• Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    A grill should run on charcoal. It needs to get very hot and that’s literally it.

    There’s a universe where I attach some electronic controller with a PID loop or something to a smoker, to maintain consistent temperatures via damper control. I’m not buying that off the shelf built into the machine though.

    • Skullgrid@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      A grill should run on charcoal.

      Someone insert the KOTH reference, I’m too tired, I tell you hwat

    • Cornelius_Wangenheim@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Traeger makes pellet smokers. They have a hopper full of wood pellets and a micro controller that feeds in pellets to maintain a set temperature. You can get ones with a temperature probe to stick in the meat and let you know when it’s done, which is what the Wi-Fi is for.

      There’s a legit use case for them because they save a ton of time and effort over smoking the traditional way.

    • Bluewing@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      While I agree that real charcoal is superior in every way, a good grill and the person running it needs to be able to control the temperature while cooking. It might be just fine to burn those hot dogs or hamburger patties, but if I want to roast a potato or an onion, I need to be able to control the heat to something less than the surface of the sun.

      • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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        18 hours ago

        If you don’t know how to control the temp on a cheap charcoal grill, that’s fine, but don’t pretend it can’t be done.

        • Bluewing@lemmy.world
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          14 minutes ago

          I do. I almost always cook over indirect heat. But many people don’t. That’s why they prefer gas over charcoal. And when they try, they make the mistake of using briquets instead of real wood charcoal. The sand has never added any flavor to the cooking.

          To be truthful, I do have an LP smoker that’s setup for cold smoking. It’s much easier to to control over the 2 or 3 days it might take to cold smoke bacon or ham. And a LOT less work.

    • tankfox@midwest.social
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      23 hours ago

      You’re describing the gravity fed charcoal grills from masterbuilt and I love mine. Especially when I toss in a cast iron pan full of bacon and run it at 450 for half an hour.

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      There’s a universe where I attach some electronic controller with a PID loop or something to a smoker, to maintain consistent temperatures via damper control. I’m not buying that off the shelf built into the machine though.

      I really ought to finish putting together my HeaterMeter.