General > Product Reviews
Stoven Review - Convert Kettle to Pellet Grill
TentHunteR:
I've gotten several questions about my Stoven Pellet Grill, so I thought it'd be easier to answer all the basic questions here in a more detailed review of the Specs, Pros/Cons & personal observations.
Disclaimer: This is a review ONLY. I am in no way affiliated with American Sundancer. the manufacturer of the Stoven.
For more info on how to purchase one visit: American Sundancer - Stoven® Barbecues Home Page
Thanks!
Cliff
What is it? The Stoven® is an attachment that converts a 22.5" kettle grill into a true pellet-fired smoker/cooker.
Reference pics:
Stoven Attached to my Weber Performer
Hopper Assembly / Pellet & Air shoots, Fire Pot
Diffuser Plate / Controls
Pellets being lit
Grill - Cooking Surface
Specs/Features:
• Materials/Finish: Heavy gauge steel with high temp powder coat.
• Pellet Hopper Capacity: 3.5 pounds.
• Temp range: 185° - 450° F
• Cooking Surface Area: 380 Sq. Inches (Weber cooking grid specs).
• Power Hookups: includes two power adapters: a 110-120 volt adapter & a 12 volt cigarette lighter adapter (for tailgating). Optional 12 volt battery attachment is available.
• Pellet Ignition: pellets are lit manually (I use a small propane torch rather than lighter fluid).
• Fan: Single speed fan controlled by a power switch.
• Pellet Feed system/control: pellets are fed by an auger controlled by a variable rheostat setting from 1 to 9 to adjust the pellet feed rate & pit temp.
• Removable Fire Pot for easy cleaning.
• Optional side shelf & Leg stabilizer included for three legged kettle grills.
• Warranty: 30 days.
Pros/Cons/Observations:
I've smoked/cooked all types of foods on this thing with some great results. Overall, it's a nice cross between old-school and new school. Old-school in that you it doesn't maintain a set temp; You do have to do some grill tending. New School in that it's a lot easier adding pellets than charcoal and you don't have the charcoal or ashes to deal with after cooking. It's also much easier controlling the temp.
• Made in the USA! The only part made oversees is the fan assembly.
• Very Portable. Disassembly is quick from the kettle grill and it fit's easily in the back of my vehicle.
• Pellet consumption seems to be efficient: 1 lb or less/hour for Smoking/BBQ temps - 1.5 - 2+ lbs/hour for Grilling temps.
• Small Hopper size: Longer cooks will require refilling the hopper about every 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours, depending on cooking temp. Not geared towards unattended overnight cooks.
• Quick Cool-Down - Turn the dial off (to stop pellet feed), leave the fan on and it's cool and ready to go before you're done eating!
• Cleaning/Maintainence: Fairly standard. Remove & clean the grate, diffuser plate & fire pot, clean grease & ash from kettle, put back together. As with any grill the Powder coat may need occasional touch-up from bumps/scratches and the mild steel parts need to be kept seasoned.
• Customer Service - So far, my experience with customer service has been outstanding!
Recommendations/Accessories:
• If you don't already have a kettle grill, then stick with either a Weber One-Touch Silver, or a Weber Performer. The One-Touch Gold works fine, but has extra features that are not used with the Stoven and the One-Touch Platinum is not suitable due to it's lid design.
• For better portability get a 12 volt Lawn & Garden Tractor Battery & Adapter kit (see post below) .
• A good Analog or Digital Thermometer should be added to accurately monitor pit and food temps.
• GrillGrates - If you like better sear marks - http://www.grillgrate.com/
• Hasty Bake Small Grill Extender - inexpensively add a second tier cooking rack in the center for more cooking room. Hasty Bake Small Grill Extender - Big Poppa Smokers
More Info:
American Sundancer - Stoven® Barbecues Home Page
BBQ Central Radio Show - Stoven Interview - Youtube
If you have other questions or if there's something I forgot, let me know.
Thanks!
TentHunteR:
Adapting the Stoven to a 12 volt Battery.
The Stoven comes with a 12 volt Cigarette Lighter Adapter so you can plug it into an auto cigarette lighter for tailgating. This makes it easy to adapt to a 12 volt battery.
This simple mod makes the Stoven/Weber combo even more portable. The battery is lightweight enough to be easily taken wherever you want to go, and it will power the Stoven for many hours between charges. Long 12+ hour cooks are no problem.
What you will need:
All of these parts can be obtained at your local auto parts store.
* 12 volt Lawn & Garden Tractor Battery - $30 or less. The exact size & model aren't important; it just needs to be 12 volts. Inexpensive is fine.
* 12 volt Clip-on Cigarette Lighter Adapter - $10 or less
* 2 - Battery Bolts with matching nuts - $3
* 2 - 12-10 Guage Ring Terminals (Holes need to fit the bolts) - $6
Last but certainly not least:
* 12 volt Battery Charger
WARNING: ...and praise for excellent customer service.
At this point you may be wondering, "Why not just use the clip-on terminals and clip it onto the battery?"
Trust me, DON'T DO IT! It's way too easy to accidentally hook them up backwards, reverse polarity & damage the Stoven's circuit board. ::)
To Stoven's credit, when this happened to us, I was able to remove the circuit board and send it back, which they repaired at their cost!
It costs less than $10 to replace the clip-on terminals with the ring terminals. When you do this be careful to note which wire is positive and which is negative so they are attached to the battery properly.
Now we just connect the Cigarette Adapter plugs together and we're good to go. No chance of hooking it up backwards! :)
Any questions, just ask away!
TentHunteR:
Reserved for Future Updates.
teesquare:
THis will be made into a sticky - so you and others can find it easily. It will be at the top of this section of threads
T
TentHunteR:
Thanks T! :)
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