Latest news with #pelletgrill
CNET
23-05-2025
- General
- CNET
Best Pellet Grill of 2025: I Smoked Briskets, Sizzled Burgers and Baked Pizzas to Find You a Winner
While most modern pellet grills have digital temperature readouts and do a pretty good job at maintaining temps, that isn't always the case. Chris Wedel/CNET To determine which pellet grills were best, I wanted to see how these products performed under a variety of cooking scenarios, so I conducted six separate tests with a variety of meats. Based on different meats, methods and heat settings, these tests showed how efficiently and evenly a grill does (or doesn't) cook. Enlarge Image Smoking pork ribs low and slow is a perfect test for pellet grills. Brian Bennett/CNET Test 1: Ribs Before testing the grills one by one, I wired each one with a sensitive thermocouple thermometer at grate level. This sensor was also attached to a laptop running data-logging software. Enlarge Image Nicely smoked ribs should be juicy, tender and deliciously smokey. Brian Bennett/CNET Then, I ignited the grill and set the temperature to 225 degrees F and started recording, and I removed the outer membrane on a rack of pork back ribs and seasoned the ribs with an all-purpose rub I use for ribs and chicken. Once the grill's thermometer reported that it hit the desired temp, I placed the ribs on the grates for at least three hours with the lid closed the entire time. After testing all the grills this way, I tasted the ribs for a quality check, as I did with each meat. Beer can chicken is a great way to add flavor and moisture to your chicken as it cooks over your pellet grill. Chris Wedel/CNET Test 2: Chicken To test a midrange cook time at medium heat settings, I grilled a whole chicken at 400 degrees F. After trimming and seasoning the bird, I inserted one temperature probe into each chicken breast, for a total of two probes per chicken. To keep results as fair as possible, all the chickens were as close as could be to 5.5 pounds. To mix it up, I also tested out beer can chicken to gauge cooking the fowl another way. Standing the chicken upright while cooking presented another level of precision for the grills. With the same methods used to track temperatures throughout the cook, the chickens turned out juicy and delicious over the smoky 350-degree heat. Test 3: Burgers I measured out 5.3 ounces of 80/20 ground beef and pressed it into uniform patties. Those patties then went into a grill basket, and I inserted a temperature probe into the center of each patty at a 45-degree angle. Enlarge Image Cooking burgers at high heat helped us see how a pellet grill sears meat. Brian Bennett/CNET With the grill preheated for 10 minutes at its highest temperature setting, the basket then went onto the grill. After six minutes of cooking, I flipped the basket and monitored the internal temperature. Once the last burger in the basket reached 145 degrees F, which is my personal preference for the doneness of burgers, the batch was finished. In this test, I was looking for the best outside char on the burgers. Burger testing helped point out any hot spots across the grill's cooking surface. Test 4: Pork chops Buying a whole pork loin and cutting your own chops is a great way to not only save money but also get even pork chops for cooking. Chris Wedel/CNET For the chops, I bought a whole pork loin and cut approximately 1-inch thick chops from it. Doing this is not only more economical, it also ensures the chops are equal in thickness, for a more even cook. After some seasoning, the center cut pork chops went onto the grills. Temperatures were monitored throughout the cook over a 350-degree grill using the same methods as with the hamburgers. The chops cooked evenly and relatively quickly, as there were no bones to contend with. Test 5: Boston pork butt A Boston pork butt is ideal for pellet grills, as it absorbs plenty of smoke and yields delicious, pull-apart meat. Chris Wedel/CNET For a longer cook test, I used approximately 6 pounds of Boston pork butts, or pork shoulder, with a mixture of a sweet and savory dry rub with yellow and Dijon mustard as binders. With the pellet grills set to 225 degrees F, each piece of meat got two meat probes to monitor temps. After cooking to 165 degrees F internally, I wrapped the meat in butcher's paper and put it back into the grill until it reached 195 degrees F. Then it was time to let the meat rest for an hour or so. Once that was done, I placed the meat into a tray and shredded it by pulling it apart. I used this test to determine which grills produced the most juicy, smoky and tender pork for sandwiches, mac and cheese and other dishes. Test 6: Brisket Beef brisket can be tricky to cook because it requires a long time at low temperatures to properly break down the fat and meat fibers. Chris Wedel/CNET The final test was an even longer cook, with beef brisket over a 13-hour period. The meat got trimmed and received a treatment of coarse kosher salt, yellow mustard and a smoky beef rub. Then I stuck in three meat probes to keep track of the temps across the large piece of meat. After that, I put the brisket in the middle of the grill at 225 degrees. After about six hours and an internal temp of 165 degrees, I wrapped the brisket in butcher paper and placed it back into the grill. Once it hit 195 degrees, I wrapped aluminum foil around it to help maintain moisture and finished the cook at 225 degrees. The grills produced juicy meat, with a beautiful smoke ring, that sliced up nicely. Being able to maintain even, consistent heat for something like brisket, which requires a long time to cook, is vital for properly breaking down the fat and protein fibers for delicious food.
CNET
19-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
Amazon Deals of the Day: Apple's Newest iPad Pro is Back to a Record Low Price
Amazon sells a gazillion products, with new ones arriving daily. The retail giant carries everything from home essentials to tech gear to wellness items. And almost as much as it loves adding new products, Amazon loves cutting prices. Deciding which deals are worth grabbing (and which aren't) is a full-time job -- our job, specifically. That's why we scope out the top deals. Today, we spotted the latest and greatest Apple A17 Pro iPad mini back down to it's record low price. We also found the Philis Hue indoor smart light strip dropped down to a new record low saving you almost 40% off. And finally our favorite pellet grill of the year is $100 off, the lowest price we've seen it all year. This iPad Mini may be tiny but it sure is mighty. It's actually our favorite travel iPad. A lot of this is because of its speedy A17 Pro chip. This chip also features Apple Intelligence. It has 128GB of storage and a beautiful Liquid Retina display. It also has fast Wi-Fi 6E connectivity along with a 12-megapixel ultrawide front camera. The camera even has features like Center Stage for your video calls and a 12MP wide back camera. The iPad comes in four colors so you can chose which one you like the best. It also makes for a great tablet for you kids. In Scott Stein review of this new iPad mini he claims "In the meantime, anyone hoping for a not-too-expensive iPad for kids might consider the Mini for its relative updates and slightly lower cost than the Airs… but it's still not super-affordable enough to replace the basic iPad." But now the iPad just got a $100 price cut on Amazon, bringing the price down to $399, a record low. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. If you're looking to add some spice into a part of your home, a great way to do so is by adding some smart lighting. Philips' Hue has smart bulbs and lighting line that are some of our favorites smart lights on the market, especially this indoor LED light strip. With this lighting, you can set the color and timing of your lights however you like to help curate the right ambiance for any occasion. This light strip is 16 feet long, giving you plenty of coverage in the room of your choice. It's also compatible with Alexa, Google and Apple so you can enjoy a hands free experience and integrate the lights into your other smart home devices. Normally retailing for $90, you can grab it today for just $55, almost a 40% savings and a new low price. Memorial Day is just around the corner, which marks the unofficial start to summer. Many of us, including myself, are planning on having barbecues and outdoor gatherings during the holiday weekend. If you're planning to do so, you'll want to make sure you're grill is still in good condition from last summer. If not, we love pellet grills. Specifically the Traeger Ironwood XL pellet grill. A pellet grill is a great option if you're looking to upgrade your grilling setup as it lets you bring in the rich flavor of the charcoal while still being operated by the convenience of gas. We specifically love the Traeger Ironwood XL pellet grill as it has a mobile app for wireless adjustments, it produces even smoke by the lid seal and it has a light on the lid and pellet hopper. The grill burns through the pellets pretty slowly so you can get a lot of use out of it. Normally running for $1,900 you can grab one for $1,800 right now, saving you $100 and dropping it down to the lowest price of the year. With so many deals on Amazon, deciding which ones are worth your money can be difficult. But CNET combs through what the world's largest online retailer has to offer and gathers the best deals for you.
