When it comes to stainless steel pellet grills, Memphis Grills is one of the most established brands. I thought I would write a quick article to discuss the improvements of the latest ITC3 versions of their freestanding and built-in pellet grills. Namely the new touchscreen control panel and new burn pot/fan design to aid combustion efficiency. For some more background, check out my original article on Memphis Grills. Right, let’s get into this!
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Table of Contents
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Introduction To Memphis Grills ITC3 Pellet Grills
So if you’re not already aware and you can’t tell from the images above, Memphis Grills produce luxury class pellet grills fully made from stainless steel.
They offer several freestanding and built-in models for outdoor kitchens featuring PID temperature control and additional features such as direct-flame access and WiFi.
Memphis Grills were originally USA-made. However, that’s no longer the case. I’m aware that fact may put some of my readers off these pellet grills/smokers. However, there are obvious benefits.
For instance, the competing brands of Cookshack and Twin Eagles have had to significantly increase their prices (we’re talking thousands of dollars) due to current inflation increasing US manufacturing costs.
Whereas there has not been a significant increase in the price of Memphis Grills products. Before we discuss the benefits of the new ITC3 system, here is a quick run-through of the new grills.
Memphis Grills Pro 28″ ITC3 Pellet Grills
| Features | Freestanding Pro 28″ | Built-In Pro 28″ |
| Total Cooking Area | 568 sq.in | 568 sq.in |
| Main Grate | 432 sq.in | 432 sq.in |
| Temp Range | 180-650 F | 180-650 F |
| PID/WiFi | Yes | Yes |
| Direct-Flame Access | Yes | Yes |
| Hopper | 18 lbs | 18 lbs |
| Stainless Steel | 304 | 304 |
| Typical Price | $4,999 | $4,499 |
Memphis Grills Elite 39″ ITC3 Pellet Grills
| Features | Freestanding Elite 39″ | Built-In Elite 39″ |
| Total Cooking Area | 848 sq.in | 848 sq.in |
| Main Grate | 644 sq.in | 644 sq.in |
| Temp Range | 180-700 F | 180-700 F |
| PID/WiFi | Yes | Yes |
| Direct-Flame Access | Yes | Yes |
| Hopper | 24 lbs | 24 lbs |
| Stainless Steel | 304 | 304 |
| Typical Price | $5,999 | $5,499 |
So a couple of things to note from the above tables. Besides the Elite versions being physically larger grills than the Pro models, there are a couple of other differences.
For instance, the Elite models have a higher maxium temperature setting of 700 degrees compared to the 650 degrees of the Pro models. Furthermore, they have the larger hopper at 24 lbs.
However, all models are made from 304-grade stainless steel, whereas previously, some versions were made of inferior 430-grade stainless steel.
Anyway, now let’s discuss the ITC3 systems, also branded by Memphis as IntelliBurn.
The Benefits Of The ITC3/IntelliBurn System
So the most obvious feature of the new ITC3 branded Memphis Grills is their new large touch screen tablet control panel mounted on the right-hand side of the grills.
Those pellet nerds out there like myself may have therefore noticed that the cheapest/smallest Memphis Grill the Beale Street, does not currently feature this new control panel.
Therefore, the Beale Stree does not currently feature these new ITC3 improvements. Though I think that change will happen sooner rather than later.
I’ve included a video below from Memphis discussing the features of the new ITC3 system.
So essentially, the key difference that separates a previous generation Memphis Grill from a new ITC3 model (beyond the new control panel) is a new burn pot design and a new combustion fan.
The combustion fan is now variable speed and can be ramped up and down to suit various scenarios. For instance, as stated in the video, at startup, the fan is at full power to clean ash from the burn pot.
The second new feature is a new burn pot design with additional air holes near the top of the burn pot to aid additional secondary combustion taking place.
This is a design I’ve previously seen in some brands of pellet stoves. However, I’ve not seen it on a pellet grill/smoker before, and Memphis have apparently patented the design.
How much can this new burn pot design improve the combustion process and reduce pellet consumption? I’m not sure, and Memphis, as yet, hasn’t provided any specifics.
However, the dual-stage combustion process is well recognised, and in principle, it should improve combustion efficiency to get more heat from the pellets which are burned.
My Thoughts On The Memphis ITC3 Pellet Grills/Smokers
I know that quite a few people were disappointed when Memphis Grills moved their manufacturing process overseas. However, their grills are still engineered and tested in the US.
What the move has meant is now Memphis Grills are significantly cheaper than other US brands of stainless steel pellet grills still made in the US (Cookshack/Twin Eagles).
Memphis Grills are more similarly priced to Coyote pellet grills/smokers. However, as I discuss in my Coyote article, their products lack WiFi/App functionality which is bizarre for a current luxury product.
I do believe the new IntelliBurn will improve combustion efficiency, but I would also like some details on how significantly pellet consumption has been reduced.
That’s it! Just a short article on this one to discuss the new Memphis Grills ITC3 models of the Pro and Elite. If the Beale Street gets updated to ITC3, I’ll update the article.
As always, if you would like to learn more, check out my Pellet Grill/Smoker Guide or check out my new Smoking/Grilling Guide which I’m working on. 🙂
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