Grilla for newbie

[Outlander]

Hello to everyone. Really great forum, lots of info. I gotta confess, some of you guys seem beyond human on what you can do with meat and heat. Unbelievable to me what all I see done. Anyway, on to my questions.

I am going to purchase a smoker and a ceramic grill. After digging thru the Forum and the Internet in general until bleary eyed I have a tentative decision. It seems that a pellet grill and a ceramic komodo style would be a good setup. I am looking at the following:

Grilla Silverback AT
Grilla Kong

Am I crazy for getting both? Do they fill separate enough roles to justify having both? Should I get two different brands? Is there an advantage to getting both of the same brand?

Any thoughts about thermometers?

So, please share your thoughts and ideas with an old retired military guy who is trying to step up into some serious grillin'. I'll probably never get as good as some of you guys but ya' gotta start somewhere. And I'd rather get advice before I spend money than after. Seems like that would be too late.

Much thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Nomamm]

I can’t answer your questions with grilla, I have heard great things. Any who, welcome to the forum!
No such thing as to many cookers!

 

[Happy Hapgood]

Welcome to the forum. It will not be long before you have some knowledgeable replies.

 

[blazinfire]

Well.. I have a pretty good background with BBQ now a days.. In march I purchased a silverbac original.. It is their basic version for $649.. The other options have all stainless steel components such as drip pan, firepot, etc...The original comes with the normal control board.. so I don't have the alpha/pid controls.. can't speak on that but I can say I absolutely love my silverbac.. If your look at my account and my past posts you can see everything I've cooked on it..

here's where I'll be honest with you! If your looking for deep smoke flavor profile on food.. your just not going to get it with a pellet grill.. The smoke flavor is there.. but alot lighter than running a charcoal smoker or offset But I like it!.. And if your looking for that dark/deep searing action.. you will get a sear cooking above 400 degree's not but a great one.. This is exactly where the kong comes into play!

You can smoke and grill on the kong.. and cooking with charcoal/wood chunks you'll get a heavier smoke profile I'm sure.. They also provide a defuser for indirect cooking. If I'm not mistaking.. I do believe they both provide 600+ Sq inches of cooking surface.. Just different shapes.

The big down side on the kong. ceramic it can crack.. I've never had a ceramic cooker.. so I'm unsure how easy it is to crack one????

I have been a member of the grilla grillz facebook page.. I have been seeing a few recent issues here and there with different things. Nothing major just you know how it goes.. you buy something.. very very good chances things work 100% no problem. But sometimes there are hiccups along the way. Whenever there has been an issue Grilla grilla has solved the issues in a very fast/timely manner. Right now they are working half staff because of the pandemic we are dealing with.

I have seen Mark (Sales/engineering manager) reply to people on a sunday night.. to help solve their issues. I have seen enough activity from the Grilla grill guys from the FB group page to show that they stand behind their product and provide good customer service. I will do business again with them.. I say to buy a Chimp for camping

Best thing about the silverbac. You can cook almost anything with a pellet grill.. I've done cookies, brisket, pork butts, ribs, chicken wings, corn bread, and just about everything else I could throw at it.. I will add that going with the Alpha control board is best if you do things like Jerky, snack sticks, summer sausages .etc... Because the cooker will have a temp swing... the temp swings also help add more smoke to the cooks.. But you can set it to mode one.. it has a tighter temp swing window which works best for low temp cooking... I have the original controls done summer sausages and jerky. Ran it at its lowest setting of 180 degrees.. I learned as long as you don't open the door a lot then it holds temp fairly well..

Edit: Getting tired.. Trying to fit all the info I can.. Forgot one thing.. Thermometers... I have seen reports of temps being off on the silverbac... But this could just be guys being real picky about it. I haven't placed 3rd party thermometers in the silverbac to see how consistent it is with the actual pit probe that is in the cooker. I have enough experience with food to know when things are done.. So I set my desired temp and cook.. I have had nothing but good results. no reason to second guess how the cooker is running.. The silverbac provides a meat probe.. but To be honest.. I don't see the need for it unless your cooking with a large cut of meat. It's a thick probe.. If I'm doing a small beef roast I'll just use my instant read to check the internal temp

 

[blazinfire]

OH... and also... If your plan on rolling the silverbac around on gravel, grass or just loading it on a trailer to take it somewhere.. do your self a favor and go with the A/T.... which comes with the pro cart.. I am looking forward to buying a pro cart for mine in the near future.. It is a must have purchase for me because I have to roll mine around in grass/gravel.

 

[TC Smoke & Que]

Welcome to the Site!!
You are going to find some great people here who are more than willing to help out with advice and help you enjoy the Art of The Que!!

 

[rovster]

I absolutely LOVE my Kamado they seem like they can do everything (grill, low and slow, sear, pizza oven, baking) until they can’t, lol. Biggest limitation is capacity and portability IMHO. I’ve had my Primo XL for over 10 years and I LOVE it but now I’m looking for a larger cooker likely an offset stick burner for larger cooks. The set it and forget it of the pellet smokers is definitely appealing but once you get the hang of kamados they are “almost” set and forget. I don’t know much about the brand you mentioned but I think it’s a good combo. There is a lot of overlap between the 2 but I find my self too many times wanting to do low and slow AND grilling at the same time which is why I’m hunting for a second platform. Good luck!

 

[Outlander]

Some seriously good info and advice. Much thanks! Keep 'em coming. Gonna pull the trigger (aka use the debit card ..:wink in the next day or two. To paraphrase the SNL skit about baseball .... "Tax return been berry, berry good to me"

 

[rwalters]

Welcome to the Brethren!

Safe to assume you see the primary use of these 2 cookers as follows:

1) Pellet grill is for smoking/roasting?
2) Kamado is for grilling?

Or do you envision things a bit differently?

 

[MattGoose]

Hello to everyone. Really great forum, lots of info. I gotta confess, some of you guys seem beyond human on what you can do with meat and heat. Unbelievable to me what all I see done. Anyway, on to my questions.

I am going to purchase a smoker and a ceramic grill. After digging thru the Forum and the Internet in general until bleary eyed I have a tentative decision. It seems that a pellet grill and a ceramic komodo style would be a good setup. I am looking at the following:

Grilla Silverback AT
Grilla Kong

Am I crazy for getting both? Do they fill separate enough roles to justify having both? Should I get two different brands? Is there an advantage to getting both of the same brand?

Any thoughts about thermometers?

So, please share your thoughts and ideas with an old retired military guy who is trying to step up into some serious grillin'. I'll probably never get as good as some of you guys but ya' gotta start somewhere. And I'd rather get advice before I spend money than after. Seems like that would be too late.

Much thanks in advance for the help.

I just sold my kamado to buy a Grilla Silverbac Alpha, so I'll weigh in


First, I love the pellet. The ease of use almost can't be overstated. It turns out really moist, tasty food. It is light on the smoke flavor - but I haven't done anything yet to try and figure that out yet.



But, if you have a pellet, I don't think the kamado buys you much over something like a Weber charcoal - especially when you look at the price difference.



To me, the kamado is a smoker, not a grill. It works great as both - but if you are covering the smoker needs with the pellet it becomes redundant. And the Weber is up and running faster and easier to clean.



I'm curious what type of cooking you're looking to do - and what kind of split between smoking/grilling and how often. Would be interested what brought you to that pair.

 

[blazinfire]

I just sold my kamado to buy a Grilla Silverbac Alpha, so I'll weigh in
First, I love the pellet. The ease of use almost can't be overstated. It turns out really moist, tasty food. It is light on the smoke flavor - but I haven't done anything yet to try and figure that out yet.

I am seeing reports from different places.. people placing wood chips, or wood chunks on the heat deflector under the drip pan on the silverbac.. I haven't tried it.. I have no reason to add more smoke to the cooker.. I like how it cooks and the smoke flavor that comes from it as it is.. It has enough smoke flavor for it to taste like BBQ to me.. everything that I've pulled from my silverbac has made my family, friends and myself smile! :thumb:

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Hello to everyone. Really great forum, lots of info. I gotta confess, some of you guys seem beyond human on what you can do with meat and heat. Unbelievable to me what all I see done. Anyway, on to my questions.

I am going to purchase a smoker and a ceramic grill. After digging thru the Forum and the Internet in general until bleary eyed I have a tentative decision. It seems that a pellet grill and a ceramic komodo style would be a good setup. I am looking at the following:

Grilla Silverback AT
Grilla Kong

Am I crazy for getting both? Do they fill separate enough roles to justify having both? Should I get two different brands? Is there an advantage to getting both of the same brand?

Any thoughts about thermometers?

So, please share your thoughts and ideas with an old retired military guy who is trying to step up into some serious grillin'. I'll probably never get as good as some of you guys but ya' gotta start somewhere. And I'd rather get advice before I spend money than after. Seems like that would be too late.

Much thanks in advance for the help.

I don't think you're crazy for getting both.

As already mentioned, the pellet smoker is going to give you convenience, but the smoke flavor from pellets is typically lighter than you'll get from wood or charcoal.

In my own case, I find that this OK for some foods, but not for others.

I prefer brisket and pork shoulders with a lighter smoke flavor and so they'll typically be cooked in the pellet smoker. I also prefer the convenience that the pellet grill offers for smoking those two foods.

However for several other foods, ribs, chicken, fish, I prefer more smoke. So these foods don't see my pellet grill.

I also prefer steaks seared at very hot temperatures. They won't see my pellet grill either, but rather my Kamado and cast iron or my OFB.

 

[Outlander]

Hmm .... lots to think about. Lemme see if I can address questions and narrow this down a bit.

Why Grilla? I built a spread sheet and have 9 pellet grills listed. Grilla Silver back AT, Traeger 885, and RecTec-700 seemed to be the top 3. This was based on listed options/features and a LOT of reading feedback and comments on this Forum. This won't be moved around much, if any, ever. Mobility isn't an issue. It will live on the upper back deck but I'm thinking the AT just so I can move it around to clean it or reposition it on the deck to accomodate entertaining and such. Not absolutely welded to the idea of a Grilla but there comes a point of 'close enough' on a decision is better than messing around for weeks on end trying to make a 'perfect' decision.

The pellet grill is the one I'd pick if I could only pick one. I thought I needed both but the pellet and Weber idea intrigues me. Basically the komodo style was to do steaks. A Weber and lump charcoal seems to solve that. Not ruling that out down the road but the 'get good with one, then get a 2nd' seems to make sense.

Really appreciate the feedback. Probably going to order Monday at the latest. I'll be checking back in all weekend.

Again, much thanks for taking the time to share experience and expertise.

 

[LongTong]

Two Is Better Than One

You can never have enough guns, fishing rods, and cookers...

 

[STLBBQer]

Asking us if having multiple cookers is a good idea is like asking my 5 year old if he needs more toys. :razz:

I think a Kamado and a Pellet Grill would be a really great duo...BUT if it were me I’d get the pellet grill and a 26” Weber Kettle with Slow n Sear XL. :grin:

 

[Mike Twangzer]

smoker

You can never have enough guns, fishing rods, and cookers...

Or Guitars ....

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Hmm .... lots to think about. Lemme see if I can address questions and narrow this down a bit.

Why Grilla? I built a spread sheet and have 9 pellet grills listed. Grilla Silver back AT, Traeger 885, and RecTec-700 seemed to be the top 3. This was based on listed options/features and a LOT of reading feedback and comments on this Forum. This won't be moved around much, if any, ever. Mobility isn't an issue. It will live on the upper back deck but I'm thinking the AT just so I can move it around to clean it or reposition it on the deck to accomodate entertaining and such. Not absolutely welded to the idea of a Grilla but there comes a point of 'close enough' on a decision is better than messing around for weeks on end trying to make a 'perfect' decision.

The pellet grill is the one I'd pick if I could only pick one. I thought I needed both but the pellet and Weber idea intrigues me. Basically the komodo style was to do steaks. A Weber and lump charcoal seems to solve that. Not ruling that out down the road but the 'get good with one, then get a 2nd' seems to make sense.

Really appreciate the feedback. Probably going to order Monday at the latest. I'll be checking back in all weekend.

Again, much thanks for taking the time to share experience and expertise.

The kamado is going to give you a few things over the kettle.

So IMO, you'll need both the Kettle and the Kamado.:wink:

Weber recommends no hotter than 575° in their Kettles. Lump can get much hotter than that. In short, a kamado can be made to run much hotter than a kettle and with less risk for damage to it. If you like to sear your steaks hot and fast, with less time exposure to heat, well then a Kamado will allow you to do that much better than a Weber Kettle will and with less of a chance for damage to the grill..

I severely damaged a Weber Kettle running lump charcoal in it and searing steaks on cast iron skillets and grates at extreme temperatures. I was routinely pegging it out. It would get so hot that the lid was difficult to open on it without burning your knuckles unless you wore welding gloves.

On a Kamado, running hot temps like this isn't an issue at all. Kamados, being that they are ceramic and trap heat, are also more fuel efficient than the thinner metal Weber Kettle.

Also, if you do decide to do any additional smoking aside from what you do in the pellet grill, well then a Kamado is better for smoking than is a Weber kettle.

Kettles are great though for dogs and burgers. And several other things too.

But they can't compare to a good kamado, like an Egg or a Kamado Joe, when it comes to extreme heat for say, baking pizzas or searing steaks on cast iron, smoking in colder temperatures, or at night in colder temperatures, holding steady temperatures, and the like.

 

[70monte]

Another good option for a charcoal grill for steaks and even some smaller smokes is a PK grill. Holds heat extremely well, doesn't use a lot of charcoal, awesome two zone cooking, and will last a lifetime. I prefer the PK 360 but the classic is nice too.

 

[Outlander]

Really good info so far. Thank you very much for taking the time to share it. Here's where I'm at. Ordered the PK 360 this evening. It occurred to me to start with this for two reasons. Gets me in business by July 4th weekend and seems to be the 1st logical step. The pellet grill is next up. Komodo style 3rd, depending on how the 1st two go.

Now to see what type of briquette charcoal is recommended (if any) and to figure out where/how to get lump charcoal. At this time I am planning to go lump but I do want to know what I can use in a pinch. Would be nice if Lowe's carried lump charcoal.

Now to start researching temperature probes also.

Still eager to hear input, ideas and advice.

 

[tom b]

I have seen cowboy lump at Lowe's