The temp range can reach up to 500°F and higher for searing at 650°F with a Sear Box. We followed the troubleshooting advice in the owner’s manual, removing the pellet access panel and inspecting the electric cuisinart soup maker components, but could not identify an issue. At the time of this publication, we have reached out to Louisiana customer support with no reply. We got off to a shaky start with the Pit Boss Sportsman 820.
The fire pot in the Clermont is in the center of the grill. This is great placement, because it helps ensure that the temperature is going to be more even throughout the grill. As with any new grill, there are some steps you need to take before your first cook.
When set to higher temperatures, less smoke is produced, and the fire pot focuses on creating heat. Since the heat deflector plate prevents direct searing and grill marks, the food crisps up like it would when roasted inside a high-temperature oven. The grill rolled easily on four wheels without rattling or shaking, leading us to believe the construction is solid and secure enough to last the test of time. We loved the WiFIRE app functionality, which made it easy to adjust probe and grill temperatures while also keeping an eye on the percentage of pellets left in the hopper. It seemed outdated compared to some of the grills in the test group, and it was hard to read after sitting out in the sun for hours. So let’s discuss the cooking area provided on the Clermont.
Some contain a sliding sear plate that creates a section of the grill that has access to the flames in the fire pot. The SmokeFire looks like any other Weber grill, though, with an open design and a heat deflector plate that only covers an eight-inch area over the fire pot. That means it was able to function more like a traditional grill when cooking at higher temperatures. We were pleased with the results, and our chicken wings cooked evenly over the entire grill grate. From this point forward, I pretty much think any pellet grill/smoker over $500 should feature a PID control panel.
Wait about 30 minutes before removing and wiping clean. This is the plate directly above your burn cuisinart griddler elite cup and below your drip tray. Give this a good scrape if there is any visible burnt on grease.
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.