ZPG-450A

I got the 7002B version and am extremely happy with the overall value. Like others, I've eyed a traeger but couldn't figure out why they were so damn expensive. I went through a similar buying process with my Vision kamado grill - I could never justify a big green egg. Important to note, I do still own and will always own my Vision S series kamado, however it will soon be converted to propane. My experiences then with this Z-grill are tempered by my existing stellar Vision grill. For low and slow the Zgrill pellet system CRUSHES a charcoal kamado. Kamado's are great but if you want to do low and slow then the initial setup can be painful, if you over shoot your temp it takes awhile to bring it back down. Take yours eyes off it and over shoot during cooking ... well you get the idea. Zgrill, turn it on, set the temp, walk away. Keep an eye on the timer and you're set. Thus far I've done burgers twice at 450 and they turned out stellar. Beer can style chicken once at 450 and again, stellar result. Pork tenderloin twice, once a longer smoke at 225 and last night a quick run at 450 both turned out perfect. The really killer result though was doing 3-2-1 ribs ... 3 hours at smoke, 2 at 225, 1 hour at 450 which actually turned out to be about 25m for half the ribs (smaller baby backs) and about 40 minutes for the two larger/thicker racks. These were the best ribs i've ever done, i couldn't even cut them into individual ribs as the bones just fell out so the family descended upon these like savage animals. Some things to note: 1) compared to my thermoworks smoke thermometers the internal thermo is never quite in agreement but its close enough. I do use my thermoworks religiously for both meat and internal air temp monitoring. however after these 5 runs i know what to expect at various temps from the internal thermo so if i'm doing more than one piece of meat that needs monitoring, i have no issues relying on just the internal. again, it aint perfect, but its close enough. 2) I have modified the Zgrill. First, I added 6 firebricks to the bottom. After my first use (burgers at 450) i noticed some issues getting to and holding high temps along with the usual left to right temp discrepancy that pellet grills often have. The firebricks solved those. Second, added a seal for the door. Third, wrapped a bungie chord around the right front wheel and use this to hold the door tightly closed. cost for these 3 was like $40 and well worth it as IMO it is a much more stable grill now. Brisket is scheduled for the big game and i'm excited to do a real long low n slow cook. Over all, including the cost of the mods I did, it is really hard to beat the cost/performance of this Zgrill. Would highly recommend to anyone.

Disclaimer: I have not yet used the grill to actually cook anything. I am only really writing this review to comment on a few things that I experienced and observed during assembly and the first start-up, as I am a quality manager myself and would like to help out the Z-Grills team to better their product. I have no affiliation with Z-Grills and I have not been nor am I being compensated for this review in any way. The product was delivered safe and sound and in excellent condition, being delivered by the Amazon delivery team themselves, straight from SLC, Utah, to Logan, Utah. The box itself didn't have a scratch on it and was surprisingly clean all things considered. I wish all of my delivered items from Amazon were received in such a manner. Upon opening the packaging, I found that everything was neatly packed and nothing was loose that should not have been. There was nothing broken inside, and everything was very clean and organized. Reviewing the manual before starting assembly, I found that the "Simple Installation Instructions" were very difficult to understand, and, moving to the actual instruction manual, I found that they contradicted the actual instructions. Later, I realized that the "Simple Installation Instructions" included with the product was actually intended to rectify some instruction issues that were accidentally omitted in the assembly instructions in the manual as a customer notice (but it was not labeled as such, which was why I was confused). I found myself frustrated, having to go forward some pages, then backward, and finally just threw the manual away and put the product together using my best judgment and existing technical knowledge. Suggestion: Please improve the assembly instructions - all of your product literature is jumbled up inside of your lit pack and it is difficult to follow and even more difficult to use to put the product together. During assembly, I found that the included screwdriver and wrenches were insufficient. They will do the job, but they are extremely clumsy and will extend the length of a build unnecessarily. Power tools are a must here. That being said, when using an impact drill to assemble the product, both on the Philips head screws and the hex head bolts, I found that the metal used on the hardware is VERY brittle. I not only unintentionally stripped out the screws (actually SHATTERING the screws in several places), but found that there were several screws that were malformed and/or cracked through the heads. These broke when reaching adequate holding torque during assembly. Another major issue I found is that the wheel axle is MUCH too long - by about an inch or more (rough estimate as I did not have a tape or a set of calipers) - and causes a lot of slop and horizontal movement in the wheels, even after adding washers on either side of both wheels. The axle is likely used universally between other products and this one, however, so I can understand why it is so long. In this case, using bushings to eat up the slop and provide a tighter fit would be best, but it should otherwise be shortened up to fit the actual wheelbase. It is difficult to recommend a fix for this, as there could be many different variables affecting the hardness of the metal, as well as torsion, shear, etc. The first startup was somewhat of a learning process. I had thought that I broke the auger somehow, as the instructions for the first-time startup says it could take 1-2 minutes for the auger to spin up, but it took between 5 and 6 minutes for me. It did work, however, and seems to be able to easily keep up with the pellet load. The burner is also functional and seems to be working appropriately. Everything is heavily coated in rust preventative oil out of the box - but this is a GOOD thing. You simply will want to wipe it down gently (being careful to not actually remove all of the oil) before using it - especially inside of the fire bowl. One other observation on my first warm-up using pellets is that this thing HEMORRHAGES smoke, even with the lid closed - and not just from the chimney (which, by the way, does not have an adjustable closure). You may as well not even have a chimney on this thing, as the smoke leaks out of every gap on the thing except where the fiberglass gaskets between the main box and the chimney and the pellet hopper are located, which are great. But, adding a similar 1/8"-1/4" gasket around the lid as well as a tube of heat-proof silicone sealant for all of the holes (and perhaps some Loctite 242 for all of the screws) would be great additions to the product, and would help the quality of life and overall efficiency of this product immensely. Furthermore, lid locks on either side of the unit would also be extremely beneficial in the event that a heat-proof gasket is provided around the lid enclosure, and would help to keep the smoke inside of the box so it can do its job. All of these things are things that I plan to mod onto the product itself at a later time in order to improve its overall functionality and smoking effectiveness. With the above having been said, I was very impressed with the quality and gauge of the metal used for the actual grill, as well as the overall look, feel, and quality of the wheels, handles, feet, etc. The product seems to be surprisingly heavy-duty and well made. The hardware/assembly holes all aligned well enough and were clear of debris and thread damage (which is a HUGE plus on customer assembled products). So far, it seems like it will be a great product. I will update this review when I actually use it and if I can remember to do so.

I am writing this review as a 2 way split. The first part for the grill itself, and the second for the company ZGrills. The grill seems to work well. I smoked a whole chicken as my first test, and after about 3 hours total, it came out very tasty. I thought the smoke flavor could have been a bit stronger, but I could have fixed that by running it on smoke mode an hour or so before I started the cook. The grill was reasonably easy to assemble, not hard to clean, and the operating instructions were very clear. All in all, I believe this machine will do a great job making my food for a long time. The company, ZGrills, however, was difficult to work with. My grill arrived with a large dent on the left front side of the core piece, and the lid had a flat space that left around a 1.5 inch gap between the bottom of the lid, and the front of the core. Immediately upon seeing this, I attempted to call the customer service number for the company. Nobody answered. It was within their operating hours, but only just barely, and on a Friday, so I chalked it up to everyone starting a slightly early weekend, and left a voicemail. I received a call back on Monday the next week (before their stated operating hours) with a nice lady who gave me instructions to send an email with pictures of what they needed to process the request. "Great!" I thought. We were on our way to getting it resolved. I send the email right away with all the pictures they requested, and listed out the issues I saw. My first response came only minutes after sending the email asking "Is the grill chamber damaged?" I mean, I just sent you the picture that it was, and listed it among the issues in my first email. So I try to call the customer service number again for clarification. Again, nobody answers. I try a couple more times, still no answer. Then I respond to the email stating yes, the core has issues, unless you don't consider that damage, and asked if I could get clarification. I get another email back, hours later this time (and once again outside their stated hours) stating they will send a replacement core and give me a tracking number once they have it. Okay, back in track. Two days later, I still haven't heard anything, so I email again asking if they've processed it yet? Them: Yes, here's your tracking number. Me: Great! And will the lid come with the same package (because I still haven't heard about it at this point) Them 3 hours later: According to the picture, the lid isn't damaged. (1.5 inches away from the face of the core isn't damaged apparently) Me: Sorry if I wasn't clear, but the lid is also damaged as it doesn't sit closed on the face. Here are additional pictures. *I try to call the phone again a few times, still no answer. Silence for 2 days. During this time, the replacement core arrives. I swap the lid over to the new core, still sits the same distance from the face. Me in another email: Please see these new pictures with the lid issue. As you can see, the lid obviously is damaged as well since it still sits 1.5 inches from the face. Them: We will arrange a new lid within 24 hours. *2 more days of silence* Me 11:00 am: Just checking, have you guys sent the lid? Them 8:30 pm: Here is your tracking number. Now, to their credit, I received the parts I needed, and now everything is working, but that entire process took two weeks from first phone call voicemail to last part needed received, with a lot of frustration besides. The last thing I will mention is the "damage" could not have happened during shipping. I can excuse someone not seeing the bend in the door, but I guarantee someone saw that big outward dent on the core, and packaged it up anyway. This is not thin metal, and would take more than a casual touch to cause it to bend so much, and in that place. Maybe I'm wrong. I attached the image below. You be the judge.

It took me about 2 hours to assemble the grill alone In a cramped space. I did the 45 minute burn out on high and the controller held the temperature good. It got as hot as 465 degrees at first then brought everything in and had about a 10 to 15 degree swing from 440 to 455 degrees and held in that area most of the time. I did everything exactly by the manual. A few days later I did my first cook, baby back ribs and beef ribs using pecan pellets. I smoked the ribs for 3 hours then rapped them in foil for three hours. I had a 20 degree swing a couple of times in the beginning. Then it settled out to a 10 degree swing most of the time with a little more at times and a little less at times. As far as the temperature swing, conventional ovens generally have a 30 degree swing in temps as the burner cycles off and on, some less some more. Now that's 30 degrees to high then 30 degrees to low from the set point. So this grill held the temperature very well. I smoked the ribs on the 225 degree setting and the temperature was in the high 40's to low 50's outside in the 6 hour smoke time. The ribs were very good and would pull away from the bone with little effort. They had a good smoke ring about 1/2 of the way through the rib meat. This is my first pellet grill and I have always used a conventional wood/charcoal smoker. You don't get the smoke on the pellet grill like on a conventional smoker. But the ribs did have a good smoke taste and I have been known to get to much smoke on my meat. So I am pleased with the 450A 2020 upgraded Z Grill. I'll cook a 5 pound prime rib roast on Christmas day, I think it will come out very good. My wife got me a great gift for Christmas. Update: Jan 30th: I have cooked a prime rib roast, baby back ribs and a brisket on the grill. All were in cold weather putting the meat on the grill at 30 degree F temps. All came out good and tasted good. Set the desired temp and let it go, very easy compared to a standard wood smoker. It does leave a smoke ring and the taste is very good. But it is not as good as cooking the old fashion way, but very good and convenient, simple. It's good enough and will probably get better as I learn to cook with it.

I originally purchased my Z-Grill 7002 in 2021. I had always used charcoal smokers or propane grills. Needless to say the charcoal grill is barely used unless I want to grill a steak and need a higher temperature. This smoker has handled more meat then a Kardashian. I fire my smoker up a few times a week at least. I have done everything from Turkeys for holidays, beer can chickens, racks and racks of ribs, It holds 4 pork butts pretty comfortably as well as you can see. I have never once been asked where is the smoke ring at because the meat comes out perfect, smokey, and moist every time. It has made me take smoking meats to a whole new level it got me interested in making videos to help others with recipes or helping them pick out the perfect smoker, which several times have been Z -Grills. Not only that but I can't keep the neighbors away because every weekend they smell the sweet smell of smoked swine for 16 hours at a time. I had to install a privacy fence just to keep them from coming over every time they saw me carrying in all this glorious meat inside to feed the family. Poor Robert had to have a restraining order placed on him because he kept jumping the fence in the middle of the night while sleeping thru the smoke. That's the wonderful thing about a pellet smoker, no all night babysitting and checking to make sure the temperature stays right. But with all that said, that's not even my favorite thing about this smoker..... The real reason I am writing this review is..... THE CUSTOMER SERVICE is top notch. At one point early on the fan went out on the smoker. I contacted customer support and they replaced it. Fast Forward to today May 25 2023 I had an issue with the motherboard losing power. I contacted them and spoke with the wonderful Kiesha at Z Grills and let her know my issue. She was so quick to help resolve the issue and got a new Hopper assembly to make sure that it wasn't a motherboard issue but just to replace the other electronics to be safe. I love that you can call their 1800 number and get a real customer support agent that is not only knowledge in the products they carry but also going above and beyond the two times I have had issues. To the team at Z Grill thanks for everything you do and making such great quality products at a fraction of the competitions price.

I received this grill a few days ago and Amazon assembled it in my garage free of charge which is a good thing, they sent two people to unpack and assemble, another good thing. But to my dismay one person did nothing while the other had to study the directions, not not a good thing. After several hours and a lot of head scratching he finished and the other worker sprung to life to put box and packing materials into the truck and then they left. I have been wanting a pellet grill for over a year now and heard good reviews about the Z grill on the web so that evening I decided to cook up some pork chops to get familiar with the grill. It doesn’t have a variable thermostat so it has some preset temperatures, 180,225,300,350, etc. Instructions said to start grill on smoke setting with the lid open until you see smoke and then close lid and turn knob to desired temperature so I set temperature to 350 and closed lid, the temp quickly exceeded 350 and when it got to 450 I opened lid to release heat and I turned it down to 225 and again temp surged to 450 and the same happened when turned down to 180 during this time there was no visible smoke. I then turned it to smoke setting thinking it would produce smoke while on that setting, it did produce smoke but only for a few minutes and again temp soared. We finished cooking chops on 350 with lid open but had no idea how long they cooked on any temperature, luckily they were good. I read manual many times, looked at trouble shooting videos online, talked to friends with pellet grills and tried everything but couldn’t get temp under control, sticker on grill said always start on the smoke setting and then close lid and select temp but I decided to try starting grill without starting on smoke, it did stop the run away temperature but the temperature settings were useless, 180 was 215, 225 varied from 220 to 297 When turned to high the temperature actually went down to below 200, today Saturday, I decided to try to resolve this and called customer service, to my surprise customer service is closed on weekends (the days most grilling takes place) just surprised they couldn’t find a call center in all of India to take calls on weekends. I plan to call help line Monday to troubleshoot and hopefully resolve this issue, I’m fixing to find out how helpful they want to be and how they honor their warranty. To be fair I don’t know if the assembly tech from Amazon put it together correctly, judging by the way he was constantly referring to the directions I’m led to believe this was his first time. Update After no reply from Z grills for a week I contacted Amazon product help line, they were not able to tell me what needed to be fixed on my grill or how to fix it but they were very helpful in getting it picked up and hauled away for a return. Shortly after getting the pick up scheduled I received a call from a woman who said she was returning my call and I asked who she was she replied she’s with Zgrill, I told here I have already scheduled a return and told her the problem, she said she could have sent me new wires (that I would have to install myself ) and that would remedy the problem. In the end I really wanted to keep the grill, it looked like it was well constructed and was the perfect size but customer service was poor at best and they were in no hurry to help and the woman I talked to seemed to care less about helping or even trying to get me to keep it. She said as long as I find a grill I like she would be happy.

Ok I will review from the very start. The unit is very heavy in its container but is very well packed. The unit is disassembled when you receive it and it will require you or someone you hire to put it together. If you can follow instructions you can put it together yourself. I used a battery powered nut driver and screw driver and a socket set to put the unit together. I read a lot of the reviews on the unit and some were great and others were doom and gloom. The parts are very well made and the instuctions are well written by someone who I figure had put one of these together. It took me about 3.5 hours to assemble the unit. I assembled it and decided to smoke test it. I purchased the recommended pellets and fired the unit up to burn off the residual left over oils from manufacturing of the unit. Some of the reviews stated that the unit leaked smoke but I did not find that to be the case. They provide gaskets to seal the areas that require that and they worked well. The feeder for the pellets worked great and the unit maintained accurate temperature reading with the control. I could not be happier with the smoker a great buy for the price and they also provided a waterproof cover for the unit. Everything provided worked as advertised and I believe it will last me a long while. I love to smoke meat and vegetables on the smoker and it does a great job as the taste is incredible. I see years of great cooking with the unit. So if you have been hesitant about buys the unit go for it you can’t go wrong.

I use this smoker religiously! I was an avid Traeger user, but found this product after an old Traeger pellet smoker went bad. I figured I'll try it out and return it through Amazon Prime if I wasn't satisfied. With this being sai Wow. This smoker retains heat perfectly and stays hot even when the weather is cold outside. I've used Traeger pellets and Pit Boss Pellets with great success. I've cooked baby back ribs for 5 hours, brisket for 15 hours, beer butt chicken for 4 hours, try tip 2 hours, and even smoked veggies and burgers. This grill is the same concept as all other pellet smokers. It's essentially an oven with circulating smoke. The quality is very durable and you can fell the heaviness of the lid and thickness of the side walls. The heat is retained very well and hot pot easily ignites pellets without a flame going dull. The hopper holds 20lbs of pellets and this ensures I'll never run out during a long smoke. I usually fill the hopper with 20lbs of pellets and fill the orange 'Homer buckets" from Home Depot with another 20lbs and purchase a lid to keep moisture out. I have 3 buckets now, each with different pellets labeled on bucket. There's a few differences if you're switching from a standard Traeger smoker. 1) There's no thermometer attached to the smoker - you'll never to purchase an external thermometer. My suggestion is purchasing a two-prong thermometer in case you're smoking two separates meats and need them cooked at different internal temperatures. 2) The design is more of a rectangle shape than round/oval shape. It's difficult to make a beer-butt chicken and stand the bird upright without coming close or touching the top of smoker. Not a huge issues, but know this going in. 3) There's no Wi-Fi capabilities of this unit. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of the Traeger Wi-Fi. Instead, the thermometer I purchased had a "dad pager" type attached via blue tooth and it would beep on the kitchen or attached to my belt when it reached internal temperature. I didn't need the Wi-Fi feature to constantly check the temperature. I don't mind going outside and gazing at my meat every few hours. 4) Traeger drip pan foil & Traeger grease bucket traps don't work on this unit. So I lined my grease pan with foil and stuffed foil in grease bucket. I'll buy Z-grill products in the future. 5) It comes with a black weather resistant cover. This is a big deal because I like keeping the smoker looking clean. Save's me $60 Traeger normally charges for their outdoor cover. Lastly, I believe in this product so much I ordered another one for a friend on his birthday and he absolutely loves it! We're both Z-grill fans and will continue being customers. I'd recommend getting nothing smaller than 700 Square Inch. I originally bought the 450 square inch size Z-grill and saw it was too much for my needs. The 700 is perfect and eventually I'll upgrade if I see the need for bigger.