Camp Chef Pellet Grill Accessory SmokePro BBQ Propane Sear Box

A good friend for over 40 years was a Traeger rep for a long time, so me going with another brand was unexpected. But, a combination of things sold me on Camp Chef. I'd put the sear box way high over wifi. I'll outline some of these when I review the pellet grill.The one thing that's always been lacking on the pellet grills is the actual ability to grill (some brands address this more or less successfully). That's the big reason I always considered pellet grills secondary, or if you've got the room and $, a nice addition to your outdoor kitchen. Post divorce and no backyard, but just a small townhouse deck, I had a choice of 1 (one) item to add to the cramped quarters. I couldn't be happier.Being a professional cheapskate, I kept the Camp Chef as it was for a few weeks to get used to cooking with it. I wanted to judge how necessary the sear box really was, even though that was the main reason I purchased a Camp Chef. Ribs? No problem. Tri-tip? Easy peasy, no need for the sear box (But MUCH better with a quick sear). However after a few shots at burgers, steak and salmon I knew it was necessary, I went ahead and bit the bullet.The unit is easily attached, and it took me about 15 minutes from removing the side shelf to getting placed. Easy enough for one person to do, as it’s pretty much an empty unit on installation. The instructions are microscopic and not very clear, the one issue I had was properly placing the "flavor grate" but even that was a quick trial and error. There's a leveling screw that allows you to adjust the angle the cooker has against the grill, so it's evenly spaced, and the lid doesn't hit the grill. In my case, everything fit perfectly, and I didn't need to adjust at all. I saw one reviewer that needed to shim his, this screw in theory should make that unnecessary, and if you need to shim, I'd assume something else is way out of alignment.It gets hot, but not infrared hot, and does take a little while to reach temperature. Because of the iron grill, it will also take a little time to cool down - so some trial and error will also be involved with finding the right temperature for a given item. It's a little larger than I imagined (even seeing the measurements), with a cooking area of 11" x 13.5" you'll be able to fit 6-8 burgers on no problem. Sorry, but burgers on the pellet grill by itself are basically the same as baked or broiled. Same with a nice piece of fish.Where this really shines is reverse searing. I cooked some of the best filet mignon I've had on this thing. I put them on high smoke (220) for about 20-25 minutes, until they just start to spring back a bit. Then, throw on the grill for a crunchy sear. Perfect, evenly rare, but not raw all the way through. Juicy, with just the right amount of wood flavor. Basically, you can throw anything in the pellet grill on low smoke and cook it until it’s not quite raw, then drop on the sear box. It’s fantastic.The one tip I'd give in starting it is to not just turn to start, rather rotate to almost setting the ignition, waiting a few seconds for the gas sound, and then igniting. If you turn directly to ignite (as per instructions) the gas hasn't had enough time to get to the igniter. I went from 30% success rate to 100% success rate quickly! Like I said, a bit of trial and error.Pros:- easy to attach- easy to use- large enough for several burgers, or rotate reverse-sear steaks for a party of 6-8- decent looking- hot!Cons- stainless steel color/finish a bit different than lid of grill (my OCD)- cast iron grate could use seasoning- Top of sear box lid is curved, so that side-shelf space is gone forever- Needs to be covered in rain - collects water in grease trapThat's about it. It's a little pricey (basically the price of a stand-alone Home Depot propane grill). But it makes the Camp Chef pellet grill a single-unit BBQ force to be reckoned with. My only complaints are there's really no place to put the propane tank, it makes the footprint larger hanging from the hook on the back - and looks kind of tacky. A cabinet under the grill would be ideal (I'll address this in my Camp Chef DXL grill review). I'll probably buy a tank box to hide it or convert a similar table setup. Also, losing the side table is a shame. I suppose if they gave it a flat top it would look too box like and people would complain.4.5 stars - so rounded to 5.***Update 8/19***After having this for a few months and getting a LOT of use, I thought I'd update. The iron grill does its job, and only occasionally needs a good scrubbing in the sink to remove what doesn't cook off. It seems any "grease" almost vaporizes by the time it gets to the grease tray, so I'd imagine you'd have to do a few rounds of burgers to need to worry about this.The only issue I've had is removing the flavor grate for a complete cleaning. I'm not sure if it has expanded from being heated so much or what - but I've not been able to find a satisfactory way to remove it. This is a bit of a drag, and on my next cleaning I'll give it another go. I might need to knock a star off if I can't do it without bending/damaging. 1/16" is about all I need, so it could be tolerances vary.Regardless, this is something that should probably be addressed, the solution should be relatively simple. Or, mine was just a bit too large at the onset (thin perforated sheet metal grill with edges bent into a lip).

This add on for the Camp Chef series of pellet grills is a must have if you want to put a good sear on your smoked protein. It was very easy to install with only the control knob to attach and the grates and plates to install. There is a bit of a learning curve involved when it comes to lighting it. After reading another review, I was aware that lighting the box took a little practice. You need to turn the control knob slightly to be able to hear the propane flowing into the burner then turn it the rest of the way to "high" which engages the spark igniter. If you do this it will light easily. Otherwise you'll get a little frustrated turning the knob several times to get it to ignite. There's a hole on the front to enable the use of a match but if you wait and listen for the gas, the match won't be necessary.This sear box gets HOT! It did a great job on chicken quarters and required only 45 seconds per side to get the desired grill marks. It also works great for doing 6 to 8 burgers, some hotdogs or brats if you want something grilled quickly and don't want to fire up the pellet grill. I'm really looking forward to reverse searing some steaks and pork chops.Being a long time propane grill user, this combination takes your outdoor cooking to the next level. I'm very pleased with the Camp Chef Smoke Pro grill and the sear box gives me everything I need to cook what ever I want.

This thing is awesome. So far, I have used it for burgers to get the char and flavor of a fine burger joint. Still learning not to overcook my burger at such high temperatures, but I'm happy to keep trying.I have also used it to sear slices from a roast I smoked on the pellet grill.Super impressed with both.It seems sturdy and well-constructed, but I've had it only a week, so can't comment on durability, aside from expecting it to last a long time.Room for improvement: include spacers to use if you have the thermal blanket. I used some washers and the original screws, but will get longer screws when I get to the hardware store.And a flat, cast iron skillet would be awesome accessory, though would probably be too heavy with long screws and spacers holding the sear box on.Assembly is simple, despite the instruction manual being garbage. Images are small. Item descriptions are even smaller. Directions are vague. Seems they could have just had a couple sheets of letter-size paper, double-sided, and covered everything with more detail and better resolution. Lucky for me, I'm mechanically inclined.If you have assembly issues, just email or call them. CUSTOMER SERVICE is incredible. You couldn't ask for better service. I'm not sure it's possible to receive better service.My pg24dlx does not have the mounting holes for the propane tank hanger. Tank is fine on ground, but regulator hose could be a few inches longer.The price is a bit high for a propane grill this size, but the convenience of it attached to pellet grill without needing entire separate propane grill is great.The biggest problem is that you are looking for this as an accessory, instead of buying it with your grill to begin with. You missed a bunch of great cooking potential. I'm kicking myself for waiting a year and a half to get one.

Love my grill box could use it for a gas grill if you wanted...i am very happy with it

This searing station makes my steak taste great. Fits my grill perfectly and easy to use

No dislikes, great addition to the smoker, makes a complete cooking set up, gas bbq not needed

Bought it to mount to a cabela’s 24” smoker. I had thought that since camp chef makes these smokers for cabela’s it would mount easy. Unfortunately I did have to re-drill some holes in the stainless to mount. I was able to make it work and it looks and works fantastic. I have used it to reverse sear steaks and bbq burgers, hot dogs and pork chops.

It works well and can reach a very high heat for nice searing. 2 concerns, it is a bit tricky to light using the built in igniter, and the unit is quite pricy. ,