RIB TEST - Lone Star vs Traeger vs Weber vs Pit Boss


 
My take is that when it comes to results, any of these grills can deliver. If you are talking about rugged longevity and bragging rights, obviously the Lone Star shines. But for a reasonable price, the Searwood looks like a hard option to beat. :coolkettle:
 
Really if you think about it. a pellet grill is a fairly generic device. I think the differences lie more in the skill of the person using it and how "well" they know how to use it. Pellet grills all cook a little differently. I see it between Big Z and Member's Mark. I am convinced now that I've learned the intricacies of each of them, I've learned how to coax really good flavor out of them. But, if I asked say a Pit Boss owner to bring a slab of ribs or some other protein and cook on it, they won't get the same out of it that I do. As I've learned with now close to 3 years on the Member's Mark and about 20 months on Big Z what works and produces best.
Like I've said before. Anyone who thinks a pellet cooker is "cheating" and all that is needed is slap food on it and select a temp. Sorely mistaken
 
Jon Tofte said:
My take is that when it comes to results, any of these grills can deliver. If you are talking about rugged longevity and bragging rights, obviously the Lone Star shines. But for a reasonable price, the Searwood looks like a hard option to beat. :coolkettle:
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Agree. Just sat through that.
Seems like any of these just need a bit of learning and boom, you are cooking with er pellets.
Now a full grill brisket may be a bit harder.
I think I could make do with any of these.

Redo the test and use whatever the grill has to offer. Which one wins then? Add the smokefire too.
Seems like they all can almost automatically cook several racks or briskets.

Ps. Flavor/smoke flavor vs smokiness. Some things and some people want a milder smoke.
 
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I can handle fairly heavy smoke but the wife can't these days, the PB cooks pretty good food and has been great going on 7 years. not sure how different of a flavor other smokers can give using the same pellets, sometimes charcoal/wood just has to be done lol. I add a smoke tube most of the time if doing large meats, small chicken parts are great about taking smoke without much trouble. A fully loaded PB can be a fire hazard if you crank it up lol. that grease doesn't like high heat when you have 30lb of leg 1/4's on it, better to let it run longer vs higher temp. How long is considered a decent life for pellet smokers? I will let you know when mine dies. I would not want a pellet cooker as my only choice but it could get by for a long time before I starved to death :LOL:
 
As long as the main body of the grill is solid, sky's the limit. After all you can buy a new entire pellet hopper/auger and control assembly and simply upgrade.
 
LMichaels said:
As long as the main body of the grill is solid, sky's the limit. After all you can buy a new entire pellet hopper/auger and control assembly and simply upgrade.
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Doesn't that defeat the entire cheaper is better analogy then? Why not just spend a bit more to start off and have the better build quality components and grill to start with? Outside of 1 is completely USA built and made. One has much better quality control and customer service as well. Not mass production. Is the savings worth the headaches and let downs? Not for me.

I can guarantee 3 of the 4 are built to not have a long shelf life the other isn't. The price gap is getting to the point that going through quality issues isn't worth the savings. Reliability is the most important factor. I'll take overbuilt vs under especially with the price difference catching up of the under built verities.

The LSG may be a bit more expensive at the start, but it's far from being an expensive grill when you look at custom made smokers and grills. I'd rather pay up front then at the back end while also being disappointed with failures. Let's be honest most things are built today to fail. It's not like when companies use to build for life. A washer and dryer would last 30 years or more. Today 10 years is a miracle. The LSG is built to last not built to fail. Can you say the same for the others?

Also these tests are always done in ways they're not true comparisons. We all know each rib isn't the same to begin with. To do 1 rack on each machine is the first issue. The second is cooking as each is dialed in to cook the same way. Let each cook with the strengths they have. The worst to me is not being totally blind. Everyone even if they say otherwise has built in bias that's why totally blind to the testers is needed.
 
Chad-Burnt to a T said:
The LSG may be a bit more expensive at the start, but it's far from being an expensive grill
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That is a matter of interpretation. Maybe it's not expensive for you. And that is great. As we say "Te Salute!" For me? So far outta reach might as well be on the moon.
To a point I agree with ya, but I could buy 5 of my Z Grills for what one LSG would cost me, or 8 Member's Marks. Like Clint said "A man's got to know his limitations" Which can also be interpreted as "A man has to know how far he can push the wife" :D
 
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LMichaels said:
That is a matter of interpretation. Maybe it's not expensive for you. And that is great. As we say "Te Salute!" For me? So far outta reach might as well be on the moon.
To a point I agree with ya, but I could buy 5 of them for what my Z Grill cost me, or 8 of them for what the Member's Mark did. Like Clint said "A man's got to know his limitations" Which can also be interpreted as "A man has to know how far he can push the wife" :D
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It's not expensive to anyone talking in these two posts my man. You buy stuff none stop so I doubt you couldn't afford it, not that I care or it's any of my business. Just a point for discussion. I think you might just like a bunch of different vs one great cooker. I'm just the opposite.

You just listed 2 Chinese made cheap o throw aways you own. My interpretation is buy the best I can within reason and the LSG is far within reason of what many of the throw away big box store grills are now, instead of buying multiple cheap grills that you still end up spending good money on.

The I can buy this many is an excuse people make to justify what they want to justify by buying cheap Chinese junk vs buying something that cost more, but is made in the USA and lasts. The LSG is just that.

Obviously you can push your wife quite far. How many grills do you own or have owned?

I can't push mine because if I have a grill I don't need 2 or 3 of the same things in her mind. So for me I buy once. If I have a pellet it will be 1 if I have charcoal it will be 1. The only thing I have multiple are wsms and that's because I bought them used and she knows I need the room.

Since things are changing in our life I'll probably be saying goodbye to all, but 1 charcoal grill when I pull the trigger on a pellet smoker if I do. I have room for multiple, but I don't need to look at 2 pellet grills 3 wsm and 2 charcoal grills and still keep buying more.

Now that weber is almost all Chinese they'll be off my list as well. Sad, but true.
 
Each their own. If I had that type of ready cash handy it would be at top of my list. By the time I toss in taxes, freight and such, it's over $3k. Plus if I didn't have a daughter who's always falling on hard times, and costing me a left gonad (most recently $500 for plumbing repairs) and in the last year in the thousands, for help bailing them out. Hell, if I was in this boat 2 years ago I would not have been able to even swing the Z Grill. As it was the MM was only $200.
Not only that at my age who knows what a "lifetime" purchase is LOL. Maybe back in my 40s or even 50s I could see it. But, ya know the old joke when an old geezer commits a crime and they tell them "life in prison". Doesn't have the same sting.
Best to you on whatever endeavors you choose.
And FWIW other than the Genesis I bought new (but on closeout), WAY back in 92, and the 2 pellet pits but also bought on deep discount closeout I've not bought anything "new". Mostly have not paid more than $150 (which was the most expensive for the Wolf. So, yeah, I've owned a lot of grills but been very frugal. And hell, if I'd had to buy the Z at normal price? It would not be here. As even when they put them on sale they're over $1100. As it was I grabbed at 45% discount and THAT was a stretch
 
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