Woodwind Sg 24 Pellet Grill With Sidekick Review
The Camp Chef Woodwind is one of the most highly recommended pellet grills on the marketplace today.
You can pick one upwardly for well under $k, and because it's been available for a few years at that place are no teething issues (coughing Weber SmokeFire cough).
Military camp Chef has continued to improve the grill with the release of the Gen 2 digital PID controller and a range of useful accessories and attachments.
In this review, I'll exist sharing my experiences cooking on the Woodwind over the final few months.
Camp Chef sent me this grill for free in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Campsite Chef Woodwind overview & beginning impressions
The Woodwind is bachelor in two sizes. You can get the mid-sized 24″ model, which comes with a combined 811 square inches of cooking surface, or spend a little actress and become the 36″ model which volition give you 1236 square inches to play with.
For this review, we went with the 24, which I remember volition be the model most people will become for.
Camp Chef has made a big deal about their new and improved digital PID controller. Setting your grill temperature is easy, but the more interesting add-on is the selection to set your fume level.
Allow's get the main specs out of the fashion, run through my first impressions and then become stuck into my feel cooking on the Woodwind.
Camp Chef Woodwind 24 Specifications
| Cooking Area | 811 sq in (429 lower rack + 382 upper rack) |
| Pellet Hopper Capacity | 22 lbs |
| Temp Range | 160º F – 500ºF (up to 650° with direct flame grilling) |
| Shelves & Storage | Two side shelves, ane front shelf |
| Temp Probes | Four meat probes |
| Controler | Color screen PID controller |
| WiFi/App | Yes |
| Construction | Stainless steel |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Price | Check latest cost |
The Woodwind uses the same slide and grill technology as the cheaper SmokePro SG and is like to what
Substantially this lets you create a high rut sear zone past exposing the direct flame.
I measured 650-700°F with the grill attack high and using direct flame mode.
This worked better than I expected, only I was much more excited past the promised searing capabilities of the SideKick attachment.
I'll go through all my experiences using that attachment later in the review, but for at present, I'll simply say I highly recommend getting it.
I recorded a contrary sear Picanha melt I did on the Woodwind if you lot want to see both the Sidekick and main grill in action.
Army camp Chef Woodwind Impressions + Picanha Cook (Pellet Grill + Side Kick)
When you opt for the sidekick zipper, you practise have to give up some prep area. I'll make that trade every time, but I did want to point that out. You can get an optional front shelf attachment which is piece of cake to install and adds some much-needed prep area.
What I similar:
- Ash Cleanout System – By far the easiest pellet grill to clean out of the many I've tested.
- Fume Level Adaptability – Nice to be able to control the level of fume when cooking different types of nutrient.
- Accessory options – You tin add together some great functionality to this grill including the sidekick and front shelf.
- Direct Flame Slider Rod – Gives you decent searing capability if you decide not to get the sidekick add-on.
- Temp Probes – This is the only pellet grill I've seen that comes with 4 temp probes. Most grills simply requite yous ane or ii temp probes.
What I don't like:
- App Connectivity – The app interface is really nice, but the connectivity is a petty glitchy. This seems to be a common trouble amongst pellet grill manufacturers, and Military camp Chef'due south App is still very manageable.
- No chiffonier door – You get a storage shelf but in that location'southward no door to keep things protected from the elements.
- Some temperature accuracy issues – Not a deal breaker but I found a fair bit of variance between what temp I set up and what was recorded.
The Camp Chef Woodwind is a feature-packed pellet grill and smoker.
The design makes it easy to conform the smoke level, easy to manage your cook with the versatile upper rack system, and easy to clean up after the cooking is washed.
Unboxing and setup
The Woodwind grill was packaged very tightly using plenty of cardboard, styrofoam, and clear plastic.
All bare metal was coated well with an anti-corrosion coating. All parts appeared to be protected quite well.
Assembly for this grill proved to be fairly simple and straightforward.
I completed the unabridged assembly in about xl minutes using mostly hand tools and, occasionally, a cordless drill with a Phillips bit.
Campsite Chef as well include a recipe guide and Woodwind booklet.
Build Quality
All painted parts have thorough and smooth coatings. There were ii parts that showed small nicks in the pigment, but they were quite minimal.
The bracket for the rack system was slightly bent and required slight rebending. I'one thousand not sure what happened hither. I don't believe they were damaged during ship. I believe they were already bent when the parts were packaged in the box.
Overall, the Woodwind showed to be adept quality. All the parts installed just as designed. The grill comes with rubberized wheels, similar to wheels establish on rollerblades. They appeared to be more than than adequate to move the grill around and will last quite a while.
Most of the grill is made of painted steel. The legs and butt of the grill are a footling thicker steel and provide a sturdy foundation.
The pellet hopper lid is a thin steel, as expected, and as is common with nearly pellet grills. There's as well a narrow window on the front end side of the hopper and then y'all can go along an centre on your pellet level without opening the chapeau.
The lid is fabricated like the barrel of the grill. The inner grill flame diffuser plate is fabricated of thick steel just will warp over time. However, that shouldn't really affect the functioning of the grill in any way.
Cooking on the Campsite Chef Woodwind
Before writing this review, I put the Woodwind through its paces in a multifariousness of different cooking situations.
I cooked pulled pork and chuck roast low and ho-hum and seared steak and burgers. I too did craven wings and quarters.
Here are my observations after a few months of regular use.
Ease of operation
This is the reason why you buy a pellet grill to brainstorm with, and I'one thousand pleased to say the Camp Chef Woodwind did not disappoint.
Just turn it on, set the temp using the punch, set the "fume level", and the grill volition do the balance.
I found the temp probe design unproblematic but constructive. It allows the probes to be used without smoke and heat escaping from a big gap in the lid and closes off the hole when non in use)
Best of all, the telephone app will notify y'all when the grill reaches the gear up desired temperature.
The slider rods and locking plates for the pellet chute, ash cleanout, and direct flame grilling are well designed.
The slider rod on the pellet chute opens a slot located in the bottom of the hopper. When yous pull the rod, the slot opens and allows pellets to drop if y'all want to swap wood type or remove them for storage.
The ash cleanout feature is innovative making it the easiest to clean pellet grill I have tested to appointment. The slider rod attaches to the a flat plate below the burn pot. When the slider rod is pulled, information technology moves the plate and drops burnt pot ash into the cleanout cup. The locking plates forestall the slider rods from moving accidentally while the grill is in use.
The versatile upper rack system is also grilling gold. The 2 half-rack systems can exist placed adjacent to be used every bit a full rack or one rack can be slid under the other to open upwards access to more of the grilling area. I plant this to exist very useful.
The grill controller likewise has a feed office that I found to be very useful. The feed part allows the user to feed pellets without the igniter element existence activated. This is great for non only feeding pellets initially through the auger system only also for clearing remaining pellets from the auger to prevent them from swelling and causing an auger jam.
Overall grilling operation
Getting the result you desire is easy on the Woodwind. You can gear up the grill temp with the turn of a knob.
And you can go from indirect flame fashion to direct flame grilling with just the pull of a handle. I tested the grill using both methods and yielded pleasant results.
The steaks cooked below were washed without using the direct flame. The grill was hot enough to become sear marks, but I would recommend using the slide arrangement for searing.
Overall smoking performance
I was extremely pleased with the smoking ability of the Woodwind. Campsite Chef takes it to the adjacent level with the flexibility to adapt the fume level from 1-10.
So, y'all tin can really dial in the level of fume you prefer.
In my testing I plant that increasing the fume level did somewhat increment the temperature
What are the storage and prep areas like?
The Woodwind does provide a little bit of prep expanse in the form of a shelf, but that real manor is lost if you add together the SideKick or sear box.
In my case, I had the SideKick installed. So I lost this expanse. You can still residue a plate or chopping board on it when not in utilize though.
There is a fiddling flake of prep surface area on top of the pellet hopper, but information technology is minimal.
This means at that place are as well no hangers for grill utensils, which to me, is disappointing. There is a shelf underneath the grill that could be used for storing a pocketbook of pellets.
Like I mentioned in the intro, Camp Chef does offer an add-on front shelf for the Woodwind for additional prep expanse.
How adept is the temp accuracy & consistency?
While smoking at depression temperatures, the accuracy seems to exist pretty shut.
But in my tests, the Woodwind appeared to be off quite a bit as the temps increment toward grilling temperatures. On the plus side, the grill was fairly consequent once it reached its set temperature.
I've included more detailed testing details in a section below.
How useful is the App?
The Camp Chef App has a lot of functionality, assuasive the user to alter the temp and smoke level on the fly, prepare to four meat probe doneness temperatures, and shut downwardly the grill.
The probes tin likewise be named in the App.
The App has WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities.
With all that said, this App is not without its issues either. I found the App randomly lost connection on a regular footing. Information technology'southward piece of cake to become it connected once more, but information technology is a little aggravating.
However, this seems to exist a problem that many pellet grill manufacturers tend to struggle with when it comes to their Apps.
Interestingly there seems to exist a large gap in operation between Apple and Android users as the Camp Chef app rates an impressive 4.3/v on the Apple App Shop and a disappointing i.8/v on the Google Play store.
It looks like the App was last updated on July 16th 2020, so its good to see Camp Chef are actively improving the feel.
Ease of cleaning
Here is where the Woodwind shines. The people at Army camp Chef put enough forethought into their grills to come up upward with a far superior way to clean out the ash left in the burn pot.
The quick cleanout "coffee can" and sliding rod/base plate mechanism makes it super easy to clean the grill subsequently use. Most other pellet grills require a shop vac.
Grill grate operation & quality
Everyone has their preference when it comes to grate fabric, as do I. These grates left me split down the center.
While I was not super excited about their ability to leave grill marks, the porcelain coated terminate does allow the food to release with ease.
I would take also preferred if the diameter of the confined been a little larger, but being fair, that still did a fine job.
Is the SideKick worth it?
All pellet grill manufacturers dearest to wax lyrical about how versatile their grills are.
Despite claims of "6 in i cooking", the truth is most pellet grills make far better smokers than grills due to their inability to sear at high plenty temperatures.
The slide and sear is i pick to get around this limitation, but Camp Chef has come up with a clever zipper that goes a stride farther.
The Sidekick is substantially a propane burner that attaches where the prep shelf would commonly be.
The Sidekick replaces the popular Sear Box attachment. While the sear box was a dedicated sear station, the Sidekick gives you more versatility:
- Utilize the burner to warm sauce or boil water for vegetables or pasta.
- Utilize the included steel griddle to fry bacon, onions, eggs, or anything yous wouldn't want on the main grill.
- Add extra add-ons like the grill box and pizza oven.
If you are going to get the Woodwind, spend the extra and opt for the Sidekick.
It is worth the actress! Yep, information technology runs off of propane and it doesn't disappoint. It put out 30,000 BTUs of estrus and It IS NOTICEABLE.
I cooked breakfast on the included heavy duty griddle. I also tested it out by searing some steaks on information technology using the Deluxe Grill Box. Believe me when I say this beast of a burner can exist used to oestrus up anything, including a stock pot.
I was pleasantly surprised by the usefulness of the grill box when used with the Sidekick.
The grates are made of enamel coated cast iron and very sturdy. A piddling goes a long way when it comes to estrus from the Sidekick.
I accidentally turned it upwardly likewise high and left it for but a few minutes. When I returned, the temp judge was maxed out. I measured the temp with my IR temp gun at almost 1100°F! Needless to say, I didn't brand that mistake again.
Yous can purchase the Woodwind and sidekick as a packet, or buy it on its own.
Too the Sidekick and Grill Box, Campsite chef offer a range of other accessories.
BBQ Tool Set- These accessories, while zip exotic or exciting, are built sturdy to concluding for years of grilling. If you tin can pick these upwardly for a reasonable price, go for it, peculiarly if you can use them for camping gear too.
Grill Cover- I consider a grill cover a must-have for pellet grills to protect the electronics. The Woodwind grill cover is made of a tough material that fits snugly over the grill to keep your prized possession well preserved. From the grill covers I have tested, this is i of the strong ones.
Testing the Woodwind
I used my trusty ThermoWorks Signals to test the real temperature of the Woodwind at dissimilar locations on the grill.
Time to come up to temp
After initial startup, it takes near 11 minutes to attain 225°F. For grilling, it will have yous a picayune longer, about 18-21 minutes for 450°F.
Temperature accuracy test
| Grill Setting | Left | Center | Correct |
|---|---|---|---|
| 225°F (smoke level 1 | 229°F | 233°F | 252°F |
| 225°F (fume level 10) | 235°F | 239°F | 258°F |
| 450°F | 510°F | 550°F | 640+°F |
There is a noticeable temp variance betwixt the left, centre, and correct side of the grill.
These numbers aren't the end of the earth, but are helpful to know and empathize as to how to use the grill. There must be a natural pull of rut toward the right side of the grill, even when smoking low and slow. It could be possible that my grill was not quite level, but I don't believe this to be the instance
- At lower temps, actual gill temp accuracy was off past 0~viii° in the heart of the grill
- At high temps, actual gill temp accuracy range was 0~100° off in the middle of the grill
I'g a little surprised past these numbers at college temps. I would take expected them to be a little closer. A user would need to be enlightened of this while grilling so they practice not overcook their food.
Although the accurateness is off at times, I will notation that the temperature consistency is spot on. There is very little swing in temperature one time the grill gets to the set temperature.
Wood pellet usage per hour
For these tests, I used Camp Chef premium hardwood pellets merely I would presume similar operation with other pellets.
The tests were conducted on an fourscore°F day.
- Average consumption rate at 225°F: ~¾ lb per hour
- Average consumption rate at 500°F: ~i¾ – 2 lb per hour
I'm happy with these results, although you should look worse efficiency with the larger Woodwind or if cooking in cold conditions.
Alternatives to consider
The $800-$m pellet grill price range is pretty crowded with competition. Check out our total guide to pellet grills for a comprehensive list, and hither are a few of the main Woodwind alternatives worth because.
Weber SmokeFire
We had a lot of promise
The SmokeFire is available in two sizes. The EX4, which offers 672 square inches, and the EX6 which comes with 1008 square inches of cooking space.
That puts the Woodwind 24 right in the centre.
The famous grill manufacturer promised some innovations to allow for a better grilling experience.
A rushed release led to a number of bug and a flood of bad early on reviews.
While
Campsite Chef SmokePro SG 24
If you tin't quite stretch your budget for a Woodwind, the SmokePro SG is a pop pick that gives you most of the aforementioned features.
You go the exact same updated digital controller with adaptable smoke settings although you only get two meat probes included.
The cooking surface and hopper capacity are as well the same.
You can add on the Sidekick or Sear Box, and the App and make clean up feel is the same also.
Y'all are giving upwardly the large colour screen and easier to use interface on the Woodwind. The lid on the SmokePro is made from pulverization coated steel compared to stainless steel on Woodwind which will last longer.
Given the minor price difference I would recommend spending a piddling actress and getting the Woodwind. Even though the differences are minor.
If you are in the market for a portable grill, then you should check out the Camp Chef Pursuit xx likewise.
REC TEC RT-700 Wifi
If y'all tin spend a piddling more than, the REC TEC RT-700 offers a unique design, quality construction, and decent app experience.
By default, you lot get 702 square inches of existent estate, although this can exist expanded upwards to over 1000 with the optional warming shelf.
The huge 40lb hopper gives you up to 40 hours of continuous cooking.
Unlike the Woodwind, you don't have whatsoever special options for searing, so y'all are express to the standard pellet grill experience with temps maxing out at 500°F. At that place is a setting to go college simply we haven't tested where information technology maxes out.
You are likewise limited to two probes.
REC TEC have a super loyal following and great customer service. The RT-700 is not a bad selection, but nosotros think the Woodwind is improve value for money.
Should you buy the Camp Chef Woodwind?
By now information technology should be clear that I like the Woodwind.
Yep, the temp accuracy of the grill is a flake off and the temp variation tin can be loftier from one side of the grill to the other, but the more pellet grills I test, the more I am seeing similar results.
I cooked chicken quarters, wings, chuck roast, Boston Barrel, New York Strips, pork chops, and cheeseburgers without overcooking or drying annihilation out. Everything turned out juicy with a nice smoky season.
If you are looking for a pellet grill/smoker that is easy to use, easy to clean and maintain, and is going to last for years then you should requite this grill a difficult look.
Yous'll be able to cook great food with minimal attempt with the base of operations model.
The Woodwind really comes into its ain when you combine it with the SideKick attachment
Campsite Chef offers a large range of accessories and options for the Woodwind line.
If the temperature accuracy and variance concern you greatly, I would look toward a different option.
Equally always, experience free to ask questions in the comment form beneath if there's something that you want to know about this grill. Reader feedback is e'er welcome besides!
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Source: https://www.smokedbbqsource.com/camp-chef-woodwind-pellet-grill-review/