Z GRILLS 200A Portable Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker, Tabletop Pellet Smoker with PID V2.0 Controller, Meat Probes, 202 sq.in Cooking Area, Ideal for RVs, Road Trips & Apartments Patio, Lawn & Garden
$247.00
Brand Z GRILLS
Model Name ZPG-200A
Power Source Corded Electric
Color Black
Outer Material Alloy Steel
Item Weight 23.67 Kilograms
Product Dimensions 20″D x 25″W x 13″H
Inner Material Alloy Steel
Fuel Type Wood Pellet
Manufacturer Z GRILLS
PORTABLE DESIGN – Measuring only 25”x 20”x 13”, this grill is easy to transport, set up, and clean for any occasion on the go!
RICH, SMOKY FLAVOR – Welcome to our Z Grills 200A Pellet Grill & Smoker! With 8-in-1 versatility, you can grill, broil, roast, braise, smoke, barbecue, sear, and char to your heart’s content. Whether you prefer hot and fast or low and slow cooking, this grill has got you covered
PID 2.0 TECHNOLOGY – The temperature range is wide from 180°F to 450°F, giving you plenty of options to cook your favorite foods with confidence. Powered by the Z Grills Advanced PID 2.0 Controller, you can be sure that the temperature will be maintained throughout the cooking process with an accuracy of +/- 20°F. This precise control will lead you to perfect results every time!
PREMIUM DETAILS – Easy to monitor internal temperature with LCD screen and included meat probes. The 8 LBS Large Capacity hopper allows for approximately 10 hours of low & slow smoking without refilling. Non-stick grill, easy to clean after use.
RELIABLE SERVICE – Z GRILLS is a grill manufacturer with over 30 years of experience, provides 3-YEAR quality assurance for products. We also have telephone and online support team, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us
| Brand |
Z GRILLS |
|---|---|
| Model Name |
ZPG-200A |
| Power Source |
Corded Electric |
| Color |
Black |
| Outer Material |
Alloy Steel |
| Item Weight |
23.67 Kilograms |
| Product Dimensions |
20"D x 25"W x 13"H |
| Inner Material |
Alloy Steel |
| Fuel Type |
Wood Pellet |
| Manufacturer |
Z GRILLS |
| UPC |
810070421656 |
| Form Factor |
Portable Grill |
| Country of Origin |
China |
| Item model number |
ZPG-200A |
vernon t. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite grill
My favorite grill, My only problem was the dents on it, No marks on box so it looks like it was shipped that way, They did give me what they claimed to be $60 worth of pellets, This turned out to the cheapest they can find,,,,$13 at wal mart for a larger bag of the fruit. It was to big and time to take apart was not worth the dents. It works well but I don’t have much good to say about the company. The cover is flimsy but I have a shed to store it in so not a real problem for me. So if you have OCD think this over
Caleb Nissley –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great value just can’t create as hot of a temperature or hold heat as well as a more pricey brand.
Great value, works great for general grilling but just can’t create as hot of a temperature or hold heat as well as a more pricey brand. Also you’ll lose your heat pretty fast anytime you open the lid. That said for the money it’s a great grill, but just remember you get what you pay and you won’t have the grill of a $700-900 similarly sized brand/model.
sabine –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for your RV or camping needs
We have a pellet grill at our home and we just love everything about it. So we wanted something when we are on the road. This is a fabulous pellet grill in a box. I have compared others with this one and they don’t even come close. we went RVing for Thanksgiving and we smoked a turkey breast on this fabulous grill. It was amazing.
areifenb –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Missing Cover and Casters, Smokes Well
Overall, pretty satisfied.Easy assembly, seems fairly well built. Misleading product description – it said cover is included, and there are two wheels plus 2 casters for easy movement. In reality, there was no cover, so we had to spend an additional $50 to get one, and there are no casters- just two plastic wheels and two plastic feet that don’t fit on the legs snugly.We’ve only smoked one thing so far, and it turned out well. There seemed to be minimal smoke leakage, resulting in a nice smoky result. The temperature fluctuated a bit, at times going more than 20 degrees above the set temperature, but it seemed to come back down quickly. It would be nice if there was an easy way to empty extra pellets out of the hopper after use. With all of the warnings against letting pellets get damp from humidity, this seems like a design flaw. A simple little door on the bottom would be helpful. But that’s probably why it’s under $500!Seems good for an entry level smoker.
4 people found this helpful
Chris_B_Shopping –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic pellet smoker/grill at an excellent price point
I’ve wanted a pellet smoker/grill for a long time and this product is perfect for the price. I’ve worked with direct grilling with wood charcoal, LP, briquettes, and offset wood-fueled smokers – this is the best of combining all of those worlds.The assembly was easy. I did it myself in about an 1.5 hours. Don’t read the instruction PDF listed with the product – use the manual included in the box. All parts were included and very well packed to protect from scratching the finish.After assembling, I filled the hopper with pellets, went through the initial lighting sequence, and cleaned my grill. Be patient with this process, it takes some time. 6 hours later, I ate the best pork ribs I’ve ever cooked.The attached temp gauge for the chamber held true and fairly steady throughout the entire cooking experience. I placed an hanging oven thermometer from the warming rack and compared when I opened the lit. It was almost basically identical.Pure smoking (the lowest temp) produces a chamber temp of 155F. The highest mine will go is 475F. Some other reviews I read complain that the lid is not completely sealed (and this is true) but I really don’t think it matters, unless you’re smoking pork belly for bacon or other delicate foods that require a low temp. In that case, just get a thermo gasket kit.I couldn’t recommend this more.
7 people found this helpful
Paul Sponable –
5.0 out of 5 stars
This was a good purchase for us
We love this smoker! You will need several sets of hands to assemble this smoker. It is heavy and requires some space to assemble. The instruction are very clear ( if you read them two or three times). We have been using ours since the summer of 2023 and so far, it has been 100% reliable.It is reasonably priced and a great performer.
Jim Irvine –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Temperature control panel mounting hardware needs to be modified.
Overall, this looks like it will be a very good, long lasting and easy to use smoker. But the temperature control mounting hardware consist of two small self-tapping screws, neither of which hold, resulting in the temperature control panel being loose and easily pushed through. It looks as though replacing the two self tapping screws with two small nuts and bolts will fix the problem. Overall, this is a small problem to fix, but an important issue for a key component of the smoker.The unit arrived a week and a half after the original due date, and the shipping tape seals on the top and bottom of the box were broken. Fortunately, the two shipping straps, while quite loose, were intact and no components were missing.Final analysis:Construction quality: 9.5 out of 10. The temperature control module is a major component and should have better mounting design.Shipping: 2.5 out of 10.
7 people found this helpful
Marsha –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Traveling pellet grill
Have a smoker at home and wanted one for my travel trailer. This is perfect!! It weighs about 40 pounds but it has sturdy handles on the sides for this 62 year old woman to be able to carry it. It grills burgers and smokes chicken really well. We’ve smoked a number of different foods and grilled an assortment too. We use it at home when it’s just the 2 of us. Perfect size for a small apartment. Love it!!!
Barbara A Smith –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Grill Ever
I was a little intimidated by this grill in the beginning, but after my first cook I knew this was the best grill I have had to date. The heat holds on every cook and the food tastes fantastic. Great purchase!
John ZelinaJohn Zelina –
4.0 out of 5 stars
So far so good
My Z grill 7002c arrived today as scheduled. The Fed Ex person left it standing on the side, but did not seem to be an issue. The grill is extremely well packet, so take your time unpacking. They use every square centimeter of the box, and lots of fill pieces, so very secure. I did locate one bolt, one washer and a small screw in the box loose. As it turned out, the bolt was one of the bolts and washer, they call gaskets, that hold the pellet box assembly to the grill body. The other three were installed in the pellet hopper. These are later removed then re-installed with the hopper. The screw, I can’t find where it may have come from so hopefully just one slipped in. So again take care when unpacking. The assembly was rather straight forward, all though I had some trouble figuring the way the legs went together, but probably my issue. I did the assembly by myself in about 2 hours. everything fit well, went together without issue and there was no damaged or missing parts. The first start process is kind of tedious, as you have to shut the grill down several times during the process, and shut down takes a good ten minutes each time. There were no issues, and the smoker worked perfectly. I ran the burn in for and hour plus, partly to see how hot it would get. With Kirkwood signature pellets, it reached 450 degrees although briefly. It spent most of the time around 430, and it took 30 minutes to get there. The ambient air temperature was 40 degrees, and I estimate I used 3 to 5 pounds of pellets. Since this is my first pellet smoker I don’t know were that stands. The auger had no issues feeding the pellets. So far I am very pleased. I did not give full marks, as I have not cooked on it yet. I will point out, there was a blueish coating on the inside, and parts of the outside of the grill body. Not sure if that was from the smoke of the pellets, or from the oils left over from manufacture. I am very pleased so far.
One person found this helpful
Dustin Holstein –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Possibly the best grill ever
I was sick of doing the propane shuffle at the grocery store and wanted reliable temperature control. This thing solves my grilling and smoking needs in one package.
William –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good quality
So far so good. Effortless cooking. Seems like it is well constructed.
Goldwing –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Always remove all the pellets when you finish cooking
I have had a few pellet smokers so far this is the best one yet, if you are looking for a good pellet smoker I will recommend this one
HegwoodTHegwoodT –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works just as good as any other name brand pellet smoker
Outstanding heavy duty pellet grill! This is my second pellet grill/smoker replacing a name brand that still works but I needed something with a little more cooking space. Temps run within 10-15* of actual temp but that varies throughout the grilling process and it’s comparable to other pellet grills. Heat up time is pretty fast and I LOVE the “shut down” mode (off) that stops the auger and burns any remaining pellets in the furnace cup while running the fan to cool the grill down faster allowing you to know when you can put the cover back on. Assembly instructions are great but it took a couple hours by myself. It comes with a grill cover, $45 value, and two temperature probes that are close to +/-10 degrees temperature accurate and very helpful! This grill does not have an app or Bluetooth to monitor cook temps which was not big deal to me for the price. Overall I’d have to say this Z Grill pellet smoker is everything it says it is and every bit as good as the other big name brand pellet grills. I use mine 3-4 times a week year round. I would suggest covering the drip pan with aluminum foil to ease cleaning once a month or two if you use it often. An inexpensive welding blanket to cover the grill while cooking also helps keep the heat in and use fewer pellets. You can use other name brand pellets in the ZGrill as well.
James –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Z Grill is great. Packaging not so much.
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.
4 people found this helpful
Jesse Codding –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grill works well and keeps temp within 5 degrees.
The grill came fast, put it together and did the initial fire up. but I did notice after holding the grill cover up to the light i could see light through small pin holes. But other than that so far so good.
Andrew R Lauer –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for the price.
I wish the temperature control would let you set any temp. Other than that it is a great product.
hammergil –
5.0 out of 5 stars
DOA ***UPDATE
Halfway through the first use procedure, there was an awful sound coming from the grill. The auger no longer works. Going to give them a chance to send me a new one. I’ll edit the review if they make it right. As of now, I have zero confidence in this grill.UPDATE: I had saved the box which allowed for an easy return with UPS. I was not hopeful but was pleasantly surprised to get a notification 2-3 days later that a replacement was on its way! This one was not defective and have since smoked burgers, sausages, chuck roast and today I’m smoking ribs and pork tenderloin. This thing works great! Very easy and meat tastes very good. And the smoke ring on the roast was amazing! I had a Kamado for years but moved to an apartment, so had to downsize, very pleased get it!!!
9 people found this helpful
Tb@240 –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great portable smoker
I wanted to use this for camping and it is great I have used it several times and it is just as good as my Traeger grille at home.
Davasha Koontz –
5.0 out of 5 stars
My hubby loves it!
I purchased this as a gift to the family griller, dad. He loves how easy it is to operate and how easy it is to maintain temperature. We had a slight issue with thermostat and customer service was amazing! They shipped us a new thermostat and walked us through installing it.
CGS –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good size to utility ration
Smokey
Frank Cerda –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good portable smoker
The media could not be loaded.
Bought this portable smoker to take on RV trips but have ended up using it at home in place of my gas grill quite a few times. Easily cooked a small brisket and have used to make pork butt, ribs and steaks. Is very lightweight and easy to travel with.
Chris Shipman –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect!
I love this grill. It’s easy to take apart and clean. It takes a while to put together since it comes in pieces packed tightly inside the drum. It’s a dream once you get going. You just set the temperate and go, producing excellent meat. I’ve smoked and grilled with excellent results. You follow the instructions on start up which is to start on the smoke setting until the fire gets going then set the desired temperature.I’ve used several brands of wood pellets and I’ve not had any issues with it. I would recommend.
D. AldD. Ald –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great pellet smoker
Assembly didn’t take too long…….so far it’s a great pellet smoker. I’m happy it came with a cover……just wish there was a little more breathing room inside…..it’s a bit snug. The upper hopper assembly has a small gash from the shipping…….but I have a customer support request in to see if I can get a replacment part. The meat in the pictures are from s picnic pork cut. Came out really nice!????
Marcus Rand –
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first smoker
Very well built and solid. Easy to assemble. The initial burn went exactly as the instructions said. Cooked a chuck roast and some chicken legs on it so far and they came out perfect.Including the initial burn I had it on for about 5 hours. 1 hour on high and 4 hours at 250 and went through approximately half a hopper worth of pellets.Maintained a steady temp (never more than +/- 10 degrees off the setting except when the lid was open for more than a few seconds).
elbo –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very happy – at least so far!
Box came a little tattered, but contents were fine. Unit / components very well packed & secured inside. Took me a few hours, woking alone, to assemble.All tools needed were included. (I later found a video with an alternate way to assemble, that might have been easier for 1 person…). *Operator Error*: at first power up I was holding in the “power” button, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. thought I had a dud. Then realized that you have to press and release!! (It works just fine!!)First cook was a 6 pound Prime Rib, cooked at 225. Went great! Temperature was super constant (thanks to the PID controller). Next time I may give it 1/2 hour on “smoke” setting before the cooking time – to boost the smoke flavor. The 2 meat temp probes also very accurate. Strong Recommendation! (will update if any concerns emerge)
One person found this helpful
Kerri Silvers –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great product so far
We’ve only had this a couple of weeks. So far, it works really well. It’s held the temperature however it hasn’t been cold out so that could change and would be expected if it did not hold temps well. The only negative so far is the holes for the screws with the handle on the lid did not line up so we had to drill them out a little. The bar hides it so no cosmetic or performance defects. There were also some screws that were included that were not long enough. Thankfully my husband had some extra on hand that we could use. We had read about these issues in reviews before purchasing. Otherwise we are happy with the purchase.
One person found this helpful
Lars –
4.0 out of 5 stars
I will have to replace cover after 5 months use
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.
Lou K –
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Day Assembly & Burn-In
Don’t normally write reviews but the product quality I’ve seen so far is outstanding. Incredibly well packaged the smoker arrived without a scratch. Individual parts were labeled and the blister pack of hardware was also labeled, so there was no guessing what went where. The metal construction was extremely well done an all parts fit perfectly, a trait that other competitors should learn. Steel thickness seemed robust for this type of unit and there’s little doubt this smoker will last longer than my two previous units. Initial burn-in went according to directions, will try first smoke later this week. Initial impression- very well done; amount of swear words required for assembly- 0.!
2 people found this helpful
Kevin Pirnie –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Cooker!
Was a bit leary about an “off brand” pellet smoker, comparing to other “name brand” ones… however, I spent a little time and was able to “visit” and “play” with those name brand ones, along with one of the Z Grills (not this specific one, but another), and that completely changed my mind.Although, the weater here has been preventing me from getting out and doing my serious grilling, I was able to run through the initial setup, and even played a little after that.Grill heats up in about 7-8 minutes depending on the wind (which I actually expected to take a tad longer), and hold the heat very very well.I cannot wait until the weather gets better to get my smoke on… I do recommend going with an Oak pellet, due to the lack of full smokiness flavoring, and simply adding a smoker tube with chips if needed (I’ve done this on other pellet smokers, and works great), rather than using anything else… some of the other pellets (cherry, maple, apple) can get a bit too smokie and can take away from the true cook and flavoring of what you are cooking…I am blessed to have 2 cortland apple trees in my yard that I frequently trim 😉 and have had some incredible smokes by using some of said trimmings (in other smokers)I’ll update this once I am actually able to do some cooking on it 🙂
2 people found this helpful
Material wrinkles really bad –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Overall good
I don’t like the temp setting, it adjust in 25 degree increments
Jonard Soriano –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Item replaced and review updated
I just received my ZPG-200APro tabletop pellet grill. It was “Dead On Arrival”. After the straightforward and simple assembly (the only positive) I began the start up burn off process. Unfortunately, the auger was not functioning. It failed to rotate. I checked the trouble shooting guide and it said to check the fan on the auger motors. That fan was not moving while powered up, so I had a malfunctioning auger motor out of the box. Very disappointed. A second positive to note was the fit and finish was very good. No dents or dings. I scheduled a replacement to be sent out, so I hope to have a more positive experience and a update to this preliminary review.UPDATE to my poor first impression from above. I was sent a functioning grill. Since I had experience assembling the first one, assembly on the second was a breeze. Did my first cook and was very pleased with the results. I decided to do a pork shoulder. Ended up being an 8 hour cook. I only topped off the hooper a second time during the 8 hour cook. If the internal thermometer is to be believed, temps stayed fairly consistent. I followed up with smoking some chicken leg quarters. Again, great results. I’m upgrading my rating to 4 stars. If my out of the box experience with the replacement grill was my first, I would of given it 5 stars.
8 people found this helpful
Branden –
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first ever review…
This is probably my first ever review on anything I’ve bought… I’ve done three cooks so far on this a grill. At first, I didn’t think it worked because I’m used to an electric smoker that uses real wood or chips. First thing you should know is that pellet grills release smoke in batches unlike what I’m used to. But let me tell you I can taste the smoke on whatever I’m cooking. I’ve smoke two family packs of wings at once for the first cook and 90% of them were all the same temp. I’ll say that the warming rack actually hold temp higher from what I tested with the chicken wings that I smoked. The back of the main cooking rack seems a little colder but honestly this isn’t too big of an issue since it’s still close to the rest. As for searing… I literally just reverse seared a steak of roughly 1.5 inches thick and I smoked it for roughly an hour. I then took it off and turned this grill up to high and didn’t even let it get to max temp and it did the job as good as I expected it to. And it turned out amazing. I have a good smoke flavor, not too much nor too little. I will say I’ve only had this a short while but between two family packs of full sized chicken wings, 10 hand pressed burgers, and a good sized steak. This thing has honestly impressed me. I was skeptical at first since I was not use to smoke releasing in batches or waves but I can tell that it’s a perfect amount of smoke. My next test will be either pulled pork for 12-14 hour or a 10-14 pound brisket for 8-11 hours. Perhaps after a year or so the searing capability will be limited but for now is has served my needs tremendously. Not to mention it produces a LARGE amount of smoke the whole time it’s above 350-400 degrees which really topped of my steak! So far I’m very satisfied. Will update if that changes. Thank you a grills 🙂
7 people found this helpful
Anna Calhoun –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heavier than anticipated
I bought this for my husband for Christmas. It is well built, although a bit difficult to assemble. Please make sure you have someone strong around the house for delivery and assembly!The only flaw found so far is the difficult angle to screw the electronic panel onto the smoker. My oldest assembled the smoker and dropped the screw about a half dozen times. When you drop it, it falls into the hopper and things have to be taken apart so the hope can be turned upside down to shake the screw out! He finally shoved some paper into the hopper to prevent the loss of the screw, for it assembled and removed the paper. Won’t get to use it until spring/ summer so will have a later update then.
Theresa Saavedra –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Investment Ever!!!!
Absolutely love my grill! Compatible with pit boss pellets as well. No more squirting chemicals on charcoal to start cooking. Just wood pellets and an electric powered hot rod inside. No more fiddling around to get your temperature right just turn the knob to the desired temp! I’ll never go back to charcoal or gas again!
Kevin ToddKevin Todd –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great price but a couple of flaws
The media could not be loaded.
Fast delivery, plenty of grilling area, looks great, and not too hard to assemble. Biggest issue is that the controls do not sit flush with the hopper (see pic). The small self-tapping screws don’t hold. Also a bulge in the metal at the bottom of the hopper. Lid hinges are very sturdy, unlike the Traeger I replaced. Cooks great, would be 5 stars but for the controller not being flush, bulge on bottom of hopper, and pellet dust in the crack where the hopper is assembled.
Lizbeth MonsonLizbeth Monson –
4.0 out of 5 stars
Small but efficient
The unit does a good job overall. It is easy to set up and has been very dependable. It has preset temperature setting with a digital readout. In my opinion, the temperature does not go low enough. It would be nice to slow the cooking process for a better end result. The digital temperature probe makes it easy to monitor the temperature of the meat being smoked. It will cook the average size pork butt and is easy to clean up after the job is done.I would definitely purchase this smoker again.
2 people found this helpful
Brosash –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing customer service and great product too!
I decided to go with Z Grill after talking to friends with both Z Grill and a Traeger. Traeger used to be the go to for smokers, but Z Grill has caught up in technology and quality. Z Grill is much more affordable though.I use this all the time for cooking tri-tip, hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks. However, my favorite thing to do is to make beef jerky. It adds a nice smoked flavor. I smoke the meat for two hours, then use my dehydrator for another 2-4 hours.Be careful for flareups if you don’t clean your grill. I cook with very fatty meats and need to monitor the amount of build up on the inside of the grill. Cleaning it is quite easy though.For someone looking for an easy way to cook food that adds some flavor, I recommend this grill.
One person found this helpful
William K. SalisburyWilliam K. Salisbury –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great so far
Warning long review in 2 parts. Assembly and then cooking results. Hope you enjoy it and learn from it.Last month a tragedy happened at my house. My old pit boss pellet smoker that has provided many mouth watering meals to the neighborhood croaked. Several ppl found out and we ended up giving it a Viking funeral complete with fire chips in the pellet feeder and pit blazing away. Of course after the beer bottles were put away the question was asked ‘what are you going to do now?’ Frankly I had no idea!The answer turned out to be read a lot of reviews, visit several stores, ponder over the wisdom of Wi-Fi and smoking. Finally I settled on this smoker. I love manual controls and the two temp probes are a must. My old smoker was sadly inaccurate temp wise and caused me to have to make many on the fly decisions based on backup temp gauges and such. Thus was the art of smoking and I adjusted and got very good at it.My goal with this smoker was accurate temp control wise and a large enough pellet feeder to get some sleep when cooking all night briskets for new years. This year I plan to be awake for the game not sleeping in a chair lol. On Friday this big old box was delivered and Saturday a team of friends came to help assemble this monster. Since I’d been injured in an accident the help was quite required as it’s a bit unwieldy to assemble. We laughed and giggled our way through construction till we reached the pellet box assembly. Here our previously simple instructions let use down a bit. While attaching the top box section a nut slipped and fell into the screw housing and refused to come out. After disassembling the control panel and box top we reached and extracted the nut covered the hole with a tissue and tried to reassemble. (After assembly we burned out the tissue) The control panel would not reattach however due to the tap screws widening the hole.During this fix I noticed the control panel cover was not attached fully in a way that could allow moisture into the control electronics. This is bad in a humid place like Florida. After locating the correct size bolts and nuts in my workshop i attached the control panel again and the used all weather caulking to seal it in place. The rest of assembly went off without a hitch. The installation instructions are the best I’ve ever used for a smoker and the whole job took a leisurely 3 hours.Once wheeled into position in the yard I ran through all the priming tests and break in heating so far everything is proceeding as planed the temp is right on and it does in fact reach 450 degree though after testing I’ll never do it again lol. It produces wonderful amounts on smoke on the smoke setting as ran about 160 degrees while smoking. I’m letting the caulk cure before fully filling the large pellet box and cooking pulled pork this weekend and a couple of racks of ribs. Will update the experience soon.Some great hidden features I found were the simple access to the fire box for cleaning. The old smoker was very hard and messy. This one has plenty of clearance for everything you need to remove, grills drip tray and burner cover all remove quick and easy. I certain I could even do it with oven mits on in an emergency.The drip tray is nicely designed to hold a18 inch shell of aluminum foil for easy clean up too. These simple improvements would have made several previous smokes much easier. Can’t wait to put it to the real test this FridayPart 2 weather 80 to 64 degree 0 to 5mph wind during 12 hours cook After a few days of letting the caulk dry I dumped 20lbs of applewood pellets in the smoker ran through the startup process placed a old pork shoulder I found at the bottom of my meat freezer into the smoker. I freely admit struggling with pull pork smokes in the past. Largely cause it’s not my kinda meal and previous smokers temp control was to inaccurate to predict finish times. I started this with the idea this 5lbs hunk of meat would largely go to the dogs as is our tradition with first smokes for the last 5 smokers. That said I learned several useful thing during the cook.1 the temp is rock solid. I set it at 225 and walked away with the fan blowing hard. After a while it slows down and maintains very good control measured with external Bluetooth probe and the cookers probe for the entire cook both consistently agreed it was within 5 degrees2 the fan adjusts quickly when you open the hood to keep the temp. Really like this feature as I like to spray briskets and such. If only opened for a minute or so it held the temp within 5 degrees of target.3 there is a pass through for probes that allows the wires to enter the grill without allowing cracks to let in air and affect airflow over the meat. Nice feature.4 minimal excess smoke. This surprised me and made me believe my flavors would be affected. Only gentle puffs of smoke were emitted every five minutes or so.Results. I was stunned by how good the cook came off. The meat was moist and throughly cooked, smoke rings extended almost a full centimeter into the meat giving the crust an excellent flavor. Hell I ate the missing section from the photo lol. Despite being an old frozen cut of meat this smoker made it be all I believe it could be. While the dogs got the traditional first piece. We ate the rest!Clean up: here is where this smoker shined the most. The next morning I came out with my handheld vacuum to clean it. After 12 full hours of smoking I had about 5lbs of pellets left in the feeder. No refills were required. In 5 minutes I had it grills drip tray and burner cover off and cleaned. Vacuumed out the burner can and replaced all the parts. Almost no grease on my hands and nothing on my clothes.Cook 3 cold weather 50 to 58 degrees 10 mph wind misting off and on.I cooked a pair of baby back rib racks and baked potatoes for a thanksgiving eve meal in challenging weather. The smoker did very well for the conditions especially since I needed to open it several times to wrap and rotate foods. The temp did struggle a bit on 225 with the real temp about 15 degrees lower than the smoker suggested it was. Mostly I suspect due to wind, I had to turn the smoker to 250 for the last two hours to get the meal finished right. FYI I was told by the families who got the food it was perfect and they can be hard graders. I continue to love this purchase.In short this is the best smoker I’ve ever bought and I’ve had two electric uprights, 1 wood offset, and 2 pellet grills. 5 stars. I hope this helps you all.Puppy dog story if you care: on my very first ever smoke I tried to do a similar sized pork shoulder on a cheap little smoker I found at a garage sale. I finish a night of sitting up and filling the wood box and worked really hard. That morning I came out with tin foil pan pulled the meat and promptly dropped it on the ground where it burst into serval large police’s in the dirt. The dogs got the whole thing. As I got new smokers we decided to keep the tradition going kinda like the angels share of a whiskey barrel. We always get surprises anyway on that first cook and it sorta became a thing.
47 people found this helpful
J. G. –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outdoor Magic!
This grill is AWESOME! I have cooked chicken, ribs, brisket, and burgers so far, and everything has come out great! I admittedly need to improve my brisket game, but I see the potential if I actually knew what I was doing. The temperature stays consistent, the probes are accurate, the controls are simple, and everything feels high-quality. I have not turned it all the way up to cook with high temperatures, but the low-and-slow method has been great for everything I’ve cooked. I was surprised to cook burgers with low heat (250 degrees) for 50 minutes. The smoke is not as intense as I expected, but the flavor is in the food. I’m still experimenting with pellets, and I’ve found the pellet release door to be a great feature.I feel it important to say this is more like an outdoor oven than a bbq pit. This is easy to use with a set-it-and-forget-it technique. This requires little monitoring while you are cooking, and that takes away from some of the fun of cooking outside. With that said, the food tastes SOOO good!
9 people found this helpful
JHJH –
4.0 out of 5 stars
First Impression is Very Good — UPDATED
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.
105 people found this helpful
Mary Dennis –
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best smoker or grill we have ever had!
We have had this about a month. Assembly was fairly easy for these two old folks. We have smoked, ribs, chuck roast, and whole chickens and everything was so easy and tasted fabulous! The temperature probes are a game changer for a perfect cook. We also purchased a griddle attachment from another vendor and it fits perfect and we have done, steak, chicken breast and hamburgers and everyone raved about the flavor of the smoke while still getting the flat top taste and texture. Would absolutely recommend this grill for anyone, serious grilled/smokers and the rookies. The price was low and made this change to pellet grilling an easy decision. Seriously, so easy to use, set the dial, prep the meat and close the lid. No flame ups at all!
7 people found this helpful
Hayden –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Smoker Grill
This is the first smoker I’ve owned, but it has lived up to my expectations. It regulates temperature perfectly and smokes meats exactly as anticipated. I’ve use several external thermometers and they match up with the integrated thermometers. Hopper is huge and is easy to clean. The only downside is the cover. I’m not quite one year in and the cover is literally disintegrating due to the sun. Plan on getting another cover since they don’t cover it in the warranty!
Allen –
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is my second in as many years
First one the temp was all outta control. So just didn’t work. They immediately credited me back the money and didn’t have to return it. Great customer service. So when I saw the new improved one. I got it and it works perfect. Just perfect just hit the on button and off she goes. Goes exactly to the temp and maintains it for hours. Never had an issue. It’s much heavier duty then the last and works perfectly. Also has two built in thermometers plus the internal one. I use my wireless and they all match up pretty close but always consistent, meaning if one is 10’ cooler it stays that way due to its location in the grill etc.Wicked easy to put together great for quick bbq or slow slow smoking. Etta big bin so can cook for at “least 10 hrs without touching it. Maybe longer haven’t tried it. If you set 225’ it stays exactly 225Really happy with it
9 people found this helpful
mike colt –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect in every way for my needs compared to pitboss
I tried this smoker after buying the equivalent pit boss and this one out shines the pit boss no doubt on start up it draws about 200 watts till it gets up to temp once it gets there the igniter turns off and it runs the rest of the cook time at 35 to 50 watts making it perfect for tailgating I am able to run this thing for till it runs out of pellets with just an inverter and a lithium battery pack pit boss can run a while but every time the auger kicks on the igniter kicks back on drawing about 280 watts for most of the cook also this one has a much higher quality heat deflector /drip tray it was tight but I was able to cook up to 9 chicken breast on it at once
Real customer –
5.0 out of 5 stars
Buy a smoker
After using my Z Grill to smoke ribs, brisket, wings, and a turkey, I am very pleased. Plenty of grill space, consistent temperature, two temperature probes, and easy controls. I waited too long to buy one.