I just ordered one of these babies from Country Smokers. By connecting with them using your link I saved $55.00. Can't wait to try smoking Crappie with it. Thanks Jeff for all you do for your loyal fans.
My Wife bought mine for Fathers Day a couple of years ago. We love it! It goes in our camper and is perfect for smoking meats while travelling. I have an area set up under a gazebo for use this winter. I did a small brisket last Christmas and am anxious to do another. Ribs are great on this unit also.
That is way too cool bro. I cant afford one but if I could I would get one right now. I should know better by now than to watch your videos this late at night cause you make me hungry and late night snacking is my nemesis LOL
@@kellog1960 I just helped my daughter buy her first new car which she needed quite badly (she can put on almost 1000 miles a week for her jobs) so this Jeff Phillips is broke for a while LOL
I recently bought this pellet smoker. You mentioned that you put both the grates and diffusers in the dishwasher to clean them. Can you do another video showing how to clean the rest of inside parts? Or just some instructions would be fine too. Thanks.
Mary, while all of the internal pieces are out and right before I replace them, I go ahead and vacuum the ashes from the burn pot and the bottom of the smoker (make sure the ashes are completely cooled off first). I have a very small handheld shop vac that I use for that and it stays out by my patio for quick and easy use. It's a great idea to line the side grease pan with foil so you can just remove that and the pan is good to go for next time. Sometimes, If I have just used the smoker for something like boudin that is not messy at all, I will just wipe the grates off with a damp paper towel and it's ready for next time.
Jeff, first off love the videos and love the rub and sauce even more, they are incredible!!! On this unit can you show us how ash is removed? Thanks for the great videos and recipes!!!
I may be able to show this in a future video however, I have a very small handheld shop vac that I use for my pellet smokers. While all the pieces are out and being cleaned in the dishwasher, I use the vacuum to remove all of the ash from the burn pot and the bottom of the smoker. It's a quick job and only takes about 2 minutes.
Jeff Phillips thanks for the reply, my next question is this, is the burn pot deep enough to hold ash for a 12 hour burn? I’m thinking of smoking a trimmed brisket to fit inside the smoker when I go camping. As you know thats a long cook and I’m worried about ash smothering the flame. Thanks again for your advice and recommendations!
Derek, I have not done a cook longer than about 6 hours so far but as you probably know, pellets do not produce a lot of ash.. it's usually pretty minimal. I don't think you'd have any trouble at all running it for 12 hours. The burn pot looks to be about the same size as most other Pit Boss burn pots but I haven't measured it.
Good review. Personally I am looking for a portable that does not require 120V. Propane is a given, honestly I would not want to run my generator for 3-4 hrs. just for a smoker. Still looking.
Without electricity Shore Line, what would run the auger? So pellets are put. Wood smokers are too big. I wonder what the power draw is on the small auger motor? Maybe an inverter and a deep cycle battery would work. Just thinking .
Green Mountain Grills has their "Davey Crockett" smoker. It'll run on 12 Volts and even Wifi is an option. More surface area than the Country Smokers Traveler. It'll actually fit a rack of ribs.
Check out the PK-360 portable grill-smoker on amazing ribs site,use`s charcoal,lump charcoal or wood.Several options available so you don`t have to get all the bells and whistles.
It requires 300 watts to get it going and then only about 50 watts (from what I've been told) once it's just a controller, fan and auger. An inverter with a deep cycle battery would definitely work well for this.
Hi Jeff - I just requested this smoker for Christmas - thank you for your demo. I have never smoked anything before so was curious as to what would be the best thing to smoke as a beginner?
Ted, I've tried about everything out there and I get the best smoke with the Inexpensive Pit Boss brand. My personal favorite right now is the competition blend in the blue bag. Walmart carries these and possibly other stores in your area as well.
Jeff, thanks for the review. I currently have a GMG Davy Crockett that I use for camping. It weighs around 50lbs which is a bit heavy. How much does the Traveler weigh? Can't find specs on it anywhere.
I ordered the country smoker traveler after I saw your review. It is on the way to my home. How do you run a temperature probe into the cooker in order to monitor the meat? Also, I have been using your bbq sauce and rubs for several years. Really love them!
The edges of the lid are covered with a soft material so you can run a thermometer probe under the lid and it sort of seals around it. I hope you enjoy your new smoker!
Jeff, have you ever messed with the P settings with this smoker? The manual claims it is a trim setting (duty cycle?) when in low smoke. Also, I did a 3# stuffed pork loin on my country smoker in 2.5 hours! I set it to smoke for 1 hour then 1.5 hours at the low setting. The center measured 145 degrees. I think my issue was my smoker was located in the sun with an outside temperature (Mesa Arizona) of 110 degrees.
I have not played with the "P" setting on this smoker but that is a great way to change how often pellets are dumped into the burn pot on the smoke setting and fine tune your temperature for winter and/or summer. This smoker definitely is affected by the sun on hot days.. setting it in the shade should help some and changing the "P" setting should help you to dial that right in.
How's the taste of wood pellets as opposed to lump charcoal? That's definetly the biggest thing keeping me from purchasing one of these fancy pellet grills
The taste of absolutely clean smoke is too tame for some.. when you burn lump charcoal and/or wood in a firebox, the smoke is more "in your face". I mainly use the Camp Chef Wifi and the Recteq Bull which are the 2 units that create the best flavor in my opinion. By keeping the heat really low (180-220) you get more smoke flavor in most pellet smokers. As you turn the heat up, there is more fire and much less smoke due to lack of smoldering.
It does require electricity but the wattage is low enough (300 for the first few minutes and then about 50 ongoing) so you could plug it in to an outlet in your truckbed or an inverter that plugs into a 12V outlet. Some people use an inverter with a deep cycle marine battery to run it for hours on end. I am planning to set something up like this and try it out soon.. may even make a video on how to do that if I get enough interest. This would make it truly portable..
A small 1000 watt. generator will work nicely. Update: To run the igniter a minimum of 1000 watt inverter is required for primitive areas.. It pulls 750 watts to start firepot. Rule of thumb is 300 watts ×2.5 for startup. That takes about 5 minutes. Then 100 watts will run auger and fan. Firepot can be started with a propane torch after disconnecting firepot from circuit. Bestek has a 1200 watt inverter on Amazon for a little over $80.00.
I contacted Danson's (parent company) about this a while back.. nearly the same smoker. Only one or two very small differences. I'm not sure why they are sold under two different brands but I really like using the unit nonetheless.
Tony, there's a couple ways of doing this.. you can just set it on 225 for about an hour or until the burgers reach 160°F or you can set it on Smoke for about 30 minutes then crank it up to high. This 2nd option gives you a good bit of smoke and then puts a better finish on the outside.
What is the clearance between the top rack and the lid? Since you just reached in and opened the pellet hopper, it seems the divider does a good job keeping the heat off the hopper lid.
The clearance from top rack to lid is 2-1/8. The hopper lid may get quite a bit warmer if you're running it at a much higher temperature but that divider does do a really good job of maintaining the heat inside the grill area. I figure there's some insulation in the right side of the hopper as well as the air gap between the divider and the hopper wall.
That means the grill overheated.. can mean the probe is not working correctly or it can mean that the grill is sitting in the direct sunlight and getting too hot from that. I would contact Country Smokers directly (form and phone is listed on their website) if it's already in the shade or if shade doesn't correct the issue. Let me know if you need further help with this from me.
I ordered on the 3rd of June and got it yesterday. Going to do some bacon wrapped turkey tenderloins, one of Jeff's recipes, Wednesday for my first cook with it.
Kyle, like most pellet smokers that do not have a high tech PID controller, they operate on a heat range. It is normal for these to fluctuate up and down as much as 20-30°F. Having said that though, It sounds like yours is just getting up to about 425 and staying there? I would say that is outside of the range of what is normal. You might contact the company and see if they will send you another controller.. customer service has been good in my experience and what I have heard from other customers. Another thing to try is make sure the thermometer probe is clean and then, (if you haven't already don't this), check the actual temperature at grate level using another thermometer and see how that compares with the readout.
@@tulsajeff I looked into it and figured out the temp probe for the digital readout is located in a Terrible place and always reads really hot. I placed a probe grate level and it was much more accurate. However now I have an issue with constant flameouts. Grill is clean auger is clear and Fans are spinning but it won’t stay fired. Nothing but problems with my unit and they refuse to replace it. It’s 2 weeks old and I already had to replace the control board....
Right after a flameout, I assume you take the grates, drip pan, etc. out of the smoker so you can see the burn pot. What does that look like? Is there a ton of pellets in the burn pot, not many pellets?
@@tulsajeff honestly looks like a normal amount. And I just cleaned the fire pot out so it wasnt too much ash. Igniter is clean and fine too. It’s almost like the fire is suffocating for some reason
I bought this portable smoker is a good size , So far failure , I watch all the videos , I just left it on P4 factory setting , food taste like smoke , not a good taste , I been just trying to use it , but can’t get meat to taste good on
EM.. if you want less smoke flavor, just turn up the heat to about 250 or higher. Pellet smokers produce more smoke at low temperatures than at higher temperatures.
What isn't made in China anymore? How do you feel about STIHL outdoor power equipment? Some of there blowers, trimmers, and chainsaws are built in China. Most of their products are now made with globally sourced parts now. A lot of Husqvarna saws are made by Poulan. Guess where they're made? Forgot to mention that I'm a STIHL technition for a local STIHL dealer.
FWIW, I searched USA manufacturers of pellet grills and couldn't find any that make a small portable unit. On top of that I also couldn't find a true USA made pellet grill under $1,700.
This company or their parent company makes Asmoke Pellet Grills as well. The units are almost identical and the instruction manual is essentially the same. I bought one on Indiegogo and it is constantly giving me an ErH (overheating) error. Never set it past 300 degrees but it jumps wildly from 300 to over 500 and gives me the error. Read that people had the same issue with these as well.
Perfect little smoker for travelling in the RV!
I just ordered one of these babies from Country Smokers. By connecting with them using your link I saved $55.00. Can't wait to try smoking Crappie with it. Thanks Jeff for all you do for your loyal fans.
My Wife bought mine for Fathers Day a couple of years ago. We love it! It goes in our camper and is perfect for smoking meats while travelling. I have an area set up under a gazebo for use this winter. I did a small brisket last Christmas and am anxious to do another. Ribs are great on this unit also.
My wife just got me one of those for my birthday and I cannot wait to use it. thanks this is a great video very informative
Very nice portable smoker and a great review by you, Jeff. Thanks for giving a good walk-through.
Perfect for the jobsite, the guys and I whip up 🍔's and 🐕's pretty much everyday,
That's slick! Never seen these before. Thanks for posting the review.
Just got mine, looking forward to firing it up this weekend! Bought it based on your chuck roast burnt ends video, seems perfect for two people.
I was on the fence about one of these, not anymore!
Used your link and juts ordered one also. Thanks for the great content.
Great review Jeff. Not a bad price on it right now either. 👍👍 Thanks for sharing with us. Fred.
That is way too cool bro. I cant afford one but if I could I would get one right now. I should know better by now than to watch your videos this late at night cause you make me hungry and late night snacking is my nemesis LOL
Order using Jeff's link and you can save $55.00 today.
@@kellog1960 I just helped my daughter buy her first new car which she needed quite badly (she can put on almost 1000 miles a week for her jobs) so this Jeff Phillips is broke for a while LOL
well thats interesting! cool portable pellet smoker. didnt know pit boss had another brand aside from louisiana grills going to take a look! cheers
thanks, I'm a devoted fan Dale E Guckenberger
Got mine! Can't wait to try it!
I recently bought this pellet smoker. You mentioned that you put both the grates and diffusers in the dishwasher to clean them. Can you do another video showing how to clean the rest of inside parts? Or just some instructions would be fine too. Thanks.
Mary, while all of the internal pieces are out and right before I replace them, I go ahead and vacuum the ashes from the burn pot and the bottom of the smoker (make sure the ashes are completely cooled off first).
I have a very small handheld shop vac that I use for that and it stays out by my patio for quick and easy use.
It's a great idea to line the side grease pan with foil so you can just remove that and the pan is good to go for next time.
Sometimes, If I have just used the smoker for something like boudin that is not messy at all, I will just wipe the grates off with a damp paper towel and it's ready for next time.
Stack it like cord wood. Nice review.
Thanks
I see it was safe on a plastic table! Would like to see the ash removal technique.
I use my small shop vac and clean it out before each use. Very easy to clean, most components go right in the dishwasher.
Jeff, first off love the videos and love the rub and sauce even more, they are incredible!!! On this unit can you show us how ash is removed? Thanks for the great videos and recipes!!!
I may be able to show this in a future video however, I have a very small handheld shop vac that I use for my pellet smokers. While all the pieces are out and being cleaned in the dishwasher, I use the vacuum to remove all of the ash from the burn pot and the bottom of the smoker. It's a quick job and only takes about 2 minutes.
Jeff Phillips thanks for the reply, my next question is this, is the burn pot deep enough to hold ash for a 12 hour burn? I’m thinking of smoking a trimmed brisket to fit inside the smoker when I go camping. As you know thats a long cook and I’m worried about ash smothering the flame. Thanks again for your advice and recommendations!
Derek, I have not done a cook longer than about 6 hours so far but as you probably know, pellets do not produce a lot of ash.. it's usually pretty minimal. I don't think you'd have any trouble at all running it for 12 hours. The burn pot looks to be about the same size as most other Pit Boss burn pots but I haven't measured it.
Good review. Personally I am looking for a portable that does not require 120V. Propane is a given, honestly I would not want to run my generator for 3-4 hrs. just for a smoker. Still looking.
Without electricity Shore Line, what would run the auger? So pellets are put. Wood smokers are too big. I wonder what the power draw is on the small auger motor? Maybe an inverter and a deep cycle battery would work. Just thinking .
Meant: pellets are OUT
Green Mountain Grills has their "Davey Crockett" smoker. It'll run on 12 Volts and even Wifi is an option. More surface area than the Country Smokers Traveler. It'll actually fit a rack of ribs.
Check out the PK-360 portable grill-smoker on amazing ribs site,use`s charcoal,lump charcoal or wood.Several options available so you don`t have to get all the bells and whistles.
It requires 300 watts to get it going and then only about 50 watts (from what I've been told) once it's just a controller, fan and auger. An inverter with a deep cycle battery would definitely work well for this.
Hi Jeff - I just requested this smoker for Christmas - thank you for your demo. I have never smoked anything before so was curious as to what would be the best thing to smoke as a beginner?
Does it has ash tray collector ?
What brand of pellets would you recommend. I like My meats smokey. Thanks for all your videos.
Ted, I've tried about everything out there and I get the best smoke with the Inexpensive Pit Boss brand. My personal favorite right now is the competition blend in the blue bag. Walmart carries these and possibly other stores in your area as well.
I'm getting quite a bit of smoke out of the pellet box on every cook, is this happening with yours or did I get a lemon ?
What does "P" Set do on the temp control?
Wish I could buy one but they do not ship to UAE. And we cannot get access to their website.
Jeff, thanks for the review. I currently have a GMG Davy Crockett that I use for camping. It weighs around 50lbs which is a bit heavy. How much does the Traveler weigh? Can't find specs on it anywhere.
The assembled weight of this smoker is 42.6 pounds
I ordered the country smoker traveler after I saw your review. It is on the way to my home. How do you run a temperature probe into the cooker in order to monitor the meat? Also, I have been using your bbq sauce and rubs for several years. Really love them!
The edges of the lid are covered with a soft material so you can run a thermometer probe under the lid and it sort of seals around it. I hope you enjoy your new smoker!
Jeff, have you ever messed with the P settings with this smoker? The manual claims it is a trim setting (duty cycle?) when in low smoke. Also, I did a 3# stuffed pork loin on my country smoker in 2.5 hours! I set it to smoke for 1 hour then 1.5 hours at the low setting. The center measured 145 degrees. I think my issue was my smoker was located in the sun with an outside temperature (Mesa Arizona) of 110 degrees.
I have not played with the "P" setting on this smoker but that is a great way to change how often pellets are dumped into the burn pot on the smoke setting and fine tune your temperature for winter and/or summer.
This smoker definitely is affected by the sun on hot days.. setting it in the shade should help some and changing the "P" setting should help you to dial that right in.
How's the taste of wood pellets as opposed to lump charcoal? That's definetly the biggest thing keeping me from purchasing one of these fancy pellet grills
The taste of absolutely clean smoke is too tame for some.. when you burn lump charcoal and/or wood in a firebox, the smoke is more "in your face". I mainly use the Camp Chef Wifi and the Recteq Bull which are the 2 units that create the best flavor in my opinion. By keeping the heat really low (180-220) you get more smoke flavor in most pellet smokers. As you turn the heat up, there is more fire and much less smoke due to lack of smoldering.
Awesome review! Does it need any power/batteries?
he said it was plugged in.
@@oro5z thanks I missed that. When he said for camping out threw me I guess
@@charleyt4965 You're welcome. Seems like a pretty nice unit to take to a picnic a prepare fresh smoked food.
It does require electricity but the wattage is low enough (300 for the first few minutes and then about 50 ongoing) so you could plug it in to an outlet in your truckbed or an inverter that plugs into a 12V outlet.
Some people use an inverter with a deep cycle marine battery to run it for hours on end.
I am planning to set something up like this and try it out soon.. may even make a video on how to do that if I get enough interest.
This would make it truly portable..
A small 1000 watt. generator will work nicely. Update: To run the igniter a minimum of 1000 watt inverter is required for primitive areas.. It pulls 750 watts to start firepot. Rule of thumb is 300 watts ×2.5 for startup. That takes about 5 minutes. Then 100 watts will run auger and fan. Firepot can be started with a propane torch after disconnecting firepot from circuit. Bestek has a 1200 watt inverter on Amazon for a little over $80.00.
This looks like the ASMOKE just without a temp probe holder. Am I wrong?
I contacted Danson's (parent company) about this a while back.. nearly the same smoker. Only one or two very small differences. I'm not sure why they are sold under two different brands but I really like using the unit nonetheless.
Hey Jeff. I have 2 non-bbq man questions. Lol at what temp would you set it to if I wanted to cook burgers 🍔 and Frank's well done?
Tony, there's a couple ways of doing this.. you can just set it on 225 for about an hour or until the burgers reach 160°F or you can set it on Smoke for about 30 minutes then crank it up to high. This 2nd option gives you a good bit of smoke and then puts a better finish on the outside.
What is the clearance between the top rack and the lid? Since you just reached in and opened the pellet hopper, it seems the divider does a good job keeping the heat off the hopper lid.
The clearance from top rack to lid is 2-1/8. The hopper lid may get quite a bit warmer if you're running it at a much higher temperature but that divider does do a really good job of maintaining the heat inside the grill area. I figure there's some insulation in the right side of the hopper as well as the air gap between the divider and the hopper wall.
@@tulsajeff Thanks
What would be your solution if your first time turning it on and you get a erh code
That means the grill overheated.. can mean the probe is not working correctly or it can mean that the grill is sitting in the direct sunlight and getting too hot from that.
I would contact Country Smokers directly (form and phone is listed on their website) if it's already in the shade or if shade doesn't correct the issue.
Let me know if you need further help with this from me.
Can you use a Bluetooth thermometer probe with this, if so where?
I know I'm late for this response but I would think to run through the back where the smoke vents out
I ordered one last week how long did it take to get yours ?
I ordered on the 3rd of June and got it yesterday. Going to do some bacon wrapped turkey tenderloins, one of Jeff's recipes, Wednesday for my first cook with it.
Have you had issues with temp control? When set to 350 mine is at 425. I can’t seem to get the temp to come down
Kyle, like most pellet smokers that do not have a high tech PID controller, they operate on a heat range. It is normal for these to fluctuate up and down as much as 20-30°F.
Having said that though, It sounds like yours is just getting up to about 425 and staying there?
I would say that is outside of the range of what is normal. You might contact the company and see if they will send you another controller.. customer service has been good in my experience and what I have heard from other customers.
Another thing to try is make sure the thermometer probe is clean and then, (if you haven't already don't this), check the actual temperature at grate level using another thermometer and see how that compares with the readout.
@@tulsajeff I looked into it and figured out the temp probe for the digital readout is located in a Terrible place and always reads really hot. I placed a probe grate level and it was much more accurate. However now I have an issue with constant flameouts. Grill is clean auger is clear and Fans are spinning but it won’t stay fired. Nothing but problems with my unit and they refuse to replace it. It’s 2 weeks old and I already had to replace the control board....
Right after a flameout, I assume you take the grates, drip pan, etc. out of the smoker so you can see the burn pot. What does that look like? Is there a ton of pellets in the burn pot, not many pellets?
@@tulsajeff honestly looks like a normal amount. And I just cleaned the fire pot out so it wasnt too much ash. Igniter is clean and fine too. It’s almost like the fire is suffocating for some reason
I bought this portable smoker is a good size , So far failure , I watch all the videos , I just left it on P4 factory setting , food taste like smoke , not a good taste , I been just trying to use it , but can’t get meat to taste good on
EM.. if you want less smoke flavor, just turn up the heat to about 250 or higher. Pellet smokers produce more smoke at low temperatures than at higher temperatures.
Made in China,, that ENDED IT for me.
What isn't made in China anymore? How do you feel about STIHL outdoor power equipment? Some of there blowers, trimmers, and chainsaws are built in China. Most of their products are now made with globally sourced parts now. A lot of Husqvarna saws are made by Poulan. Guess where they're made? Forgot to mention that I'm a STIHL technition for a local STIHL dealer.
FWIW, I searched USA manufacturers of pellet grills and couldn't find any that make a small portable unit. On top of that I also couldn't find a true USA made pellet grill under $1,700.
This company or their parent company makes Asmoke Pellet Grills as well. The units are almost identical and the instruction manual is essentially the same. I bought one on Indiegogo and it is constantly giving me an ErH (overheating) error. Never set it past 300 degrees but it jumps wildly from 300 to over 500 and gives me the error. Read that people had the same issue with these as well.
@@allsoulsparishpresbyterian887 Check Grilla Grills
Is it safe grilling with the trap doors open want grease get down there