Pellet Grills

[MelroseHawkins]

Any of you have them? Do you like them? Disadvantages? Maintenance issues with them? There are a lot of options out there now such as propane, infra-red and pellet. I probably need to get a new grill at some point so was just wondering about any of your experience's with the pellets.

 

[DDThompson]

Good question.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

IMHO, it's a fine line between a neat advancement in technology.... and completely taking the fun (variability) out of it. I don't have a pellet grill, but from what I've seen they look pretty foolproof. They're actually kind of a combination of a grill and smoker.

I'm so undecided about it, I have traditional Weber, a propane grill and a smoker. I use em all...but the weber rarely.

 

[in8hawk]

I have had 2 Traegers over the years, and would recommend them, or any other similar brand. It does depend what you want to do with it. I much prefer them for smoking, as said above, it takes the variability and some of the skill out of it, but it also makes it so you don't have to baby sit the damn thing all day. I would recommend something else for steaks or burgers or dogs as pellets are a pricier fuel source than propane. I use a Weber Q100 for those and my small Traeger for smoking. I still have my dad's 35 year old Weber kettle that I use sometimes. I would say if you want propane, it is hard to beat a Weber. My mom has had hers for over 10 years and hasn't had to replace hardly anything.

 

[Denverhawk1]

I have a Traeger. Smoker. I love it. Love it. Some of the advantages.... can cook at lower temperatures, allowing for better moisture levels. The Traeger has a convection blower inside it so it keeps temperatures consistent as well. Since it's a smoker, the wood flavor permeates and really changes the taste, and can range from apple, pecan, hickory, mesquite... many different flavors.

With that said, there are disadvantages. It really only gets to 450. So a "quick" burger or chicken breast isn't an option. I tell people to basically add 15-20 minutes to what your timeframe is for a propane grill. Pellets are expensive. And if you smoke at a high temperature you will burn through them. I probably buy 1-2 bags of pellets a month, $14-20 each. Depending where you buy them. You also have more maintenance, you need to vacuum out the dust from the smoking/burning of the pellets, usually every 4-5 uses. We use ours a lot, so probably every other week we need to take 10-15 minutes and clean it up.

With this in mind, we use both the propane grill and the smoker. They have much different finished products. A 10 pound brisket or prime rib on the smoker is unbelievable. You simply can't get that on a propane grill. But... I love grilled chicken, and on a smoker you can't get the high temperature grill marks.

If I had to have just one, it would be the smoker. A Traeger, or whatever other brand is more expensive. To get the right size you're looking at $700, and I can tell you for sure I would go bigger if I had it to do over and buy the $1000 one.

My $.02 worth.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

So the food on/in a Traeger comes out as good as the ads show? May have to check it out

You're right DenverHawk1, they all have their fortes. I like to grill steaks and chicken on the propane grill, but there's nothing like a brisket, pork butt or prime rib in the smoker. It's also a great for salmon. All are a big hit at our house.

 

[The Big LeHAWKski]

Just get a Traeger, you can't go wrong.
I have had mine (Texas model) since 2014 and easily use it 1-2 times per week year-round. When you hear family and friends "ooh & ahh" about literally EVERYTHING you cook on it, you'll understand why I recommend it so highly.
Many other outdoor grilling/smoking options are good, none are better.

 

[Denverhawk1]

We cooked bacon on ours tonight. Nothing on it, just straight on the smoker. Smoke for about 45 - 60 minutes, 225 for like half an hour or whatever level of "cooked" you want.

I swear, bacon and wings are absolutely my family's favorites. Even over the brisket, the prime rib, the baby back ribs, the pork shoulder, whatever.

 

[The Big LeHAWKski]

We cooked bacon on ours tonight. Nothing on it, just straight on the smoker. Smoke for about 45 - 60 minutes, 225 for like half an hour or whatever level of "cooked" you want.

I swear, bacon and wings are absolutely my family's favorites. Even over the brisket, the prime rib, the baby back ribs, the pork shoulder, whatever.

Fire it up and pass the Lipitor - we'll be over this weekend!

 

[deanvogs]

I have used the Kamado Joe smoker (Big Green egg in essence) A Daniel Boone Green Mountain unit (basically a Treager). Just a few weeks ago I built a BBQ grill island on the deck and put in a built in Napoleon grill and a built in Memphis smoker.

The Kamado Joe is great, but it is so much work. Putting in the lump charcoal, getting it to temp can take awhile. Then you put the food on and getting it to stabilize back to the temp you want take even more time. Then if you are doing a long smoke, you will need to add more lump charcoal during the process which is a huge pain in the ass. While I like the flavor of using the Kamado, I just didn't smoke anywhere near as often because of how much effort was involved.

Fast forward to the Green Mountain unit. This unit was fabulous! I had the one with the wifi built in so you can control it from your phone (which is awesome!). I used this thing all the time, because of how easy it was. You can't believe how much better Chicken is on a smoker like a Green Mountain or Treager over the grill. I loved it so much and used it so much that I expanded the deck and put a BBQ grill island on the deck for looks and convenience. The Memphis Grill/smoker is a Green Mountain or Treager on steroids. It is an all stainless steel unit on both the outside and inside parts. It has dual convection fans, and It can smoke as low at 180 degrees, up to 700 degrees on this unit! It also has WiFi controls so you can run everything from your phone.

 

[Chickenlounge]

I have a Green Mountain on back order right now. The guy in Kalona said he can't keep them in stock. My brother-in-law has one, and a friend has a Traeger. They love them.

As for taking the fun out of it, I want it to be foolproof. There's no fun in spending 12 hours on a brisket, only to find out you messed something up and it didn't cook properly. Ovens are pretty foolproof too, that's why everyone has one in their house.

 

[Hawk5656]

I have a Traeger and I love it. As someone else pointed out the only really downfall is having to clean it but I use mine for grilling and smoking and it's a heck of a machine.

 

[bogeyman]

Love my Traeger also, expensive but the results are pretty worth it! One nice thing I don't think has been mentioned yet is there are no flare ups like a regular propane grill etc. So I can put 15 burgers on it, walk away to do something else, and not worry about them all getting chard by a grease fire / flare up. Traeger also has tons of recipes online and there are also all kinds of youtube vids etc showing you ways to prepare what you are wanting. I also bought one of the insulated covers for mine to use during cold weather months. Helps keep the temperature up and therefore use less pellets over time.

 

[KCHawkeye]

I hear pellet smokers are great and may have one sometime in my future. But remember, it's not the size of the smokers that counts, it's the taste of the meat.

I have a smoker now and love the results. I can put about 40 pounds of meat on it, though it's an exercise in cooking management, if I do. Proper dry rub, 225 degree heat and wet rub is a must. Vacuum pack after cooling meat. Never a complaint.

I like the idea of a pellet smoker for even heat throughout the cooking process. May be my next purchase.

 

[buffd4life]

I have used the Kamado Joe smoker (Big Green egg in essence) A Daniel Boone Green Mountain unit (basically a Treager). Just a few weeks ago I built a BBQ grill island on the deck and put in a built in Napoleon grill and a built in Memphis smoker.

The Kamado Joe is great, but it is so much work. Putting in the lump charcoal, getting it to temp can take awhile. Then you put the food on and getting it to stabilize back to the temp you want take even more time. Then if you are doing a long smoke, you will need to add more lump charcoal during the process which is a huge pain in the ass. While I like the flavor of using the Kamado, I just didn't smoke anywhere near as often because of how much effort was involved.

Fast forward to the Green Mountain unit. This unit was fabulous! I had the one with the wifi built in so you can control it from your phone (which is awesome!). I used this thing all the time, because of how easy it was. You can't believe how much better Chicken is on a smoker like a Green Mountain or Treager over the grill. I loved it so much and used it so much that I expanded the deck and put a BBQ grill island on the deck for looks and convenience. The Memphis Grill/smoker is a Green Mountain or Treager on steroids. It is an all stainless steel unit on both the outside and inside parts. It has dual convection fans, and It can smoke as low at 180 degrees, up to 700 degrees on this unit! It also has WiFi controls so you can run everything from your phone.

Habe to concur with deanvogs here the Memphis Grill is the ultimate in grill smoker. It has interchangeable plates for direct flame (grilling) or smoking. Yes, it cost more than a gas grill but for me that cost was offset by not having to pay a contractor to plumb gas line all the way around our house to kitchen island. You won't be disappointed with a Memphis.

H4L

 

[deanvogs]

Habe to concur with deanvogs here the Memphis Grill is the ultimate in grill smoker. It has interchangeable plates for direct flame (grilling) or smoking. Yes, it cost more than a gas grill but for me that cost was offset by not having to pay a contractor to plumb gas line all the way around our house to kitchen island. You won't be disappointed with a Memphis.

H4L

I still put in a gas grill, as I still like burgers, brats, and steaks sometimes on the grill. The Memphis smoker is on the left, the gas grill is on the right.

 

[scotthawkeye]

I have a 15 year old Weber Gas grill it has been great and I will probably be using it 20 years from now. That being said Weber sold out to China and there grills are not the same. I bought one for my brother and it lasted 5 years and done.

I have a nice smoker "The good one" with a smoke box and love it for smoking it uses charcoal and wood chunks. I don't like smoke flavor all the time so I use that about once every month or two and throw a lot of meat on it. It took a few times to figure out how much charcoal and wood to use but It will hold 225 for 4 to 5 hours and not budge.

That outdoor kitchen is bad ass deanvogs!

 

[Denverhawk1]

The outdoor kitchen, my friend, is beautiful. What a wonderful design and set up. Well done indeed!

 

[MikeDog70]

Sorry for replying without really reading the other replies, but I wanted to chime in with my pellet smoker experience.

I have a Rec Tec and I HIGHLY recommend it! The pellet technology in general is great, regardless of brand, because you can just set it and forget it. No need to baby it by watching and checking temps, etc. I realize there are some who enjoy doing that part of smoking, so it might not be for everyone. But the ease of it is what appealed to me.

As far as why I chose the Rec Tec:

HEAVY gauge stainless steel used throughout, making it an absolute tank. The thickness of the grill is what will set it apart from others, more durable and will last longer.

6 year warranty and some of the best customer service/support around! They include their cards with each smoker and encourage you to call/text them with ANY questions or concerns. I have used this many times when checking on certain cuts of meat and how long to smoke something or get hints, always a reply within an hour. Had a tear in my cover, asked them about it, without asking they sent out a new one.

They now make a mini along with their large 680, I hear it is great for camping.

There are also all kinds of mods being made or added to pellet smokers from all brands, if you get one or have one, be sure to check out all the different message boards, Facebook pages, etc for all types of hints, tricks, recipes. Some mods provide more smoke, or the new thing now is a pizza oven made by Green Mountain which heats up to over 900 degrees and cooks pizzas in 2-3 minutes.

Bottom line is these are fun to have and produce delicious food. My advice is to be sure to check out all specs to be sure you're getting the most bang for your buck. I'm happy with the Rec Tec. (Plus it has awesome chrome bull horns for handles!)

 

[MursenarySkum]

I definitely clicked on this thinking that "pellet grills" was the name of a person...I'm embarrassed