn out what is in auger that has been only thing i don't like otherwise love it
Answer: Looks like it is a "No Go"
Answer: not that I am aware of.
Answer: No, it does not
Q:
can you cold smoke on this grill?
Answer: No, I’m not sure if they make a box that would go between the smoker and the chimney.
Answer: Probably not.
Q:
Does the zpg-450a have a sear mode that heats over 450f? what's the max sear temperature?
Answer: No
Q:
What is the big difference between the older model and the one with the 2019 upgrade?
Answer: Not sure because I don’t have but one grill.
Q:
Which is cheaper to run, charcoal or pellets?
Answer: I bought 40 pounds of pellets at Walmart for $16.95 when I first got my grill. I have cooked 5 times on it with an average of 1 1/2 hours each time. I still have about 20 pounds (half a sack) of pellet and my pellet bin on my pit is still about half full. So I would definitely say that the pellets are cheaper overall. Most of my cooking was around 350 degrees. If you could at higher temperatures of course it will burn more pellets. Hope this helps.
Answer: It's not about price, although price of pellets per bag is $14 lasts longer than charcoal brickets. I fill the smoker hopper full and it takes about 1/3 bag, but when smoking it will burn all night long and you don't have to tend it.
Answer: I would say pellets, it is very economical on pellets. But you are missing the point. The pellet grill maintains the temp effortlessly. It makes it SO EASY to cook what ever. I cooked everything in it, brisket, turkey, chicken, ribs, port shoulder, prime rib, tritip, grilled steaks much easier than with my CharGriller with a Texas firebox. I've used it every week since before thanksgiving. Highly recommneded.
Answer: Pellets $15.00 for 40#
Answer: Charcoal is always cheaper, but the flavor for wood pellets when cooking is the best...shop around for pellets to get better deals
Answer: Thus far, I would have to say pellets. In addition, the pellets are no mess to clean up and a much cleaner process through out. I love it!
Q:
What’s does the “Deal” specify
Answer: You get the grill, that you need to assemble, and an all weather cover to protect it when it's not in use. The assembly is easy to follow. There is also the warranty you get for the grill.
Q:
Are the hood hinges reversible?
Answer: No they are hinges
Q:
How wide is the smoker with the shelf down?
Answer: 480 sq inches of cooking surface
Answer: Zgrills suck
Q:
Is this easily portable for camping?
Answer: No... it was hard to put together and would not be easy to disassemble for camping. Also it has to be plugged into a 110 v. power to run.
Answer: If you can lift 80lbs into your rig or trailer or camper, and have access to 110 electricity, you'll be good to go.
Answer: No
Answer: No, it is quite heavy and awkward.
Q:
What is the wattage of the electric motor to operate?
Q:
What is the dimension difference between the 450 grill size and the 550 grill size? I know one is 450 sq. & the other is 550 sq. Inches, so actual dim
Answer: ZPG-450A
Q:
Is this a propane grill?
Answer: This is an electric grill.
Answer: No. It is a pellet grill.
Answer: No it's electric and uses pellets
Answer: No, electric.
Answer: Electric
Q:
How well does this work for standard grilling, i.e steaks and burgers?
Answer: I find that if you are going to do a steak, use a standard grill. I did one last night and at 350 for about 15 min it ruined the steak, made it to tough, but maybe I need to adj. how I do it. I will still stick to the grill.
Answer: Personally I love my ZGrill. I have both smoked and grilled on it. Two problems, you have to keep a eye on the pellet hopper and if you want a Char on your burgers & steaks it won’t give you the same as a gas/charcoal grill. My wife loves a deep char so I bought a small grill to throw her steaks in for that. Bottom line for the price it’s a great grill. Suggestion get a remote thermometer to monitor internal meat temperature and inside grill temperature. The readout on the grill can be off as much as 25°.
Answer: It seems to work pretty well. On high I get to 500+ which is plenty to sear. What is a bit different is you do not get the char (or burning) from a direct flame.
Answer: STAY AWAY FROM ZGRILLS. Spend a few bucks more and get a grill that actually works
Answer: it is great for common grilling the only problem I am having is I am on my third temperature controler
Answer: no flame but smoke flavor. y
Q:
It’s made in the usa? one picture showing its highlights, number 6 in particular says it “keeps crease away...” really? at least proofread
Answer: all pellet grills are designed so as the grease funnells into a small pale . It works as described. Made in the USA??? I have my doubts. But the workmanship is of very good quality and assembling the unit was not too challenging.
Q:
Is it wifi?
Answer: Not my model.
Q:
Is the smoke setting for smoking or just preheat?
Answer: It’s for smoke also. Sits about 165-170 degrees
Q:
Is the zgc-02b grill cover compatible with the zpg-550b wood pellet grill?
Answer: No idea
Q:
How big of a brisket will this fit?
Answer: had a 10 pound brisket in mine. would probably take a 15 pound ok
Answer: It was a tight fit but I managed to smoke a 17 pound brisket.
Answer: It will hold a full-size brisket without the top rack
Q:
There is another similar one on Amazon for $100 more. The only difference are the words 2018 and upgrade. What's the difference?
Answer: The only difference is the the upgraded model has locking wheels. The actual grill is exactly the same , no difference! Buy it , it's a really good smoker grill and this one is a hundred bucks less than what I payed for mine
Answer: Not sure. All I know is that I have used mine more than anything else this last summer and it is great.
Q:
Can you use pit boss pellets in this?
Answer: Yes. I frequently use Pit Boss pellets in my smoker.
Answer: you can use any wood food pellet you want to
Answer: All pellets are basically made the same, if you exclude the flavor of the wood.
Answer: yes i use them all the time comp. pellets.
Answer: Pretty sure the pellets are all the same size
Answer: I would compare them and as long as there is not much difference they night be ok. However if you stick with what's recommended by the grill nanufacture the they can stand behind the warranty and cooking times. Any time you stray from the mfg recommended fuel how can you expect them to stand behind the product. Follow the directions until you are certain you can vary.
Answer: yes. i do with no problems.
Q:
Why does one description say, 20lb hopper capacity and the other says 15lb hopper capacity?
Answer: Theres screwed up info on both the new model and the old. The older model had a 10lb hopper but I believe the new model has a 15lb hopper. You wont be disappointed with the grill though.
Q:
It only works with hard wood pellets? I can only find pellets from pine wood or eucaliptus, use for heating systems. Those work too?
Answer: soft wood pellets will work, they will burn a little faster, with a different smoke flavor versa a hard wood pellet.
Answer: Most likely not, especially not the pine.
Answer: no wood pellets for home heating or full of plastic and glue do not use them in your barbecue grill
Q:
I purchased the 450a model. can anyone explain how the grease pan sits in the unit? i see there are two slots on one end. where does it sit?
Answer: You'll see a tab on the left hand side of your grill. The grease pan tabs fit in the end of this tab. This lets the grease pan sit with the tabbed end higher than the other so the grease will flow toward the bucket.
Answer: The slot go to the left, the notches fit into them. The pan does tilt downward to the right when you put it in.
Q:
What size tray liner should i purchase
Answer: Heavy weight aluminum foil works just fine.
Q:
can you cook on it like a normal grill for like burgers, hot dogs, food that does not take take time like smoking ribs, brisket etc
Answer: Yes, you can cook on it similar to a normal grill. The temperatures are not going to get as high as a gas or charcoal grill though.
Answer: You can cook anything you want on it, you will need to cook it on the pellets and not charcoal, but it's great with burgers and hot dogs.
Answer: Yes. Does not really get hot enough for searing steaks. (450 top temp) Other than that, it is wonderful.
Answer: Yes. It takes a little longer than a gas grill because of indirect heat but it will get to 450 degrees.
Answer: How long is the electrical cord?
Answer: yes you can
Answer: do you have to use a lighter to start this or what is the heat source that heats the wood pellets. Is it a gas flame, an electric coil or what?
Answer: O ya
Q:
What is the process to connect to natural gas ?
Answer: You can't hook to natural Gas. It uses wood pellets.
Q:
Does it a temperature probe to check temps on what your cooking?
Answer: No, you would get that separately. I got a 2 probe unit for about $25 as I recall. You can even get one that is blue tooth that reports to an app on your phone.
Answer: No I use my own Thermapen for meat but it has a temp probe for the interior or cavity monitor only. WHR
Answer: No
Answer: No
Q:
Where is this made?
Answer: They manufacture in china
Q:
New to barbecuing, completely. Can I use wood, no propane or gas, to Grill meats? If that's not possible with this unit, can you please recommend one?
Answer:
Answer:
Answer: This grill uses "wood Pellets" to cook. It also uses 110V electric connection to run the feed auger and glow plug. It does not use any propane or other gas. add pellets plug in and set the temp.
Answer: This grill only uses wood pellets, 6mm in dia which any of the pellets for cooking are the correct size I’ve found. I’ve done it all gas, charcoal cooking so far I’m pretty excited about this grill not heavy on the smoke just right
Answer: This grill is electric and uses special wood pellets, you dont use any propane or gas. They sell them in different flavors.
Answer: This unit using 120V and wood pellets not wood chips.
Answer: This smoker uses pellets only , if you are looking for a smoker that uses wood chips this one is not for you.. Keep looking and you will find the right one for you.
Product reviews of Z GRILLS ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker 6 in 1 BBQ Grill Auto Temperature Control, 450 Sq in Bronze
Lane : Food is amazing, but its not perfect
Hopper design is poor; when you're grilling, the pellets dont fall in like they should. There will be a hole right in the middle and the outside pellets wont fall in like they should. Also the temperature regulation is all over the place. For example, you'll set the temp to 225 and it'll go way up to almost 400 if you dont keep an eye on it. Other than that, all the food I've cooked on it has been amazing. But you can't set it and forget it like you should be able to for the price.
Erin : Do not buy! Not worth it!
Worst pellet grill ever! I wish I would have spent the extra money and got a Traeger or spent the same amount of money and got a Pit Boss. Have had it 3 months and have had multiple temperature malfunctions. Contacted Z Grills, they sent a new controller, still didn't fix the problem. Contacted Z Grills to let them know still not working. They said they would send a new hopper after the weekend. 3 weeks go by and I still haven't gotten to hopper, so I contact Z Grills again and the hoppers are out of stock. It is even more frustrating that $45 briskets and racks of ribs are getting ruined because of this. They will not send me a new grill or refund me.
Amazon Customer : Don’t get this grill.
I can’t even begin to describe how disappointed I am in this grill. I don’t often treat myself to things and it took me six months to pull the trigger on purchasing a wood pellet grill after my other one was damaged in a move. The grill arrived quickly there’s a ton of pieces but I guess all in all it wasn’t the worst to put together. The first time we go to use it after letting it preheat it started to make a horrible sound that was shaking my entire deck. The sound stopped after about five minutes. However, it took forever and I want to say 45 minutes to even hit up to 375°. The minute I open the lid to put food on… The temperature dropped dramatically. Figured there was ashes in there from doing the whole start up procedure so today I purchased a shop vac and vacuumed some of the ashes out. Gave it a try again tonight. This time the grill did heat up more quickly. However, it has significant troubles trying to hold the temperature. I preheated to 375 and the minute I opened it and put food on it dropped to about 50° below. I then upped the temperature because I want it at 375 currently set at 450 and the temperature is reading 375. Terrible. It’s taking forever to cook my food. I would not recommend this product to anyone
country5 : holds temp consistenly
The grill came promptly and in good condition. I have some assembly experience so putting it together was not hard; having two people is a big help. The instruction are clear with lots of pictures and all the hard ware is clearly labeled and the grill came with all the tools needed to put it together. This is my first pellet grill so I cannot compare it to others but my cooking experiences have been very positive. Cooking the meat low and slow along with a good level of smoke has made for delicious meals. I have kept a close eye on the temperature the swings are easily within ten degrees. I have found that stepping up the temperature in increment works best. For reference I put a full untrimmed rack of pork ribs and two 1.5 lb ropes of sausage on the grill and it was full. ( 540 sq in grill size) The grill is built well and easy to use I would buy another Z Grill. The only frustration I found was there is no hole for a meat probe so I took a 3/16 drill bit and made my own. Hope I did not void my warranty of increase the risk of rust where I drilled.
Blueridge : First pellet grill for us
We don't do a ton of large cooks but this grill seemed to fit the bill for us because of it's size. We have a small electric smoker now but wanted a pellet grill for doing ribs and other grilling. All I've done is assembled it and did the burn-in. All the instruction were easy to follow and straight forward. Don't bother with the single sheet of assembly instructions, use the owners manual. I was impressed with the grills overall construction. I believe this Z Grill is every bit as nice as others costing more. Hopefully will add more to this review after smoking some rubs and other grilling.
HF : A smoker it is not!
This is a pretty decent grill that burns wood pellets. It can cook juicy burgers and steaks just fine.
As a smoker, it falls way short. The temperature control is not perfect for smoking - 225 is more like anywhere between 230 and 260. But tuning around that, my biggest complaint is that id does not create enough smoke to smoke meats with flavor.
I'm coming from an electric smoker that burns wood ships to create smoke, and a charcoal smoker that does the same. If you want that smoked flavor in your pork spare ribs, get a _real_ smoker and pass on this. If you want a BBQ that burns wood pellets and has a slightly different flavor than a propane grill, then this might be for you.
As a smoker, it falls way short. The temperature control is not perfect for smoking - 225 is more like anywhere between 230 and 260. But tuning around that, my biggest complaint is that id does not create enough smoke to smoke meats with flavor.
I'm coming from an electric smoker that burns wood ships to create smoke, and a charcoal smoker that does the same. If you want that smoked flavor in your pork spare ribs, get a _real_ smoker and pass on this. If you want a BBQ that burns wood pellets and has a slightly different flavor than a propane grill, then this might be for you.
Joanna Basham : Cut off all the time,..error codes
It wasn't hard to assemble, fired up decently. I used about 6 times, each time it would cut off mid smoke. "Set it and forget it" wasn't really the case. Each time it happened it was a family gathering and I would scramble to get the meat done. I would leave it for an hour or two and when I came back, it was off with an error code By the time I realized it had cut off, the meat had dropped in temp so that was a pain. I contacted customer service via email, didnt get really helpful feedback . They made suggestions but in essence I was asked to take the thing apart and try to fix it. I regret not buying a Traeger or something better. I ended up selling it because was so disappointed
Kirt : I would recommend
**UPDATE**
As I shared below, I was very impressed with the customer service at ZGrills. Today was no exception. I received a call after contacting CS meeting them know how much I want to love my Grill, but was loosing faith. She was sympathetic and eager to resolve my concerns. We agreed to a solution so I can once again be a happy griller. For this amazing level of service I bring my rating back up to 4 stars.
I bought this pellet grill in March. I had a few good meals and then out of nowhere the temperature control went haywire. I contacted ZGrills and the customer service was great. They sent a new controller out very quickly. Now within 60 days the temperature control went out again. I believe this model has a defect and now I’m stuck with a grill that doesn’t work. Very sad.
As I shared below, I was very impressed with the customer service at ZGrills. Today was no exception. I received a call after contacting CS meeting them know how much I want to love my Grill, but was loosing faith. She was sympathetic and eager to resolve my concerns. We agreed to a solution so I can once again be a happy griller. For this amazing level of service I bring my rating back up to 4 stars.
I bought this pellet grill in March. I had a few good meals and then out of nowhere the temperature control went haywire. I contacted ZGrills and the customer service was great. They sent a new controller out very quickly. Now within 60 days the temperature control went out again. I believe this model has a defect and now I’m stuck with a grill that doesn’t work. Very sad.
John Phelps : Not top of the line but more than good enough
Several of my friends have Traeger Pellet Grills and the meat that comes off these things is fantastic. But I couldn't see spending that kind of money for something that I might use 3-4 times a month. So I found this Z Grillls pellet grilll that seems to be equivalent to my fiends Traegers but for about $200 less.
Assembly was pretty straightforward. Flipping the grill and attached hopper assembly upside down without any help was a challenge but overall, it was pretty easy to assemble.
The cooking surface is somewhat lower than what I'm used to - my Weber gas grill is quite a bit higher - and I feel like I'm being down when use it. Plus the inside feels a little cramped; especially when the upper rack is in place. And the temperature seems to vary more than I expected.
However, the bottom line is the food that comes off it. I started with two racks of ribs cooked the 3-2-1 method and even though one was kind of dried out, the taste was incredible. Each rack had a perfect smoke ring and was fall off the bone tender.
I've only used this once but I can't wait to try it again. This Z Grills unit was well worth the investment and I'd have no reservations recommending it to anyone looking for a smoker.
Assembly was pretty straightforward. Flipping the grill and attached hopper assembly upside down without any help was a challenge but overall, it was pretty easy to assemble.
The cooking surface is somewhat lower than what I'm used to - my Weber gas grill is quite a bit higher - and I feel like I'm being down when use it. Plus the inside feels a little cramped; especially when the upper rack is in place. And the temperature seems to vary more than I expected.
However, the bottom line is the food that comes off it. I started with two racks of ribs cooked the 3-2-1 method and even though one was kind of dried out, the taste was incredible. Each rack had a perfect smoke ring and was fall off the bone tender.
I've only used this once but I can't wait to try it again. This Z Grills unit was well worth the investment and I'd have no reservations recommending it to anyone looking for a smoker.
Apasionado : Excitement turned to absolute disappointment.
I bought this grill in 2019. I was so excited to use this grill and the first two times I used it, it worked perfectly. Well, the next two times I used it, it didn’t go so well. The temp control doesn’t work. It never hits or gets close to the target temp and even when it gets kinda close, it starts to lose temp. I thought it was user error, so I pulled out all the pellets, cleaned out the burn box real good and tried again.. nope, exact same problem. I’m so very disappointed. I went from telling all my friends how awesome it worked to telling them it broke on me and I’m guessing I’m out hundreds of dollars.
So then I get on Amazon to see what the details say about warranty. Well well well, I see the new 2020 model FIXED a known problem which happens to be the exact problem I’m having. Wow! I truly hope they make this right for me somehow. I can’t afford to toss a grill that cost me a few hundred dollars.
So then I get on Amazon to see what the details say about warranty. Well well well, I see the new 2020 model FIXED a known problem which happens to be the exact problem I’m having. Wow! I truly hope they make this right for me somehow. I can’t afford to toss a grill that cost me a few hundred dollars.
Walter : Bad Hopper
I have used this grill 5 times and have experimented with all different types of meat. I love the grill but the hopper is poorly designed. The pellets form a hole right above the auger and stop dropping in. There is a small ledge at the bottom of the hopper and ultimately if you do not continue to check it the grill will stop burning. This model is no longer available and if you check the Z-grills website you'll see that they changed the hopper design.
Great cooking and temp control but you can't leave this on all night or for hours without checking the pellets.
Great cooking and temp control but you can't leave this on all night or for hours without checking the pellets.
Tessawessa : Terrible experience, broken grill. DO NOT BUY.
I bought this smoker for my husband for Christmas after researching multiple different websites for making the best BBQ. He is a carpenter and very good with tools. He assembled the grill and the auger wouldn't spin. We called ZGrills and they said we had to let it run longer so we did and it didn’t work. We called again and then they sent us a new motor without instructions??! Then they sent us a video on how to replace the motor but it was for a different model. They do not offer in person or on the phone support. They rarely answer the phone. The only person who answers the phone is a young woman with an accent who acted as though she has never heard of us or our problem every time I spoke to her. We ended up returning it to Amazon but was stuck with a $75 restocking fee. The seemingly only have one employee and she is incompetent, mouthy, and worthless. She offered to reimburse us for our troubles with a bag of pellets?? People without functional grills do not need pellets. She literally asked me if I would give her a good review if she sent us a check for the $75 restocking fee.
Amazon Customer : Don’t get this grill.
I can’t even begin to describe how disappointed I am in this grill. I don’t often treat myself to things and it took me six months to pull the trigger on purchasing a wood pellet grill after my other one was damaged in a move. The grill arrived quickly there’s a ton of pieces but I guess all in all it wasn’t the worst to put together. The first time we go to use it after letting it preheat it started to make a horrible sound that was shaking my entire deck. The sound stopped after about five minutes. However, it took forever and I want to say 45 minutes to even hit up to 375°. The minute I open the lid to put food on… The temperature dropped dramatically. Figured there was ashes in there from doing the whole start up procedure so today I purchased a shop vac and vacuumed some of the ashes out. Gave it a try again tonight. This time the grill did heat up more quickly. However, it has significant troubles trying to hold the temperature. I preheated to 375 and the minute I opened it and put food on it dropped to about 50° below. I then upped the temperature because I want it at 375 currently set at 450 and the temperature is reading 375. Terrible. It’s taking forever to cook my food. I would not recommend this product to anyone
gary grant : Great smoker for the money.
Had a electric wood chip smoker at first which I bought during warmer months and it was great, but once winter hit the wood chip smoker failed to get hot enough. Did a lot of research on pellet smokers, plus my neighbors have a Treager, so the smells coming over the fence was incredible. Decided to go with this smoker due to being so much cheaper than the big name brands. The first use of this smoker, the neighbors came over to see what the incredible smells coming over the fence were. Gets up to 400 even at below zero and has opened up so many opportunities for great tasting food. Just had great smoked ravioli, love this smoker. I did find that all pellets are not equal in taste and smoke intensity. Best I have found so far is Lowes competition blend.
vincent : Easy to assemble. Just don’t rush :)
I assembled just over an hour . It would be easier with 2 people but 1 person can do it. I smoked my first ribs after researching it for days. I learned the 4-1-1 method dried out my ribs because I think my smoker runs hot since it’s a smaller unit. The temperature control ran great it’s just the way the smoker is. I was able to play with the smoke stack lid to get my correct temperature . You can adjust the cap up and down which heat or cools the interior and you can get it to match the digital temperature control knob. My next ribs will be the 3-2-1 method which should keep my ribs more moist on the bark. The smoker is a great deal and I read many reviews trying to pick what I need and can afford. It’s a perfect family smoker . If you plan on smoking for big groups or parties then get the bigger smokers . The quality Of materials was excellent and the free cover was a plus. I’m sure I’ll have many years of service with this smoker .
Ryan : Solid Grill, but one design flaw killed it for me.
I got this grill (ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade) as my first pellet barbecue and was very excited about it. Everything worked great, I smoked and grilled several things, but then we got rain. Even with the cover on and extra cover, the hopper let water get right into the dry pellets. Given that I live in the PNW, this is a deal-breaker for me. I ended up picking up the next model up has a different hopper design that will protect the pellets much better where I live.
So, this was a great grill, just not if you live in a wet climate or cannot roll it into full coverage during rain.
So, this was a great grill, just not if you live in a wet climate or cannot roll it into full coverage during rain.
patrick chang : Had great promise and potential but flopped
I bought this grill about 6 months ago. Specifically I got the newer 2018 model thinking they had solved some of their past issues. The 2 main cons or issues I have been having are the temp control unit as the temperatures have been off by 50 degrees or more and the pellet hopper doesnt feed properly causing the grill to stall.
I contacted z grills support but they haven't been very helpful. They recommended that I stir the pellets so they will not stall during feeding? Am I suppose to stand their all day?
I contacted z grills support but they haven't been very helpful. They recommended that I stir the pellets so they will not stall during feeding? Am I suppose to stand their all day?
Amy J. Lindsey : Nothing but problems
We have had nothing but problems. We have used only 3-4 times since purchase in April. The company does answer eventually, but not satisfactorily in my opinion. And more problems keep popping up. Instructions were not complete for starting it -company responded by acknowledging that some steps missing. Thermometer not working - will send parts and a video for us to fix. Excessive smoking (see the pictures) -company offered to send part and a how to video. EITHER this unit defective, OR this is just a really sub-par grill.
Erin : Do not buy! Not worth it!
Worst pellet grill ever! I wish I would have spent the extra money and got a Traeger or spent the same amount of money and got a Pit Boss. Have had it 3 months and have had multiple temperature malfunctions. Contacted Z Grills, they sent a new controller, still didn't fix the problem. Contacted Z Grills to let them know still not working. They said they would send a new hopper after the weekend. 3 weeks go by and I still haven't gotten to hopper, so I contact Z Grills again and the hoppers are out of stock. It is even more frustrating that $45 briskets and racks of ribs are getting ruined because of this. They will not send me a new grill or refund me.
Real48 : Caution tape needed
I bought my grill on July 17 this year and the grill malfunctioned and caused the grill temp to go up. Could not control the temp and the grill caught fire. The problem is the temperature control The temp is all over the place. The temperature is set at 180 and it jumps to 325 to 400. This last time the temperature got so hot the inside for the grill burned up and had to use a extinguisher to put it out. The other problem is zgrill customers service,It is the worst. They don’t return calls or emails.
gary grant : Great smoker for the money.
Had a electric wood chip smoker at first which I bought during warmer months and it was great, but once winter hit the wood chip smoker failed to get hot enough. Did a lot of research on pellet smokers, plus my neighbors have a Treager, so the smells coming over the fence was incredible. Decided to go with this smoker due to being so much cheaper than the big name brands. The first use of this smoker, the neighbors came over to see what the incredible smells coming over the fence were. Gets up to 400 even at below zero and has opened up so many opportunities for great tasting food. Just had great smoked ravioli, love this smoker. I did find that all pellets are not equal in taste and smoke intensity. Best I have found so far is Lowes competition blend.
D. S. Thorell : DO NOT BUY THIS!!!! Amazon should stop selling this
The temperature just keeps going up until it shuts itself off. There are many reviews with the same problem. Wasted an hour and a half assembling this and now have to figure out how to take it apart, repackage it and send it back. DO NOT BUY THIS.
Holly : Please don’t waste your money
Bought this a year ago. Did not have much success the entire season. Read some reviews and I have to agree with a lot. Mine is never consistent. Sometimes it works. Most of the time it does not. I paid over $400 less than a year ago for a piece of junk. I don’t know what my options are. Who repairs them ? Will they give me a refund.
Do not buy. Horrible decision. Bad product and it looks like the problems are consistent with other bad reviews
Do not buy. Horrible decision. Bad product and it looks like the problems are consistent with other bad reviews
Blueridge : First pellet grill for us
We don't do a ton of large cooks but this grill seemed to fit the bill for us because of it's size. We have a small electric smoker now but wanted a pellet grill for doing ribs and other grilling. All I've done is assembled it and did the burn-in. All the instruction were easy to follow and straight forward. Don't bother with the single sheet of assembly instructions, use the owners manual. I was impressed with the grills overall construction. I believe this Z Grill is every bit as nice as others costing more. Hopefully will add more to this review after smoking some rubs and other grilling.
Amazon Customer : This grill is crap- don’t waste your money
This is the first review I’ve ever written. DO NOT BUY THIS GRILL. When I received the grill it was severely damaged. Customer service has had three months to make this right. They sent me a new barrel (one that the legs didn’t line up with the holes on the barrel). We went with it. The grill still shut off after a few minutes due to low temperature. So back on the phone with customer service they decided it needed a new digital panel. So we received that and took the grill completely apart again. Once apart you could actually see the all the inner workings and nearly every piece was damaged. I’m currently waiting on customer service AGAIN, hoping they will attempt to make it right. I’m tired of the hours we have spent assembling, disassembling, and assembling. Three months into owning this grill and I still haven’t got to use it. I REPEAT, do not buy this grill. I wish I had just spent the money to buy a pit boss or traeger. This one is crap.
Goob : Great for a month than up in flames. Updated!
This is my first Z Grill and 3rd pellet grill. Worked perfectly for a month. Today the grill went up in flames 3 hours into a cook. After the fire was put out and I gave it time to cool. I checked and it caught fire up the auger and started up into the hopper. The hopper fan is still currently working (so that shouldn't of happened) and I do exactly as instructions say to start it every time and I keep it clean. Now, I'm seeing error code 2 and HEr when just starting the grill. I wouldn't recommend this grill due to it being a hazard, I leave it on while we sleep at times, pretty scary it could of made us lose everything. Almost $400 down the drain. Before the major dangerous failure, it worked great, kept temp within 10 degrees of set temp. I had zero issues with it before today and would of given it a 5 star review.
(Update) I purchased a aftermarket temp probe from amazon which turned out to be much better made than the stock one that came with the z grill. Since installing this aftermarket temp probe, I have not had any issues. I updated my overall rating to 4 stars. Great product outside of the temp probe that comes with the grill, I recommend replacing it right away and enjoy your cooking because everything else about this grill is pretty awesome. I really enjoy using it.
(Update) I purchased a aftermarket temp probe from amazon which turned out to be much better made than the stock one that came with the z grill. Since installing this aftermarket temp probe, I have not had any issues. I updated my overall rating to 4 stars. Great product outside of the temp probe that comes with the grill, I recommend replacing it right away and enjoy your cooking because everything else about this grill is pretty awesome. I really enjoy using it.
Aaron : Great for low and slow cooking
I had been thinking for a while about getting a smoker, and I bought this not quite knowing what to expect. Here are my impressions after using it this past summer.
This grill was heavier than I expected, and my initial impression was that it is well built. The cooking racks are good quality. Assembly was very straight forward with all parts clearly labeled and pretty decent instructions. After putting everything together it was time to fire it up.
Follow the instructions for priming the auger and lighting the grill the first time. It's important to burn off the oils from the manufacturing process before cooking on it. The instructions for this were a little less clear, but I was able to follow along.
Cooking on this pellet smoker is great as long as you know what to expect. This smoker is very good at maintaining constant low temperatures in the 180 to 275 F range. Don't expect to be running it at high temperatures for searing meats, etc. The maximum I could get my grill up to was about 420 F, and then during the shutdown cycle the pellets in the auger caught on fire from the residual heat. In hindsight, I should have backed the temperature down to 250 for a half hour or so before shutting it down to prevent this.
The bottom line here is that the quality is on a par with some name brand pellet grills but at half the price. Stick to the low and slow BBQ temperature range, and this little smoker works like a champ!
This grill was heavier than I expected, and my initial impression was that it is well built. The cooking racks are good quality. Assembly was very straight forward with all parts clearly labeled and pretty decent instructions. After putting everything together it was time to fire it up.
Follow the instructions for priming the auger and lighting the grill the first time. It's important to burn off the oils from the manufacturing process before cooking on it. The instructions for this were a little less clear, but I was able to follow along.
Cooking on this pellet smoker is great as long as you know what to expect. This smoker is very good at maintaining constant low temperatures in the 180 to 275 F range. Don't expect to be running it at high temperatures for searing meats, etc. The maximum I could get my grill up to was about 420 F, and then during the shutdown cycle the pellets in the auger caught on fire from the residual heat. In hindsight, I should have backed the temperature down to 250 for a half hour or so before shutting it down to prevent this.
The bottom line here is that the quality is on a par with some name brand pellet grills but at half the price. Stick to the low and slow BBQ temperature range, and this little smoker works like a champ!
Ryan : Solid Grill, but one design flaw killed it for me.
I got this grill (ZPG-450A 2020 Upgrade) as my first pellet barbecue and was very excited about it. Everything worked great, I smoked and grilled several things, but then we got rain. Even with the cover on and extra cover, the hopper let water get right into the dry pellets. Given that I live in the PNW, this is a deal-breaker for me. I ended up picking up the next model up has a different hopper design that will protect the pellets much better where I live.
So, this was a great grill, just not if you live in a wet climate or cannot roll it into full coverage during rain.
So, this was a great grill, just not if you live in a wet climate or cannot roll it into full coverage during rain.
Aaron : Great for low and slow cooking
I had been thinking for a while about getting a smoker, and I bought this not quite knowing what to expect. Here are my impressions after using it this past summer.
This grill was heavier than I expected, and my initial impression was that it is well built. The cooking racks are good quality. Assembly was very straight forward with all parts clearly labeled and pretty decent instructions. After putting everything together it was time to fire it up.
Follow the instructions for priming the auger and lighting the grill the first time. It's important to burn off the oils from the manufacturing process before cooking on it. The instructions for this were a little less clear, but I was able to follow along.
Cooking on this pellet smoker is great as long as you know what to expect. This smoker is very good at maintaining constant low temperatures in the 180 to 275 F range. Don't expect to be running it at high temperatures for searing meats, etc. The maximum I could get my grill up to was about 420 F, and then during the shutdown cycle the pellets in the auger caught on fire from the residual heat. In hindsight, I should have backed the temperature down to 250 for a half hour or so before shutting it down to prevent this.
The bottom line here is that the quality is on a par with some name brand pellet grills but at half the price. Stick to the low and slow BBQ temperature range, and this little smoker works like a champ!
This grill was heavier than I expected, and my initial impression was that it is well built. The cooking racks are good quality. Assembly was very straight forward with all parts clearly labeled and pretty decent instructions. After putting everything together it was time to fire it up.
Follow the instructions for priming the auger and lighting the grill the first time. It's important to burn off the oils from the manufacturing process before cooking on it. The instructions for this were a little less clear, but I was able to follow along.
Cooking on this pellet smoker is great as long as you know what to expect. This smoker is very good at maintaining constant low temperatures in the 180 to 275 F range. Don't expect to be running it at high temperatures for searing meats, etc. The maximum I could get my grill up to was about 420 F, and then during the shutdown cycle the pellets in the auger caught on fire from the residual heat. In hindsight, I should have backed the temperature down to 250 for a half hour or so before shutting it down to prevent this.
The bottom line here is that the quality is on a par with some name brand pellet grills but at half the price. Stick to the low and slow BBQ temperature range, and this little smoker works like a champ!
Carol L. Alvarez : UPDATED review 10/19
UPDATED REVIEW: Originally I gave this 5 stars b/c we love the taste that wood burning gives food. EXCEPT, the starter/ignition quit working after 6 months. Upon reading reviews further, I found many that had the same problems. I wouldn't buy this again. ORIGINAL REVIEW: It took about an hour to assemble, but the instructions were clear and concise. We watched a YouTube video on how to do the first burn correctly. I would highly recommend doing that. Also, a valuable tip: Don't turn directly off after using on a high setting. Turn to 180, let the temp drop to around 250 before turning off completely. This will avoid "back burning" of your pellets. Now to the good stuff. We've been using a gas grill forever. I forgot how great wood burning BBQ tastes. We did ribeye cap steaks the first day we put it together and they were the best I've ever eaten. The taste was amazing. Highly recommend this grill. MUCH cheaper than a Traeger (which we bought first and returned b/c pieces were missing and broken and discovered their customer service and standing by their product are non-existent) and works excellently! You won't go wrong with this.
UPDATE: We use this grill almost every night. We LOVE it. It is a great purchase. Food tastes so much better than gas/charcoal grills, and it's really easy to use, and cooks food fast without sacrificing flavor or texture. A meat thermometer is a must.
UPDATE: We use this grill almost every night. We LOVE it. It is a great purchase. Food tastes so much better than gas/charcoal grills, and it's really easy to use, and cooks food fast without sacrificing flavor or texture. A meat thermometer is a must.
Dan V. : An amazing outdoor crockpot - Great Barbecue, not an awesome grill
This is touted as an all-in-one solution for smoking, grilling, backing, and barbecuing. A hot smoker, outdoor oven, and barbecue it is for sure, but a grill, well... it falls a little short (and that is OK!). The difference between smoking, barbecuing, and grilling is the temperature you cook at. Cold smoking is preserving food using salts and smoke without actually cooking them (temperatures around 100 degrees F). Hot smoking and barbecuing is generally done between 175-225 degrees F, and grilling requires temperatures upwards of 450 degrees F (with 600 degrees being necessary for a good sear!).
I can't say enough how convenient it is to be able to set-it-and-forget-it while you go on with your day. I used to smoke in a wood-fired offset smoker. While I loved it, it required constant monitoring and a lot of beer to get through a long cook. It was also possible to oversmoke foods to where they'd be bitter if you weren't careful. With this, just set your temperature and check it every now and then (more towards the end of your cook so you don't overdo it of course). I've even topped off the hopper right before bed and let it cook all night.
As a hot smoker and barbecue it is downright amazing, and why I touted it as an outdoor crockpot... "low-and-slow" cooking requires some planning as well as choosing your cuts of meat. You don't want to try grilling a brisket at high temperature unless you feel like burning more calories chewing than you get from eating. Likewise, you have to be pretty careful smoking thin, lean cuts of meat like pork chops (though thick-cut pork chops turn out great if done carefully). The ability to set a low temperature (I do the majority of my barbecuing/hot smoking right at 225), load up the hopper with pellets, and basically ignore this thing for 2-8 hours is pretty incredible. I've done cooks as long as 14 hours, and it holds an accurate temperature that never seems to deviate more than 10 degrees in either direction. Boneless turkey breasts, 12+ pound briskets, beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, pork shoulder for pulled pork, cornish hens, roaster chickens... they come out simply amazing. Since it is digital, it doesn't need to be babysat, so plan your timing accordingly, throw your meal on, and then head off to do something else for a few hours. Throw some vegetables (asparagus is particularly good) or seasoned, halved potatoes on during the last 30-90 minutes of your cook and you end up with a delicious and healthy meal with virtually no cleanup. Its like being able to throw dinner in the slow-cooker and leave for work, but this is SO much better.
You know what else is delicious? Wood-fired baked goods! The local discount grocery store sells frozen pizzas for $3.99. Take one of those, add a little extra cheese and some turkey pepperoni (cuts down on the grease) and bake in your preheated grill (375 for around 22 minutes in my case). The result is that you'll possibly never want to pay the ridiculous cost to have a pizza delivered again. It is that good. Or, get some take-and-bake baguettes or ciabatta and throw it on for 8-10 minutes, and the results will blow you away. If you do a long cook of some delicious meat, when you take it off to rest, turn your grill up to 375 and let it preheat for a few minutes, and you have just the right amount of time to have hot bread alongside your meal.
Breakfast foods? You can do that too... Preheat to 350 and melt some butter in a cast-iron skillet while it preheats on the grill. Throw on some turkey kielbasa while the skillet preheats and cook onions in the skillet. Throw the kielbasa in the skillet when the onions are done, and pour in some seasoned eggs and cheese. Close the lid and come back 40 minutes later. You'll have a breakfast fritata that disappears in a hurry, and by the time it is done cooking, your breakfast dishes will already be done. Big win.
Do you like to save money? I am pretty sure that this grill has paid for itself by way of my grocery bill. Instead of buying expensive cuts of meat for grilling, now I purchase bulk, on-sale cuts that would be less-than-ideal in other situations. I've found whole briskets for under $4/lb, and chicken quarters and pork for just slightly over $1. I've even purchased entire beef tenderloins (the cut that filet mignon comes from) for $5/lb and smoked the entire thing (amazing). I can load up, smoke everything at once, and freeze a big portion of the leftovers. Most smoked foods are delicious at room temperature, so I'll portion into ~3 meals and freeze. Take a bag out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge for a couple days, and then when I want to eat it I will just let it sit out for a little while.
As a grill, well, it is just OK. It does get to a temperature of 450 degrees which is sufficient for hot-and-fast cooking, but it doesn't get hot enough to sear. You'll either need to sear some other way (a blazing cast-iron skillet works, or you can use a propane grill if you have one). By the time you put a few grill marks on your meat it is going to be well-done. Don't get me wrong - the wood-fired taste is pretty amazing, but you just don't get that lovely brown, delicious surface of properly seared meat. I'm experimenting with some whys to overcome this using cast-iron grates laid on top of the grate, or putting a skillet to preheat at 450, but so far the results are just OK.
The other issue with grilling on this - particularly when it comes to really fatty meats like burgers, is the grease fire. This thing gets HOT over the firebox, and if you throw on some 73-27 ground beef (the best kind, right?), in no time you are going to have a raging inferno, your grill is going to shut down, and you'll be finishing your burgers elsewhere if they aren't already ruined. Things like hotdogs and sausages seem to work better, but the very staples of grill cookery (burgers and steaks) just won't be at their best.
So why four stars? Well, everything is a compromise. This required a few adjustments coming from charcoal and propane, but once I did, I simply love the convenience and versatility. I don't have to stand over a grill flipping and moving things, the results are delicious, and I am saving hundreds of dollars by being able to buy cheap cuts of meat and turn them into something guests beg for. Kids especially love little cornish game hens. I can throw on just about anything that doesn't mind being cooked slow or baked, and carry on with my life before coming back to a hot meal (what a wonderful thing when you are a busy, single guy). The pellets are more convenient than playing with propane tanks and they sell them at the local hardware store. I can stock up when they are on sale, and as long as you keep them dry, they last forever. I'll probably add a propane grill for searing or burgers, but I don't think I'd ever go back to cooking solely over gas.
I can't say enough how convenient it is to be able to set-it-and-forget-it while you go on with your day. I used to smoke in a wood-fired offset smoker. While I loved it, it required constant monitoring and a lot of beer to get through a long cook. It was also possible to oversmoke foods to where they'd be bitter if you weren't careful. With this, just set your temperature and check it every now and then (more towards the end of your cook so you don't overdo it of course). I've even topped off the hopper right before bed and let it cook all night.
As a hot smoker and barbecue it is downright amazing, and why I touted it as an outdoor crockpot... "low-and-slow" cooking requires some planning as well as choosing your cuts of meat. You don't want to try grilling a brisket at high temperature unless you feel like burning more calories chewing than you get from eating. Likewise, you have to be pretty careful smoking thin, lean cuts of meat like pork chops (though thick-cut pork chops turn out great if done carefully). The ability to set a low temperature (I do the majority of my barbecuing/hot smoking right at 225), load up the hopper with pellets, and basically ignore this thing for 2-8 hours is pretty incredible. I've done cooks as long as 14 hours, and it holds an accurate temperature that never seems to deviate more than 10 degrees in either direction. Boneless turkey breasts, 12+ pound briskets, beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin, pork shoulder for pulled pork, cornish hens, roaster chickens... they come out simply amazing. Since it is digital, it doesn't need to be babysat, so plan your timing accordingly, throw your meal on, and then head off to do something else for a few hours. Throw some vegetables (asparagus is particularly good) or seasoned, halved potatoes on during the last 30-90 minutes of your cook and you end up with a delicious and healthy meal with virtually no cleanup. Its like being able to throw dinner in the slow-cooker and leave for work, but this is SO much better.
You know what else is delicious? Wood-fired baked goods! The local discount grocery store sells frozen pizzas for $3.99. Take one of those, add a little extra cheese and some turkey pepperoni (cuts down on the grease) and bake in your preheated grill (375 for around 22 minutes in my case). The result is that you'll possibly never want to pay the ridiculous cost to have a pizza delivered again. It is that good. Or, get some take-and-bake baguettes or ciabatta and throw it on for 8-10 minutes, and the results will blow you away. If you do a long cook of some delicious meat, when you take it off to rest, turn your grill up to 375 and let it preheat for a few minutes, and you have just the right amount of time to have hot bread alongside your meal.
Breakfast foods? You can do that too... Preheat to 350 and melt some butter in a cast-iron skillet while it preheats on the grill. Throw on some turkey kielbasa while the skillet preheats and cook onions in the skillet. Throw the kielbasa in the skillet when the onions are done, and pour in some seasoned eggs and cheese. Close the lid and come back 40 minutes later. You'll have a breakfast fritata that disappears in a hurry, and by the time it is done cooking, your breakfast dishes will already be done. Big win.
Do you like to save money? I am pretty sure that this grill has paid for itself by way of my grocery bill. Instead of buying expensive cuts of meat for grilling, now I purchase bulk, on-sale cuts that would be less-than-ideal in other situations. I've found whole briskets for under $4/lb, and chicken quarters and pork for just slightly over $1. I've even purchased entire beef tenderloins (the cut that filet mignon comes from) for $5/lb and smoked the entire thing (amazing). I can load up, smoke everything at once, and freeze a big portion of the leftovers. Most smoked foods are delicious at room temperature, so I'll portion into ~3 meals and freeze. Take a bag out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge for a couple days, and then when I want to eat it I will just let it sit out for a little while.
As a grill, well, it is just OK. It does get to a temperature of 450 degrees which is sufficient for hot-and-fast cooking, but it doesn't get hot enough to sear. You'll either need to sear some other way (a blazing cast-iron skillet works, or you can use a propane grill if you have one). By the time you put a few grill marks on your meat it is going to be well-done. Don't get me wrong - the wood-fired taste is pretty amazing, but you just don't get that lovely brown, delicious surface of properly seared meat. I'm experimenting with some whys to overcome this using cast-iron grates laid on top of the grate, or putting a skillet to preheat at 450, but so far the results are just OK.
The other issue with grilling on this - particularly when it comes to really fatty meats like burgers, is the grease fire. This thing gets HOT over the firebox, and if you throw on some 73-27 ground beef (the best kind, right?), in no time you are going to have a raging inferno, your grill is going to shut down, and you'll be finishing your burgers elsewhere if they aren't already ruined. Things like hotdogs and sausages seem to work better, but the very staples of grill cookery (burgers and steaks) just won't be at their best.
So why four stars? Well, everything is a compromise. This required a few adjustments coming from charcoal and propane, but once I did, I simply love the convenience and versatility. I don't have to stand over a grill flipping and moving things, the results are delicious, and I am saving hundreds of dollars by being able to buy cheap cuts of meat and turn them into something guests beg for. Kids especially love little cornish game hens. I can throw on just about anything that doesn't mind being cooked slow or baked, and carry on with my life before coming back to a hot meal (what a wonderful thing when you are a busy, single guy). The pellets are more convenient than playing with propane tanks and they sell them at the local hardware store. I can stock up when they are on sale, and as long as you keep them dry, they last forever. I'll probably add a propane grill for searing or burgers, but I don't think I'd ever go back to cooking solely over gas.
Sir Nitro : Smoking has never been so easy
I love this smoker, I wish I would have went bigger, but this one will suffice.
I had a nice huge brisket going, I started it late at night to let it burn through the wee hours. I went to check it as soon as I woke up and the unit was off and my half cooked brisket was cold. The hopper was half full of pellets, but it was like an invisible wall keeping them from entering in to the auger. I have had this happen several times, with various types of pellets, now though I just keep an eye on things closer. One reason I bought a pellet smoker was so I could set it and forget it, well can't do that with this one.
The only other issue I have is the lack of a way to clean the hopper out to change pellets, which I knew before purchasing it. Still makes it a pain to change pellets.
I had a nice huge brisket going, I started it late at night to let it burn through the wee hours. I went to check it as soon as I woke up and the unit was off and my half cooked brisket was cold. The hopper was half full of pellets, but it was like an invisible wall keeping them from entering in to the auger. I have had this happen several times, with various types of pellets, now though I just keep an eye on things closer. One reason I bought a pellet smoker was so I could set it and forget it, well can't do that with this one.
The only other issue I have is the lack of a way to clean the hopper out to change pellets, which I knew before purchasing it. Still makes it a pain to change pellets.
Daedalus : Great starter smoker, but I regret not buying a larger one.
Very good starter smoker. If you want to get into smoking meats and you don’t have the time or desire to monitor the fire/temp for 8 hours, this is a great way to go. Easy to assemble, the instructions could be better, but it’s not hard to figure out. Extremely easy to use, but be sure you check out a few videos on how to set it up for the first time, which isn’t clearly explained in the instructions. Run it on high for 45 minutes to burn off factory oils. My only regret is that I didn’t buy a bigger model. 450 sq inches includes the tiny little 2nd tier rack. I was able to fit a full brisket packer in it, but nothing else. It’s worth the extra money to get a larger smoker.
Carla : Great Pellet Grill
My husband has been wanting a Traeger for a while. I just couldn't see spending upwards of $1000 on one - at least not right now.
I found this on Amazon, and decided to give it a shot as a combination birthday/anniversary gift.
Smoking: We've really only done brisket on it so far, and have learned that it does smoke much faster than his old electric smoker. I also bought a wifi thermometer which helps him control the heat. The brisket has turned out fantastic.
Grilling: The first burgers and steaks we cooked were ok. The flavor was really good, but I was missing that sear. I've talked to a few people who have pellet grills, and it was not something we realized we would be giving up. We have a very small patio, and I bought the pellet grill to save space by combining our grill and smoker into one.
I did some research and found grill grates to go on top of the grates that come with the smoker that increase the surface temperature and we now have perfectly seared steaks and burgers, and good caramelization on BBQ chicken.
We've had the pellet smoker since April, and have not had any issues yet. There is a learning curve, but once you get past that, the food is absolutely delicious.
I found this on Amazon, and decided to give it a shot as a combination birthday/anniversary gift.
Smoking: We've really only done brisket on it so far, and have learned that it does smoke much faster than his old electric smoker. I also bought a wifi thermometer which helps him control the heat. The brisket has turned out fantastic.
Grilling: The first burgers and steaks we cooked were ok. The flavor was really good, but I was missing that sear. I've talked to a few people who have pellet grills, and it was not something we realized we would be giving up. We have a very small patio, and I bought the pellet grill to save space by combining our grill and smoker into one.
I did some research and found grill grates to go on top of the grates that come with the smoker that increase the surface temperature and we now have perfectly seared steaks and burgers, and good caramelization on BBQ chicken.
We've had the pellet smoker since April, and have not had any issues yet. There is a learning curve, but once you get past that, the food is absolutely delicious.
Real48 : Caution tape needed
I bought my grill on July 17 this year and the grill malfunctioned and caused the grill temp to go up. Could not control the temp and the grill caught fire. The problem is the temperature control The temp is all over the place. The temperature is set at 180 and it jumps to 325 to 400. This last time the temperature got so hot the inside for the grill burned up and had to use a extinguisher to put it out. The other problem is zgrill customers service,It is the worst. They don’t return calls or emails.
Amazon Customer : Nice, but not perfect
It is nice unit overall, and it priced perhaps higher than it should have been. These are my impressions after a week using it and I will update this review. Here is what I think.
Assembly: not flawless as instructions missing parts numbers
Construction: flawed as parts are catching rust at supersonic speed. Drip pan is rusty on a second day!!! No double walls to protect from heat loss, thus takes long time to reach 450F. Should have been coated with porcelain instead of weak paint. Pellet box construction and gears prompt to clogging. No bottom opening for ash collection - cleaning inside is a hussle.
Temperature control: flawed as you can only use pre-set values and the insulation is basically non existing (gaskets would help). Heat - I wish it could go over 430-450F
Pellets: Im using Traeger pellets with it. Markedly its impossible to replace with different kind when you cook different food as screen can not be removed and the box cant be emptied. You stuck until you finish it up.
Electronics and motors: seems not lasting and producing strange noises. Relatively easy to replace, though, in case of failure.
Assembly: not flawless as instructions missing parts numbers
Construction: flawed as parts are catching rust at supersonic speed. Drip pan is rusty on a second day!!! No double walls to protect from heat loss, thus takes long time to reach 450F. Should have been coated with porcelain instead of weak paint. Pellet box construction and gears prompt to clogging. No bottom opening for ash collection - cleaning inside is a hussle.
Temperature control: flawed as you can only use pre-set values and the insulation is basically non existing (gaskets would help). Heat - I wish it could go over 430-450F
Pellets: Im using Traeger pellets with it. Markedly its impossible to replace with different kind when you cook different food as screen can not be removed and the box cant be emptied. You stuck until you finish it up.
Electronics and motors: seems not lasting and producing strange noises. Relatively easy to replace, though, in case of failure.
UrKungFuNoGood : Happy
The construction is solid. Sturdy grade of steel. It's a nice look with the bronze pieces. It heats up FAST. Only takes a couple of minutes to get up to 450. We've made some great tasting food on it. You won't get a DEEP smoke ring like you would with an offset smoker but I'm ok with that because the trade off is that you have to tend an offset during the smoke whereas this is just set it and forget it. Holds temperature well.
If you want the best of both worlds, get a pellet tube and place it on the grill to increase the smoke penetration.
If you want the best of both worlds, get a pellet tube and place it on the grill to increase the smoke penetration.
Apasionado : Excitement turned to absolute disappointment.
I bought this grill in 2019. I was so excited to use this grill and the first two times I used it, it worked perfectly. Well, the next two times I used it, it didn’t go so well. The temp control doesn’t work. It never hits or gets close to the target temp and even when it gets kinda close, it starts to lose temp. I thought it was user error, so I pulled out all the pellets, cleaned out the burn box real good and tried again.. nope, exact same problem. I’m so very disappointed. I went from telling all my friends how awesome it worked to telling them it broke on me and I’m guessing I’m out hundreds of dollars.
So then I get on Amazon to see what the details say about warranty. Well well well, I see the new 2020 model FIXED a known problem which happens to be the exact problem I’m having. Wow! I truly hope they make this right for me somehow. I can’t afford to toss a grill that cost me a few hundred dollars.
So then I get on Amazon to see what the details say about warranty. Well well well, I see the new 2020 model FIXED a known problem which happens to be the exact problem I’m having. Wow! I truly hope they make this right for me somehow. I can’t afford to toss a grill that cost me a few hundred dollars.
cpreis : DANGER! Burned Out of Control on Fourth Use!
Grill was used to cook chicken twice and hamburgers once. My wife started the grill to use it a fourth time and it ran out of control with fire shooting out of the side of the grill before any meat was even put on it! The finish on the grill is ruined and components in side are damaged from the excessive heat. Fortunately, my deck and house were no damaged.
Unfortunately, we are a week outside of Amazon's return policy and so far Z-Grills has been completely unresponsive to phone calls and emails. VERY DISAPPOINTED!
Unfortunately, we are a week outside of Amazon's return policy and so far Z-Grills has been completely unresponsive to phone calls and emails. VERY DISAPPOINTED!
RandyMarsh : The under & over compensation is true. Do not buy unless you want an inconsistent experience
Have been looking for a first time smoker for several weeks now and saw this on a deal for $295. Read other Amazon reviews about how this machine will underheat then overcompensate and YEP. If you set it at 225 (or any temp for the matter) it will start by going up to 300 then drops down to 190. Then does the process on repeat. Not very happy that I can't have a consistent temperature for making all these different kinds of food.
Thought "every product has a lemon the couple 1 stars are off cases" then get the exact issues the others have commented. DO NOT buy this grill if you care about a consistent cooking experience. Instructions on top of it all were not even the least bit useful. Had to watch a video from z grill which even then was not specific on which bolts and the products in the video for my 450a were different than what mine has such as the Greece bucket and heat shield dissapator.
Wish I would of bought a pit boss or traeger.
Thought "every product has a lemon the couple 1 stars are off cases" then get the exact issues the others have commented. DO NOT buy this grill if you care about a consistent cooking experience. Instructions on top of it all were not even the least bit useful. Had to watch a video from z grill which even then was not specific on which bolts and the products in the video for my 450a were different than what mine has such as the Greece bucket and heat shield dissapator.
Wish I would of bought a pit boss or traeger.
G. Snyder : Set it and forget it (mostly): so easy to cook meat outdoors, minimal checking, great results.
My husband loves his meat. He must eat large amounts of it at every meal, but cooking that much meat in the kitchen causes odors to build up and even with vent running some grease builds up on surfaces. He tried a regular BBQ but it required him to tend the fire and keep checking the meat. So when he asked for this grill for his birthday, I was curious how it worked.
Assembly: I helped him assemble it. It only took a few minutes. Instructions were good. No parts missing or damaged.
Initial set up: You will need to run it once before you use it to cook food, I assume to cook off any impurities in the paint/metal and to test it. Instructions were pretty easy on how to do this.
Use: Set it and forget it (mostly). Fill the hopper with pellets. Warm it. Then he adds whatever meat he wants. He can leave it alone for an hour or two, or sometimes more. Maybe all he does is wrap the item in aluminum foil. Let it cook awhile longer.
Results: he's been VERY happy with everything he's tried so far - ham, pork cuts, hamburger, you name it.
PROS
- So easy to use. The only cooking method that is less work for meat is probably a slow cooker. Very minimal checking.
- We've used it a month so far, cooking on it about 2x a week. So far no problems.
- For a smoker, it doesn't produce much visible smoke -- good if you have a tiny yard. And even if you're one of those who doesn't like the smell of all meats cooking, what you can smell is a mild wood scent.
- Included cover is very nice
- My house smells so much better because the meat is cooked outside. No greasy pans to clean up. Any grease that does come off the food is neatly captured in the little pail (included)
CONS
- Pellets are expensive, if you can't find them locally. We got lucky and found them at our local Walmart & Lowes. Walmart's brand worked out to be a third of the price of what I paid on Amazon for the first 20lb bag.
- Remember : this is still an outdoor product. Do not run it in a garage or any enclosed space. Yeah, I know it should be obvious. But with the electronic parts on it, there is the worry if rain is predicted it might get damaged.
- My personal worry: It does have electronics and a motor. Even with a cover, it's usually kept outdoors (in humidity and in temp extremes). I don't know yet if it will last as long as a regular propane or charcoal grill. It might... might not ...???
Assembly: I helped him assemble it. It only took a few minutes. Instructions were good. No parts missing or damaged.
Initial set up: You will need to run it once before you use it to cook food, I assume to cook off any impurities in the paint/metal and to test it. Instructions were pretty easy on how to do this.
Use: Set it and forget it (mostly). Fill the hopper with pellets. Warm it. Then he adds whatever meat he wants. He can leave it alone for an hour or two, or sometimes more. Maybe all he does is wrap the item in aluminum foil. Let it cook awhile longer.
Results: he's been VERY happy with everything he's tried so far - ham, pork cuts, hamburger, you name it.
PROS
- So easy to use. The only cooking method that is less work for meat is probably a slow cooker. Very minimal checking.
- We've used it a month so far, cooking on it about 2x a week. So far no problems.
- For a smoker, it doesn't produce much visible smoke -- good if you have a tiny yard. And even if you're one of those who doesn't like the smell of all meats cooking, what you can smell is a mild wood scent.
- Included cover is very nice
- My house smells so much better because the meat is cooked outside. No greasy pans to clean up. Any grease that does come off the food is neatly captured in the little pail (included)
CONS
- Pellets are expensive, if you can't find them locally. We got lucky and found them at our local Walmart & Lowes. Walmart's brand worked out to be a third of the price of what I paid on Amazon for the first 20lb bag.
- Remember : this is still an outdoor product. Do not run it in a garage or any enclosed space. Yeah, I know it should be obvious. But with the electronic parts on it, there is the worry if rain is predicted it might get damaged.
- My personal worry: It does have electronics and a motor. Even with a cover, it's usually kept outdoors (in humidity and in temp extremes). I don't know yet if it will last as long as a regular propane or charcoal grill. It might... might not ...???
Marcus P. : Temperature can be controlled if it’s off!!!
I personally like this smoker. It’s my first one ever. If the temperature is off, close the stack or open it to get it right. I’ve smoked a brisket in 30 degree weather in the snow and smoked a shoulder in 70 degree weather. When it’s cold bring the stack down a few turns and vice versa when it’s hot to let more heat escape. It is a solid smoker in my opinion. Well built but it is my first smoker so can’t compare to anything else.
Diane Jett : Electric grill. Should be in big letters
Make sure you understand that this is an electric grill. I had no idea. Bought it for my son’s birthday. Only knew when we saw the cord. That should be the first thing on the description. Very disappointed. I would not have purchased this.
Tellitlikeitis : Doesn't get hot enough to sear meat but otherwise excellent.
What I like is it came very well packaged and suffered no damage despite obvious rough handling that damaged the package. It was very easy to assemble using the excellent instructions. It even came with two wrenches and a screwdriver so no other tools were required for assembly. All the nuts screws and washers were in separate labelled blister pack sections instead of just thrown in a bag.
The grille is all heavy gauge metal, there's nothing flimsy anywhere on this grill so it should last. It came with an excellent heavy fabric fitted cover. Everything is better than I expected, almost like it didn't come from China at all. Clearly it was strictly designed in the U.S.A. and manufactured to a high standard.
I fired it up and ran it through all the temperature settings and found that it kept a steady temperature within 10 degrees of selected temp up to 350 degrees. For settings above that it seemed to struggle to achieve the set temperature at the surface of the grille using a separate thermometer.
The maximum temperature it was able to achieve was 410 degrees at the center of the grill on a sunny day at 70 degrees outside temperature and a light breeze blowing. Not hot enough to sear the hamburgers I cooked on it. Hopefully it will do better on summer days ahead but it's somewhat disappointing on an otherwise excellent product so I took away one star for that alone.
The grille is all heavy gauge metal, there's nothing flimsy anywhere on this grill so it should last. It came with an excellent heavy fabric fitted cover. Everything is better than I expected, almost like it didn't come from China at all. Clearly it was strictly designed in the U.S.A. and manufactured to a high standard.
I fired it up and ran it through all the temperature settings and found that it kept a steady temperature within 10 degrees of selected temp up to 350 degrees. For settings above that it seemed to struggle to achieve the set temperature at the surface of the grille using a separate thermometer.
The maximum temperature it was able to achieve was 410 degrees at the center of the grill on a sunny day at 70 degrees outside temperature and a light breeze blowing. Not hot enough to sear the hamburgers I cooked on it. Hopefully it will do better on summer days ahead but it's somewhat disappointing on an otherwise excellent product so I took away one star for that alone.
G. Snyder : Set it and forget it (mostly): so easy to cook meat outdoors, minimal checking, great results.
My husband loves his meat. He must eat large amounts of it at every meal, but cooking that much meat in the kitchen causes odors to build up and even with vent running some grease builds up on surfaces. He tried a regular BBQ but it required him to tend the fire and keep checking the meat. So when he asked for this grill for his birthday, I was curious how it worked.
Assembly: I helped him assemble it. It only took a few minutes. Instructions were good. No parts missing or damaged.
Initial set up: You will need to run it once before you use it to cook food, I assume to cook off any impurities in the paint/metal and to test it. Instructions were pretty easy on how to do this.
Use: Set it and forget it (mostly). Fill the hopper with pellets. Warm it. Then he adds whatever meat he wants. He can leave it alone for an hour or two, or sometimes more. Maybe all he does is wrap the item in aluminum foil. Let it cook awhile longer.
Results: he's been VERY happy with everything he's tried so far - ham, pork cuts, hamburger, you name it.
PROS
- So easy to use. The only cooking method that is less work for meat is probably a slow cooker. Very minimal checking.
- We've used it a month so far, cooking on it about 2x a week. So far no problems.
- For a smoker, it doesn't produce much visible smoke -- good if you have a tiny yard. And even if you're one of those who doesn't like the smell of all meats cooking, what you can smell is a mild wood scent.
- Included cover is very nice
- My house smells so much better because the meat is cooked outside. No greasy pans to clean up. Any grease that does come off the food is neatly captured in the little pail (included)
CONS
- Pellets are expensive, if you can't find them locally. We got lucky and found them at our local Walmart & Lowes. Walmart's brand worked out to be a third of the price of what I paid on Amazon for the first 20lb bag.
- Remember : this is still an outdoor product. Do not run it in a garage or any enclosed space. Yeah, I know it should be obvious. But with the electronic parts on it, there is the worry if rain is predicted it might get damaged.
- My personal worry: It does have electronics and a motor. Even with a cover, it's usually kept outdoors (in humidity and in temp extremes). I don't know yet if it will last as long as a regular propane or charcoal grill. It might... might not ...???
Assembly: I helped him assemble it. It only took a few minutes. Instructions were good. No parts missing or damaged.
Initial set up: You will need to run it once before you use it to cook food, I assume to cook off any impurities in the paint/metal and to test it. Instructions were pretty easy on how to do this.
Use: Set it and forget it (mostly). Fill the hopper with pellets. Warm it. Then he adds whatever meat he wants. He can leave it alone for an hour or two, or sometimes more. Maybe all he does is wrap the item in aluminum foil. Let it cook awhile longer.
Results: he's been VERY happy with everything he's tried so far - ham, pork cuts, hamburger, you name it.
PROS
- So easy to use. The only cooking method that is less work for meat is probably a slow cooker. Very minimal checking.
- We've used it a month so far, cooking on it about 2x a week. So far no problems.
- For a smoker, it doesn't produce much visible smoke -- good if you have a tiny yard. And even if you're one of those who doesn't like the smell of all meats cooking, what you can smell is a mild wood scent.
- Included cover is very nice
- My house smells so much better because the meat is cooked outside. No greasy pans to clean up. Any grease that does come off the food is neatly captured in the little pail (included)
CONS
- Pellets are expensive, if you can't find them locally. We got lucky and found them at our local Walmart & Lowes. Walmart's brand worked out to be a third of the price of what I paid on Amazon for the first 20lb bag.
- Remember : this is still an outdoor product. Do not run it in a garage or any enclosed space. Yeah, I know it should be obvious. But with the electronic parts on it, there is the worry if rain is predicted it might get damaged.
- My personal worry: It does have electronics and a motor. Even with a cover, it's usually kept outdoors (in humidity and in temp extremes). I don't know yet if it will last as long as a regular propane or charcoal grill. It might... might not ...???
Aaron : Let the smoke roll!
First pellet grill I’ve ever used and heard about the value. Assembly took about 20 minutes or so. Start up took about an hour after letting it burn off. I then filled it with mesquite pellets and the smoke started rolling! First night I made smoked bourbon salmon and it turned out great. Tonight and tomorrow is a 12 pound brisket! It takes awhile to adjust and level off temp but it holds nicely. I have an aftermarket thermometer and it also double checks the temperature control. It’s a blast to cook on! I have the 550 2h and it fits a whole 12 pound brisket and there’s some room left over. Perfect for a family of four and can probably do 5 racks of ribs.
Aaron : Great for low and slow cooking
I had been thinking for a while about getting a smoker, and I bought this not quite knowing what to expect. Here are my impressions after using it this past summer.
This grill was heavier than I expected, and my initial impression was that it is well built. The cooking racks are good quality. Assembly was very straight forward with all parts clearly labeled and pretty decent instructions. After putting everything together it was time to fire it up.
Follow the instructions for priming the auger and lighting the grill the first time. It's important to burn off the oils from the manufacturing process before cooking on it. The instructions for this were a little less clear, but I was able to follow along.
Cooking on this pellet smoker is great as long as you know what to expect. This smoker is very good at maintaining constant low temperatures in the 180 to 275 F range. Don't expect to be running it at high temperatures for searing meats, etc. The maximum I could get my grill up to was about 420 F, and then during the shutdown cycle the pellets in the auger caught on fire from the residual heat. In hindsight, I should have backed the temperature down to 250 for a half hour or so before shutting it down to prevent this.
The bottom line here is that the quality is on a par with some name brand pellet grills but at half the price. Stick to the low and slow BBQ temperature range, and this little smoker works like a champ!
This grill was heavier than I expected, and my initial impression was that it is well built. The cooking racks are good quality. Assembly was very straight forward with all parts clearly labeled and pretty decent instructions. After putting everything together it was time to fire it up.
Follow the instructions for priming the auger and lighting the grill the first time. It's important to burn off the oils from the manufacturing process before cooking on it. The instructions for this were a little less clear, but I was able to follow along.
Cooking on this pellet smoker is great as long as you know what to expect. This smoker is very good at maintaining constant low temperatures in the 180 to 275 F range. Don't expect to be running it at high temperatures for searing meats, etc. The maximum I could get my grill up to was about 420 F, and then during the shutdown cycle the pellets in the auger caught on fire from the residual heat. In hindsight, I should have backed the temperature down to 250 for a half hour or so before shutting it down to prevent this.
The bottom line here is that the quality is on a par with some name brand pellet grills but at half the price. Stick to the low and slow BBQ temperature range, and this little smoker works like a champ!
Customer4K : So far, not a Traeger replacement!
So far, the best thing about this grill was assembly. The instructions were thorough and everything needed for assembly was included in the box. It was immediately evident while putting the grill together that the grill is of high quality.
I'm coming from a Traeger Tailgater so pellet cooking isn't new to me. However, once the auger in my Traeget began to show signs of breakdown i decided to replace with a bigger and more accessorized Zgrill and save a couple hundred dollars in the process.
So far, I've cooked pork chops, hot dogs, steaks, and chicken kabobs. All were decent but the smoky flavor I'm used to was lacking. Also, the temp swings are REAL as I'm experiencing +20 degrees at times. The temp always return to or returns close to the set temp, but the swings are concerning.
I will keep a lil while longer........probably try different pellets to see if smokiness improves before sending back. In all fairness, it took awhile to find the "right" pellets for an optimum cook in the Traeger.
I'm coming from a Traeger Tailgater so pellet cooking isn't new to me. However, once the auger in my Traeget began to show signs of breakdown i decided to replace with a bigger and more accessorized Zgrill and save a couple hundred dollars in the process.
So far, I've cooked pork chops, hot dogs, steaks, and chicken kabobs. All were decent but the smoky flavor I'm used to was lacking. Also, the temp swings are REAL as I'm experiencing +20 degrees at times. The temp always return to or returns close to the set temp, but the swings are concerning.
I will keep a lil while longer........probably try different pellets to see if smokiness improves before sending back. In all fairness, it took awhile to find the "right" pellets for an optimum cook in the Traeger.
gadget geek : Almost perfect with one design flaw [REVISED]
[REVISED]
I now think this grill is not worth the trouble. And their technical support is non responsive. You have to watch this grill like a hawk to make sure the pellets don't run out even though you have a full chute of pellets. Basically, a huge sinkhole opens up and starves the grill for pellets because the chute is badly designed.
Don't buy a Z-Grill. Their support sucks and after ruining 3 meals for me, I am done with it.
[OLD REVIEW]
Great pellet grill for the money. The only complaint I have is that the hopper design is flawed. You will load it up with 10 lbs of pellets and walk away feeling pretty good about your cook... then.... you come back... and it's starved for pellets because the hopper does not feed the pellets properly and just creates a 'sink hole' around the auger feeder. The grill will still have 8 lbs of pellets, but will refuse to feed them because of this.
I have to figure out a way to re-engineer this.
I now think this grill is not worth the trouble. And their technical support is non responsive. You have to watch this grill like a hawk to make sure the pellets don't run out even though you have a full chute of pellets. Basically, a huge sinkhole opens up and starves the grill for pellets because the chute is badly designed.
Don't buy a Z-Grill. Their support sucks and after ruining 3 meals for me, I am done with it.
[OLD REVIEW]
Great pellet grill for the money. The only complaint I have is that the hopper design is flawed. You will load it up with 10 lbs of pellets and walk away feeling pretty good about your cook... then.... you come back... and it's starved for pellets because the hopper does not feed the pellets properly and just creates a 'sink hole' around the auger feeder. The grill will still have 8 lbs of pellets, but will refuse to feed them because of this.
I have to figure out a way to re-engineer this.
drgrenthum : It cooks and adds a little smoke flavor, I do mean little
I really want to like this grill, I do, It just doesn't do anything great.
I had $150 propane smoker that I was able to produce amazing stuff with. It rusted out and a friend told me I needed to get a traeger. Being that this company used to make some of traeger stuff and it's a PIV grill, I figured I'd give it a go. Problem I'm having is it doesn't want to sear very well It just doesn't get hot enough. Next issue I have is it doesn't smoke very well. What used to take me 12 to 14 hours for a great product, I now put on the day before and cook for probably closer to 20 and still don't get a good bark.
I do like the flavor it gives chicken. It is very easy to turn on and very easy to clean. It's just not a good grill or smoker, it's something in between.
I had $150 propane smoker that I was able to produce amazing stuff with. It rusted out and a friend told me I needed to get a traeger. Being that this company used to make some of traeger stuff and it's a PIV grill, I figured I'd give it a go. Problem I'm having is it doesn't want to sear very well It just doesn't get hot enough. Next issue I have is it doesn't smoke very well. What used to take me 12 to 14 hours for a great product, I now put on the day before and cook for probably closer to 20 and still don't get a good bark.
I do like the flavor it gives chicken. It is very easy to turn on and very easy to clean. It's just not a good grill or smoker, it's something in between.
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