Grilling vs Smoking?

[Mumaluke]

Just curious how many of you use your wood pellet grill for every day grilling as well as smoking?

 

[retfr8flyr]

I do both with mine. I also have a Kamado Joe Big Joe and I haven't used it since I got my Timberline. I will use my BJ when the weather warms up but with the cold temps, it's just so much easier to use my 1300 and the food still comes out great.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

For serious searing sous vide steaks, I'll use my Kamado Joe, and at temps that, out of all my cookers, only it can hit. I regularly run it up to 700* or more for searing steaks. And yes, I've gone through a couple of fire boxes and a lid doing that. And I replace gaskets sometimes twice a season.

The Kamado Joe pegs at an indicated 900*F at the dome. But at the grates, it's no doubt hotter than that when really stoked with the top and bottom vents wide open for enough time and a full load of lump charcoal.

You haven't eaten a steak until you've had one seared on cast iron grates or cast iron griddle inserts at 700* plus degrees.

I'll also use it on pizzas, where I need to bring the heat.

I'll also use it on lower temp cooks as well. For example for salmon on cedar planks too, as I feel that the water soaked cedar planks heat, give off steam and smolder up a whole lot better on grates placed above glowing lump charcoal than they do over a foil covered metal drip pan in a pellet grill. And I'll also use the Kamado Joe for rotisserie chicken or other foods, kabobs, etc., with the Joetisserie.

But for wings, burgers, run of the mill grilling, I can go either way. Kamado Joe or pellet, but prefer the pellet for those chores.

So to answer the question, when it comes to grilling, for the "heavy lifting", and where I really need to bring the heat, I'm using my Kamado Joe.

For garden variety grilling, I'd just as soon use my pellet grill.

 

[WaterRat]

I have used the pellet smoker as a grill but not often. One problem for me is having to run an extension cord out the door or window as I do not have an outside outlet. For simple grilling it becomes one step too many. On my unit the grill zone is also quite small, just enough for two ny strips. I do like the results though. I know other units are bit more grilling friendly than mine and if I had a better power situation I would probably use it more for everyday grilling.

 

[mike243]

I use mine all the time,its just me and the wife thru the week .I can run 3 big steaks over the open flames after letting it roll on the smoke setting for a little while,on average 3-4 times per week since I got mine last may,wife gets tired of it

 

[sweetride95]

I use mine all the time,its just me and the wife thru the week .I can run 3 big steaks over the open flames after letting it roll on the smoke setting for a little while,on average 3-4 times per week since I got mine last may,wife gets tired of it

I got my pellet grill in January. I have been hitting it pretty hard trying to dial in on some standard stuff. Wife is getting tired of the smoke flavor on everything. I've learned to keep it modest. The weather is about to turn here, so the gas Weber is coming out of the shed soon. I expect to end up about 50/50 between the Weber and Traeger. I don't think there's a single do-all outside cooker. Pellet cooking is way more fun.

 

[texomakid]

I did this just last night. I typically do a smoke/reverse sear where I put the steaks away from the open flames with the grill grates. Set the Yoder on 180 with Hickory pellets and get a little smoke on them while I bring them up to temp of 120 then pull them (and cover) while I crank up the Yoder to 500. It don't take long, then sear the steaks to your liking. Thin steaks will overcook (as I did last night) so you have to be careful but nothing beats cooking a steak over a hot wood fire. The flavor is awesome. This works better with steaks that are at least 1" thick. We grill over pellets a lot. I cook on my pellet grill/smoker about 4 or 5 times a week when off work.

 

[Mumaluke]

I've done a couple steaks so far. Let them get some smoke on them for like 20 minutes then cranked it up to high to finish them off. They have come out great!

 

[mike243]

Got some thighs and 2 thick pork chops and a pan of sliced sweet onions on it now,will get around to posting pictures soon

 

[mike243]

 

[mike243]

Throwed some hickory shag bark in a little cast iron skillet and hit it with the torch to get some smoldering going ,ran it up to 400 after a short smoke

 

[mike243]

 

[mike243]

Had to eat healthy so some spinach and oven fried thighs,throwed some onions with butter in a skillet and let it soak up some of the smoke too ,hard to beat them but high in sugars

 

[texomakid]

Found 1" Ribeyes at Sam's today so I fired up the Yoder @ 200, covered a ribeye with Weber's Chicago Steak Seasoning & set it down flame for a nice smoke & warm to 120 deg. That took about 1 1/2 hours while rotating the steak to keep the temps even. Crank up to 550 and once it' reaches close to 500 I start the sear - 2 minutes per side rotating the steak 90 deg after the 1 minute on each side (trying to get those nice sear marks.) The results are amazing. I don't think I've ever had a better steak.

 

[texomakid]

Mike that is a really tasty looking plate of food. Looks great.

 

[mike243]

Thanks,I put a bag of LJ char/hickory in and have done some short cooks and this stuff smokes to beat the band,great flavor also

 

[texomakid]

Yeah I've heard good things about the LJ pellets. They're next on my list.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I got my pellet grill in January. I have been hitting it pretty hard trying to dial in on some standard stuff. Wife is getting tired of the smoke flavor on everything. I've learned to keep it modest. The weather is about to turn here, so the gas Weber is coming out of the shed soon. I expect to end up about 50/50 between the Weber and Traeger. I don't think there's a single do-all outside cooker. Pellet cooking is way more fun.

I tend to agree with you in your position that there is no single do-all outside cooker.

I fired up my Kamado Joe today to burn the mold off of the stainless steel grates, and heat up the cast iron griddle and grates for seasoning for the upcoming BBQ season.

700*F was effortless and 850* to just below 900* was hardly a chore for it.

I like my pellet grill a lot for it's convenience, especially over long cooks. But as I mentioned before, if I were searing a steak, especially a wagyu or a kobe steak that I had paid good money for, my Kamado Joe and it's cast iron grates or griddle will get that job over my pellet grill any day. And my pellet grill can hit 500*.

Nothing against my pellet grill. But it's never going to give me results like this below.

For this sort of thing below, my pellet grill gets the nod, yes. But for my steaks, no.

 

[texomakid]

wow Slow I'll have to say that's a top shelf steak for sure. We've always dreamed of a ceramic egg type cooker. That plus many other things make them sound so awesome. It don't get no better than that IMO. Looking forward to smoking some Wagyu in the near future.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

wow Slow I'll have to say that's a top shelf steak for sure. We've always dreamed of a ceramic egg type cooker. That plus many other things make them sound so awesome. It don't get no better than that IMO. Looking forward to smoking some Wagyu in the near future.

Thank you texomakid.

I'm fortunate around my area to be able to get Australian wagyu.

Real Japanese wagyu and Kobe can be had as well, but at a much higher price.

The pics below are of a couple of Australian wagyu New York strips that I did back this summer and found photos of.

I only use kosher salt and fresh ground pepper over olive oil to season.

But yeah, if I'm paying this kind of money for them, then as much as I love my pellet grill, it will likely never get to see meat in this price range.

Japanese wagyu can be had at the higher price.

If you get it, reverse sear it. Or sous vide it near your desired temperature of doneness, and then crank your cooker up HOT and give it about a minute per side, depending upon the temp of your cooker rotating it for your grill marks halfway through that minute before flipping it and doing the other side.

Good luck.