So the previous pellet grills/smokers from Cuisinart the Woodcreek & Twin Oaks featured a 30lb pellet hopper. Well, now the Clermont comes with a 40lb pellet hopper with a pellet sensor to boot. A 30lb hopper is well above the industry average, but a 40lb hopper is really far larger than you actually need.
However, the Pit Boss Lockhart provides a total cooking area of 2,136 square inches, hence quite a bit more than the Clermont. Some may be what are commonly referred to as ‘Traeger clones’, but many others are offering their own unique designs and features. Well, Cuisinart state that a cooking area of 1,400 square inches is provided. However, with cooking areas on pellet grills/smokers, you always have to take the figures in context.
However, in the case of the Cuisinart Clermont 1-2 lbs per hour is more realistic. So let’s presume the worst-case scenario and say it will consume 2lbs per hour when smoking. Cuisinart has recently released a new pellet grill/smoker into their range, the Clermont. As with their previous offerings the Woodcreek cuisinart soup maker & Twin Oaks, Cuisinart are selling this pellet grill/smoker exclusively through Walmart. As I’ll discuss below the Clermont does have some advantages over the Woodcreek, however, its also currently priced quite a bit higher. I also think the Clermont has some missed opportunities in terms of features.
From this point forward, I pretty much think any pellet grill/smoker over $500 should feature a PID control panel. Though as I’ve said above, I do like the general functionality of the control panel with its easy to read screen, control dial and high location on the grill. I do also like the built-in surrounding work surface, that could be very handy for food prep and the sear zone is a good feature to have. So CGWM-081 Clermont Pellet Grill & Smoker Cover the good things first, I do like the large screen on the Clermont providing clear temperature information etc. I also like the large temperature dial, very similar to the temperature control panel on the Cuisinart Woodcreek and Twin Oaks. Also, while as I discuss above that I don’t think a very large 40 lb pellet hopper is really necessary, placing the control on top of the hopper makes it easier to read/use.
Where the Cuisinart Clermont is now competitive with the Pit Boss Lockhart unlike the Cuisinart Woodcreek is with offering direct-flame access. Hence, while the control panel on the Clermont maxes out at 500 degrees, higher grilling temperatures around 650 degrees should actually be possible above the Sear Zone. The direct-flame access on the Clermont works in a very similar fashion to Pit Boss grills with a leaver used to open/close groves on the grease tray. Cuisinart is still a relatively new player in the pellet grill/smoker game.