Bullseye update 2.5 months in

[tlg4942]

  I've been using the Bullseye for a couple of months now. This is a great grill for everyday use! It truly has become my daily cooker over all others.  It heats up quickly and cooks fast for the most part and it does a great job with the smoke flavor even cooking at faster speeds. To slow it down a bit I add a pizza stone to the heat shield. It still cooks a little fast but avoids premature browning and allows a little better smoke ring to develop.
  I have used Cabelas, Pitboss, Kingsford, and Bear Mountian pellets so far.  Kingsford has been the best and Bear Mountain the least impressive.  My next run will be with B&B and Jealous Devil since they are readily available close by.
   Now, I'm not as tidy as a lot of you when it comes to cleaning everything. I do keep things wiped down ( grates, edge surfaces, etc.. )  but historically I don't do big cleaning on my grills a lot.  I have a mini shop vac that I have been keeping the ash sucked out pretty much every other cook.  What I found this weekend is that this grill will require a bit more detail... This could be partly because of what I have cooked in it.  Pork roast and beef chucks both of which give off more grease than the burgers, fish, and sausage tend to.   
  Sunday I had smoke coming back through my pellet box which was concerning. I first blamed it on the new pellets but then I saw a comment on FB that said clean the vents. This was indeed the issue. They were completely blocked with grease and dust which apparently was causing a backflow of air.  They were easy to clean with a nylon brush and a screwdriver in a couple of places.
 Tonight I will give it a full run to see that all is well now.
 Having the small vac makes cleaning the dust out easy and now that I know... the vents should be pretty easy to keep clear.
   I think there is room for improvement but I would buy it again without hesitation.  I may try a couple of TMB style mods to see if I can improve the vent situation as time goes on and I want to give my kettle rotisserie a try on it. With the consistency of the beef roast so far if it makes rotisserie chicken as good as a kettle that's going to move it even higher up in points.... 
     
   
   

[zueth]

Thanks for the review, I have only had mine for about 1 month and love it.
I would like to hear more about the pizza stone.
What grill grate did you go with? I went with a stainless one from BP.
Good tip on the vents.
I have only burned CookingPellets Perfect Mix in mine so far.

[ClimberDave]

Sounds like a great  grill!!

 Trying to  justify  getting one to replace my Weber  Kettle,  but it does so well for me.

[tlg4942]

Both my kettles have been very lonely since the Bullseye showed up....

[TMB]

Thanks Terry!  I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on another grill 

Although Kimmie is not happy about that  but I think I got her ready for a new grill soon.

Now the main problem do I go with the Bullseye or the MB 1050 charcoal?? 

[tlg4942]

Thanks Terry!  I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on another grill 

Although Kimmie is not happy about that  but I think I got her ready for a new grill soon.

Now the main problem do I go with the Bullseye or the MB 1050 charcoal?? 

I think I would follow Jack's lead if you go with the gravity feed and go with the Char-Griller... I have never had good luck with MB. They always fell apart(rusted out) within a year or two.

[smokeasaurus]

Go with the CharGriller Tommy

My brother had one of their charcoal barrels that lasted him 6 years and he was notorious for not removing the ashes out on a regular basis....and he still got 6 years out of it.

I kicked the tires on a Masterbuilt over at Wal-Mart

They are cheaply made.

The Chargriller charcoal silo is porcelan lined and the barrel is insulated.

That is the one I am gonna grab down the line...............

[hd002]

I found the little black grill grate brush you use to be able to find anywhere was a perfect fit for the vents , the 2 inch metal grate scraper attached to the end of the brush worked like a champ.

I tried the Pellets you mentioned and had the same results, I will probably stick with Lumberjack , Kingsford and the Traeger Signature .  The Walmarts near me only have a few bags of Pit Boss these days and plenty of the Expert Grill pellets at $6.88 a bag . They smell slightly different, good for burnoffs and whatever.

And yes it does cook fast !  Ribs come out good with no wrap and I was able to wrap a 13lb brisket after about 6 hrs at 225.

  for the Bullseye

[smokeasaurus]

The Bullseye sounds like a fun grill to use

[zueth]

I found the little black grill grate brush you use to be able to find anywhere was a perfect fit for the vents , the 2 inch metal grate scraper attached to the end of the brush worked like a champ.

I tried the Pellets you mentioned and had the same results, I will probably stick with Lumberjack , Kingsford and the Traeger Signature .  The Walmarts near me only have a few bags of Pit Boss these days and plenty of the Expert Grill pellets at $6.88 a bag . They smell slightly different, good for burnoffs and whatever.

And yes it does cook fast !  Ribs come out good with no wrap and I was able to wrap a 13lb brisket after about 6 hrs at 225.

  for the Bullseye

You have a link to that brush?

[hd002]

Sorry I guess my post was misleading , I should have said , I found it at my house .  I havent seen them around lately in stores but its basically a smaller version of one of these . I think mine is a 9 inch all plastic with that scraper at the end.
You probably already have one 


There does seem to be some other options if your scroll down on this page.


https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CCB-100-Triple-Bristle-Cleaning/dp/B00B58A3O4/ref=pd_di_sccai_2/141-9977338-9522927?pd_rd_w=Obyz3&pf_rd_p=c9443270-b914-4430-a90b-72e3e7e784e0&pf_rd_r=BP2SG5EG8QGBNFHA9WEA&pd_rd_r=ef977c38-bc26-456f-8b7d-f41464de5d11&pd_rd_wg=R9LAK&pd_rd_i=B00B58A3O4&psc=1

[zueth]

Can you let me know what pizza stone you use ? I could see where that could be a good add on for cooking slower.


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[pmillen]

You can probably deduce from my signature line that Marcia and I have always preferred to grill over charcoal.  Yet, the start-up and clean-up times are annoying, especially when we have guests.

I've always hoped for a grill that simulates the charcoal flavor (if there is such a thing—maybe it's wood-fired flavor) without the inherent mess and delays.  We also have the impression that we need to see the fire and cook directly over it.  If not, then we're just cooking in an oven.

I bought the first generation Bullseye but sold it when we couldn't detect the "wood fired flavor" that recteq advertised.  It didn't seem much different from cooking on our gasser.

So, do any of you detect any flavor added by the pellet fire?

[tlg4942]

You can probably deduce from my signature line that Marcia and I have always preferred to grill over charcoal.  Yet, the start-up and clean-up times are annoying, especially when we have guests.

I've always hoped for a grill that simulates the charcoal flavor (if there is such a thing—maybe it's wood-fired flavor) without the inherent mess and delays.  We also have the impression that we need to see the fire and cook directly over it.  If not, then we're just cooking in an oven.

I bought the first generation Bullseye but sold it when we couldn't detect the "wood fired flavor" that recteq advertised.  It didn't seem much different from cooking on our gasser.

So, do any of you detect any flavor added by the pellet fire?

I do and Kerry does as well.  It's more delicate than wood or charcoal for sure but it is there. And the pellets you use make a difference.  Red meat is less noticeable although I get a good Smoke ring. But we really like the lite smoke on Salmon and chicken. 
 

[pmillen]

I do and Kerry does as well.  It's more delicate than wood or charcoal for sure but it is there. And the pellets you use make a difference.  Red meat is less noticeable although I get a good Smoke ring. But we really like the lite smoke on Salmon and chicken.

This is the case when you're grilling at high temperature, as opposed to smoking?