Memphis Select Pellet Smoker Review

THE MEMPHIS SELECT LINE HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.

The Memphis Select is the smallest in their line of luxury pellet smokers. It is similar to the Advantage but lacks the side shelves (they are optional), and the lower shelf. The cooking grates are 0.25″ nickel plated rods, and the warming grate space is smaller. Otherwise it has the double wall cooking chamber, the digital controller with the meat probe jack (probe is optional), and is rated as having a cooking range of 200 to 500°F.

Memphis Pellet Smokers are extremely well built and designed.  We tested the Memphis Pro and Meathead himself proclaimed it, “one of the best cookers I’ve ever had the pleasure to use”.

The cooking chamber has two layers of metal with an air gap between and an oven gasket on the lid to provide better heat retention. Just like your indoor oven. It is designed and built like a high end indoor appliance. This allows it to cook hotter and retain more heat and maintain steady lower temperatures.

Although Select is only offered in 430 stainless, unlike the larger Pro and Elite models which may be purchased with top grade 304 stainless, construction is solid and extraordinarily well machined. The fit and finish are impeccable. There is room for upper grates that allow you to almost double the capacity. The fire pot is in the center below a large stainless “flavor bar” bent in the center to allow grease runoff. There is a gap between the flavor bar and the interior walls to allow hot air to circulate. If you place food up to the edges of the grate, the ends that are over the gaps can overcook or burn, effectively reducing the cooking area.

The “Intelligent Temperature Control” digital control panel is a sophisticated, touchpad PID controller. Simple to operate, much easier than the MAK, it has a few programming options. For example, with the optional meat probe, you can set it to cook your brisket up to 190°F and then drop back to a lower temp. It has a twelve pound capacity pellet hopper.

The cooking temp range is said to be 200°F to 600°F. Once it reached set temp on our Memphis Pro test model, temperature fluctuation was within 5°F, tighter than most indoor ovens (check yours, it can fluctuate 25°F or more). The controller handled the frigid Chicago winter without a hiccup. This baby is truly set-and-forget ease.

There is a grease and ash tray below the cooking chamber that can hold disposable aluminum pans. They can get hot so you must remember to wear gloves when handling them and don’t forget to empty them or you run a risk of a grease fire. In 2012 they added some prongs behind the Intelligent Temperature Control to wrap the power cord up and out of the way when not in use. Previously it just laid on the ground.

In addition to The AmazingRibs.com Best Value Gold Medal, Memphis also won the 2010 VESTA Award for Charcoal, Wood Barbecues and Smokers, the 2010 VESTA Award for Best in Show Outdoor Room Products and First Place in the 2011 International Barbecue Awards.