Z GRILLSWood Pellet Grill Smoker with PID 2.1 Controller, 697 Cooking Area, Meat Probes, Rain Cover for Outdoor BBQ, 7002C

This is my third smoker. The first two were vertical electric smokers. Personally, I liked them and they had small footprints on my deck but ultimately, they failed. I've always been intrigued by pellet smokers after examining one that was being raffled by local BBQ joint.After a lot of videos and reading I went with the Z. Mainly because I'm not an avid smoker who smokes food every week. I also have a ceramic Kamado grill for high temp grilling and I'd never even consider using this as a replacement for that.First things first: Before even using the Z Grills 7002, I'm very impressed with it's build quality and overall weight. But, the delivery experience is a different matter. Nothing major but it is something that annoys me. First, they ship directly using FedEx and the last couple of years, that company has underperformed (putting it mildly). I received a text with my tracking info and a delivery date of Saturday. Based on recent experience with FedEx, I knew it probably would not arrive on time. However, I received a text at 9:11pm announcing that the Z had been delivered to my front door at 9:05pm. I looked out the front door and there was nothing. I went to the back door and garage...nothing. I got into the car and drove around to inspect neighbor's doors...nothing. I contacted FedEx and Z. I got the typical response that maybe I just wasn't looking in the right places for a large heavy box another annoyance. I also got an automated response telling me that the seller would be in touch by Monday evening. The next day, around 3pm, I heard noise outside the front door. I spot the large box and a man walking away to get into a white unmarked van. he drives away and that was that. So Monday rolls around and I get follow-up from both FedEx and Z which was nice. Both indicated that they see my grill was delivered on time and signed for by ME. This is untrue and this is what annoys me most. First, FedEx did not deliver this grill. It was delivered the next day by a man in an unmarked van. He did not ring the doorbell and I was not asked to sign anything. Now the records show this and it makes it appear that the delivery was perfect. I'm setting that record straight here where it counts.This box is heavy. I was sure something would be damaged. But everything was in good condition. I assembled it on Monday afternoon and it was pretty easy. There is a quick assembly sheet which you should just ignore. Locate the hardware blister pack and the manual. That's where the real instructions are found.I've assembled lots of stuff and I'm pretty good at it. This is pretty easy but some parts are awkward. I did it all by myself but if you have someone who can hold parts it can't hurt. Sometimes I ask my wife to help but even after a lot of years of marriage, she still reminds me that she can't read my mind. So I just proceed by myself.I do have a couple of suggestions to make assembly easier: First, when assembling the leg side braces, I recommend laying the assembly on it's side and not upside down as in the drawing. These legs are saw horse style legs that are angled outward for stability. The side braces can easily be screwed in the wrong direction. If you start by laying the leg assembly on its side, you'll avoid that mistake!.Second, the instructions didn't mention installing the casters but they're a simple thing and just screw in.Third, the digital controller is located inside the hopper. The instruction say to screw it to the hopper assembly with self tapping screws. However, it fails to mention that you need to place the control panel on the outside of the hopper. Turned the right way, it will slide through the slot and you can then attach it. It is made of a clear plastic-like material so don't overtighten the screws or you could crack it. It has a heat gasket on the backside so it is easy to figure out how it should be oriented.Fourth, this is a big one for your sanity! tape a piece of cardboard over the bottom opening in the hopper just above the auger. I guarantee that you'll drop a screw in the auger assembly if you don't. I did it twice! You'll have to carefully roll the hopper assembly over and hope the screw falls out.Fifth, when installing the hopper assembly, you'll need to locate the temperature probe wires from the smoker and the control panel. You need to attach them before you screw in the hopper to the smoker body. I had to do that part over.Sixth, the heat baffle, it's a nice well-made piece with cross bracing so it won't warp when heated. Apparently that is a problem with other brands. It's easy to install and so well made that I just had to mention it.Seventh, the grease drain pan is covered in machine oil. Go ahead and wipe it with a paper towel. If you have stainless steel cleaner for kitchen appliances, give it a final cleaning with that stuff. The grill seasoning/burn-off phase take care of the rest.I plan to use this later this week and I'll add my impressions. As long as everything heats up and maintains temp, I think I'll be happy.December 10, 2022 Edit:I got a chance to smoke a rack of St Louis ribs. First, the smoker did great and it is so nice to not have to constantly babysit the cook. The temperature held within 5f which I confirmed with a separate thermoprobe. When you raise temperature, it will spike above the set temperature. But the PID will get it under control and you'll hear the blower fan start to change speed. Before I started, I wrapped the drip pan in foil so it is not so difficult to clean.For the cook I did a modified of 3-2-1 method. I added my rub and smoked the ribs on the smoke setting for about 45 minutes. Next, I raised the temp to 180 for the remainder of the first 3 hours. Then the ribs were removed and the temp was set to 225. I wrapped the ribs in foil Johnny Trigg style and smoked them another 2hrs at 225. The foil was removed and a generous amount of sauce was brushed on. After about 45 min, I removed the ribs and have attached a photo of them. They came out very nice. I used Ttraeger pellets which are not the best and I won't buy those again. I have since ordered a bag of Camp Chef Competition Blend and Z Grills Cherry wood pellets. I chose these because they are 100% hardwood pellets. The Traeger pellets have lots of binders added.OK, one more update. I have now smoked three turkey breasts, two racks of St Louis ribs and a 7lb prime rib (see pics). Super simple and reliable. It is sturdy and the bigger wheels make it so easy to move around. The round steel legs provide lots of strength and I see some more expensive brands with angled steel legs that if braced properly would also be very strong. But I think the round tubular steel legs just look really nice.I've built up a nice smoke coating inside and I see very little smoke exiting from the lid. I bought a gasket but have not used it.ANOTHER UPDATE: I decided to see if I could exceed 400f and it actually exceeded 450f. But this is still indirect heat so you can’t sear.

I've used my Weber Smoky Mountain 22 forever. I love the smokiness of the charcoal. At this stage of my life, the thing I don't love is it's a lot of work running my charcoal smoker. I needed a change. "Set it and forget it" is what I kept hearing about pellet grills. I was interested and took the chance on Prime Day.I've used my Z Grill half a dozen times now. It smokes really well. It holds temperature really well. It's consistent from cook to cook.I've done butts and loins and eavh time everything turns out really nice. My friends with pricier pellet grills are a bit jealous of the smoke rings I'm getting. I'm using Pit Boss Competition Blend pellets. Not expensive pellets by any stretch.My only issue with my Z Grill is cosmetic. After unpacking the parts, I had two legs with big dings and scratches on them. The front of the barrel bottom was also scratched up pretty good. With the packaging and the amount of Styrofoam around the parts, I was not expecting the cosmetic damage.Assembly is not difficult but it's also not precise and takes a bit of patience. Take your time. My biggest frustration was the damn plastic wheels and axle. Those do need a better design. The threaded post caster wheels on the other legs are super easy.I really like this pellet grill. It's not going to blow you away with refinement. It's also not going to break the bank. If you're looking for a reasonably priced, mid-size, pellet smoker, this might be the pellet grill for you.

I like everything about this grill. The grill is solid and easy to use however the cover that came with it only lasted 5 months, it has 3 rips in it already and I can almost see through it. I was very careful taking it off and I made sure the grill was cooled down when I put the cover back on. My charbroil gas grill, which sits next to the pellet grill, it's cover is 4 years old and looks to be good for another 4 years.

Looked at several and read reviews and decided to go with this one. It keeps very accurate temps. For the money I really like it. Only thing I don't like is no prep table, I use the hopper lid.

This smoker is exactly what I wanted. I love the smoke setting and it heats up fast. My only knock on it is the great in the hopper you can get down to clean out the pellets because of it. But I removed it works great. Love this smoker.