Lets Have A Discussion About Pellet Grills


 

Dave in KC

TVWBB Wizard
Let me begin by saying, a year ago I would have never dreamed of owning one.
Many of my friends have had them for years, I and would always clown on them.
I would crack all the jokes, yet, had never even tasted a single piece of food that
was cooked on one.

About a year ago, things started to change my mind a little. I started noticing that
many of the flips I started to buy were from people that were buying pellet grills.
Then I started having a few friends and customers inquiring if I would do service and
repair work for them. I didn't even know exactly what they were or how they operated.
I just had a false stereotype of what I thought they were. After doing some homework,
I purchased one over Memorial Day. I have now used it about 20 times or so. I have to
admit, I am becoming a bigger fan of this with every use. I can easily see why roughly
30-40% of my flips this year have come from people abandoning their traditional Weber
smokers, kettles, and even Genesis grills for these imported contraptions. The versatility,
as ease of use is simply ridiculous. I have practically paid for mine, by having it allow me
the time to persue other grills to flip, and the time to work on current inventory.


I did this as a joke a couple of months ago on my Genesis page, but the more I think about
it, and the more times I pick up a virtually new Weber product from someone that tells me
they stopped using it when they bought their new pellet grill, the more I see that Weber is
really missing the boat here.

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Thoughts?
 
Dave,
I have to believe that somewhere in the secret chambers of Weber’s R&D department there are prototypes of a Weber pellet grill being worked on. If not, then they ARE missing the market like they did with gas grills until they developed the Genesis.

I participated in one professionally judged bbq contest (although my team was rightly in the “backyard” amateur division). I took definite note that virtually all the pro competitors were using pellet grills.

I would LOVE to own a Rec Tec Bull pellet grill. Rec Tec seems like the kind of family owned company Weber started out as, with enthusiastic owners who LOVE grilling and are committed to making their grills better and better while not pricing them out of reach.

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https://www.rectecgrills.com/bull-rt-700-wood-pellet-grill/

I have never used a pellet grill or had anything prepared on one. My take is that they excel in consistency and with the computerized controls like Rec Tec has they are incredibly simple to operate and produce the same results every time. I don’t believe the claims they can replace your gasser or charcoal grill for high heat searing, but for barbecuing they seem ideal. Can someone who is really good beat their results with conventional smoker, kettle or kamado style grill? Probably a little bit. But a good pellet grill will produce excellent results a whole lot easier and I believe more consistently.

The one thing to note about pellet grills is that some are pretty weakly constructed and are especially poorly suited for my wet, salt air South Florida environment. That is why I like Rec Tec because they seem to care about quality and particularly with the Bull model offer a lot of high-grade stainless parts. Some I have looked at appear to me to be rust buckets just waiting to happen.

Maybe someday my ship will come in and I will get to own a Rec Tec!
 
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Forgive my ignorance, but what the heck is a pellet grill? I will have to do some reading in my limited free time.

I can't imagine living without a Weber gasser...
 
Ryan, I am in your boat. I have always thought a "pellet grill" was basically a coal burner that ran on some kind of Pellet fuel. But, it seems they are a lot more than that:

What is a pellet grill?
Pellet grills are electric outdoor grills that are fueled by hardwood pellets. The capsule-sized pellets serve as both fuel for cooking food and a flavor enhancer that adds the taste of wood smoke. Incredibly versatile, pellet grills can smoke, grill, roast, bake, and braise. Thanks to a digital control board, they are easy-to-use and automatically maintain the desired cooking temperature for hours on end.
 
I'm going to give a short answer. A good pellet grill is a set-it-and-forget-it kind of Appliance for smoking meat. That's not to say it's better or worse than other methods. Or that it cannot produce good results when not smoking.
 
Its for the folks who would rather set it and forget it. Its simply another way to get the job done. Better or worse is anybody's argument. They are selling the crap out of them that's for sure. I haven't done a fuel cost breakdown but pellets cant be as cheap as charcoal. Just guessing there.
 
Maybe someday my ship will come in and I will get to own a Rec Tec!

Yes, they make an excellent product. Yoder and Gorilla are also comparable. All 3 out of my budget range though.

Dave, what do you like about your pellet grill? Is it that the food taste better than on the gas grill?

Ease, convenience and versatility primarily. I certainly enjoy the taste more than with a gasser, but that is totally subjective.
Very comparable to using a slow and sear. Although, you need to use a different source for the sear. Some models off ways
to sear, however mine does not, and I really had no interest in that aspect. I typically have a half dozen Weber gassers along
with many other ways to sear a cut of meat.

Popular opinion seems to be that a brand of pellet called "Lumber Jack" is the best brand of pellet going. I would share that opinion.
They have a particular flavor called Char-Hickory that actually combines real charcoal with hickory in one pellet. That stuff produces
some of the finest BBQ I have ever had. No small feat from a guy that has been eating and making my own Q for most of my 50 plus
years here in Kansas City.

but pellets cant be as cheap as charcoal.

As long as you are comparing apples to apples - retail vs retail, and sale price vs sale price, the cost is basically the same.
I would argue that a brisket (which my wife actuall did one on the pellet grill alone, and would never think of using my WSM)
actually uses less than a 22 WSM. Probably about the same as an 18 would use.
 
Ryan, I am in your boat. I have always thought a "pellet grill" was basically a coal burner that ran on some kind of Pellet fuel. But, it seems they are a lot more than that:

What is a pellet grill?
Pellet grills are electric outdoor grills that are fueled by hardwood pellets. The capsule-sized pellets serve as both fuel for cooking food and a flavor enhancer that adds the taste of wood smoke. Incredibly versatile, pellet grills can smoke, grill, roast, bake, and braise. Thanks to a digital control board, they are easy-to-use and automatically maintain the desired cooking temperature for hours on end.

Electric, eh? No plugs on my deck or my patio... Sounds like an interesting option.

Not as nice to look at as a good old Weber gasser, but I definitely see the appeal as a set it and forget it option.
 
One problem is the cheaper models don't work that well as a grill. They don't do a particularly good job at searing. They can work well as a smoker, but they don't provide a lot of smoke flavor at higher temps because they burn too clean.
 
Set it and forget it will not guarantee good results. I researched getting a pellet grill, but the reviews for "low & slow" cooking were not that good. Shutting down and sometimes fires on restart. I asked a local dealer for a leading pellet grill manufacturer about these reviews and wouldn't give a straight answer. Instead for smoking, I added a Smokemiester attachment which uses pellets to my 2007 Genesis. I've been happy with the results once I went thru the learning curve for using it. I'm staying with Weber NG grills, not pellet grills. Nice picture Dave in KC!
 
I think if I wanted set it and forget it I would just spend a couple hundred on a DigiQ setup for my 18WSM.
 
Forgive my ignorance, but what the heck is a pellet grill? I will have to do some reading in my limited free time.

I can't imagine living without a Weber gasser...

Ryan,
I would NEVER give up my Weber gas grills (especially my never-ending work in progress Skyline). As some have noted already, these pellet grills don't do high temp grilling/searing very well. Some try to compensate by offering an additional conventional side grill. Others, like Rec Tec, advocate using GrillGrates to increase the grate heat and provide searing. (I think that it was on a Rec Tec You Tube video that I first became really acquainted with GrillGrates.) Anyway, even if I could afford a Rec Tec Bull, I would very much still want my Genesis - or at least a Weber Q.

It is my Weber kettles that the pellet grill would be a threat to. I had actually been saving slowly toward getting a Rec Tec but fell in love again with Weber kettles, especially the classic old ones. (See my posts about several under the charcoal grill section.) I still really enjoy the art of making a charcoal fire, adding wood chunks and making some real BBQ. And some practical aids like the Slow-N-Sear or Smokenator help make that a little easier. Still, I have to admit I would do more low and slow BBQ if I had a lot more time. Since I don't, having a pellet grill would allow me to do so without having to invest nearly as much time and effort.

I don't think pellet grills are perfect. I read the comments above about failures, etc. and I wouldn't doubt those things happen from time to time. I do think that just like gas grills, pellet grills come in varying levels of quality. I think if you buy a quality brand you will greatly reduce these risks and have a cool BBQ machine.

Last comment would be that I have a couple Weber kettles from the 1970s that are still quite usable. They are so simple and back then well built. An electric pellet grill with computer controls and moving parts is not going to be something that gives that kind of service. So as long as you don't expect an unreasonable life, I think a good pellet grill would be really nice to have if you can afford it. Just don't push your Weber off the deck!
 
My daughter has a Traeger pellet pooper. They've had it for about 6 years or more, it seems to be well made and is very consistent it what it produces which is pretty good Q.
It's not for me though, heck I still have a flip phone. But for those who want to have free time and not have to watch a charcoal grill or gasser I think it would be perfect.
Being retired free time is one of the only things I have.
 
Most of the people that I spoke with that have pellet grills like them. A couple of them did mention that if the electronic part goes bad then you're SOL. That happened to a buddy of mine, the electronic panel on his pellet grill went bad and he called cs since it was still under warranty and the part that he needed was backordered for like 6 weeks so he said no thank you and ended up returning it at Costco.
 
Most of the people that I spoke with that have pellet grills like them. A couple of them did mention that if the electronic part goes bad then you're SOL. That happened to a buddy of mine, the electronic panel on his pellet grill went bad and he called cs since it was still under warranty and the part that he needed was backordered for like 6 weeks so he said no thank you and ended up returning it at Costco.

Sam,
That is a bummer story. It shows why buying a pellet grill from someone like Rec Tec is worth it. They have extraordinary customer service. I don’t know if they still do, but they used to give you the owners’ cell phone #! I have read a number of stories where they came to the immediate rescue of one of their customers. I think Rec Tec is like Weber used to be when George :george:was still at the helm!
 
Down here they talk about these quite a bit not sure they are the quality of Rec Tec and by the way these are not cheap either. I have a UDS I built maybe 10 years ago like our Weber restores except for the grates all the screws to hold the grates and anything else are all stainless funny thing is the grates are the ones I put in 10 years ago zero rust but it is only used for smoking it has no other use.

The charcoal basket which I built following the UDS threads can hold enough charcoal to do a 14 hour burn so I have done brisket before but I mostly do ribs but it is amazing how over the years I can dial that in at 225 to 230 with about zero effort. Use my remote maverick to monitor the temps while I watch football or whatever so if the temps start to drop a bit I can just open the bottom vent a bit more to bring it back up. My family likes fall off the bone me not so much like them a bit firmer but my method which always is the same is to cook them 3 hours throw them in the crutch with some apple juice wrapped in foil basically steams them for another 3 hours and that is the result you will get.

A lot of people think the ribs they buy in supermarkets are baby back that is not correct they are back ribs true baby backs you would need to go to a butcher and those only need 5 hours.

https://www.traegergrills.com/shop?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0sathP_o3QIVgzxpCh1uewSsEAAYASAAEgKDk_D_BwE
 
I hear these things jam a lot of times. Guessing the cheap models. $1200 for a reliable model thats crazy. And who knows what the quality is the pellets themselves. I dont see pellets too often in stores im not sure how much a pound would cost.
I guess pellet grills is one of those things that if you have the financial means is great. Dont have to worry about the temp over or undercook. I guess grill and pellets need to be high quality to put this idea in practice.
This reminds me about a friend of mine who would lease a Lincoln for one year only. Then next year he would lease a new Lincoln for one year and so on.
 
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I bought mine (the one pictured with the fake Weber logo scotch tape on for gags) for $399 as a Memorial Day sale promo.
It's a Camp Chef (everyone seems to compare their customer service to Weber) with a patented easy clean out system,
and a quick dump release to change pellets. If I were keeping this outside, I would NOT have bought it. Harsh climates,
or high heat would turn it into a rust bucket in no time. However, I will never run this over 400 degrees, and I keep all
of my grills and smokers inside when not in use.

Full retail for pellets is about a buck a pound, however there is no reason to pay that. There are far to many choices and deals
to be had. 50 cents a pound is the going to rate to be expected. 40 cents a pound or less can be found and what most saavy shoppers
will stock up on.

I certainly wish I had an "in" at Weber R & D. I would really like to know their thoughts on these, and if they have any plans to
enter the market. I just sold a Performer last night, and currently have 3 WSM flips advertised locally, that were all the victims
of pellet grills. However, of note, all of the pellet grills I am seeing people replace their Webers with are like mine. They are the
cheaply made Chinese versions. You have to spend north of $1000 to even begin to think about getting a quality product that will
stand the test of time (unless you take the proper measures as I plan to do by storing inside) like a Weber will. I would expect to
see many of these folks returning to Weber in 5-7 years after these things disappoint with their poor quality construction.
 

 

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