Let's talk pellet smokers/grills

[NBK]

I am taking the pellet smoker/grill dive. Who is using what and why. I have done quite a bit of reading up on the subject but would love to hear what SCH folks are using. There are many units on the market since Mr. Traeger put his grill out there. His patent licenses have expired so it's the Wild West regarding pellet grills.

 

[Lungpopper]

My Treager is around 5 years old. Still works like a champ.

 

[MAG 1]

I'm new to the smoker game, but the pro 34 Traeger the girls got me works great. Easy to use and lots of recipes, he'll the elk burger that was in the food section came out awesome .

 

[Revo2811]

I went with the pitboss pro series
Bluetooth compatible you can adjust temps and not miss a play
It’s been great


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[JakeSCH]

following because I would like one too. Though pan frying elk steaks has been the new hit over the last year.

 

[ilovesprig]

I have the large Traeger...Great for just about everything...Bought Jacob the camping/portable Traeger for Christmas...He's the bomb on those things.

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[Creeping Death]

Have a traeger. There's others out there that are better/cooler/nicer...etc. But, at the end of the day it flat works for me and that's all I need. It's not a smoker by any means but it grills with a smokey flair. At least that's my .02

 

[Lungpopper]

Have a traeger. There's others out there that are better/cooler/nicer...etc. But, at the end of the day it flat works for me and that's all I need. It's not a smoker by any means but it grills with a smokey flair. At least that's my .02

That’s pretty much how I look at them.
I tell people it’s an oven with smoke.

 

[punkur67]

I have the big traeger with the upgraded Savanah stoker PID controller and fan. It works great. I know the Rec Tec smokers are supposed to be bad ass too

 

[HortoTheSlayer]

I run a Z Grill..not as big as the XL traeger but about half the price! I've had it for less then 6months and I love this thing! I've done everything from an entire Turkey in there to pizzas..the wife loves it as well!

 

[MJB]

I'm an egg guy, the pellet smoker doesn't get hot enough in my opinion.

 

[punkur67]

I'm an egg guy, the pellet smoker doesn't get hot enough in my opinion.

I have one of those too. I honestly prefer the flavor from my egg but the pellet has its place. I actually want to get one of the new charcoal BBQ's from Masterbuilt gravity smoker/grill

Explore Masterbuilt® Gravity Series®

Masterbuilt makes innovative digital charcoal grills, griddles, electric smokers, propane smokers, combination grill & smokers, fryers and more. For the backyard griller or on-the-go meat smoker, master the art of cooking with Masterbuilt.

www.masterbuilt.com

 

[msailor]

I have a Treager medium size and it works great I got it about six months ago and have cooked brisket, snack sticks, pork butt, ribs and chicken on it. Keep it clean after 20 hours of use I give a good cleaning and watch the edges of the metal on the inside they are not rolled and have a sharp edge! I got a good cut once and now I am very careful when I clean it.


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[Nuevo]

I have a small Traeger, I bought it used about four years ago. I’ve cooked just about everything you would bbq on it and it’s been pretty good. It’s not perfect, but it’s really easy. It can grill up to around 400-450, although I don’t like to use it for that. I have propane and charcoal grills for that duty.
I much prefer a stick burner for bbq, but these things take a lot of the work out of it for simple cooking. I don’t regret buying it one bit! Also, traegers customer service is pretty good too! Things will wear out or crap out. Haha

 

[MJB]

What I like about the egg I can get it to 700 deg sear all sides then shut it down and walk away.

 

[BubbaEff]

I have a Weber bullet charcoal smoker, which is very portable so I still use it in when camping (for example, cooking the turkey at thanksgiving in the desert). But I never use it home now that I have a Traeger Timberline 1300. I am not saying the Traeger is better than other comparable brands like the RecTec, but it sure is nice compared to the charcoal smoker for doing overnight cooks. I roll over at night, check the grill temp on my phone, check the meat temp, make adjustments to the grill temp if needed, then go back to sleep without ever getting out of bed. It is very convenient, the temperature never gets away from you, and the end product of the cook is always consistent. Pellet grills can be expensive, but the convenience and consistency are worth it in my opinion. I just wish Traeger (or someone) made a pellet grill that is portable yet large enough to accommodate a thanksgiving turkey ... then I would get rid of my Weber bullet and use only pellet grills for all of my smoking needs. Note, when cooking wild game (venison steaks, for instance), I cook the meat on the Traeger to an internal temp of about 120 degrees to get some good smoke flavor, but then finish the steaks in a hot cast iron skillet for the final sear. In my opinion, the pellet grills aren't ideal for searing. I suspect this observation would apply to most brands of pellet grills. My 2 cents...

 

[ilovesprig]

I bought one of these for my SIL...He says it's great in the desert...Traeger Ranger

Pack your wood-fired flavor wherever adventure takes you. Cook a feast fit for the wilderness right on your truck bed while you spend the day at your favorite fishing hole, or bring it along for a weekend away. Featuring Traeger’s Digital Arc controller, the Ranger gives you precise temperature control with an added Keep Warm Mode to make sure your food is ready to eat whenever you are. Next time adventure calls, answer it with the Traeger Ranger.

 

[Nuevo]

I bought one of these for my SIL...He says it's great in the desert...Traeger Ranger

Pack your wood-fired flavor wherever adventure takes you. Cook a feast fit for the wilderness right on your truck bed while you spend the day at your favorite fishing hole, or bring it along for a weekend away. Featuring Traeger’s Digital Arc controller, the Ranger gives you precise temperature control with an added Keep Warm Mode to make sure your food is ready to eat whenever you are. Next time adventure calls, answer it with the Traeger Ranger.

There’s one for sale on BD, I think he’s asking $200

 

[Snake Charmer]

My wife bought me a Traeger in 2007. I have used it off and on since then, smokey oven for sure I agree with that but I am not understanding that it is not a smoker from another statement made. A smoker is just that cool smoke delivered to meat is just that. My Traeger goes down to 160 degrees and that is getting pretty cold to me. The thing I like about the Traeger is the variety of pellets offered. I use Cherry wood for poultry ( gives it an almost pork like taste), grapevine for fish ( very mild and does not take away from the mildness of fish) hickory for pork or beef ( robust in flavor) along with mesquite . I have also used oak and been able to get it up to 550 degrees and done pizza with it. That being said I am intrigued by the egg being able to produce 700 degrees and am thinking that a pizza stone at that temp would produce epic neopolitin pizzas. I have a Weber charcoal grill that gets most of my work but also have a Blackstone griddle that has it's work to do and am going to get a Weber gas grill for ease of use but now I'm thinking I might need an egg too. Man, Fire food, I guess we're all cavemen of one sort or another... My favorite way of preparing a meal for sure..

 

[krist003]

I recently bought the Campchef woodwind and it is money. You can get them with a sideburner that has all kinds of attachments, BBQ grill, cast iron griddle, pizza oven, sear box, etc. Some of the best money I have ever spent. Now I don’t think I could make something taste bad if I tried.