Should I keep my new Mesa 22

[Malibubeav]

Hey everyone
I just got a new Mesa 22 for Christmas. I’m not sure what to do, open it or return it and use the money to upgrade. It was bought at Costco. From what I’ve been reading, the Costco ones are made a little differently (cheaper?) than non-Costco ones. I have no idea what the real deal is regarding these statements. I’m strictly an open fire (oak) bbq guy. So this pellet thing is a whole new world to me. I want to be sure when I start using a pellet bbq that I’m going to be happy with the way it works and the results. If it’s a frustrating experience, I could see myself giving up and sticking with a good old oak fire. So any input would be greatly appreciated. It’s going to stay in the box until I get enough input to make a solid decision. Please give me any info you have regarding this particular model. Thanks for the help

 

[dkuchenberg]

I tried to find a definitive answer to your question, but all I found was that the lid may be made from a lighter gage material.

 

[Wayne55]

Hey everyone
I just got a new Mesa 22 for Christmas. I’m not sure what to do, open it or return it and use the money to upgrade. It was bought at Costco. From what I’ve been reading, the Costco ones are made a little differently (cheaper?) than non-Costco ones. I have no idea what the real deal is regarding these statements. I’m strictly an open fire (oak) bbq guy. So this pellet thing is a whole new world to me. I want to be sure when I start using a pellet bbq that I’m going to be happy with the way it works and the results. If it’s a frustrating experience, I could see myself giving up and sticking with a good old oak fire. So any input would be greatly appreciated. It’s going to stay in the box until I get enough input to make a solid decision. Please give me any info you have regarding this particular model. Thanks for the help

I hear ya! I spent almost 20 years in Santa Maria. Got the bbq and have cooked well over 500 tri-tips on it. Got the Pro 780 for a retirement present (it's really hard to get red oak down here in San Diego!). I just did two tri-tips this past weekend and they were just ok. They were Costco trimmed. I'm used to untrimmed. I'm going to try using a smoke tube I got with red oak chips from some pieces I have lying around.
Bottom line, it's not going to be like cooking over oak. I did like the way the ribs came out!

 

[JPSBBQ]

Hard to duplicate the searing capabilities of a santa maria grill. I suggest investing in GrillGrates for help searing. I’m not a fan of the big boxes in general so I’d go get me either a pro575 or greater model from an independent dealer or direct. Either way though, I’m sure the one you have will work just fine. Enjoy the new journey.