Twin Oaks Pellet Smoker & Grill

This month, I received and tested the Twin Oaks Pellet & Gas Grill from Cuisinart and I’m going to lead you with an overview and some of the features I like about this grill. I’m also talking about some minor cons and I’m giving away some tips and advices about this amazing grill.

The Twin Oaks provides the best of both worlds for outdoor cooking lovers with its dual fuel multi-functional sections.

The electric pellet smoker and the gas grill have independent controls, their own insulated lid, a viewing window, and two ten-watt halogen lights. The twin oak has a total of 900 square inches of cooking surface, heavy duty cast-iron grates and two flip-up stainless-steel warming racks.

The pellets are fed from a dispenser in a 30-pound pellet hopper. The amount of pellets is adjusted automatically, based on the smoking temperature selected with the controller. The hopper has a sensor that will send an audible signal when the pellet level is low, but it’s also possible to see the level watching through the window on top of the hopper.

The smoking chamber temperature can be monitored remotely, using the Cuisinart easy connect app and two probes are stored underneath the hopper lid which can also be used to monitor the internal temperature with the app.

The gas grill is heated with three ceramic burners for a total of 25 700 BTUs and uses a standard propane tank that is attached securely underneath the grill cart.

At first glance, the assembly might seem overwhelming or intimidating when looking at all the parts. But be reassured that the task isn’t as colossal as it looks. Cuisinart have pre-attached all screws, the boxes are identified with part numbers and the instructions are clear and are quite easy to follow. It took me about one hour to assemble it all. I only needed to call for backup to lift and install the dual chambers on top of the cartwheel.

Once again, Cuisinart knows how to go above and beyond to deliver a grilling experience worth every penny spent. All Cuisinart’s BBQs have a consistent quality design, and the Twin Oaks makes no exceptions to this rule. What makes this grill unique amongst others is its independent smoking and grilling function which is especially convenient for smoking a whole brisket for tonight’s dinner, while grilling burgers for lunch. This way, you don’t loose the precious smoke for the brisket while grilling on an open flame and you get both meals done all-in-once.

One of the features, that is common to pretty much all Cuisinart’s BBQs, that I really like, is the insulation provided by the commercial grade gasket that seals the smoke and the heat inside the smoking/grilling chamber. From my personal experience, it really helps maintaining a more stable cooking temperature during cold days, or wintertime.

The Twin oaks measures 67 inches lengthwise once assembled and weight over 200 lbs, so you must expect it to take a big portion of your outdoor kitchen/deck. Fortunately, it comes with four heavy-duty locking swivel casters that makes it very easy to move it around effortless.

The other feature I really appreciate, is the cast-iron griddle insert that can be placed on top of the grill grates. I used it for some smash burgers on my first try and I really liked that the pan became hot in a breeze with the 3 burners on at Hi. I enjoy this feature especially for cooking a whole breakfast in no time. When all done, the griddle pan is hanged underneath the left side of the Twin oaks.

Since the twin oaks is a dual power fueled grill, you should expect that it’s not a grill with much cooking area per section but I was impressed with how they managed to still provide 900 sq inches total cooking surface, which is slightly larger than the Woodcreek 4-in-1 Pellet grill who has 862 sq inches. The total cooking surface includes the 2 flip-up heating racks so if you substract those, the main cooking surface totals 684 square inches. Splitted in half, it leaves enough room to grill a whole brisket on the smoker of about 10 skewers on the gas grill section.

Just like the Woodcreek 4-in-1 and the Clermont Pellet grill & smoker, the twin oak has an express clean-out system for the consumed pellets turned into ashes in the firepot. On the left side of the grill, there’s a manual handle that you just need to lift and pull in order to open a trap underneath the firepot. The ashes then fall in a drawer that you can take out and empty in the trash when it’s full. Extremely easy and convenient.

Also, there’s only one grease tray for both the smoker and the grill. The pan under the smoker grids lean toward a whole that merges into the gas grill so all the grease drips into the same pan. When it’s time to clean, you just take out the grease pan underneath, empty and wash in the sink.

The twin oaks is convenient for people who wants to smoke and grill. If you don’t plan to smoke that frequently and you are more of a gas grill user, I don’t recommend going with the twin oaks. Same if you are planning on using the smoker and not the gas grill much, you might want to go with a bigger smoker with more capacity using pellets like the Clermont Pellet grill & smoker or the Woodcreek 4-in-1 Pellet grill.

The probes are very useful but they only work when the pellet section is on so it’s not possible to use them on the gas grill only. The connectors are on the far-left side underneath the smoker lid so I feel it’s been designed to be used with the pellet smoker only.

I must say, the Bluetooth feature itself is not a con, it’s absolutely wonderful actually. The only downsize is that I’ve heard that the signal range can be quite limited for some people. I did not have any issue with mine, but there’s a few factors that can influence Bluetooth connectivity like the location of your grill or your house configuration. Sometimes the signal can bounce off obstacles so if there’s a few walls between you and your grill, you might need to get closer to retrieve the signal back.

I really like being able to check out the internal temperatures from the app. The only thing is that you can’t control your cooking temperatures from the app. It needs to be adjusted manually on the LCD controller display on the grill. But it shouldn’t be a big problem in most cases. Worst case, you just step outside once or twice to adjust the temperature manually. It is not a big deal for me but I believe it’s worth the mention if it’s a feature that is important for you.

Any grill should get a preliminary seasoning to burn all the plastic, glue, paint and impurities before cooking any food on it. The twin oaks doesn’t have much excess plastic inside the cooking chamber but there was some Styrofoam remaining that were hard to vacuum out. For a successful seasoning, place all the cooking grates and the flip-up stainless-steel warmer racks, fill the hopper with some pellets and heat the smoker at the highest temperature. Turn the 3 burners of the gas grill section at Hi and let everything burn up for about 20-30 minutes. You should be all good to start grilling immediately after.

The cast iron griddle is already pre-seasoned, but I suggest you include it in the first grill seasoning too because it might also have some remaining glue/paint or other impurities that needs to be burned up.

Like any other grills, if you want it to last for a long time, the twin oaks needs proper care and maintenance. Following some important and basic guidelines will prevent from having unpleasant surprises.

Since the Twin Oaks has electronical components, it is important to cover it up when not in use. The humidity, sun, wind and rain are the worst enemies to electronics. Failing to do so will accelerate the rusting and the corrosion of the components.

Cast iron grids are wonderful, they provide a natural seasoning and prevent food from sticking. They have amazing advantages, but the downside is, they can rust. If you want them to last for a long time, make sure to clean them after every use. It not necessary to do a deep clean everytime, but just remember these 3 key steps:

1. Turn the burners at hi.
2. Brush with a stainless-steel brush to remove all remaining food and grease.
3. Coat with a layer of oil.

The concept is the same for the cast iron griddle pan. It’s best not using soap when washing it. Simply use a good scrapper and apply a layer of oil after usage.