Cuisinart's pellet grill cooks with wood or charcoal

Cuisinart is the latest brand that wants in on the pellet grill game. Just like Weber, the appliance maker now has a new line of wood-burning outdoor cookers built to challenge Traeger for dominance. The most interesting product in my view is the extremely flexible $597 Woodcreek 4-in-1 Pellet Grill. Thanks to a big 30-pound capacity pellet hopper, plus a tight gasket, it can smoke food low and slow for hours on end. 

There's also a ceramic "briquette" accessory that's designed for searing items under high heat. And when only genuine charcoal briquettes will do, the grill comes with a removable charcoal tray to tackle that task as well. Other handy features include a cast-iron griddle, viewing windows and interior halogen lights.

Cook with the app

Equipped with a pair of meat probes, the Woodcreek grill tracks the internal temperature of food as it cooks. It also communicates with your phone via Bluetooth through the Cuisinart Easy Connect BBQ app. And, while it doesn't provide detailed step-by-step instructions like Weber's application does, it serves up setup guides, timers and graphing abilities.

The $688 Twin Oaks Pellet and Gas Grill is the other new cooker in Cuisinart's lineup. Essentially two products in one, the left side of the Twin Oaks is a wood pellet smoker, and the right side is a propane gas grill. Charcoal fans take note: you'll want to pass on this barbecue since it can't handle briquettes. 

The Twin Oaks does have a bit more room to maneuver, though. It comes with a 900-square-inch cooking area (total). The Woodcreek has an 862-square-inch cooking area (total).

Outlook and availability

According to Cuisinart, both grills are available for purchase now at Walmart and other select stores.