Product Review - Char-Broil Cruise Grill with Cruise Control Technology (MSRP $699)

[FTC Standard Disclosure] I received a Char-Broil Cruise at no cost for review purposes. All opinions are my own. I receive no compensation for this post, nor do I have any other financial arrangements with Char-Broil or their affiliates.

Product Review – Char-Broil Cruise Grill (MSRP $699)

Earlier this year, Char-Broil introduced their newest, game-changing grill – The Char-Broil Cruise. I was lucky enough to receive a Cruise unit from Char-Broil and have put this new grill through real-life cooking for the past few weeks. Here are my thoughts and experience with this new grill.

Tame The Flame, Change The Game

So what makes this grill a game-changer? Until now, gas grill heat controls have been knobs that control the gas flow at a set rate of consumption. If I set my old gas grill on “medium”, the grill will let the gas flow at that designated rate. That rate of flow doesn’t change regardless of the actual cooking temperature it achieves or factors like ambient temperature or wind.

The Char-Broil Cruise changes this by cooking at a specific set temperature. If I set the grill for 500°f, the Cruise will assess the grill temperature and if it is anything but 500°f, the grill will adjust the gas flow to achieve 500°f and maintain that temperature. No more guessing or adjusting.

The Char-Broil Cruise automatically adjusts gas flow to maintain a specific cooking temperature.

Let’s look at the features that I like and the experience I had while cooking some of the typical backyard basics.

Features

Digital Temperature Control and Auto-Calibration

The ability to set a precise cooking temperature and know that the grill will maintain it gives a cook confidence. This is true from beginning backyard chefs to seasoned pros like me. The Cruise has a thermometer mounted inside the cooking chamber that provides feedback to a processor. The processor controls the two-burner tubes to maintain the set temperature.

The controls are straightforward. The dial controls the temperature setting in 5°f increments.

Product Review: Thermoworks New Square Dot

[FTC Standard Disclosure] We received our sample Square Dot free of charge for review, and we recently became a Thermoworks affiliate seller after being a Thermoworks customer for over 12 years.

Thermoworks has started off 2022 by releasing their newest remote probe thermometer offering - The Square DOT.

A remote-probe thermometer means that it uses a probe that is left inside the food in the oven or grill while a device outside of the oven or grill monitors the temperature. 

Note: Silicone Probe Spools are not included.

The Square DOT is a dual-channel remote-probe thermometer that currently lists at $69 from Thermoworks. I have put the Square DOT through the paces for the past week, and there is a lot to like about it. Here are the features that I find helpful.

Product Review: Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX Pellet Grill

[FTC Standard Disclosure]  I received an Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX Pellet Grill free of charge for review purposes.  All content and opinions are my own and have been neither reviewed nor approved by Oklahoma Joe's before publishing.  This is what I'd tell you if you asked me about it while we hung out grilling on my deck.

Last year, Oklahoma Joe's shook up their decades-old classic line-up of offset smokers by adding their new drum smokers, the Bronco and Bronco Pro.  This year, they continue growing with the exciting addition of their line of pellet cookers, the Rider 600, Rider 900, and the Rider DLX pictured below.

The Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX is a hoss!  It boasts 1,234 square inches of cooking space making it the biggest pellet cooker that I have used.

While pellet grills have been around for quite a long time, they have more recently become mainstream and now show up in big box stores and backyards across America.  The allure of pellet grills is that they have gas grill simplicity and convenience but the real-wood flavor of a traditional pit or grill.

How Pellet Grills Work

Pellet grills work by burning wood pellets - real wood pieces that have been compressed or extruded into a uniform shape and size.

• Hopper - Contains the pellets until needed for cooking.
• Controller - The "brains" of the operation, it is an electric controller that monitors the temperature inside the cooking chamber and controls the fan and auger.
• Auger - A type of Archimedes screw that moves the pellets when needed from the hopper to the burn pot.
• Burn pot - A small pot where the pellets drop and burn, creating heat and real-wood smoke. 

You set the controller for a specific cooking temperature, let's say 250°f.  The controller uses a feedback loop that keeps asking if the temperature is 250°f.  If below, it adds more pellets to burn, and if it is above, it stops adding pellets.  The fan stokes the fire and circulates the smoke, providing even cooking temperatures like a convection oven.  There's a lot of science and math that go into it, but that's the basic idea.

Assembly

Assembly was straight forward and took just under 1 hour for me at a leisurely pace.  The instructions were clear, and the fasteners were clearly identified.  Much of the work is pre-assembled at the plant, making your job much easier.

Since the grill is so big, you'll want a good-sized area to spread out and work.  I did ours in the garage.

Product Review: Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Drum Smoker

[FTC Standard Disclosure]  I received an Oklahoma Joe Bronco as part of a paid project I worked on; however, this project was entirely unrelated for Nibble Me This.  I have not received any compensation nor have I been asked to promote Oklahoma Joe products on this website or any of my social media channels. 

In the past few weeks, I have seen pictures of ridiculous close-out prices on the new Oklahoma Joe's Bronco drum smoker.  Most of the ones I've seen have been Wal-Mart or other big box stores. I guess that they are just closing them out because they are seasonal inventory items for them. 

I thought I would share my experience with the Bronco, for anyone who is considering buying one.

The Bronco entered Oklahoma Joe's line up of smokers in the past year.  This smoker is a drum smoker, and drum smokers have been a proven design for years. Back then, they were mostly homemade models made out of used 55-gallon drums affectionately called UDS or Ugly Drum Smokers.  The beauty of a UDS was that for $100 you could build a UDS with long burn times and quality smoke.  Drum smokers have seen a surge in popularity because companies are now offering well-designed and well-built commercial options for those of us who have neither the inclination nor the mechanical ability to build our own.

The arrival of the Bronco was a bit of a shakeup to Oklahoma Joe's offerings, which have traditionally been offset smokers.  This year, Oklahoma Joe also added two charcoal grills in the Judge and his little cousin, the Rambler.

Assembly

The unboxing and assembly of the Bronco were straightforward and simple.

• The instructions are clear,
• The parts are well-identified,
• Only a limited number of standard tools are needed, and
• There are only a handful of steps to take.

The assembly of the Bronco took less than 30 minutes at a leisurely pace.  

Features

The Bronco is designed with the average backyard user in mind and is packed with features. 

Product Review: Challenger Designs Torch 48 Grilling Cart

Earlier this year, Grillin' Garry hosted a raffle fund-raiser benefiting The Center for Violence-Free Relationships.  The project doubled the raised funds thanks to a matching contribution from Blue Cross Blue Shield of California.

Alexis bought an entry ticket and that's the last we thought of it.  We frequently enter various charity raffles but never win, we just consider it a donation.  So Alexis was shocked when she got a notification that she had won the grand prize - a Challenger Designs Torch 48 grilling cart.

Challenger Design grilling carts are recognized as the Ferrari of grilling tables. I've wanted one ever since my sister bought hers several years ago, because of the well thought out design and meticulous construction. 

My sister's challenger cart is over 5 years old and has spent the entire time exposed to the humid elements in Florida, but it remains in fantastic condition.  Here we are using it to smoke green chile pork butt for the North East Florida Eggfest a few years ago.

Why are the Challenger Design carts so good?  For me, it comes down to quality, dry-storage, and durability.

• Quality - The Challenger Designs Torch is designed and made with a focus on "good enough isn't good enough."  Everything fits together, snug and secure.  When you shut a cabinet door, you can hear the quality.  When you slide a drawer out, it feels smooth and steady.  Just looking at the sleek cabinet, the quality is evident.
• Dry-Storage - The cabinets are weatherproof and keep out the dirt and moisture.  Now I can keep things like my Flame Boss, my Thermoworks electronics, and my heat gloves out by the grill all of the time.  No more having to run inside to grab gloves or a Thermapen at the last minute.
• Durability -Let's face it, the Challenger Designs Torch isn't cheap.  It had better last so you can spread the cost out over many, many years.  They use non-corrosive, lightweight aluminum that won't warp, rot, or rust and back it with a limited lifetime warranty.  My sister's cart stays in a rather harsh environment, and it has stood the test of time.

I was THRILLED to add the Challenger Designs Torch 48 to my outdoor line-up.  To the left is a large BGE with a BGE Modular Nest.  Center is a large BGE in the new Challenger Designs cart and to the right is my BGE Mini-Max on a basic stainless cart from Sam's.

Honey Bacon BBQ Pork Chops

Matt Pittman of Meat Church is like a mad scientist playing with his seasonings.  Once again, he has proclaimed "It's ALIVE!" and rolled out a limited edition rub - Honey Bacon BBQ.

As the name would imply, this BBQ seasoning has the salty/sweet honey profile of Honey Hog and the smoky/bacon flavor of Bacon BBQ seasoning.  It comes out of the gates with a punch of flavor and finishes strong.

The day that I received my free sample from the Mad Scientist himself, I just happened to have a nice pair of Heritage Farms Cheshire Pork.  So I took the easy road and grilled these killer pork chops along with some grilled zucchini and couscous. 

I patted the chops dry, lightly rubbed them with oil and gave them a moderately heavy coat of Meat Church Honey Bacon BBQ.  Then I let them rest at room temperature for an hour so the rub could start acting as a dry brine - pulling the flavor into the meat.

I preheated a large Big Green Egg to 400°f.  The set up was direct heat with GrillGrates in place.  I grilled the chops for about 5 minutes per side (with a quarter turn halfway through each side) and brushed them with a glaze of stock, honey, and several pinches of the Meat Church Honey Bacon BBQ.

Product Review: NEW Big Green Egg Modular Nest Systems

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  I received no compensation for this review.

I have needed a new table for my oldest Egg for a while.  My old table was 10 years old.  It was so worn out and wobbly that it was practically unsafe to move by myself. 

As soon as I read about the new Big Green Egg Modular Nest Systems, The features and design of this new expandable modular table had me sold instantly.  I called Mannix Pools and Grills in Winter Haven, FL and ordered a set.  

I finally got to pick my table up this weekend when we were at Mannix Pools and Grills to teach a grilling glass.  

Assembly

Putting the nest together was relatively easy.  On a "swearing scale" I would give it a 1 out of 5 swear words (an excellent rating, the fewer swear words, the better).

Since this is modular, the individual packages were manageable to move by oneself.

Product Review: Humphrey's Battle Box - Wounded Warrior version

Disclaimer- I/we are not affiliated with Humphrey’s in any way, we received no compensation for this review and I paid full retail price for this unit.

This is a follow up to our unboxing post about the Humphrey's Battle Box - Wounded Warrior version.  My neighbor and BBQ teammate, John Makela, shares his thoughts on his smoker after using it for several weeks.

Fresh out of the crate, now we need to cook something

This whole story starts last year right after Chris took delivery of his new smoker, the Deep South CG36 (aka Big Red). As he says in that review we were just hoping that it would put out food equal to our kamado grills.  It was better than the kamados, it blew me away.  I knew right then I was going to step up with the big boys and get me a very high-end smoker.  I wanted something smaller, something I wouldn’t feel guilty if I just thew one pork butt on but could cook for a decent sized party if needed.  My search was on.

I looked at a lot of brands, read a lot of forum pages and made my spreadsheets to analyze everything.  The other finalist last year in Chris’ search was Humphrey’s, that didn’t automatically make them my choice, the spreadsheet had a lot to say about it too.  Well, Humphrey's came out on top and they had just created the wounded warrior color scheme of their Battle Box where they give 10% of all sales to the Wounded Warrior organization and I loved the color scheme; two birds, one stone.

Humphrey’s BBQ Inc. is based out of Limerick Maine and owned by Chad and Nicole Humphrey, two of the nicest folks you will ever deal with.  They started years ago repairing all brands of smokers from backyard to commercial until they finally said let’s make our own.  So they took all the lessons they learned working on other smokers and applied it to their line.  Customer service is top notch.

Chris posted the unboxing of this smoker back in his April posts so be sure to check that out for a lot more pictures.

Features:

• Insulated, reverse flow box smoker.
• Welded Tubular sub-frame (think roll cage of race car)
• 1200 degree nonflammable insulation.  Moisture resistant, fungi resistant, high K value and military certified
• 3 slide out cooking racks, Stainless Steel.  14.75” x 22”  Holds full-size hotel pan
• Stainless Steel 4” water pan (mine is the slide-out version, $100 option)
• Commercial grade style latches, they call them slam latches, they work great.
• Tel-Tru thermometer
• 2 probe Ports (standard on my unit optional on most)
• 8” No Flat wheels (standard on my unit optional on most)
• Outer Dimensions 24”w x29”d x 43”h, 325 lbs, its heavy
• Cooking Chamber dimensions 15.25”w x 22.5d x 18”h
• 10-12 lbs charcoal capacity with run times up to 12 hours, I’m finding longer.

Charcoal box, which is located behind the lower door.  This was after a 5-hour cook at 290, I think I’d be good for 10 more hours or so.  Shown with optional snake T dividers which makes the fire burn in a snake pattern.

Unboxing a Humphrey's BBQ Smoker - Battle Box

[FTC Disclaimer]  We have no affiliation with Humphrey's BBQ, and John paid advertised pricing.

My neighbor and BBQ teammate, John, took delivery of his new Humphrey's BBQ Battle Box this morning. It is the Wounded Warrior Project version of the Battle Box which means 10% is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project and it comes in this cool dessert camo color scheme.

The Humphrey's BBQ Battle Box is an insulated box-style cooker.

The smoker made its way from Limerick, Maine, where Humphrey's BBQ is located, to Knoxville, Tennessee packed well in a crate.

You can see that the unit was well protected.

Craycort Cast Iron Grate for Large Big Green Egg, Grill Dome, and Primo

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  We are proud to have had Craycort as an equipment sponsor of our blog since 2009.

Craycort has redesigned their modular cast iron grate system for large Big Green Eggs for 2017.  I received one in January and have put it through 6 months of heavy use on our kamado grills, including Big Green Egg, Primo, and Grill Dome.

I've had my original Craycort for 8 years and it still works just fine. Why did they want to redesign it?

Albukirky pork chops grilling on my older Craycort cast iron grates.

That was the first thing I asked Rolf and he told me that originally these grates were designed for any 18.5" grill. The new models are designed specifically for the Large Big Green Egg for a more exacting fit when used with a plate setter.

SABER Elite SSE 1500

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] SABER Grills is a sponsor of Nibble Me This; however, any opinions stated herein are my own.

I am excited to be working with SABER Grills this year and was thrilled when they upgraded my SABER Cast 500 with this SABER Elite SSE 1500.  

Before I get into any drawn out review of the SABER grill, the short version is that I love them because they replicate the power and style of the grills that I have gotten to use in commercial kitchens.

Working with grill & smoker manufacturers like I do, I have put together a lot of grills in the past decade and many of them are a real pain to assemble.  The quality of the SABER Elite 1500 was evident as soon as I started putting it together.

Assembly

The SABER Elite 1500 was a piece of cake to assemble.  That's no accident, they engineer it that way.

• The main part of the grill - the cooking container - is 100% pre-assembled.  You just have to build the base cart, put the cooking container on top, and attach the side pieces.  Easy peasy.
• The entire assembly only uses two types of connectors - one size/type of bolt and one size/type screw.  Most grills come with blister packs of over a dozen types of connectors that can be confusing when reading the instructions.  With the SABER, it's almost impossible to use the wrong connector.
• This seems like a small detail but I noticed it - even the bolts and screws are quality. Some grills have cheap bolts/screws made of softer metal and it is easy to strip out a screw head. They sometimes aren't machined just right, so they don't screw in easily.  That was never an issue with the SABER, the bolts and screws seem to be made with harder metals and are precision made.
• There are touches that aren't necessary but make assembly SO much easier.  For example the side shelves and doors hang in place on their own, so you don't have to try to hold them in place while you try to fasten a screw or bolt.

Deep South Smokers GC36

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  We received no compensation for this post.  We are proud to have Flame Boss as an equipment sponsor. Smithfield and Certified Angus Beef are both sponsors as well.

If you follow our social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook), then you know that we got a new smoker for competitions and cooking for big events back in March. It is a Deep South Smokers GC36.

Deep South Smokers are hand made in Cumming, Georgia by Randall Bowman (KCBS Board Member) and a small staff.  It is a gravity fed, insulated box smoker which basically means long burn times, steady temperatures, and clean smoke.  I first got interested in this type of cooker because Larry of Big Dude's Eclectic Ramblings has been using one (Stumps or Superior, can't remember which) for years and loves his.

I was apprehensive about pulling the trigger on such a major purchase and spent 6 months researching and talking with other owners before making the final decision.  It came down to choosing between Humphreys (also a good box smoker) and Deep South Smokers.  Now that it's done, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Features

Randall and his team build a quality smoker with fine craftsmanship and pack it full of extra touches and features.

The first obvious feature is space.  The Deep South Smoker has a smaller footprint than the Warthog but it holds more, cooks infinitely more evenly, and you only have to refill it every 10-12 hours or so, not every 45 minutes.

Product Review: Pizza Porta

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]:  We received no compensation for this post and have no affiliation with the manufacturer.

At the 2015 Pensacola Eggfest (a "must do" Eggfest), Big Green Craig and I spotted a crazy contraption on a Big Green Egg that captured our attention immediately.  It looked like a mailbox and it was spitting pizzas out every few minutes.  We talked to the creators and found that it was a prototype of their invention - the Pizza Porta.  

Seeing the protoype in action at the 2015 Pensacola Eggfest had me intrigued.

I believe Craig's exact quote to them was, "Shut up and take my money now!"

They weren't in production yet but at the 2015 Pensacola Eggfest but at the 2016 event, I finally bought one from Escambia Electric Motor for my neighbor and BBQ teammate, John. It was a "thank you" for all the work he puts in on our BBQ team throughout the year. He makes pizzas every Saturday so I knew he'd like it (plus we borrow each other's grill accessories so it's a win-win).  

After 6 months of heavy use, here is John's review of the Pizza Porta.

Pizza Pizza!!  Who Loves Pizza?  A Review of the Pizza-Porta

Product Release: Kingsford BBQ Sauce

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  I received no compensation for this post other than the free product samples and I have no current affiliation with Kingsford.

Kingsford, the renowned charcoal producer, has introduced their own line of BBQ sauces and they sent me a sample batch to try out.  

The flavors for this new, all natural line of BBQ sauces include:

• Honey Jalapeno Mesquite
• Brown Sugar Applewood
• Original Smoked Hickory

Kamado Equipment: Woo Rig 150 for Mini-Max

[FTC Disclaimer] I received no compensation for this post and have no affiliation with Big Green Egg or the Ceramic Grill Store.

My sister gave me a Woo rig and a wok for my Mini-Max for Christmas.  That was fantastic because while I have plenty of accessories for our large kamado grills, I haven't picked up many that fit the pint sized Mini-Max.

Woo rig (#150) and a 12" carbon steel wok for the BGE Mini-Max.

What's A Rig?

Rigs are optional wire racks or frames that kamado users can use in their grills to expand capacity or create specific configurations for cooking.  They aren't required and you can do 90% of everything I do with just a standard heat deflector, grate, and an extended or raised grate.  But they do make things more flexible and fun.  Some examples include:

• Spider Rig - The most basic rig, the main use of this is to hold a stone to serve as a heat deflector.  You can also flip them upside down (legs down, ring up) to hold a wok or raise a grill grate by an inch or so.
• Raiser Rig - I think of this as an advanced spider rig.  It can hold a heat deflector, be used to hold a raised grate, or both at the same time.  
• Roswell Rig - This holds two pizza stones at once, so you can cook two pizzas at once or it doubles your baking space if you are using your kamado grill as a wood fired oven.
• Adjustable Rig - The grand-daddy of rigs, in my opinion.  We use them to get the optimum set ups during our BBQ competitions and at home I use them to double my capacity for big meats or even triple my capacity for ribs and wings.

And that brings us to the Woo Rig, that my sister gave me.  They make them for all kinds of kamado sizes but this specific one is the Woo 150 for the newer Mini-Max.  If you have the first version of the Mini-Max you'd want the Woo 75, I believe.  The Woo rig is made and sold by Ceramic Grill Store in Denton, Texas.  This one for the Mini-Max runs right around $40.  

The Woo rig is useful as a wok stand, a raised grate rig, a heat deflector rig, and gives an easy way to move hot plate setters.

Use the Woo Rig as a Wok Stand

The first thing I used the Woo for is as a wok stand.  It holds the wok at the perfect height over the coals. I made stir fried spicy green beans to go with a grilled flank steak.  That post is coming up.

Use the Woo Rig as a Raised Grate

I love my Mini-Max, the size makes it so convenient. But it's compactness puts the grill grate super close to the coals. Here is a shot of my Mini-Max with a full Kick Ash Basket of coal and the grate on the fire ring.

Being so close to the heat source exacerbates any hot spots. 

The Woo lifts the grate up right at 2.5 inches.  This distance balances out the heat from below a bit.

Use the Woo to Handle the Plate Setter More Easily

You can use the Woo to either hold a small stone or your plate setter to create an indirect heat set up in your small kamado grill.  

Mini-Max plate setter in a Woo rig.

The rig raises your cooking grid about an inch above felt line - a bit higher than with the plate setter alone. This set up is good for smoking, baking, and fire roasting.

The plate setter in a Mini-Max is a bit more difficult than the larger versions.  The Woo rig fixes that issue.

Without a Woo rig, you have to reach in like this to take the plate setter out. I don't have sausage fingers and I'm not wearing heat resistant gloves here (grill was cold, just demonstrating) but you can see how little room there is.  Put your gloves on and it gets down right cumbersome sometimes.

With the Woo rig in, you just lift up the edges of the rig and the plate setter comes out without any problems.  Plenty of room to get an easy grip, even with the bulkiest of heat gloves.  Again, the grill was cold, this was just demonstrating how it works. 

I'm quite pleased with the Woo rig for my Mini-Max. It has made it easier to handle the plate setter, cook raised direct, and stir fry on my Mini-Max.  It definitely gives me options.  Thanks for the rig, Rhonda!

Product Review: Grilla Pellet Grill

In May, I got this pellet cooker from the folks at Grilla Grills as a "thank you" from them for cooking on their BBQ team at Memphis in May.  

I could have chosen to have one of their new and extra big Kong kamado grills but I ultimately chose the Grilla because

1. I already have umpteen kamado grills and 
2. I had used this Grilla at the event and was seriously impressed with it.

If you follow my social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook), you've seen that we have used this cooker a lot over the Summer.  We even started taking it to our BBQ competitions.  It has gotten a lot of attention and people have been asking me about it often, so I thought I'd do a full review post on it.

Disclosure
First, I want to clarify my relationship with Grilla.  One of my friends assumed that I was working for them because we've been using it so much, but I'm not.  I don't get a check from them, I don't get commission on sales, and they aren't paying me to cook on their equipment.  I took a week of vacation to cook on their team and they gave me this cooker in return - that's all there is to it.  So when you have seen me using this cooker, it's because I wanted to use it.

What's A Pellet Cooker?

For the uninitiated, a pellet cooker is a type of smoker that burns pellets of compressed wood for heat and smoke.  You can get different "flavors" of wood pellets, such as; hickory, pecan, oak, cherry, blends, or just about any kind you want. They are about as easy of a cooker that you can get.

An auger (think big screw) pushes the wood pellets out of the black tube into the metal cup. Once the pellets are ignited, all of the heat is coming from the burning wood.  A computer monitors the heat, knows your target temp, and adds more pellets as needed to keep the temp at your set point.

Features

The Grilla boasts a troop of features (a group of gorillas is called a troop).  You can click on the link for specifications but here is what I like about it.

The first feature you notice right out of the box?  Ease of assembly.  The top picture shows it uncrated.  You just stand it up right, take out the packaging, and attach the two shelves (6 screws).  That's it.  You're ready to let the smoke roll.

The next thing is the stylish design - how cool does this thing look?  But beauty is more than skin deep.  The shape has function.  The Grilla has a fan that blows air into the "waist" (skinny part) and that starts a swirling convection current - a vortex of smoke. Why is that important?

Convection Cooking

In Franklin Barbecue, Aaron Franklin says that the most crucial element in selecting a smoker is airflow because that determines how well the smoker does it's job (48).  He repeatedly keys in on the importance on air flow.  In a recent BBQ class at Dead End BBQ in Knoxville, Christopher Prieto of Prime BBQ said that the aerodynamic of flow over and around meat in the cooker is extremely important.  Kenji Lopez-Alt explains in The Food Lab that moving air cooks faster and more evenly because moving air is constantly replenishing the energy around the colder food whereas still air cools quickly around the relatively colder food (31). So long story short, moving smoke is better smoke.

Another very cool design feature is the "Keep Heat Swing" lid. When you open a typical grill lid up, you are letting all of the heat out and then have to re-establish equilibrium.  With this lid, you can open it just a sliver to check things, spritz your meat, etc.  Plus, unlike some smokers, you don't have to worry about finding somewhere to put the lid when working in the cooker.

The Grilla has 488 square inches of cooking space and heavy duty, 1/4" stainless steel grill grates.

The control panel of the Grilla is intuitive - power button, temp up and down. 

Cool touch lid handle.

The large back wheels make it easy to move the Grilla around and this pedal retracts the front wheel, serving as a brake of sorts.

The face-plate isn't just cool looking.  It lets you see that your pellets are burning and doing their job.

Instead of having to put a drip pan on the heat deflector, the designer had what I think is a brilliant idea. The deflector plate angles slightly towards the back and then channels out of the cooker where you see here.  Then you just put a can in this holder to catch the grease and other drippings.

The Grilla has a large pellet hopper that holds 20 pounds of pellets, allowing for long cooks.

Some other features include

• Heavy duty powder coat finish
• Thick gauge metal construction
• Stainless steel shelves
• Easy 1 touch start up

Performance

We have used this cooker all Summer long and it has continued to impress me.

This smoker cooks pork butts like a champ. This time we were cooking an Albukirky's Green Chile pork butt to use for tacos, enchiladas, etc and a typical pork butt for BBQ.  It could handle 3 pork butts as is or 4 if I use a raised rack.

To test the steadiness of the heat, I hooked up my Flame Boss to monitor the temperature.  The blower wasn't hooked up, I was just graphing the cooking temperature and internal meat temperature.  The red line shows the cooking temperature which is steady.

Green chile pork with cilantro lime slaw is one of our favorite ways to smoke pork butts.

Several times this Summer, we fire roasted batches of bone in chicken breast to use for multi-purpose things like chicken salad, pastas, burritos, and casseroles.

We smoked a few whole chickens on the Grilla, as well.

Whole chickens are great for making pulled chicken sandwiches.

The Grilla is a brisket cooking beast.  I get great color, balanced smoke flavor, and deep smoke rings. Another kick butt Egger friend of mine has a pellet cooker and he says his cooks amazing briskets too.  At our last contest, we cooked a brisket on a kamado and one on the Grilla.  We ended up using the Grilla one based on results and got a top 10 call.  My favorite brisket would still be one that was on the Warthog (my ugly trailer pit) for 2 1/2 hours and then finished overnight on a kamado.

A Certified Angus Beef brisket point that we cooked on the Grilla.  Man.....that bark. I love smoked brisket points.

Slicing the brisket point to cut into burnt ends.  A perfect burnt end might just be the best single bite for beef.  The deep rich flavor, tender bite, and the bark just makes it the pinnacle of BBQ for me. 

The deep rich flavor, tender bite, and the bark just makes it the pinnacle of BBQ for me.   We sauce them for competitions but at home, I like having them without any sauce.  I like the smoke, salt, pepper and beef flavor to stand on their own.  But sauced are still freaking awesome too.

I get okay smoke rings on my kamado grills but everything has to be just right (cold meat, moist surface, moist cooker air, and good clean smoke).  I almost don't have try with the Grilla, I always get these deep smoke rings. I'm thinking of how convection currents keep hitting the meat with fresh hot moving air, so that means it's getting more smoke at the same time.  That has me thinking a lot about the difference between natural air draw and forced air currents, such as a Flame Boss on a kamado.

Bend test....yep, that's tender.

One weak spot for the Grilla, and any pellet cooker I have seen in action, is high temp grilling.  They rock for smoking, fire roasting, and baking but their upper limit seems to be air temps of around 450f.  Air temps of 450-500f doesn't equal direct grilling temps of 500f.  I found the best way to mimic grilling was to take out the grate and place GrillGrates directly on the heat deflecter.  

Doing this gives decent grill marks and then I can finish roasting to my desired internal temperature.  

Another area where charcoal grills have the edge is that the pellet cookers electric power.  If the power fails, your cooker is dead.  I haven't had this happen to us at all but I could see it being an issue at contest events where electric supply isn't the best sometimes.

A pair of pork spare ribs on the Grilla.  I'm using a 18" raised grate from one of my kamado grills here. 

How does the Grilla do for ribs?  Money!

Final Thoughts

We have put the Grilla pellet cooker through heavy use for the whole Summer.  We have used it and our BGE Mini-Max more than any of our other grills this year, so this review covers a thorough testing period.  After all of that use, I can say we love this cooker.  

The Grilla pellet cooker is a solid performer for smoking, fire roasting, and any indirect cooking up to 450f. The Grilla gives you steady temps and swirling sweet smoke.  It delivers a balanced smoke flavor, mahogany color, and those classic deep smoke rings that you associate with pit smoked BBQ.  It is an ideal cooker for someone already has a basic grill but wants to get into barbecuing and fire roasting.  Or like me, if you already have 16 grills but want to try your first pellet cooker, the Grilla is the one for you.

TL;DR

Product:   Grilla wood pellet grill

Price Point:  $799 including delivery to your door.

Where Sold:  Sold Online Only

Design:  5/5

Performance:  4.5/5

Value:  5/5

Overall:  4.83 / 5