Char Griller 9040 Pellet Grill Reviews

I have had my Char Griller for 6 years and not one single problem with it and I've cooked a ton on it. I use it at BBQ competitions and cook-offs through out the year and use it at home when not at a competition. Super happy that I found this pellet smoker for the price.

Bottom line up front, if i am going to spend more than $400 on a smoker/grill to smoke a $40+ pieces of meat with $40 worth of specialized wood pellets for 10+ hrs of my time i would like the machine to function as advertised and not have to disassemble it to re-wire it correctly myself. I purchased this chargriller 9020 with the idea that it was "fire and forget" meaning it didnt have to be constantly watched for temp control ect. After around 6 mo i have grilled/smoked every type of meat imaginable with great results however not without much applied effort to manage temperature over long hours (up to 10+ hrs on larger cuts of meat). Regardless of reading and following step by step the proceedures for everything in the manual thinking it was operator error the temp would continuously run out of control. After the 3rd use i noticed the interior paint of the grill begin to bubble and eventually reharden after a cool down concerned for potential chemicals being introduced into the meat i removed the interior paint which easily chipped off during a cleaning (grill is cleaned each use) as all the bubbles had solidified. (Of note this grill was properly seasoned prior to use). After months of fighting this grill trying different smoke settings, different wood types, inspecting internals and insuring the thermometer works correctly in an effort to control heat an online video revealed that the fan and auger wiring harness had been wired incorrectly from the factory (apparently this is not uncommon? #qualitycontrol) enabling the auger to run non stop and the fan to run intermittently which is the opposite of what is suppose to occure. Once the wiring was corrected the grill ran perfectly fine at the desired and selected heat at the requested smoke setting.

the first pellet grill I bought has been problem free for three years. bought another for the cabin. bad call. didn't work. replaced the fan. worked until the control box went out. probably used a dozen times. haven't decided if I get a new control box or push it in the lake and cut my losses.

When I first got this pellet smoker it was awesome, worked great I loved not having to feed the fire all night or day and watch the temp. I've had my unit for 14 months and had to replace to electronic board after 13 months. No longer under warranty. After doing that still had problems, fire rod is out also. I can't afford to keep putting money in this smoker after paying almost $500 for it a year ago. I will buy another brand pellet smoker before spending another dime on this one. I feel like it's going to be a money pit already. I've had other Char-Grillers over the years with better results, but you only burn me once.

After years of smoking on a traditional smoker, I finally made the move to a Pellet smoker/grill. It is so easy, I feel like I am cheating! I couldn't be happier with the meat I am turning out with the Char Griller. I still check my temp every 20-30 minutes like I have always done, but now I just smile and shake my head. I like the fact that I can get it up to 450-475 degrees for burgers and steaks. I like to do my steaks slow and at 275 until I get internal temp to 135. I finish it on my gas grill on high to reverse seer. Can't beat a steak cooked that way. I'd recommend this to anyone.