Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Review

Pellet grills and smokers are the newest innovations in the grilling industry. If you’re looking for the convenience that electric grills or propane gas grills offer and the flavor that charcoal grills produce, this is the grill for you.

The concept behind pellet grills is quite simple. They mainly use electricity, so it’s easier to control temperatures, but with the help of the pellets, they’re able to give a smoky flavor to your meat.

And when it comes to the top manufacturers of pellet grills, Camp Chef won’t come last.

Camp Chef has always been known to produce high-quality grills for 30 years. And now, they have recently placed pellet grills and smokers on the market. Apart from the guaranteed excellent quality, Camp Chef also ensures reasonable prices.

In this article, we’re going to dive deeper into one of their best products on the market, the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill.

What’s Included?

1. Large Hopper Capacity

The Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill has a large hopper capacity of up to 18 lbs of pellets. This is usually the standard maximum capacity for most pellet grills.

Depending on the temperature you’ve set, you can already cook for the whole day without having to refill. Perfect for long barbecue weekends and overnight smoking.

2. Large Grilling Space

The Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill comes with a total of 570 square inches of cooking space. This is enough space so you can cook for a large number of people.

The grill comes with two racks – a bottom rack that measures about 429 square inches wide and an upper rack of 141 square inches. This gives you more versatility in your cooking as you can work with two temperatures when grilling.

You can place the meat on the cooking grate for direct cooking, while you can place vegetables on the warming rack for indirect cooking.

3. Wide Temperature Range

This grill has a wide temperature range of 160 °F – 500 °F, which gives you more versatility, too. You can do love and slow cooking to searing meats here.

4. PID Controller with Dual LED Temperature readouts

Unlike other pellet grills where you set the temperature you want, the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX comes with a dial that has increments of 25 °F.

This might sound disappointing, but this is actually really nice. This PID controller allows you to set temperatures easily and consistently. If you notice any changes, you can easily dial the temperature up or down without making a big difference.

The grill also comes with dual LED temperature readouts, so you can easily monitor the temperature inside the grill and the meat’s internal temperature.

5. Smart Smoke Technology

As the name implies, the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX allows you to control smoke with its smart smoke technology easily.

In the controller, you’ll find a Hi Smoke and Lo Smoke settings. The Lo Smoke setting reaches around 175 °F while the Hi Smoke setting reaches about 210 °F. So, what makes the smoke control settings different from when you use the dial?

If you use the smoke settings, the auger settings automatically change. Instead of burning pellets, it proceeds to smolder them, thus creating more smoke. It’s perfect for when you’re smoking meat and not grilling.

6. Temperature Probes

The Camp Chef Smoke Pro DLX also comes with two meat probes, so you don’t have to open up the lid to see how your meat is cooking. With the grill’s built-in thermometer, you can now easily monitor the meat’s internal temperature.

There’s also a thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the grill too. This way, you can monitor both the temperature of the meat and the grill.

7. Smokestack with Cap

Smokers all have a chimney or an exhaust vent to minimize creosote buildup and to ensure proper airflow. What makes the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX different, however, is that it comes with a cap. This way, even if it rains or snow, no elements will enter your chimney that may damage the smoker.

8. Ash Clean-out, Pellet Purge, and Grease Management

One of the most significant disadvantages of pellet grills is that they’re hard to clean. You have to worry about ash, pellets, and grease. Fortunately, the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX makes this part easier for you with its ash cleanout, pellet purge, and grease management system.

The ash cleanout system is very easy to operate. You just need to pull a lever that will automatically allow the ashes to fall from the firebox. This eliminates any trouble from you on your part.

The pellet purge system functions the same, too. With a simple pull of a knob, the remaining pellets can easily fall without you needing to take them out of the hopper manually. It makes switching between pellets easier.

The grill then comes with a drip pan that catches any grease and oils. To clean it out, you just have to remove it, and you’re done!

9. Automatic Auger

The grill also features an automatic auger, which feeds itself depending on the temperature or smoke level you’ve set. This way, you don’t have to worry about feeding too much on your grill when you only need a little. It also helps you save on your pellets.

10. Side Shelf

Another good feature that the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX has is its side shelf. This is very convenient whenever you’re smoking or grilling. With a side shelf, you can keep any tools and condiments within your reach.

11. Sear Box Compatible

Lastly, if you’re not content with the grill’s temperature range, you’ll be glad to know that it’s compatible with a Camp Chef’s Sear Box. This will help you reach higher temperatures and give your meat the perfect sears you’re looking for.

First Impressions

When choosing a good grill, it’s essential to weigh the advantages (pros) and disadvantages (cons). Below, we enumerate the things we liked and didn’t like with the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX:

What We Liked

• Well-built and good-quality grill: The Camp Chef SmokePro DLX is made of high-quality stainless steel construction, finished with a powder coating. The grates are porcelain-coated, and most of its parts are made of steel. By just simply looking at the grill afar, you can immediately see that this is a grill that can last with you for years.
• Large cooking area: With a 570 square inches cooking area, you can easily serve a large party of people during your barbecue cookouts. And because the grill comes with two racks, there’s more versatility with your cooking, and you can cook different meals at various heat settings.
• Efficient: The Camp Chef SmokePro DLX features an automatic auger, which allows the grill to feed itself. Depending on the temperature or smoke level you’ve set, the auger speed automatically adjusts so that it will only consume what it needs.
• Precise heat management: The grill comes with a wide temperature range of 160 °F to 500 °F. Thanks to the PID dial temperature controller, setting the temperature on your desired range is more accurate.The dial is set to have intervals of 20 °F. This will allow very mild temperature swings.

  Aside from the PID controller, the grill also comes with a meat probe and a built-in thermometer. This way, you can simultaneously monitor the temperature of the meat and the temperature of the grill.

• Easy to clean: The Camp Chef SmokePro DLX comes with three features that make cleaning easier: ash cleanout system, pellet purge system, and grease management.With a simple pull of a lever, ash or pellets can easily fall out from your pellet grill. No need for a vacuum or scoop to manually remove them from the grill. There is also a drip pan that catches grease and oil from your meat as you cook.

  To clean that up, you simply need to remove the drip pan, throw away the grease, wash it, and put it back.

• Versatile smoke levels: Unlike other pellet grills, the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX comes with Hi Smoke and Lo Smoke settings, which is very beneficial for when you’re smoking meat.The Hi Smoke setting sets the temperature to 210 °F while the Lo Smoke setting sets the temperature to 175 °F. However, if you’re going to use these settings, take note that the auger will automatically switch to smolder your pellets instead of burning them. Thus, creating more smoke.

   

• Portable: This grill is very compact, making it perfect for small spaces. It then comes with two wheels so that if you find the need to transfer it to a different area, it’s easier for you to do so.

What We Didn’t Like

• Temperature can quickly fluctuate in cold weather: One disadvantage the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX has is that it is better designed to work in sunny weather.

  Once the outside temperature drops (if it rains or becomes windy), the grill is having a hard time increasing its temperature. Many users thought that this might be because of the lightweight construction used.

• Sear box is bought separately: Although the grill can reach a temperature of 500 °F, that’s not enough to sear meat. If you want those beautiful grill marks on your meat, you’d have to buy a sear box separately, which means more money to spend.

Warranty Details

Camp Chef offers a 3-year no-hassle warranty on all parts of the grill. This includes replacing defective parts and repairing any issues you have with the product’s workmanship.

There’s no coverage, however, offered for paint. At the same time, if you have misused, neglected, created modifications, or damaged the product, no warranty will be provided to you.

Ease of Use

Pellet grills have always been designed to offer convenience, and the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX is no exception.

If you review its features, you’ll recognize that it’s well-thought-out. With its PID controller and smoke control system, temperature management is easier. You also don’t need to undergo all the hassle of having to turn on or turn off a grill, thanks to its push-start button and an automatic shutdown feature.

The hopper capacity is large, which also means that you don’t have to refill pellets frequently. And with its automatic auger system, you get to save from pellet usage, too.

Cleaning and Maintenance

We are all aware of how cleaning a grill or smoker can always be a pain. That’s why it’s something that most people don’t like to deal with anymore after a barbecue session.

Fortunately, cleaning and maintenance have never been so easy with the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX. Thanks to its ash cleanout system, drip pan, and pellet purge system.

Our Verdict

The Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill is a very versatile and great quality grill at a very reasonable price.

Considering the many innovative features it has, this grill definitely belongs to the top. We absolutely love how it makes temperature management very easy. Cooking perfectly grilled meat has never been easier.

It’s just unfortunate that the grill would only function best during sunny weather. But, we all do cookouts when it’s summer so that won’t be a big problem.

But overall, the SmokePro DLX is surely a great buy. Because it made cleaning and maintenance easy, this grill can definitely last for years. And with its 3-year warranty, it’s worth the investment.