Flavor Intensifier

That said, RVers are always looking for something different — and the proliferation of pellet grills on the market is spurring big interest from RVers looking to do something a bit off the beaten path. In fact, some companies are targeting RVers with new, compact models, and even RV manufacturers have noticed. KZ RV, for one, will be including a pellet smoker on certain of its Durango fifth wheels for the 2023 model year.

And they work wonderfully. I know. Sometime back I purchased one. The product I settled on is the Green Mountain Grill Davy Crockett model ($349), which was designed for RVs. This model runs on 120-volt AC or 12-volt DC power, making it suitable for boondocking and tailgating. The legs fold up into a handle for convenient lifting and loading. The grill is not lightweight, but I can lift it high enough to put it into the storage compartment in my fifth wheel (where it doesn’t require a huge amount of space, which is a deal-breaker for RVers short on storage area).

Although the pellet grill has a smoking phase, it can also serve as barbecue for cooking your favorite foods.

This grill comes with a built-in meat thermometer that’s Wi-Fi capable (via an app) and allows you to monitor what’s going on from your patio chair. Unfortunately, the thermometer sensor on my unit quit working after a few years so I purchased an external thermometer, the ThermoWorks TX-1400 (thethermoworks.com) for $69. Models with multiple sensor probes come in handy if you’re cooking two or three different types of meat at the same time that require various internal temperatures.

Placing a silicone mat on the grill makes it much easier to clean up after cooking, especially when boondocking and water is limited. The mat does not affect flavor.

Over the years I followed a few maintenance and cooking habits that improve function and cooking efficiency. The flame box needs vacuuming periodically as the ash builds up over time; ignore this step and the ignition will fail and the box will not cook accurately. The pellet hopper holds more than enough for at least a half-day of smoking and when I cook salmon or a greasy meat, for example, I use a silicone barbecue mat to prevent the meat from sticking to the grill. This promotes easy cleanup afterward without compromising flavor.

The nice feature of the Davy Crockett model is that it’s small enough to be considered a portable but still has a large cooking surface. One more tip: If you are going to leave it outside, invest in a cover.

It won’t take long to get addicted to cooking on a pellet grill while on the road — and you’re certain to make new friends.