Direct Flame Capability

The ONLY Pellet Grill with Multiple Levels of Direct Flame Heat!

Dedicated Direct Flame Mode offers the versatility to cook anything

Smoking is only half the story of grilling. With the addition of Direct Flame cooking, you can not only smoke at temps of 180 but you can sear a steak at temperatures up to 1000 degrees, for:

• Unparalleled flavor!
• Restaurant-quality, wood-fire grilling!
• Low, Medium and Xtreme Heat (ITC3 grills)!
• Unmatched searing and charring ability!

What good is a grill if it can’t sear?

We hear it all the time: “Pellet grills can’t sear”. Well, that’s true in most cases, but Memphis Wood Fire Grills are different.

Our pellet grills come standard with two inserts: The first is the Indirect Insert, which is used to smoke, roast, bake, and hit high temperatures for searing without an open flame. The second insert is the Direct Flame Insert. With the Direct Flame Insert in place, grillers can access Direct Flame Modes on their controller, which allows for cooking over an open flame at high temperatures that can’t be reached by most pellet grills.

This is one of our favorite features, as it gives restaurant-quality searing capabilities. The Direct Flame Insert makes searing a steak simple and gives you the flexibility and versatility that you need from an all-in-one pellet grill.

When it comes to a wood fire grill that can truly do it all, don’t settle for anything less than the best…

…a grill that can smoke, bake, sear, roast,
AND allows you to cook over an open flame
with the switch of an insert!

How to Use Direct Flame Insert:

Before Using the Direct Flame Feature

Before you begin cooking in Direct Flame Mode on your Memphis pellet grill, make sure you’re set up for success:

• Ensure that the hopper is filled with pellets
• Have your Genie Tool ready to go
• Remove the grill grates and scrape off the Savorizer®
• Clean out the burn pot (using your Genie Tool!)
• Ensure that grease pans are cleaned and there’s no grease left from previous cooks

Important Notes for Cooking in Direct Flame Mode

While cooking over an open flame is easy with the Memphis, you should always abide by the following tips to ensure safety and proper use of your Memphis Wood Fire Grill:

• When cooking using the Direct Flame Insert on Direct Flame Settings, the hood should ALWAYS be in the open position. A closed hood during direct flame cooks may result in an Error-1 message. This error message means that the your pellet grill has reached too high of a temperature, causing the grill to shut down to avoid any damage to the unit.
• Never leave your grill unattended during a direct flame cook.
• When the Direct Flame Insert is in place, the pellet grill is only to be operated in Direct Flame Mode (LOW, MED, EXTREME), never at a set temperature (180°F-700°F).
• The grill is never to be operated in Direct Flame Mode while the Indirect Insert is in place.
• While operating the grill in Direct Flame Mode, the grill temperature will not be displayed on your controller and the Food Probe will be in Read Only Mode.

ITC 3.0 Grills

The Memphis Grills Wi-Fi system is only compatible with the following network security protocols: WPA/WPA2 Personal, TLS & SSL.

Currently, our Wi-Fi may or may not be compatible with networks that use the following IEEE LAN Protocols: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax). This list is not all-inclusive.

Memphis Wood Fire Grills will work with customers via our technical services team to determine any potential issues with Wi-Fi connection of their grill.  It is our goal to provide the best possible experience and convenience with our grills. With that in mind, there are a wide range of router systems available to consumers today with various levels of internet signal strength and we cannot guarantee that the Wi-Fi system built with our grills will work in every situation. 

Although we will work with you to get your system connected, the true value of our grills is the amazing cooking experience it provides.  With the ability to smoke, roast, grill, braise, bake and sear at temperatures well above 900 degrees with multiple levels of our Direct Flame technology, there is nothing you can’t cook to perfection.  We sincerely hope you enjoy the flexibility and simplicity of using your Memphis Wood Fire Grill.

For iPhone Users Only

During the design process for the Memphis 3 App, Apple iOS connection authentication changes occurred. As such, for iPhone users with the grill serial numbers listed below, the following process will need to be implemented for the initial App setup only, in order to use the Memphis 3 iOS App. (This is not required for Android App users.)

Affected Models:
VG0001S: Serial numbers 30001-30267
VGB0001S: Serial numbers 30001-30297
VG0002S: Serial numbers 30001-30186
VGB0002S: Serial numbers 30001- 30216

The serial number can be verified on the label underneath the hopper lid.
User Device: Apple devices running iOS 13 or above.

Click here for Instructions

Wi-Fi Setup Instructions

To connect your ITC 3 grill to Wi-Fi, view our YouTube video, or follow the step-by-step instructions provided below.

Connecting the Grill to Your Wi-Fi

1. On your grill, register your account in the Memphis 3 App before proceeding.

2. Navigate to the Settings Screen (far right icon) on the Memphis Grill.

3. Press “WiFi” to navigate to the Connection Screen.

4. Press “Connect WiFi” to start Wi-Fi setup. The screen will display “Visible on Bluetooth” to show it has started.

5. Using your phone or tablet, log into the Memphis 3 App using our account email and password.

6. If this is your first time setting up a grill on the app, a window will pop up asking to “Provision Grill” or “Add Existing.” Press “Provision Grill”. If this isn’t the first grill being added to your account, select the settings gear in the top right corner and press “Add Grill” to get the popup.

7. Select your home Wi-Fi network from the scan list shown, enter the Wi-Fi password, and press “Provision”. Note: The Wi-Fi network must be a 2.4 GHz network to appear on the list.

8. Enter the Bluetooth Pin to complete provisioning.

9. Once the connection is complete, the Memphis Grill will display “Connection Successful” and update in WiFi screen information. The WiFi connection bars will also be displayed in the top right corner.

After the Wi-Fi is connected, a popup window will appear in the Memphis 3 App asking for the MAC address and Grill Name. (This information can be found on the WiFi screen of the Memphis Grill. Press the Settings Menu (bottom right icon)>WiFi>WiFi screen.) Enter this information in the popup and select “Done”.

WiFi Setup During Cook

Users setting up WiFi are noticing the grill display is freezing on the WiFi setup screen.  This freeze is purposeful and is how the firmware is supposed to operate so the controller can process the WiFi setup.  This freeze means that the screen won't take any input from the user and won't change until the user has completed the WiFi setup successfully.  This can cause problems if the user starts the WiFi setup during a cook.  In a cooking state, the controller isn't able to process information to maintain the temperature control.

Affected Models:

• VG0001S-30001+
• VGB0001S-30001+
• VG0002S-30001+
• VGB0002S-30001+
• ITC 3 grills that are running Grill Firmware V0.90 or lower.

The serial number can be verified on the label underneath the hopper lid.

Solution:

1. The user must connect to WiFi while the grill is not cooking (plugged in and on, but not heating/cooking).
2. Once the grill is connected, navigate to the OTA Update menu.
3. Press download to begin downloading the latest firmware update.
4. Once the download has been completed, press "Install" to initiate the firmware update.
5. The grill will restart itself once the update is completed.
6. The grill firmware version should show as V0.91 or higher.  The updated firmware will only allow the user to setup WiFi while the grill is not cooking.  The controller will still freeze during the WiFi setup until the WiFi is connected successfully.  This is a normal operation.

The Memphis Grills app compatible with your grill is based on the serial number of the grill.

Grills with a serial number of 30001 and higher are compatible with the Memphis 3 app.

Grills with a serial number of 5000 to 29999 are compatible with the Memphis Grills app.

You can find the grill’s serial number under the hood of the pellet hopper–it is the set of digits following the model number. For example, if the number under the hood is VG0001S–30200, the serial number would be 30200.

All Memphis grills come standard with our exclusive Intelligent Temperature Control™ (ITC). Just set your desired temperature from 180 to 650 degrees (depending on the model) and the ITC will maintain the internal temperature of the grill based on the grills internal thermal sensor. No need to adjust temperature as ambient conditions change the ITC will adjust for you. The precision and dependability of the ITC allow for year-round, all-weather cooking even in the most inclement conditions.

The temperature shown on the Memphis controller display is an average cook chamber temperature, which is run through a proprietary algorithm that both emulates the six probes placed in various locations one inch above the grates and factors in the convection properties of the grill. This algorithmic system is very similar to one used in your kitchen oven, and if you set your oven to 400F and place your probe in it, you will see that there is a difference in the displayed temp vs your probe temp. If you are using a certified third-party probe, you are only measuring the temperature in one specific spot at one specific time, which is not an accurate representation of the cook chamber temperature (or oven temperature).

Based on our extensive testing your Memphis grill will consume on average between 0.3 and 2.8 pounds per hour at 70˚ F, depending on the temperature setting. However your Memphis grill is controlled by our exclusive Intelligent Temperature Control™ (ITC). The ITC will vary the air and fuel rate and based on the set point and actual internal thermal sensor readings so that you can maintain consistent internal temperatures.

We do recommend Memphis 100% natural wood pellets. These pellets come in 6 different flavors: Apple, Cherry, Hickory, Pecan, Mesquite, and Oak.

Personal preference is always the most important thing, but since the pellets impart the true wood flavor into the food, we suggest these flavors as starting points.

Apple: Ideal for pork and chicken, or a fruity flavor when baking

Cherry: Ideal for roasted chicken and pork

Hickory: Ideal for smoking ribs, ham, turkey, pork, and wild game

Pecan: Light, mild smoky flavor; ideal for pork, beef, poultry and baking.

Mesquite: Ideal for chicken and wild game

Oak: Mild, wood-fired flavor. Ideal for roasting, grilling, smoking and baking.

Experiment with different flavors, individually or mix ‘n’ match to achieve your flavor preferences.

The pellets are made of 100% natural hardwood, once compressed and dried they have a moisture content of 5%-10% and will hold their form without glues or binders. If the pellets are exposed to excessive moisture or humidity they may lose their form and cause the grill to have longer ignition times and the pellets will burn inefficiently. It is also not recommended to store the pellets close to a heat source as the bag may melt and expose the pellets to moisture. We recommend keeping your pellets in a cool dry location and preferably in a sealed container.

Your Memphis grill is not a maintenance free item, as with any grill, your grill should be periodically cleaned. It is recommended that you remove any build up of food or grease from the Savorizer® and grill grates after each use. A clean Savorizer® will further reduce flare ups. Occasionally you will need to vacuum or bush out any build-up of ash or debris below the Savorizer® in the burn chamber. Also check the air holes found in the burn pot for any blockages or build-ups. Using a wire brush, scrape off any build up or blockage. ALWAYS clean dirt and dust off all stainless steel surfaces before you begin to cook. The dirt can cook into the metal and discolor it. Dirt can be easily cleaned from stainless steel and powder coated surfaces with mild soap in warm water and a soft cloth.

Before cooking for the first time, we recommend that you “burn off” the grill to rid it of any foreign matter used in the manufacturing process. Remove the cooking grates and wash with a mild soap or detergent. With the grates removed, light and set the grill to 450F (in “cook mode”) with the lid down for 20 minutes. After burn off, turn the grill OFF and replace the grates. Prior to “burn-off” completely remove the plastic film on all Stainless Steel Surfaces. Failure to do so will cause the film to melt to the metal and it will be extremely difficult to remove.

Your Memphis grill is still designed, engineered and tested in the USA (Bloomington, MN); however, due to continued growth and the need for greater production capacity, the manufacturing process has been moved to Asia.

Just press the “On” button and set the temperature and your Memphis grill with ITC will do the rest. Your Memphis grill starts by feeding 100% natural wood pellets into the burn pot where they are automatically ignited, from there the ITC takes over to ensure that you consistent heat throughout your grilling cycle. The combustion fan(s) fuel the fire with the oxygen required for burning but also creates a convection oven by circulating the heated air. This air circulation or convection allows the grill to cook food faster and more evenly as hot spots in the grill are eliminated. With this true convection and indirect cooking method you have no need for a rotisserie and you can evenly bake bread 350˚F or sear a fillet at 650˚F without worry.

Yes this is normal, the exclusive Intelligent Temperature Control™ (ITC) on your Memphis grill is constantly monitoring the internal thermal sensor and adjusting both the feed and air rate to maintain a consistent temperature within the grill.