Cookshack PG1000 opiniions

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Grif054

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Hey guys, looking at a Fast Eddy PG1000 pellet cooker. Anybody have any experience with this grill? I see it has been around for quite a while possibly with old controller technology. I do like the fact that it is insulated (Chicago area winters sometimes suck!). I grill as much if not more than slow cook or smoke. Let me know what you guys think.
 
Never owned one but looked real hard at the PG500 which is pretty much the same as the PG1000 minus the insulation and roll top lid, cook chamber and controller are the same if I remember correctly.

I personally like the controller but I don't need wifi and don't have it on my current PG even though it's an option. Also like the different cooking zones the only thing that I didn't like about the FE PG's is the charbroil cook area (zone 1) is only 10" wide and 18" deep, not a lot of area but if you're just grilling for 2 maybe 4 it would probably be enough room plus you can always rotate. The other is upper shelf (zone 2 & 3) is only 10" deep and zone 4 is only 18" x 18." I can and do at times grill on my PG but mostly use it for longer indirect cooks. I live in FL so firing up the Kettle to grill year around does not bother me at all.

I really like the Fast Eddy PGs a lot, it was a tough decision to go in a different direction and even though I'm very happy with what I have would still love to cook on one.
 
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Hey bud! Pretty sure I know you :)

You’ve had some pretty nice pellet cookers go through your backyard. Although I have never cooked on the PG1000, from everything I have read, if you grill more than you smoke, and 2 zone cooking is what ya do most... I don’t think you’ll find a better cooking setup than the PG1000. And the insulation in your freezing cold winter climate will obviously be HUGE!

Soooo, based on what you have owned and cooked on up to this point, what are the top 2-3 things you are looking for in a pellet cooker? What have the others been missing that you’d hope to have in the PG1000? IMO, it would be silly to buy/try/sell if you aren’t convinced that the PG1000 has what you are truly looking for in a pellet grill. Also, do you feel that the “zones” are roomy enough for your style of cooking and the number of mouths you feed? Personally, if the zones were bigger, I’d have a really hard time not buying a PG1000 as I love the setup. I just happen to have a lot of mouths to feed, plus we enjoy entertaining... so the small zones don’t work for me.
 
rwalters said:
Hey bud! Pretty sure I know you :)

You’ve had some pretty nice pellet cookers go through your backyard. Although I have never cooked on the PG1000, from everything I have read, if you grill more than you smoke, and 2 zone cooking is what ya do most... I don’t think you’ll find a better cooking setup than the PG1000. And the insulation in your freezing cold winter climate will obviously be HUGE!

Soooo, based on what you have owned and cooked on up to this point, what are the top 2-3 things you are looking for in a pellet cooker? What have the others been missing that you’d hope to have in the PG1000? IMO, it would be silly to buy/try/sell if you aren’t convinced that the PG1000 has what you are truly looking for in a pellet grill. Also, do you feel that the “zones” are roomy enough for your style of cooking and the number of mouths you feed? Personally, if the zones were bigger, I’d have a really hard time not buying a PG1000 as I love the setup. I just happen to have a lot of mouths to feed, plus we enjoy entertaining... so the small zones don’t work for me.
Click to expand...

Very good questions there. I had as well a Mak 2 star. For the life of me (trying 4 or 5 different brands of pellets) could not get the grill past about 400 or so. It took me 30-40 minutes to hit 350. I would have liked to see hotter direct grilling temperatures as well. Yes, I had a few cookers over the years, that's for sure! LOL. I cook mostly for my wife and 2 teenagers and I agree, the direct grill area seems small at 10x18. Maybe manageable in most situations. I agree. I hate to buy/sell it if it is not what I had hoped for. Always hard when you cant go to the store and take a look, or know someone that has one. Thank you for reaching out. Also, I am pretty sure this cooker would not be as easy to sell because of the old tech. (people interested in wifi and such) and not a huge following.
 
Grif054 said:
Very good questions there. I had as well a Mak 2 star. For the life of me (trying 4 or 5 different brands of pellets) could not get the grill past about 400 or so. It took me 30-40 minutes to hit 350. I would have liked to see hotter direct grilling temperatures as well. Yes, I had a few cookers over the years, that's for sure! LOL. I cook mostly for my wife and 2 teenagers and I agree, the direct grill area seems small at 10x18. Maybe manageable in most situations. I agree. I hate to buy/sell it if it is not what I had hoped for. Always hard when you cant go to the store and take a look, or know someone that has one. Thank you for reaching out. Also, I am pretty sure this cooker would not be as easy to sell because of the old tech. (people interested in wifi and such) and not a huge following.
Click to expand...


Don’t think I realized you were having those issues with the MAK. Sorry to hear about that. Definitely not the experience of most. That said, if it is just your wife and 2 teens, the PG1000 would probably be plenty big. Grab a large piece of cardboard and draw out the “zones” with a Sharpie. Place a few commonly cooked pieces of protein in those zones and see whatcha think. One thing to keep in mind with the CS zones is that every square inch is useable. Most pellet grills run hotter around the perimeter of the drip pan. Not so with the CS cookers.
 
rwalters said:
Don’t think I realized you were having those issues with the MAK. Sorry to hear about that. Definitely not the experience of most. That said, if it is just your wife and 2 teens, the PG1000 would probably be plenty big. Grab a large piece of cardboard and draw out the “zones” with a Sharpie. Place a few commonly cooked pieces of protein in those zones and see whatcha think. One thing to keep in mind with the CS zones is that every square inch is useable. Most pellet grills run hotter around the perimeter of the drip pan. Not so with the CS cookers.
Click to expand...

With Mak’s reputation it probably was a WiFi issue on either end (mine or the grill). I searched a lot and could not find similar issue. Thank you for the reply. I do know the Mak customer service is the best there is.
 
I've owned none of them so not coming from personal experience. I like the concept of the cookshacks but for me, I don't see the multi-zone concept working well. You might want to consider Memphis. Based on what I've read here, the Mak is probably better as a smoker but the Memphis handles the grilling side better. It will be one I consider when the Rectec finally dies.

Or, if you really want to become popular with the folks here you could buy a Twin Eagles and let us know what you think.
 
I can speak to their build quality after using a Cookshack Amerique for seven years and I'm now on my sixth year with an FEC-100 with absolutely no issues. Insulation makes a HUGE difference in pellet consumption, I'm using .5 to .75 pounds of pellets per hour depending on how hot I run, and the outside temperature makes no difference at all.
 
Bacchus2b said:
I can speak to their build quality after using a Cookshack Amerique for seven years and I'm now on my sixth year with an FEC-100 with absolutely no issues. Insulation makes a HUGE difference in pellet consumption, I'm using .5 to .75 pounds of pellets per hour depending on how hot I run, and the outside temperature makes no difference at all.
Click to expand...

Thats fantastic. Because I just ordered the cooker and i was afraid to open your post! Glad its good news! LOL
 
Grif054 said:
Thats fantastic. Because I just ordered the cooker and i was afraid to open your post! Glad its good news! LOL
Click to expand...

Congrats, I really like the FE PG's and hope it lives up to your expectations, as I said earlier would love todo some cooks on one. :clap:
 
Grif054 said:
Thats fantastic. Because I just ordered the cooker and i was afraid to open your post! Glad its good news! LOL
Click to expand...

Congrats! You'll love that cooker and one thing you don't see much input on is the warming drawer on the bottom right side.

You can get a full size foil pan in that and it does a fantastic job of holding food at safe temps while another full load is cooking.
 
InThePitBBQ said:
Congrats! You'll love that cooker and one thing you don't see much input on is the warming drawer on the bottom right side.

You can get a full size foil pan in that and it does a fantastic job of holding food at safe temps while another full load is cooking.
Click to expand...

Thats a great idea with the warming drawer. I am sure its temperature depends on what you have the pit set at but I cant wait to see. Thank you! I am stoked.
 
Grif054 said:
Hey guys, looking at a Fast Eddy PG1000 pellet cooker. Anybody have any experience with this grill? I see it has been around for quite a while possibly with old controller technology. I do like the fact that it is insulated (Chicago area winters sometimes suck!). I grill as much if not more than slow cook or smoke. Let me know what you guys think.
Click to expand...

Grif054 said:
Thats fantastic. Because I just ordered the cooker and i was afraid to open your post! Glad its good news! LOL
Click to expand...

It sounds like you might be a good candidate for the Otto Grill as well. Steak house ~1500F for steaks and fish would be a good complement to the PG-1000.

Add some oysters, bacon-wrapped options, ...
 
Sid Post said:
It sounds like you might be a good candidate for the Otto Grill as well. Steak house ~1500F for steaks and fish would be a good complement to the PG-1000.

Add some oysters, bacon-wrapped options, ...
Click to expand...

I never saw one of those before. That is kind of like a salamander. I love high temps for steaks! Very cool!
 
The warming drawer is good in reverse too. I use it on my PG500 to cold smoke cheese.
 
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