Lets Have A Discussion About Pellet Grills


 
Yes, having an out of the elements place to keep at least my favorite grills would really be nice, but not very much available to me. If I ever had a windfall and could get a pellet grill, that is again why I like the higher grade stainless used by Rec Tec in their "Bull" pellet grill.

Another important thing that Rec Tec does on the Bull and their other top-end models is that the pellet hopper is located centrally on the backside of the grill rather than on the side as is the case for most pellet grills. This makes the auger much shorter and less prone to jamming. The hopper is also one of the larger ones available.

Here is the hopper arrangement on an earlier Rec Tec grill that did not have the many stainless additions they added to their grills, especially the Bull model:

2cyo40.jpg


The hopper on the Bull is the same, but the lid is made of stainless.

I love those polished stainless "bull horn" handles!
 
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I personally don't own a pellet pooper or gas grill. But if I was going to go with a pellet pooper the best brand out there is MAK grills. Stainless steel USA made, controllers are state of the art. And the controllers can be updated to newer programming. Customer service is outstanding. They even have a searing system for steaks, warming area for keeping breads warm. The medium size one is around $3500. Big price for the best out there.
 
Me too. $25 Genesis 2000, cooks like a dream, no bags of pellets to buy, no electronics to fail, not $4000 or more, can make smoke very easily with a simple foil packet in any flavor smoke I like, can go from low and slow to searing hot and back with the turn of a knob or two of and did I mention..................it was CHEAP!
 
I can agree that not many can afford a $3500 grill, and, at the same time, I wouldn't argue that the MAK brand referenced is a top of the line. But for $1200, the Rec Tec is priced more realistically and in the same ballpark as the now discontinued Genesis II six-burner to which size-wise it is roughly equivalent. The Rec Tec is NOT going to be the same as that MAK, but I think it is a lot better than most any of its lower priced competition. It sure would be pretty nice to be able to lay out six racks of ribs, load up some pellets and punch a couple buttons.

I think the point Bruce and Larry are making is that you can do so well with a well-used but renovated Weber gas grill for a fraction of even the Rec Tec price, so why bother? A fair question. It also highlights that you can keep an old Weber going for decades. I doubt you can do that for most pellet grills; the MAK and maybe a couple other very expensive ones might be the only exceptions to this. It is not likely you are going to find a well-used pellet grill on the cheap and find it practical to do something like we do with our Webers.

So, if I had a lot more money a Rec Tec pellet grill might well find a place in my arsenal. Since I don't, I will continue to enjoy what I am blessed to have and make the most of it.
 
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You are right Jon. In fact, I wouldn't even buy a new Genesis grill. I simply cannot justify the cost. The only reason I own a Weber is that I bought mine for $25 and put another $175 of premium (RCP) parts into it and I have a great grill for $200. It was tough for me to lay out for the RCP grates and bars.
But, like you, if I won the lottery, then, heck yah, I would probably own a couple grills in the $2000 plus range.......But, I would still own my Genny 1000 as well.
 
I guess I'm just old school, but to me a pellet grill is just another complex expensive thing that is prone to breakage and something like modern cars that you can't fix yourself. Not much can go wrong with a charcoal grill and very little on a gas grill and at least if you have some mechanical skills you can fix it yourself.
Spending $3500 for something that can't outcook a $200 restored Weber or a WSM just doesn't make sense to me.
Also as with myself and Barb interacting with the cook is part of the hobby. Setting a thermostat and filling a hopper with pellets just doesn't do anything for me.
 
I do agree that when I have plenty of time, doing bbq the old fashioned way is a lot of fun and a great part of the cooking experience. Unfortunately my life isn’t in that state very often right now. That gives the gas grill more workouts for simple grilling when some of the times I would rather get one of my kettles going. Since I can’t because of time they don’t get used nearly as often as I would prefer. That is the nagging allure to me of these computerized pellet machines.

Regarding people dumping gas grills, none that I have picked up have said they were doing that but I think I have seen ads suggesting that some owners are replacing gas with a pellet grill. Even our local Ace, a Weber bastion, is selling Traegers and wood pellets.
 
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I hear you Jon my life was once like yours. My gas Weber and at the time my only Weber got used once in a whole year. Being on call 24/7 for over a year and working about 60 hours a week didn't leave any time for grilling, all my spare time was for sleeping.
I guess it's how you approach it, my daughter has a pellet grill and they got it because they do a lot of entertaining with friends and family. The Trager allows them the freedom to socialize with their quests instead of being tied down to the grill. They also get worry free consistent results, so it works well for them.
Being retired I find messing with my grills and smokers, trying new recipes relaxing.
 
I'd just about have to get one for free to really want to use a pellet smoker. I think the concept is cool. Personally, given the time, I'd prefer to smoke on a stick burner. The WSM is kind of a compromise. It's just the amount of time you want to put into it. I much prefer grilling on charcoal, but my gasser is a nice convenience. As far as barbecue goes I think burning wood down to coals and cooking on a direct pit > offset stickburning > charcoal cooker (like WSM) > pellet cooker > gas smoker > electric smoker. That's just how I view each in terms of the amount of respect I give each one. The end product is of course what matters. I've had some damn good food cooked on an electric smoker.
 
A pellet grill is actually what brought me here....long story so get ready.
My old grill lasted me for 8 years or so which was pretty good for a cheap made $50 used grill. I keep them covered and live in Texas so they last a while.
Finally it was about to die and I mentioned getting another grill when I found one on sale. Well me and my buddy were walking through a sports store and checked in at the grills.
Found this one and it was marked for $100! (Come to find out it had the wrong price on it but they gave it to me for that price and was normally $399)
I get it home and setup all excited. Go to cook with it and there is an error on the panel. Come to find out the person at the store who put it together smashed the thermometer cable between the grill area. I removed and reinstalled correctly and got it working. But when I cooked everything had black soot all over it! The chicken and corn were black!
Cleaned everything up and tried again thinking I did something wrong...same thing.
So I called the company (they had great customer service!) and they shipped a new fan. I had remove the bottom of the hopper and install the new fan. Working on computers I felt that I was back at work when I would replace parts on PC's. And that is exactly what it was.
The whole time I am working or cleaning it I could hear Hank Hill saying Propane Bobby! (From the TV show if you don't know.)
Tried it with the new fan and the same thing happened. It would not get hot, the fan would throw the ash around as it would not burn off the pellets, and the meal would be ruined.
I decided that I did not want to mess with something that had electronics/ pc parts and has to be plugged in.
Then I found my free Weber to rebuild!

I do use my pellets I had left over in a smoke tube on my current grill. Had a little black on my corn last time but not bad. I think my issues with the pellet grill may have partially been the pellets but not all of it as I could not get it to heat up after the first time.
 
Well Chris, it sounds like something was pushing you towards your Genny. BTW: Did you get that blue hood on yet???
 
Haha! It is very true! As soon as I took the pellet back I found my grill and picked it up that weekend and at the same time joined this great group!
Not yet on the blue lid. Next week is probably going to be the week as it is raining and I can’t do anything else. Been working on installing turf for the kids and prepping a fence install. Fall is crazy time since the weather is so good.
I am going to order this to go along with the blue hood and the start of basketball season:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/FANMATS-Dallas-Mavericks-26-in-x-42-in-Grill-Mat-14201/204329107
 
Chris in TX said:
Haha! It is very true! As soon as I took the pellet back I found my grill and picked it up that weekend and at the same time joined this great group!
Not yet on the blue lid. Next week is probably going to be the week as it is raining and I can’t do anything else. Been working on installing turf for the kids and prepping a fence install. Fall is crazy time since the weather is so good.
I am going to order this to go along with the blue hood and the start of basketball season:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/FANMATS-Dallas-Mavericks-26-in-x-42-in-Grill-Mat-14201/204329107
Click to expand...

Maybe I should try to find a Chicago White Sox version to go with my all black Skyline! After all, everyone wants a mat from a team that successfully lost 100 games this season:p!
 
Geeze, I have a great Minnesota Vikings one that my sister gave me for Christmas a few years ago. I just am leery about using it on the deck thinking it will trap moisture under it.
 
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