Pellet Grill/Smoker?

[Jim147]

I went looking for a new stick burner since I'm surrounded by oak, pecan and hickory. I can't find one in a sixty mile radius.

Anyone using a pellet smoker or grill smoker combo? Looking for some input. Seems that is all they carry around here.

[AZRedhawk44]

I impulse-bought a Traeger at Costco about 2 years ago.

Will never go back to propane again.  Love it.

Different brands of pellets work better than others.  Best pellets I've used so far are Rec-Tec pellets.  They seem to burn about 5-10 degrees hotter than others I've tried, yielding better adherence to thermostat settings.

This grill has ruined our ability to eat steaks out at steakhouses.  I have a reverse sear process that makes it pointless to eat steak anywhere else.

[Jim147]

Thanks for the review. I was so close to getting one today but just need to hear from a few people like you.

[Lennyjoe]

I have a Pit Boss Pro and I’ll never go back to gas or charcoal again.  One thing I can say is that the brand of pellets matter.  If you want to get good flavor, don’t buy the cheap pellets.  Also there is a bit of clean up required after a couple of uses but it’s easy.  I use a small shop vac to suck out the burner box and residual around the bottom half of the grill.

Other than that, power it on and get a good smoke going then turn up to the temp you want.  With my Pit Boss Pro I have a P setting and a probe plug in for smoking.  Set the P setting you want, slap the butt on and insert probe.  Come back 8-12 hours later (depending on weight of meat) and yank it off.  Easy as that.  No constant monitoring or wood chip adding. 

Bottom line, I absolve mine.  Mesquite is my favorite pellets to use.

[BobR]

I have a Traeger and while I really like it, it is not do all, cook all solution.

It is a pellet grill that adds a modicum of smoke flavor to certain foods, like chicken and possibly burgers.

I like to smoke so for that I have a smoker. I also have a smoke tube for the Traeger to add smoke when I am smoking in it. I do not have a "smoke" setting on mine, I just keep the temp low.

The best way I have found to do brisket or pork butts (large chunks of protein) is to give then an honest smoke in the smoker for about 4 hours to develop the smoke ring and load in the smoke flavor. Most people will agree after that it won't absorb much more smoke. After the initial smoke in the smoker I will move it over to the Traeger to finish off low and slow (up to overnight depending on meat) with a 3-4 hour smoke tube  to get some more smoke. Whether it adds to the smoke flavor I would debate. I don't think so.

The Traeger will only get to 500ish degrees so searing a steak may or may not work. That is a good temp for burgers and they come out flavorful and juicy. I also love the Treager for chicken thighs and wings and thick pork chops. Brats come out fairly good on the Traeger.

I also have a Weber charcoal just because some things have to be grilled. Teriyaki chicken, island kine chicken, some dogs and sausages will also get grilled. I will do my steaks in a sous vide and finish on a very hot grill for a quick sear.

So I guess I don't prescribe to a single method of outdoor cooking but if I had to I would probably use a pellet grill for all around.

I do have a Mr Steak infrared grill in the RV for use and I was quite surprised at how well it worked. I plan on getting a small pellet grill that will run off of 12vdc or 120 (Green Mountain Davy Crockett) for use when we are out doing the RV thing.

I have never owned a real propane grill so I cannot compare anything to one of those. I always considered them outdoor ovens.

bob

[K Frame]

My experience with the pellet grills is limited, but from what I've experienced of them, they're... OK, I guess, but not really for me.

I'll stick with my Weber and lump natural hardwood.

[cordex]

I've really enjoyed everything I've eaten that has been cooked on a pellet grill but I've had no experience with them.

Both of the people I know who use them also have other grills because of the temperature limitations of a pellet grill.

[dogmush]

I kinda want one to play around with as a less fuss smoker.  I don't use my weber smoker as much as I'd like because I rarely have the time at home to smoke a good piece of meat.  A pellet smoker would let me get it going, leave and do stuff, then come back and finish off.  So far the price tag has still been a little high for me to take the leap.

For grilling, I'd still use charcoal in me Weber Kettle.

[Lennyjoe]

My Pit Boss Pro has a slide that you can open above the burn pot to sear steaks with.  It’s a great feature and I use it quite a bit for steaks. 

The benefit for me with my set up is I can go low and slow with the P setting and probe.  It’s nice to be able to slap the meat on there, set the P cycle, insert probe and walk away u til it’s done.  Sure I have to monitor towards the end but I can get a round of golf in before I need to check it’s status….lol

[BobR]

My Pit Boss Pro has a slide that you can open above the burn pot to sear steaks with.  It’s a great feature and I use it quite a bit for steaks.

I had a Cabela's pellet grill that had that feature. After the second one died under warranty due to auger issues I went withe the Traeger as a replacement. I like the slide on the grill so I could do a sear right over the fire pot.

bob

[Jim147]

I have two webers that get used several times a week so I'm set for steaks.

I'm liking this sit it and forget it thing. I'll take a more serious look at the pellet smokers next time I make it to a town.

[Lennyjoe]

Oh and I love ribs on my smoker as well.  I don’t precook or wrap at the end, just smoke until their done. Bone slides right out. 

Did 2 turkeys last year.  One for Thanksgiving I used apple and for Christmas I used Hickory.  The Hickory had better smoke flavor.  Both were awesome but I prefer the hickory flavor better.

[bedlamite]

Rumor has it I'm getting an Oklahoma Joe Highland. Wood/charcoal, not pellets.

[K Frame]

That's not such a bad thing. Those offset firebox smoker/grills are really nice and quite flexible.

To be honest, given the cost of "food quality" pellets, which are often $1 a pound or more, and their other limitations, I'm just not all that infatuated with them.