Lets Have A Discussion About Pellet Grills
- Thread starter Dave in KC
- Start date
Cee El
TVWBB Super Fan
I owned a pellet grill for about a year. It was a Pit Boss that I bought when I worked for Walmart two years ago. I liked it to grill, but found the smoke flavor lacking on long smokes and I didn’t want to buy any additional items to achieve more smoke, like tubes and what not. I finally sold it a few months ago. It’s the only grill I’ve shown my daughter how to cook on, but ultimately I went back to the charcoal life.
Greg M
TVWBB All-Star
I don't know much about pellet grills. And I don't know anyone that owns one. But after reading this discussion I don't think it's anything I'll be purchasing anytime soon. If ever.
I've often thought when I retire and have more time I'll purchase a weber charcoal grill or a big green egg to go with my weber gassers. But until then I'm completely satisfied with what I have.
I've often thought when I retire and have more time I'll purchase a weber charcoal grill or a big green egg to go with my weber gassers. But until then I'm completely satisfied with what I have.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
Greg, grab yourself a used Performer you will not regret it when it comes that time I recently went back to charcoal also its my go to grill on weekends having said that my 1000 has its place. Good to have both if you have the room for them.
Greg M
TVWBB All-Star
Yeah the Performer looks great. I'm getting close to 60 and hoping to retire or at least go part time at 62 so that time is coming up quick.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
Retirement for me comes in December turn 65 this month and finishing out the year looking forward to it.
Greg M
TVWBB All-Star
Good for you. I'm looking forward to having more leisure time. I'm sure you are as well. I'm sure the days will fill up but it will be with projects and things I want to do.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
Already got a Redhead 1100 to restore during the winter and picking up a Silver C tomorrow so 2 in the pipe.
By the way Larry you don't want my job either the technology business has become a grind to say the least yes the money is good but it comes a time it does not mean so much.
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
They problem with not having a "job" is that it seems like all your time is free. Since you don't have a "job" you must be bored and other people like to help you out and find stuff for you to do. Weekends, evenings and even nights and everyone knows it and figures you have nothing better to do than stuff they want you to do and since you don't have to get up for work in the morning, it is fine to call you to do something at 11pm or on a weekend or at 6am.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
Bruce I assure you I would be bored doing nothing plus I like my booze so my plan is a job at Costco 3 maybe and I mean maybe 4 days a week work on the Weber's for minimum wage all good.
Cheap is always my favorite feature as long as quality comes with it. Weber is definitely quality. Some models are better than others but they're all pretty solid.
I was at Dicks sporting goods tonight and they had a Big Horn pellet grill/smoker originally $399 marked down to $202. Then I saw where if you had a Dicks Scorecard you got 20 per percent of any purchase! That would bring the (pre-tax) total down to right around $165 for a $300 pellet grill/smoker! Great reviews and there’s a couple good videos about it on YouTube. At that price, it becomes awfully tempting if you’re thinking of getting a pellet grill.
Tim
Tim
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I have been saving towards getting a Rec Tec grill. I look at it as adding to my grills (Summit, Kettle, WSM 18"). I love my grills to much and I like the flexibility that each has to offer so I do not plan on letting go of anything. Yes, I probably should get counseling! There are times when having the pellet grill will allow me time to get all the other things done over the weekend instead of minding the BBQ, not that I am complaining. I realize that you can purchase the DigiQ like units which help achieve the same thing. I also need more surface area to make more product at one time so a large unit like the Rec Tec will help meet those needs.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
From everything I have seen and read, I don’t think you will regret going with Rec Tec. I feel they are a company a lot like Weber was when George
was barnstorming the nation promoting the virtues of covered grilling.From everything I have seen and read, I don’t think you will regret going with Rec Tec. I feel they are a company a lot like Weber was when George
My client manager has a RecTec, he's been very happy with it.
Victor Clarke
New member
Pellt Smokers & Gassers
Hi All,
Newbie here, so hope I don't inadvertently offend anyone.
As Jon referenced, I'm one of the blessed ones in having a Mak 2 Star General, which is widely considered one of the best pellet smokers around (and yes, it's all of $3K with the "necessary goodies" unfortunately). That being said, it is parked right next to a Genesis S-330 (soon to be a Summit S-470). The reason for having both is simple, they do different things - kind of like having both an oven and cooktop in the kitchen. The Mak does not do short cooks or sear well (regardless of what they advertise), but a Weber will never smoke as well (no matter how many smoker boxes you put in) or is it particularly adept at doing long, low-and-slow cooks. For example, I do not do steaks or burgers on the Mak, but wouldn't even consider trying brisket, pork butt, pastrami, etc. on the Weber.
There are some interesting combination uses though, such as smoking poultry or tri-tip on the Mak and finishing it with a sear on the Weber. It's also nice having both characteristics available simultaneously - like tonight we're having St. Louis style ribs off the Mak, with chicken wings and hot links off the Weber.
As for pellet smokers in general, most have digital controllers now that are pretty-much set-and-forget which is nice vs. charcoal or stick burners. (The WSM guys may differ on that.) Some offer wireless connections to a smartphone ap which allows for remote monitoring, logging and changing of settings on the fly. The cost of pellets is not bad at all. As mentioned in a previously post, Lumberjack is a good brand, costing us about $12 for 20#, with the smoker going through about 3/4# per hour at lower settings. There are several other decent brands that sell for less (I think you can get a 40# bag for under $15 at Walmart.) Box fires are basically a non-issue unless you don't clean out the ash.
Much like the barbecue industry, selection can be broken down into two basic categories: Chinese or American made with pricing reflecting the difference in quality and features. Much like Weber, Rec-Tec is ostensibly at the top of the Chinese-made heap, with American-made units starting a bit higher in both price and quality. As stated, Mak is definitely one of the best, but with 20/20 hindsight, I probably would have selected something else, still American-made, but less expensive. There are several very nice 304 stainless units out there for under $2K, which is not much more than a Rec-Tec. Regarding some the "el cheapos" referenced herein, remember, it would be like buying a Nexgrill to see if you like barbecuing. That's not necessarily a bad idea, but if it turns out you do like smoking, plan on getting something better (and more expensive) in a couple years.
In summary, I don't think pellet smokers should necessarily be compared to barbecues as they serve different purposes. Admittedly, you can do a some grilling on a smoker and some smoking on a barbecue, but neither does everything well.
Having both is truly a blessing, but if ever faced with having to choose between the two, it would be the Weber.
Hi All,
Newbie here, so hope I don't inadvertently offend anyone.
As Jon referenced, I'm one of the blessed ones in having a Mak 2 Star General, which is widely considered one of the best pellet smokers around (and yes, it's all of $3K with the "necessary goodies" unfortunately). That being said, it is parked right next to a Genesis S-330 (soon to be a Summit S-470). The reason for having both is simple, they do different things - kind of like having both an oven and cooktop in the kitchen. The Mak does not do short cooks or sear well (regardless of what they advertise), but a Weber will never smoke as well (no matter how many smoker boxes you put in) or is it particularly adept at doing long, low-and-slow cooks. For example, I do not do steaks or burgers on the Mak, but wouldn't even consider trying brisket, pork butt, pastrami, etc. on the Weber.
There are some interesting combination uses though, such as smoking poultry or tri-tip on the Mak and finishing it with a sear on the Weber. It's also nice having both characteristics available simultaneously - like tonight we're having St. Louis style ribs off the Mak, with chicken wings and hot links off the Weber.
As for pellet smokers in general, most have digital controllers now that are pretty-much set-and-forget which is nice vs. charcoal or stick burners. (The WSM guys may differ on that.) Some offer wireless connections to a smartphone ap which allows for remote monitoring, logging and changing of settings on the fly. The cost of pellets is not bad at all. As mentioned in a previously post, Lumberjack is a good brand, costing us about $12 for 20#, with the smoker going through about 3/4# per hour at lower settings. There are several other decent brands that sell for less (I think you can get a 40# bag for under $15 at Walmart.) Box fires are basically a non-issue unless you don't clean out the ash.
Much like the barbecue industry, selection can be broken down into two basic categories: Chinese or American made with pricing reflecting the difference in quality and features. Much like Weber, Rec-Tec is ostensibly at the top of the Chinese-made heap, with American-made units starting a bit higher in both price and quality. As stated, Mak is definitely one of the best, but with 20/20 hindsight, I probably would have selected something else, still American-made, but less expensive. There are several very nice 304 stainless units out there for under $2K, which is not much more than a Rec-Tec. Regarding some the "el cheapos" referenced herein, remember, it would be like buying a Nexgrill to see if you like barbecuing. That's not necessarily a bad idea, but if it turns out you do like smoking, plan on getting something better (and more expensive) in a couple years.
In summary, I don't think pellet smokers should necessarily be compared to barbecues as they serve different purposes. Admittedly, you can do a some grilling on a smoker and some smoking on a barbecue, but neither does everything well.
Having both is truly a blessing, but if ever faced with having to choose between the two, it would be the Weber.