Cheap, easy cooker - just doesn't seem right

[tnthudson]

I had a thread asking what everyone was going to grill for July 4 ... some great ideas, by the way. I ended up using The Big Easy, a new cooker from Char-Broil.
My boss is really into grilling; I've been fortunate enough to inherit a nice VC propane grill and a Big Green Egg from him, so when he told me that this little (comparatively cheap) thing could cook some things better than the other 2 cookers I have, I couldn't believe it. I've since tried different things he's made (turkey breast, buffalo rib, etc.), and it does do a GREAT job.
I put bone-in prime rib in it on the 4th (rubbed down, of course) and it turned out very good, I was impressed.
Char-Broil has (mistakenly, I think) chosen to market this as a oil-less turkey fryer, which is true, but it can do alot more than the Thanksgiving bird.
Anyway, if anyone else has one and has any ideas/recipes, feel free to share.

 

[Molson]

Thats pretty neat. From the thread title I thought you were going to be asking for suggestions for a cheap, easy cooker, I was going to suggest Traeger.

 

[tnthudson]

:lol:
They're pretty cool, we make pellet stoves (heaters) and these guys are at the trade show we go to each year; I like their Lil Pig, it's a cool-looking idea for a grill.
And if folks aren't familiar with wood pellets, they don't know how darn hot the things can get, or how manageable the heat can be. Pretty neat product.

 

[Molson]

We have 2 of them, LOVE em, and they make great steaks at 550F.

Englander stoves, right? Does the pellet stoves use a similar burn box and auger system as the Traeger's?

 

[tnthudson]

Yep, it's Englander (and a couple of other brands, but the same product).
You're talking to a Marketing guy, so what do I know about the way the stove works? :lol:
Just kidding, I don't know anything about Traeger's system, but we have a double auger system (one top auger pushes pellets out of the hopper, then they drop to a second auger that pushes the pellets to a burn pot, where a combustion blower forces air over the pot and creates the flame).
This last year, we've developed a single-auger that works on the same type of idea (with the combustion blower).
The control board determines how much air/fuel ratio is in the burn area, so you can get the stove REALLY hot, or lower it down to get more burn time. That's why I figure the grills are probably pretty neat, if they're adjustable in a similar way.

 

[Molson]

Yep, sounds identical. Traeger's use a single auger, the hopper is gravity fed. The digital control dictates the auger's movement to control the temp, generally within a few degrees. Less than 10lb of pellets can get me a full night cook. Plus they come in a variety of flavours.

 

[tnthudson]

Wow! You could probably get by with 10 lbs. of pellets in one of our stoves in a night (I've heard some of our tech guys quote maybe 1 lb. or so/hr. on low heat), but you can crank it up to 5 lbs./hour if you really want some heat.