About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the grill, which I purchased with my own money in September of 2018.

My take

The Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill is a solid, entry-level pellet smoker that maintains the temperature well without being “babysat.” In addition, the ash clean-out makes tidying up a breeze.

About the grill I own

• Model: 2018 DLX Pellet Grill
• BTUs: N/A
• Fuel Type: Pellets
• Square Inches of Grilling Space: 570 in2
• External Accessories: Sear Box

About me

• Experience: 10 years of grilling and smoking competitions

Test conditions

• When I bought it: September 2018
• Days tested: Over 1,000
• What I’ve used it for: Backyard barbecues, dinners
• Seasons I’ve used it in: All seasons
• Weather conditions I’ve used it in: Louisiana and Texas, hot, humid, dry, and 30℉ and snow.
• What I’ve primarily cooked on it: Boston butts, ribs, wings, turkey breast, briskets, beef ribs, whole chicken, burgers, hotdogs, sausage, corn.

How it performs

What I was looking for

I had moved homes, and we chose to leave our grill behind. I wanted something easier to manage for my next grill than a charcoal/wood-burning smoker.

Why I chose this grill

I was looking for a grill that mainly focused on smoking, but it also needed to be easy to manage. I started looking at pellet grills like Traeger, Pit Boss, Green Mountain Grills, and some others. I chose the Camp Chef DLX because the price was right, and I liked the idea of cleaning the grill with the ash cleanout system as opposed to vacuuming it out.

What I love about it

• Time to preheat: It takes about 15 minutes to reach temperature and about 25 minutes if one empties all the pellets after the previous use. While this isn’t the fastest start time, it is very reasonable. The best way to do it is to start it and then go and prepare the food. Usually, it is ready by the time I am.
• Stability: The grill can stand on its own. It won’t be knocked over easily, as it weighs 140lbs.
• Ease of use: The grill is pretty simple to use: turn it on and turn the knob to the temperature one wants. If one is running low on pellets, just open the hopper and pour in some more.
• Fuel type: Pellets are great for adding flavor and ease of use. It doesn’t create a ton of ash like wood or charcoal, and my meals don't taste of chemicals like in a gas grill.
• Features: One of the best features of this grill is the ash-cleanout cup. It makes cleaning up the grill super easy.
• Size: The footprint on this grill is small, but the cooking area is great for one large cut of meat like brisket or 3-4 smaller ones, like whole chickens or Boston butts.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Durability: My grill is still performing after almost six years of use with minimal maintenance. All I do is just clean it after use. The only issue that I had was the meat probe stopped working. I could have easily ordered a new one, but I chose a Bluetooth one instead.
• Heat control: Overall, the heat control is great, but it does struggle in cold, windy weather. It is a timed controller, so it checks the temp every few minutes rather than continuously. Unfortunately, this can cause it to run hotter than the temp as it tries to maintain the temperature. But since the grill manages the heat well, all one must do is set the desired temperature. The controller on this grill is timed, so it checks the temperature at even intervals. This can cause the grill to have some temperature swings but not more than about 10-15°.
• Portability: It could be moved for tailgating or camping trips, but I would not recommend it for that. It has two wheels to move around one’s space easily, but moving to another site entirely would be more challenging.
• Conversion: Unfortunately, this grill cannot be made into a built-in unit.
• Versatility: As mentioned, the grill struggles in colder weather with maintaining temperature if I have to open the lid. This can lead to running hot and drying out my food. However, this can work great for burgers, as the hotter temperature sears well. The top temperature of the grill is 500℉, which can sear burgers and steaks, but not as easily as other options.

Favorite moment with this grill

The rotisserie chicken from Sam’s Club helps me make several things in the kitchen. But one day, Sam’s was out. So I bought two chickens and smoked them on the DLX. I had never smoked a whole chicken before, and they turned out great. It gave me more confidence in trying new things to smoke.

Value for the money vs. other options

For the price, the Camp Chef DLX is one of the best-performing pellet grills on the market in my opinion. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some of the more expensive options, but it can cook just about anything I put on it. The ease of cleanup is a massive win for it too, as most others in this price range require the owner to vacuum them out after use.

Other grills in this price range sacrifice quality or size. Brands like Traeger and Green Mountain Grill don’t make comparable options, as even their lower-priced options are substantially more expensive. Additionally, neither brand has the ash cleanout that elevates the DLX. Pit Boss has a grill at the same price point and has features the DLX doesn’t, but its size is less than half of the DLX’s.

Final verdict

The Camp Chef DLX is the best bang-for-the-buck starter pellet smoker out there. It has plenty of space for any cut of meat and is super easy to maintain.