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
Joel S : Pellet feeding issues
Amazon got it here just a day and a half after I ordered! Was shocked to see it delivered so fast and 1 day ahead of earliest delivery. So far seems great. Came missing. Gasket for the smoke stack but not a huge deal. The temperature does jump around a little but for the price cant complain.
Update
Reducing to 3 stars. I have run into this reoccurring issue with the hopper. I fill the hopper for an overnight smoke and every 3 to 4 hours I have to get up to adjust the pellets or they will create a cavity and stop feeding. What's the point of a hopper size if it doesn't feed properly? Very frustrating if you miss fixing the pellets it may take a half hour or longer for the auger to catch up leading to low temps for half an hour or longer. Bad design very bad design.
Update
Reducing to 3 stars. I have run into this reoccurring issue with the hopper. I fill the hopper for an overnight smoke and every 3 to 4 hours I have to get up to adjust the pellets or they will create a cavity and stop feeding. What's the point of a hopper size if it doesn't feed properly? Very frustrating if you miss fixing the pellets it may take a half hour or longer for the auger to catch up leading to low temps for half an hour or longer. Bad design very bad design.
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.
Josef : Almost every single part was damaged. DO NOT BUY
Grill lasted just over a month before complete failure of pellet auger. DO NOT BUY
I opened the grill this morning so far I have noted. Scratch on big drum, chipped paint on lid, giant dent in hopper box, both handle grommets deformed, and no wheel nut covers that were supposed to be in the box. So far even with ease of assembly I am very disappointed.
*update*
While it is ugly with all the dents and dings all over it works as expected, still leaving at 1 star due to the damage to it.
*2nd update* Manufacturer will not send replacement parts for damage, instead they offered me three bags of pellets. If I could give less than a 1 star I would . This has been a nightmare since I hit buy. From the shipping being delayed multiple times to the price dropping before I received it, to it being damaged and neither amazon or the manufacturer will make it right
*3rd* update* manufacturer will be sending replacement parts.
*4th* update, Zgrills is no longer sending me replacement parts, the grill is out side the return window and no longer functioning. DO NOT BUY
I opened the grill this morning so far I have noted. Scratch on big drum, chipped paint on lid, giant dent in hopper box, both handle grommets deformed, and no wheel nut covers that were supposed to be in the box. So far even with ease of assembly I am very disappointed.
*update*
While it is ugly with all the dents and dings all over it works as expected, still leaving at 1 star due to the damage to it.
*2nd update* Manufacturer will not send replacement parts for damage, instead they offered me three bags of pellets. If I could give less than a 1 star I would . This has been a nightmare since I hit buy. From the shipping being delayed multiple times to the price dropping before I received it, to it being damaged and neither amazon or the manufacturer will make it right
*3rd* update* manufacturer will be sending replacement parts.
*4th* update, Zgrills is no longer sending me replacement parts, the grill is out side the return window and no longer functioning. DO NOT BUY
Randy : "set it and forget it" does not exist. Junk.
DO NOT BUY THIS IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON BEING AWAY FROM THE GRILL FOR HOURS, like putting something on at night and going to sleep. You'll wake up to a hopper full of pellets and an error message on the grill thermometer.
Also, every time you cook something, prepare for 30 minutes of setup and pre-heating, and it doesn't help any.
The pellet feed system is trash and does not pull from the whole hopper, it just pulls pellets from the center and runs out after a couple of hours if you're not there to mix them around. It ends up looking like an ant hill. Garbage. I figured I was in for some trouble when I saw that they spelled "wrap" wrong in their instructions.
So, the smoke mode doesn't work for long term cooking. With a full hopper enough for 10+ hours it'll use about 1 to 2 hours worth of the pellets before it gives you an error because the feeder system doesn't work. It burns through the ones it does use too quickly.
The temp does not hold at all because the feeder system is broken. It constantly fluctuates at huge variables of temperatures +/- 100+ degrees, which makes it absolutely useless for open top cooking and mostly useless for closed lid. You can't cook chicken well when you have it set at high and one moment the temp is 80 degrees and two minutes later it's 320 degrees, just to change to 120 degrees a minute after that. It's a constant struggle. Totally useless for open top cooking IMO. I cooked frozen 1/4lb burger patties open top on high for 35 minutes and they were rare. Not medium rare... Rare. 35 minutes. About the same thing I'd expect from 6 to 8 minutes on a charcoal grill.
This is a piece of garbage, do not buy. I'm glad I have a $50 little tiny round grill for charcoal still that can hold a consistent temperature, I was hoping this would replace the large gas grill I sold, it didn't.
Even though this thing claims 6+ cooking methods, I can only recommend this for large pieces of smoked meat like brisket or ribs, and that's all, and that's assuming you're going to be around to keep watch on it and slow cooking, because I had the hopper catch on fire the second time I used it even after following all the instructions.
Don't get me wrong, slow cooked smoked meat is great and this can do this decently well, but you have to adjust the time for the uneven temperature, and constantly having to stir the pellets because this thing can't properly feed them is beyond frustrating. If you're going to spend this type of money, spend an extra $50 and go with a better brand. Absolutely do not recommend this junk.
Also, every time you cook something, prepare for 30 minutes of setup and pre-heating, and it doesn't help any.
The pellet feed system is trash and does not pull from the whole hopper, it just pulls pellets from the center and runs out after a couple of hours if you're not there to mix them around. It ends up looking like an ant hill. Garbage. I figured I was in for some trouble when I saw that they spelled "wrap" wrong in their instructions.
So, the smoke mode doesn't work for long term cooking. With a full hopper enough for 10+ hours it'll use about 1 to 2 hours worth of the pellets before it gives you an error because the feeder system doesn't work. It burns through the ones it does use too quickly.
The temp does not hold at all because the feeder system is broken. It constantly fluctuates at huge variables of temperatures +/- 100+ degrees, which makes it absolutely useless for open top cooking and mostly useless for closed lid. You can't cook chicken well when you have it set at high and one moment the temp is 80 degrees and two minutes later it's 320 degrees, just to change to 120 degrees a minute after that. It's a constant struggle. Totally useless for open top cooking IMO. I cooked frozen 1/4lb burger patties open top on high for 35 minutes and they were rare. Not medium rare... Rare. 35 minutes. About the same thing I'd expect from 6 to 8 minutes on a charcoal grill.
This is a piece of garbage, do not buy. I'm glad I have a $50 little tiny round grill for charcoal still that can hold a consistent temperature, I was hoping this would replace the large gas grill I sold, it didn't.
Even though this thing claims 6+ cooking methods, I can only recommend this for large pieces of smoked meat like brisket or ribs, and that's all, and that's assuming you're going to be around to keep watch on it and slow cooking, because I had the hopper catch on fire the second time I used it even after following all the instructions.
Don't get me wrong, slow cooked smoked meat is great and this can do this decently well, but you have to adjust the time for the uneven temperature, and constantly having to stir the pellets because this thing can't properly feed them is beyond frustrating. If you're going to spend this type of money, spend an extra $50 and go with a better brand. Absolutely do not recommend this junk.
Michael : OK grill, but poor pellet hopper design
The problems with the pellet hopper design make this smoker very problematic. Even with a ton of wood pellets in the hopper, it will stop. The design of the hopper lets pellets get stuck, and then the auger runs dry... it effectively shuts down, with no wood covered to the fire.
This makes for huge frustration if you're not checking it every couple of hours... so in the crucial overnight part. While we have made some good BBQ on this grill, and it's basically an OK one - I would keep looking and find one that does not have this same design flaw.
This makes for huge frustration if you're not checking it every couple of hours... so in the crucial overnight part. While we have made some good BBQ on this grill, and it's basically an OK one - I would keep looking and find one that does not have this same design flaw.
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.
JT : Update: Its now working well after following customer service trouble shoot recommendations.
Updated review:
Working great now. Holding temps within +- 10 degrees F.
Talked to customer service. They reiterated how important it is to empty out the ash from the fire box. I cleaned it out. I let it warm up and stabilize over the course of an hour. I kept it in the shade. After the cleaning and moving to the shade it is holding temps like a champ. Did ribs this morning and over the course of 6 hours it held temps within 10 degrees of target. Double checked with external temperature probe.
I wish they would emphasize in the instructions how important it is to clean out the ash after each extended use.
Upgraded to 4 stars. It would get 5 stars if it was a little more convenient than cleaning out ash every cook, I also wish the trays were larger. They are pretty much decorative. If those to things were fixed it would get 5 stars from me. Great price for a pellet grill.
I am leaving the original review below in case anyone has the same issues and needs to see my solution above.
Bought primarily for smoking. It can't hold a temperature under 240 degrees which is way to hot for fish and most meats.
Smoke setting I am getting about 240.
At the 180 setting, 250
At 225, it's reading 275
Above that it is reading accurately. I double checked it with an external probe thermometer. The temperature is accurate but at those high temps smoking is impossible. I plan to contact customer service and if they can't fix it I'll return the unit in the next 2 weeks.
I'll update if it gets fixed. I gave two stars since it holds temps really well at 350-450 degrees.
Working great now. Holding temps within +- 10 degrees F.
Talked to customer service. They reiterated how important it is to empty out the ash from the fire box. I cleaned it out. I let it warm up and stabilize over the course of an hour. I kept it in the shade. After the cleaning and moving to the shade it is holding temps like a champ. Did ribs this morning and over the course of 6 hours it held temps within 10 degrees of target. Double checked with external temperature probe.
I wish they would emphasize in the instructions how important it is to clean out the ash after each extended use.
Upgraded to 4 stars. It would get 5 stars if it was a little more convenient than cleaning out ash every cook, I also wish the trays were larger. They are pretty much decorative. If those to things were fixed it would get 5 stars from me. Great price for a pellet grill.
I am leaving the original review below in case anyone has the same issues and needs to see my solution above.
Bought primarily for smoking. It can't hold a temperature under 240 degrees which is way to hot for fish and most meats.
Smoke setting I am getting about 240.
At the 180 setting, 250
At 225, it's reading 275
Above that it is reading accurately. I double checked it with an external probe thermometer. The temperature is accurate but at those high temps smoking is impossible. I plan to contact customer service and if they can't fix it I'll return the unit in the next 2 weeks.
I'll update if it gets fixed. I gave two stars since it holds temps really well at 350-450 degrees.
High Fi : Smokey & the Budget..
I purchased this grill so that I could kind of start getting into the world of pellet smoking. I didn't know if I would like it so I didn't want to spend $1,000 right out of the gate. I had to add a gasket around the door but other than that I've gotten fantastic results every time I've used it. If I had any critiques it would be that the temperature control would be nicer if it had smaller increments but it's still well worth the price. If this one goes out I'll buy another but I've done about 20 Cooks on it and with regular cleaning it's holding up just as good as the day I bought it.
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!
JP : Doesn’t hold temp. Auger broke after 5 uses. Compa
Used it 5 times and the auger broke. Took 2 weeks for the manufacturer to get back to me and all they said was to "try the troubleshooting in the manual." This would of required tearing the grill apart, and splicing wires, etc. The company is from China and answers you throughout the night, so you have to wait until the next day to hear back from them again (if you hear back at all). The grill itself is built very cheap, and is flimsy. It has trouble getting up to temperature, and will not hold the temp. Save yourself a huge headache and aggrevation, and get yourself another brand grill. Luckily, Amazon backed me and refunded me since the manufacturer was absolutely no help in this case.
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.
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.
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
Slim : Great slow cooked ribs!!
This is a wonderful way to smoke and slow cook meats, especially ribs and Boston butt, brisket, etc. Just fill the hopper and forget it. It also does a great job on burgers and hotdogs. I haven’t mastered steaks on it, not sure I ever will. The heat is indirect and steaks do better on an open grill.
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.
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.
John Smith : Instructions suck
Well. It got here fast. The simple instructions say use a screw here and there. But it doesn't say which one. There's 5 different screw bolts and washer setups but it never really (beyond the package) tell you what screw goes where. Infact the instructions miss several steps that you just have to do. Such as hinges and handles. The tools they give you are not even the right size. At least the wrench. Gotta use your own or it's a bust. But I hope it can cook well.
Cooks good.
Cooks good.
Slim : Great slow cooked ribs!!
This is a wonderful way to smoke and slow cook meats, especially ribs and Boston butt, brisket, etc. Just fill the hopper and forget it. It also does a great job on burgers and hotdogs. I haven’t mastered steaks on it, not sure I ever will. The heat is indirect and steaks do better on an open grill.
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
Randy : "set it and forget it" does not exist. Junk.
DO NOT BUY THIS IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON BEING AWAY FROM THE GRILL FOR HOURS, like putting something on at night and going to sleep. You'll wake up to a hopper full of pellets and an error message on the grill thermometer.
Also, every time you cook something, prepare for 30 minutes of setup and pre-heating, and it doesn't help any.
The pellet feed system is trash and does not pull from the whole hopper, it just pulls pellets from the center and runs out after a couple of hours if you're not there to mix them around. It ends up looking like an ant hill. Garbage. I figured I was in for some trouble when I saw that they spelled "wrap" wrong in their instructions.
So, the smoke mode doesn't work for long term cooking. With a full hopper enough for 10+ hours it'll use about 1 to 2 hours worth of the pellets before it gives you an error because the feeder system doesn't work. It burns through the ones it does use too quickly.
The temp does not hold at all because the feeder system is broken. It constantly fluctuates at huge variables of temperatures +/- 100+ degrees, which makes it absolutely useless for open top cooking and mostly useless for closed lid. You can't cook chicken well when you have it set at high and one moment the temp is 80 degrees and two minutes later it's 320 degrees, just to change to 120 degrees a minute after that. It's a constant struggle. Totally useless for open top cooking IMO. I cooked frozen 1/4lb burger patties open top on high for 35 minutes and they were rare. Not medium rare... Rare. 35 minutes. About the same thing I'd expect from 6 to 8 minutes on a charcoal grill.
This is a piece of garbage, do not buy. I'm glad I have a $50 little tiny round grill for charcoal still that can hold a consistent temperature, I was hoping this would replace the large gas grill I sold, it didn't.
Even though this thing claims 6+ cooking methods, I can only recommend this for large pieces of smoked meat like brisket or ribs, and that's all, and that's assuming you're going to be around to keep watch on it and slow cooking, because I had the hopper catch on fire the second time I used it even after following all the instructions.
Don't get me wrong, slow cooked smoked meat is great and this can do this decently well, but you have to adjust the time for the uneven temperature, and constantly having to stir the pellets because this thing can't properly feed them is beyond frustrating. If you're going to spend this type of money, spend an extra $50 and go with a better brand. Absolutely do not recommend this junk.
Also, every time you cook something, prepare for 30 minutes of setup and pre-heating, and it doesn't help any.
The pellet feed system is trash and does not pull from the whole hopper, it just pulls pellets from the center and runs out after a couple of hours if you're not there to mix them around. It ends up looking like an ant hill. Garbage. I figured I was in for some trouble when I saw that they spelled "wrap" wrong in their instructions.
So, the smoke mode doesn't work for long term cooking. With a full hopper enough for 10+ hours it'll use about 1 to 2 hours worth of the pellets before it gives you an error because the feeder system doesn't work. It burns through the ones it does use too quickly.
The temp does not hold at all because the feeder system is broken. It constantly fluctuates at huge variables of temperatures +/- 100+ degrees, which makes it absolutely useless for open top cooking and mostly useless for closed lid. You can't cook chicken well when you have it set at high and one moment the temp is 80 degrees and two minutes later it's 320 degrees, just to change to 120 degrees a minute after that. It's a constant struggle. Totally useless for open top cooking IMO. I cooked frozen 1/4lb burger patties open top on high for 35 minutes and they were rare. Not medium rare... Rare. 35 minutes. About the same thing I'd expect from 6 to 8 minutes on a charcoal grill.
This is a piece of garbage, do not buy. I'm glad I have a $50 little tiny round grill for charcoal still that can hold a consistent temperature, I was hoping this would replace the large gas grill I sold, it didn't.
Even though this thing claims 6+ cooking methods, I can only recommend this for large pieces of smoked meat like brisket or ribs, and that's all, and that's assuming you're going to be around to keep watch on it and slow cooking, because I had the hopper catch on fire the second time I used it even after following all the instructions.
Don't get me wrong, slow cooked smoked meat is great and this can do this decently well, but you have to adjust the time for the uneven temperature, and constantly having to stir the pellets because this thing can't properly feed them is beyond frustrating. If you're going to spend this type of money, spend an extra $50 and go with a better brand. Absolutely do not recommend this junk.
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?
Melissa N Davis : YOU WILL REGRET PURCHASING. TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
The hopper is beyond pointless. It either jams due to the pellet weight in the hopper or it empties and turns off because you are forced to underfill it. Meat gets ruined constantly due to the heat turning off and I have spent more money on wasted meat than I did purchasing the unit. Below is the letter to the manufacturer after their very pitiful response. Please do not waste your money.
First off, let me be clear, the temperature does not get too high, EVER. IT SHUTS OFF ENTIRELY when the pellets stop feeding either from becoming jammed or lack of pellets due to forced underfilling as your hopper design is UTTER CRAP. Let us just be clear on that in the first place. Second, I will NOT stand in front of the hopper AND STIR WITH A STICK. The entire purpose of my purchase of this grill was to be able to set the temp, fill the hopper, and WALK AWAY and check once every few hours. So NO thank you to that bit of advice. Finally, I will not make any attempt to procure, at my own expense, a weighted pan to fit the dimensions of your hopper. If your design does not work without a weight (and let me be frank, I don't think it will work at all) then you should have included that in the design to begin with. It is laughable that you even took the time to send that picture and expect me to reference as a design flaw fix. What kind of customer service representative are you? To be honest, I am surprised you didn't send me a picture of the stick with which you ever so kindly instructed me to use....
I expect you to replace this grill with one that WORKS PROPERLY when I turn on the device and with MINIMAL, I repeat MINIMAL interference from all humans in general. Barring a replacement, I expect a refund for which I will gladly send you this piece garbage which is cluttering my patio as it is not fit for use.
Attached you will find the orginal receipt, which by the way, includes shipping address, name, etc. and you will find the serial number of this "grill" although the term is being used very loosely as at this point its only a sculpture on my back patio. I expect word from you shortly on your plans for replacement of the unit or refund of the unit.
Their initial response below as well as the picture of the weight they want me to use:
Hi,
Don't worry. This is just an uncommon condition and may only happen when the temp reaches high.
We can ship you a new updated hopper cover which can better improve this issue.
While waiting, here are some suggestions if you meet this issue. You could have a try to remove the upper safety net in the hopper(it's ok to do that) and use a stick to stir up the pellets.
Meanwhile, you can place something heavy in it to help. (see attached pic for reference)
Sorry for the inconvenience to you.
First off, let me be clear, the temperature does not get too high, EVER. IT SHUTS OFF ENTIRELY when the pellets stop feeding either from becoming jammed or lack of pellets due to forced underfilling as your hopper design is UTTER CRAP. Let us just be clear on that in the first place. Second, I will NOT stand in front of the hopper AND STIR WITH A STICK. The entire purpose of my purchase of this grill was to be able to set the temp, fill the hopper, and WALK AWAY and check once every few hours. So NO thank you to that bit of advice. Finally, I will not make any attempt to procure, at my own expense, a weighted pan to fit the dimensions of your hopper. If your design does not work without a weight (and let me be frank, I don't think it will work at all) then you should have included that in the design to begin with. It is laughable that you even took the time to send that picture and expect me to reference as a design flaw fix. What kind of customer service representative are you? To be honest, I am surprised you didn't send me a picture of the stick with which you ever so kindly instructed me to use....
I expect you to replace this grill with one that WORKS PROPERLY when I turn on the device and with MINIMAL, I repeat MINIMAL interference from all humans in general. Barring a replacement, I expect a refund for which I will gladly send you this piece garbage which is cluttering my patio as it is not fit for use.
Attached you will find the orginal receipt, which by the way, includes shipping address, name, etc. and you will find the serial number of this "grill" although the term is being used very loosely as at this point its only a sculpture on my back patio. I expect word from you shortly on your plans for replacement of the unit or refund of the unit.
Their initial response below as well as the picture of the weight they want me to use:
Hi,
Don't worry. This is just an uncommon condition and may only happen when the temp reaches high.
We can ship you a new updated hopper cover which can better improve this issue.
While waiting, here are some suggestions if you meet this issue. You could have a try to remove the upper safety net in the hopper(it's ok to do that) and use a stick to stir up the pellets.
Meanwhile, you can place something heavy in it to help. (see attached pic for reference)
Sorry for the inconvenience to you.
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.
Edwin K. Ferguson : Initial Review of the ZPG 450E
This is my first pellet smoker and I think I have a LOT to learn, but here's my initial impression.
My grill came on time. While there were a few dents in the box, the contents were perfect. Assembly was straight forward so long as you take the time to read the instructions in the manual as well as use the illustrations (packed separately). Remember this though- there are absolutely NO SPARE PARTS, screws, bolts, washers, nuts, etc. so be careful not to lose any.
As I said, the assembly went well- everything fit as they should and the finished product is sturdy and seemingly well constructed. I would advise that you check twice to be sure this grill is large enough for your needs. It is smaller than I had imagined, partly because the second tray adds to their sq. inches claim of 450. The actual measurement of the main grill is 15 1/2" X21 1/4." Big enough for us, most of the time but if you're planning on a large turkey, for instance, get a larger grill.
I did an initial break-in and that went well with the exception that this grill, while having a limit of 450º only got up to 406º. The weather was cold and wet (my grill is on a covered deck). I contacted Zgrills support and was informed that in weather such as this the grill would not make it all the way to 450º. While that will work ok for me it might not get warm enough (in cold weather) for you so keep that in mind although I understand that this is a fairly common occurrence with other brands as well.
My first (and only use so far) was simply some hotdogs and sausage... grilled fine with a little bit of smoky flavor.
To wrap this up, I'd say I'm satisfied with the new grill so far.
My grill came on time. While there were a few dents in the box, the contents were perfect. Assembly was straight forward so long as you take the time to read the instructions in the manual as well as use the illustrations (packed separately). Remember this though- there are absolutely NO SPARE PARTS, screws, bolts, washers, nuts, etc. so be careful not to lose any.
As I said, the assembly went well- everything fit as they should and the finished product is sturdy and seemingly well constructed. I would advise that you check twice to be sure this grill is large enough for your needs. It is smaller than I had imagined, partly because the second tray adds to their sq. inches claim of 450. The actual measurement of the main grill is 15 1/2" X21 1/4." Big enough for us, most of the time but if you're planning on a large turkey, for instance, get a larger grill.
I did an initial break-in and that went well with the exception that this grill, while having a limit of 450º only got up to 406º. The weather was cold and wet (my grill is on a covered deck). I contacted Zgrills support and was informed that in weather such as this the grill would not make it all the way to 450º. While that will work ok for me it might not get warm enough (in cold weather) for you so keep that in mind although I understand that this is a fairly common occurrence with other brands as well.
My first (and only use so far) was simply some hotdogs and sausage... grilled fine with a little bit of smoky flavor.
To wrap this up, I'd say I'm satisfied with the new grill so far.
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
James : Beware. !! Not a good China product.
Not bad to put together. The problems came on start-up. On the initial break-in, it says to put it on Hi. The unit went to 550* and shut off for safety. That’s scarey. After many tries, I got ahold of support at ZGrills. I was told by a nice young girl to just keep using the unit and it would adjust. It didn’t. While cooking I set the unit at Smoke and it went to 300+, at 225*, it went to 400*...at least by their LED temp. I dont have a thermometer to measure their LED. Sorry, not a professional griller, just a guy replacing my gas grill. I will contact their support again and update this if there is a solution.
As of 7/05/19... I contacted ZGrills,after many tries.....they said "they would refund my money. If they do, I’ll review this process further. That would be great.
....I also contacted Amazon many hours ago. They said they would contact ZGrills, which would not answer their phone, they said they would get back to me. After 6 hrs, Nothing from them either. I’ll update this when someone finally stands behind their product. Until then, don’t buy this grill.
......as of 07/08/19...nothing from Amazon or ZGrills. I called ZGrills again, they promised that a refund is happening. I’ll update this if their customer service is correct.
As of 7/05/19... I contacted ZGrills,after many tries.....they said "they would refund my money. If they do, I’ll review this process further. That would be great.
....I also contacted Amazon many hours ago. They said they would contact ZGrills, which would not answer their phone, they said they would get back to me. After 6 hrs, Nothing from them either. I’ll update this when someone finally stands behind their product. Until then, don’t buy this grill.
......as of 07/08/19...nothing from Amazon or ZGrills. I called ZGrills again, they promised that a refund is happening. I’ll update this if their customer service is correct.
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.
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.
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.
Goldndoodle : Feeder hopper caught fire!
Went to use this for the second time this afternoon - started up per directions, put steak on grill when warmed up, went in the house to make a phone call - came out to the feeder hopper smoking like wild! Turned it off, pulled the pellets out of hopper - it continued to smoke wildly for about an hour. After that, I was afraid to use this! I don't need to have my house burned down because the hopper full of pellets bursts into flames. Returning it to Amazon!
Joey : Easy to install & Temperature accurate & Yummy bbq
Attracted by the cute look of Z Grills ZPG-450A, I clicked into this item and found it seemed a high-tech smoker. Got annoyed with my old Charcoal grill since it's slow and hard to control & clean. Z Grills, by contrast, uses the 'Wood fire' technology to reach target temperature extremely fast & accurate. Also, the grease doesn't build up for the sake of the grease collector. The wheels make it easier to move the smoker around in my yard. And need to say that installing this smart machine took me only 1 hour, with all tools needed in the box.
I tried salmon and lamb with pecan wood pellet. It works like a charm. The meat was so tender and got the sweet flavors deep inside.
It's time to say goodbye to my old Charcoal grill.
I tried salmon and lamb with pecan wood pellet. It works like a charm. The meat was so tender and got the sweet flavors deep inside.
It's time to say goodbye to my old Charcoal grill.
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
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.
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.
Charles Brueck : Best Grill Investment EVER!
I'm not really sure what to say about this grill other than it's taken my outdoor cooking to ANOTHER LEVEL. I love everything about it and at a fraction of the cost of other grills I have purchased over the years. Throw away the charcoal, propane and eggs. Don't believe me here's a testimonial from my finicky 15 yrld daughter..."dad these are the best ribs EVER." My response "the best I have ever cooked?" Her "NO the best ribs I have ever tasted in my life."
If that's not enough to sell you on this grill, how about after several months of wonderful service you come out and the grill just won't come on? Trouble shooting down to the master control unit. Email customer service and immediately get a response. After a couple of back and forth, "try this, try that emails, they ship FREE OF CHARGE a new control unit. 5 minute install later and grill is back to 100% operational.
GREAT GRILL, GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!
If that's not enough to sell you on this grill, how about after several months of wonderful service you come out and the grill just won't come on? Trouble shooting down to the master control unit. Email customer service and immediately get a response. After a couple of back and forth, "try this, try that emails, they ship FREE OF CHARGE a new control unit. 5 minute install later and grill is back to 100% operational.
GREAT GRILL, GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!
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.
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.
JP : Doesn’t hold temp. Auger broke after 5 uses. Compa
Used it 5 times and the auger broke. Took 2 weeks for the manufacturer to get back to me and all they said was to "try the troubleshooting in the manual." This would of required tearing the grill apart, and splicing wires, etc. The company is from China and answers you throughout the night, so you have to wait until the next day to hear back from them again (if you hear back at all). The grill itself is built very cheap, and is flimsy. It has trouble getting up to temperature, and will not hold the temp. Save yourself a huge headache and aggrevation, and get yourself another brand grill. Luckily, Amazon backed me and refunded me since the manufacturer was absolutely no help in this case.
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.
Brad Groux : The Z GRILLS ZPG-550B 2019 is an amazing smoker/grill for the price!
I've had this grill for a little over the week and am loving it. The assembly took about an hour, and that was only because I put the legs on the wrong way so the shelf holes were pointing out. Make sure you're in a well lit room, unlike me and you shouldn't make this mistake. The included "startup list" steps you through the first startup and tests perfectly, so make sure you follow the list and you'll be cooking in no-time!
The attached pictures are prime cut beef ribs I smoked on 275°F for 6 hours, and choice cut pork ribs I smoked for 4 hours on 275°F - they both came out amazing! I've also used the grill to reverse-seer prime NY Strip steaks, by cooking on 225°F for 45 minutes, then cranking up to high (nearly 500°F) and seering for 90 seconds on each side for a PERFECT medium-rare steak.
I've cooked beef and pork ribs many, many times and I've reverse seered NY Strips countless times, and the best I've ever cooked them all was on this grill, NO JOKE! It truly makes grilling and smoking idiot proof, just get yourself a nice digital thermometer and you'll never mess up. The perfect mix pellets also give a great flavor that isn't too overpowering like a 100% hickory or mesquite.
$9.99 Smoker Thermometer - https://amzn.to/2Gt9iRH
$37.00 40lb bag of Perfect Mix Pellets - https://amzn.to/2XdLcjg
$13.99 Grill Cover works great - https://amzn.to/2IrDS02
You could certainly pay more for a name brand grill, but with the extended warranty and a cheap grill cover, I should more than get my money out of it. I'm also happy with the overall size, as it fits nicely on my covered second story patio.
The attached pictures are prime cut beef ribs I smoked on 275°F for 6 hours, and choice cut pork ribs I smoked for 4 hours on 275°F - they both came out amazing! I've also used the grill to reverse-seer prime NY Strip steaks, by cooking on 225°F for 45 minutes, then cranking up to high (nearly 500°F) and seering for 90 seconds on each side for a PERFECT medium-rare steak.
I've cooked beef and pork ribs many, many times and I've reverse seered NY Strips countless times, and the best I've ever cooked them all was on this grill, NO JOKE! It truly makes grilling and smoking idiot proof, just get yourself a nice digital thermometer and you'll never mess up. The perfect mix pellets also give a great flavor that isn't too overpowering like a 100% hickory or mesquite.
$9.99 Smoker Thermometer - https://amzn.to/2Gt9iRH
$37.00 40lb bag of Perfect Mix Pellets - https://amzn.to/2XdLcjg
$13.99 Grill Cover works great - https://amzn.to/2IrDS02
You could certainly pay more for a name brand grill, but with the extended warranty and a cheap grill cover, I should more than get my money out of it. I'm also happy with the overall size, as it fits nicely on my covered second story patio.
Frank lowrance : Big let down
Big disappointment won't hold a temp runs away over 500 degrees I've yet to enjoy it. Looks great we'll it used to, it go so hot it burned the finish off the front of it customer service says they'll send me new control panel and temp prob great they don't have any there on back order they will send one and a free bag a pellets whene the come in .WOW I've spent a good chunk of money on something that's to hazardous to use that I have to then repair myself the people at customer service are nice and but what happened to if I sent you a piece of junk we'll replace it man major buyers remorse
Brian Adamchuk : Updated: Nice introduction to the Pellet Smoker world...
The first unit that came in was defective. The seller was fast to ship out a replacement. The second unit has worked well the 3-4 times it's been used. Temperature has stayed consistent throughout the cooking time.
So far I'm happy with the purchase.
5/14: sometimes you get what you pay for...
Love the idea of a pellet grill for the price of this grill. As can be read above first unit came in defective. Second unit does function but is HORRIBLY inaccurate for temperature and never puts outs smoke. As can be seen in the photo, I have grill set for 375, temp on grill led is 477, actual temperature on grate is 283. The 283 temperature was verified with an infrared thermometer.
So far I'm happy with the purchase.
5/14: sometimes you get what you pay for...
Love the idea of a pellet grill for the price of this grill. As can be read above first unit came in defective. Second unit does function but is HORRIBLY inaccurate for temperature and never puts outs smoke. As can be seen in the photo, I have grill set for 375, temp on grill led is 477, actual temperature on grate is 283. The 283 temperature was verified with an infrared thermometer.
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.
Jacob : Awful temperature control and terrible customer service
Do not even think about buying this. Get a Traeger. From the start had outrageous temperature swings ex. Dial set to 180, temperature would get above 400. Three weeks after buying it the controls stopped working to where whatever temp it was set to, it would only select 325. Customer support was very unhelpful and kept telling me to clean out the fire pot for an obvious electronics issue. Then after 4 weeks it won’t even turn on. Returning immediately. Do not even think about buying this.
bigbearsfan : First time with a smoker
I've never had a pellet smoker before. It's always been something I've wanted to try since seeing a demonstration of one in a big box store many years ago. When this grill went on deep discount a couple months ago, I snapped one up.
First impressions is that it's easy to put together if you follow the instructions. It should take less than an hour because all you're doing is assembling the legs, handles, front tray, and chimney. The barrel itself is already assembled and it takes a couple of minutes to put in the fire box cover, drip tray and grills.
The size of the smoker is a double edged sword, This is a super small smoker. The small barrell size makes it impossible to get a lot of meat on it, but that small size also makes it a great beginner smoker. When I used it over father's day weekend, I got a 4 pound pork shoulder, a 3 pound whole chicken and a water pan on the bottom grate. On the top grate, I was able to put 6 brats at an angle. Things were mostly ok. The smoker did it's job very well. Everything cooked in the time one would expect. The smoker held its temp very consistently and that's what helped me to be better anticipate and trust when things would be done. I figure I'll keep this for another year or so, figure out how to master it, then move up to an upright smoker with more room. Now that I know the smoker can maintain temp, I know how to start it and shut it down, it's up to me to figure out which rubs and smoking patterns creates meats my family would want to eat.
Having only used it once, I can't speak to durability or longevity but it seems sturdy and worth the money if you can get it on sale like I did. If I'd paid anywhere near full price, I would be disappointed with the purchase based on size.
First impressions is that it's easy to put together if you follow the instructions. It should take less than an hour because all you're doing is assembling the legs, handles, front tray, and chimney. The barrel itself is already assembled and it takes a couple of minutes to put in the fire box cover, drip tray and grills.
The size of the smoker is a double edged sword, This is a super small smoker. The small barrell size makes it impossible to get a lot of meat on it, but that small size also makes it a great beginner smoker. When I used it over father's day weekend, I got a 4 pound pork shoulder, a 3 pound whole chicken and a water pan on the bottom grate. On the top grate, I was able to put 6 brats at an angle. Things were mostly ok. The smoker did it's job very well. Everything cooked in the time one would expect. The smoker held its temp very consistently and that's what helped me to be better anticipate and trust when things would be done. I figure I'll keep this for another year or so, figure out how to master it, then move up to an upright smoker with more room. Now that I know the smoker can maintain temp, I know how to start it and shut it down, it's up to me to figure out which rubs and smoking patterns creates meats my family would want to eat.
Having only used it once, I can't speak to durability or longevity but it seems sturdy and worth the money if you can get it on sale like I did. If I'd paid anywhere near full price, I would be disappointed with the purchase based on size.
Swick Nation : Great pellet smoker
Wanted an inexpensive first pellet smoker and am definitely satisfied with Z-grills. For being a sub $400 grill I was impressed with how well it maintained the temp and I smoked two baby back racks on it that came out delicious. Followed the instructions for the initial setup and let her run. To top it off, the box indicated it came from my hometown so it was an all around good sign. I am glad I went with this over a high priced Traeger, (nothing against them as I have never used one), but Z Grills should definitely be considered a formidable rival. :)
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.
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.
JC : Poor temperature control.
Mike : Disappointed
Bought grill/smoker two weeks ago. Was impressed initially by ease of assembly. Product seemed well made. After 3 uses it no longer worked. Customer support is nonexistent. Message states hours of operation, I was well within stated hours. Says leave message but that line just rings. Returning grill to Amazon. Will spend more money to get a grill that will last.
you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you
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