So the previous pellet grills/smokers from Cuisinart the Woodcreek & Twin Oaks featured a 30lb pellet hopper. Well, now the Clermont comes with a 40lb pellet hopper with a pellet sensor to boot. A 30lb hopper is well above the industry average, but a 40lb hopper is really far larger than you actually need.
My general thoughts on the Clermont match the phase ‘two steps forward, one step back’. Hence, there is some progress here, however, its not where it needs to be on price/features. Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and hot water prior to handling food and after handling raw meat, uncooked poultry or seafood. It cycles the air within approximately 1,000 square feet twice every hour and within 500 square feet four times every hour. Or, for your kitchen or smaller areas, take a look at the PuRXium Medium Room / Countertop Air Purifier.
The Cuisinart Woodcreek & Twin Oaks only feature Bluetooth and not WiFi. As I discuss in my article on WiFi pellet grills/smokers, Bluetooth connectivity is not as useful as WiFi. This is where the Cuisinart Clermont actually has a one-up over the Pit Boss Lockhart which only currently features Bluetooth connectivity. However, the Pit Boss Lockhart does feature a PID temperature controller, where it doesn’t appear that’s the case on the Cuisinart Clermont.
This smaller unit cycles the air within about 500 square feet twice hourly and within 250 square feet four times hourly. The auger will not run 100% of the time, it cycles on and off depending on the temperature setting. When selecting a temperature setting, the auger will feed pellets for several minutes. This will momentarily raise the temperature, but the temperature will decrease and stabilize after minutes. If you are transporting your grill in a vehicle after cooking on it, make sure the fire is completely out and the grill is cold before placing it in any vehicle.
The cover is UV protected, wind and water-resistant and the dual-sided vents dissipate excess heat and prevents condensation. Buckle straps around the wheels and adjustable drawstrings on the sides anchor the cover to your grill cuisinart griddler elite in even the strongest winds. When it’s time to grill, the dual-sided grip handles allow for easy removal of the cover. I also provide tips on how to get the best deal when buying BBQ wood pellets and how to test pellet quality.
Going ‘low and slow’ and high-temperature grilling are two very different things. Its basically a cross between a horizontal/vertical smoker with an upright cooking cuisinart pots and pans set cabinet with two french doors. There is a benefit to this approach over say a typical horizontal pellet grill in that you can watch the cook through the doors.
However, the Pit Boss Lockhart provides a total cooking area of 2,136 square inches, hence quite a bit more than the Clermont. Some may be what are commonly referred to as ‘Traeger clones’, but many others are offering their own unique designs and features. Well, Cuisinart state that a cooking area of 1,400 square inches is provided. However, with cooking areas on pellet grills/smokers, you always have to take the figures in context.
Where the Cuisinart Clermont is now competitive with the Pit Boss Lockhart unlike the Cuisinart Woodcreek is with offering direct-flame access. Hence, while the control panel on the Clermont maxes out at 500 degrees, higher grilling temperatures around 650 degrees should actually be possible above the Sear Zone. The direct-flame access on the Clermont works in a very similar fashion to Pit Boss grills with a leaver used to open/close groves on the grease tray. Cuisinart is still a relatively new player in the pellet grill/smoker game.