Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill On Cart - Stainless - PG24S

Well built and functional grill. Only complaint is too much smoke escapes around the lid and not out of the stack. Went on-line and purchased a fire-proof gasket and a latch to seal in the smoke.

I first bought one to give smiking a try. I had heard so many good stories about home smoking, it was time for me to get into it. The initial set up was easy and straight forward. The pellets I got added amazing flavor. And the steak.... oh my... the Steak Was Killer! Best new york strip yet. After doing Thanksgiving in October twice, then November once, I was ready for real Thanksgiving day. It was amazing. The eazy brine, then throw it on the smoker for a few hours, BOOM. Juciest, tastiest, BEST turkey I've ever had.

This is basically an outdoor convection oven. I have a Weber charcoal smoker that imparts GREAT smoke flavor with wood chunks. I cannot come close to that with this pellet grill. I've tried cheap pellets, expensive 100% hardwood or fruit wood pellets, mixing pellets, added a smoke tube and the most I am able to achieve is a tiny hint of smoke flavor. The big problem with the charcoal smoker is temperature control and having to tend to the smoker to keep it at a specific range. So, I wanted to try this set it and forget it grill. The sliding door at the bottom of the burn chamber is a joke of a feature. The fan blows into the burn chamber and all the ash is distributed throughout the grill - there really isn't any ash remaining in the burn chamber to clean out. I also have to use a hammer to loosen the door for it to slide open (that's the recommended procedure by Camp Chef...I admit it does work). I've cooked several batches of ribs and pork butts on the pellet grill and I could have just as easily used my gas grill or indoor oven and slapped BBQ sauce on it and achieved the same result. I think the problem could be the convection feature dries out the surface of the meat so the smoke can't cling to it. Everyone recommends not opening the lid but the next batch, I'm going to quickly spray something on the ribs every 20 minutes to keep the meat surface moist and see if that makes a difference. Maybe I'll also brine. But this is something I never had to do with the charcoal smoker.

I bought this a few weeks ago and have cooked 2 butts and 2 slabs of ribs so far. Zero issues. Perfect Operation. This is the second electric smoker I have owned. The first one used wood chips. It would not flavor the meat or give you that great smoke ring. The SmokePro DLX does both. I am 100% pleased with this purchase. Found the best price here. Shipped quickly and very easy to assemble.

Re.views on web give Camp Chef higher ratings than Traeger. Purchased one for my son's Christmas. So impressed, I bought one for myself

I have owned the grill for 20 months or so and use it at least 3-4 times per month. It cooks very well and no problems since initial unpacking. When I first started it about after assembling the fan did not work. Upon inspection the bottom of the control box was bent and interfering with fan blade. I had to disassemble and straighten the bottom of the control housing and then things worked fine. Upon detailed inspection of the packaging, it was clear that it was not damaged in shipping but sent that way from factory. Although a bad start the grill has worked flawlessly since.

I've had it for 6 months now and it is such a great purchase. I live in northern Ontario and like to grill year round. There are lots of positives all of which you can read about it other reviews. I'll share the two negatives: 1. It does not get 400+ Unless it's very warm outside. I tried it on max temp in 20 degrees F which I think it a reasonable "cold" test and could not get above 375, and that is with the insulated lid cover on. It's really too bad. 2. Pellet bridges should not happen within 3 hours of not checking and they do on this grill. If the hopper is topped off you want to be able to walk away from a brisket for 5 or more hours and you can't do it. The pellets have to be poked to stay feeding properly. Camp chef has to solve that problem! Hope this review helps others make the decision.

We love this smoker. I'm not an experience grill/smoker, but this smoker is easy to use and the food turns out wonderful. I've read the reviews on the temp variations and I've noticed some, especially on windy/cooler days, but it doesn't ruin the food. Although this is easy to use I've found that you need to practice and learn how to smoke. Just plopping a piece of meat in a smoker is not going to guarantee a great result. I under cooked a whole chicken on my first try. It's trial and error. A good digital thermometer is essential too, which I found out after the under cooked chicken. Although this smoker comes with a thermometer you need a digital one also. The more I use my smoker the more I love it. Yesterday I made the most amazing ribs. My husband gave me rave reviews.

I've been considering upgrading from my electric (less smoke / size and not set and forget) & charcoal/wood "mountain" smokers (not set and forget, too long to get set up). A couple friends have this or the woodwind and rave about them. Finally did some reading about how electric smokers smolder the wood so you don't get a good smoke ring or as much smoke flavor and I wanted easy, set and forget type cooking. After tons of review reading I settled on the DLX24 and couldn't be happier I did. It arrived quickly (4 days) and is really well packed. I got a pleasant surprise when I opened the box in that there are a lot of Woodwind features added to this which aren't pictured. The window to the pellet hopper, the bottle opener, the handle on the pellet hopper have all been upgraded over the picture. Setup was quick and easy - was able to do myself and get it seasoning in about 1/2 hour. Didn't have any issue with dents, screws stripping or any things that I've read in other reviews. The only minor issue I had was I didn't catch that when turning the dial to "Feed" you also have to hold the bypass button in for 3 seconds for it to begin feeding. User error and no big deal. Since seasoning I've done porterhouse pork chops (seared on my weber kettle to finish), spatchcock whole chicken, pork shoulder and wings on consecutive days - all were best I've done using any other smoker. I have a bluetooth temp probe and the temperature probe on the DLX controller is spot on with the probe I put on grill with a grill clip. Cooking was truly set it and forget it - temps stayed within 10 degrees-ish of where I'd set it, when it looks like it's getting a bit higher than set it'll begin to drop as the auger has stopped, when it gets a bit below set temp don't worry, auger will start to warm things up. Couldn't be easier. I've done a couple "modifications" to it which have really helped, first I built a shelf between the legs for storage, the legs have holes pre-drilled as I'm sure they're the same legs used on Woodwind which comes with a bottom shelf. A couple pieces of leftover deck board and I was in business. I also bought a box of fire bricks and lined the bottom of the smoker with them, this will be used year round in WI and I wanted to make sure it held heat well and was stable and didn't run through pellets like crazy in the winter. I drilled out the temp probe hole a bit to more easily accommodate multiple probes going through the hole. Lastly I picked up a 6" joint knife to scrape down the drip tray and keep it clean - I'm going to try putting some no-stick grill mats down there next smoke as well to make clean up even easier. Overall, HIGHLY recommended!

3 users found this review helpful

So far we have made just burgers, brats, and deer steaks. Everything has been very tasty so far, and very user friendly. Great buy & we would buy it again.