Asmoke AS300 Portable Pellet Grill & Smoker

It just keeps getting more competitive in the pellet grill/smoker space. What was Traeger’s domain is now a very competitive landscape. I’m counting over ten different pellet grill manufacturers as I write this post. A rather new entrant to the pellet grill market is Asmoke. Does Asmoke bring something new to the table to compete and take market share away from the big players like Traeger, Green Mountain Grills, Pit Boss etc? I think they have. Let me explain.

Who is the Asmoke Grill Company?

First of all, who is this company? Doing some background research on Asmoke, it seems their creation came from a crowdfunding/shopping project on the Indiegogo platform. A platform where shoppers can financially back small companies to get their project/product off the ground and then get to buy the product once it is manufactured. Interesting platform to say the least.

Asmoke is expanding their grill lines to include free standing models that are relatively inexpensive. Doing a quick overview of their specifications indicate they are more of an introductory line of free standing pellet grills.

Asmoke also offers their own 100% natural apple wood pellets. A lot of the large wood pellet manufacturers do not make all natural pellets, some simply take one wood type and inject flavoring extract into the wood. Asmoke goes with the traditional all natural approach.

Asmoke Portable Pellet Grill AS300 – Overview

Grilling Space – Hopper Capacity

The AS300 portable wood pellet grill offers quite a bit of functionality for such a small unit. With a grilling space of 256 sq/in, you can fit some large cuts of meat like a full pork butt, eight burgers, four baby back rib racks, spatchcock chicken and half of a brisket. Not bad for a portable unit. The hopper capacity is 4lbs which doesn’t sound like a lot but remember, this unit is very small so pellet consumption will be a lot less vs. your free standing pellet grill. The unit weighs in at 45lbs which makes for a heavy lift for the average person.

Temperature Range

The Asmoke AS300 has a temperature range of 180F-500F. Some owners have gotten this grill over 520F (over 20 minutes) which is impressive and higher than a lot of full size pellet grills. 500F+ is steak searing temperatures which is a great feature to have in a portable grill. The AS300 includes a flame broiler plate that can be opened to allow searing high heat for steaks, or closed for indirect lower temp cooks, another nice feature that some pellet grills are starting to come with.

Controls and Accessories

A digital temperature controller is standard, though the temperature settings are not elaborate. You are provided with various low temperature settings ranging from smoke (180F), 200F, 225F, 250F, 300F, 350F, 400F, 450F, 475F and high (500F+). It’s all you really need in a unit of this size. There is no mention of this being a PID controller, so perfect temperature control might be a challenge.

These grills come standard with one temperature meat probe so you can easily monitor your food temps. Carrying cases are also included, making this a truly portable grill. A small grease bucket is also included.

Warranty

Asmoke offers a 5-year limited warranty on their grills which is actually more than a lot of introductory grill lines. Other comparable grill lines only offer 1 to 3-year warranties.

How Does it Compare to Others?

Asmoke just launched their new portable pellet grill, the AS350, check it out.

Traeger, Green Mountain, and Country Smokers all have portable pellet grill offerings as well, though Asmoke has found a way to differentiate itself. Price is the key differentiator here. The Asmoke is coming in around $250 for the grill but also includes a temperature meat probe and carrying case. The Green Mountain Davy Crockett has a lot more features such as WIFI control, larger cooking area, pellet capacity, but you are paying considerably more than the Asmoke. Traeger is also more expensive, and smaller in size, but offers a slightly more capable digital controller. The Traeger and Country Smokers look very similar in build construction and design which makes me wonder if they are built in the same factory. It may not be the best portable pellet grill on the market but for the price point and features, it is a great option.

What Else Does Asmoke Make?

They just launched their free standing line of pellet grills. These are very economical when compared to Traeger and Green Mountain introductory lines. Build quality and options will not be similar to Traeger and Green Mountain, but if you want a simple pellet grill with some reasonable functionality for an attractive price, the Asmoke AS660N series has a place in the market.

Final Thoughts?

Overall it looks like a decent portable unit that I wouldn’t be afraid to pull my wallet out for. It comes in a lot of different colors and would be a great little unit for tail gate parties or camping trips. You need electricity to run this unit but so many late model vehicles come with a 110V plug in.