Experiences with pellet smokers?

[betarhoalphadelta]

Good thing you found it out and can get it back while it's still in the return period. It's a lot of money to drop on something and not be happy, so getting it back there ASAP is good.

As you can see from others' reactions in the thread, there are definitely some more reputable brands out there, and GMG in particular is not all that expensive relative to some of the "budget" brands, but has much better reputation.

 

[beernutz]

Good thing you found it out and can get it back while it's still in the return period. It's a lot of money to drop on something and not be happy, so getting it back there ASAP is good.

As you can see from others' reactions in the thread, there are definitely some more reputable brands out there, and GMG in particular is not all that expensive relative to some of the "budget" brands, but has much better reputation.

I ended up buying a Rec Tec Trailblazer pellet smoker, a brand which I believe you previously recommended, so thanks. It was a couple hundred more than what I had paid for the Pit Boss and about the same price as the standard model GMG Daniel Boone.

However the kicker in the decision making process was that I found a friend who owns a different Rec Tec, the larger Stampede model, who raved over it and let me come take a look before I bought mine. His was $900 and mine was $600 but the primary difference seemed to be just the size and not the build quality or features and since I rarely cook for more than 4 people I decided to save the $300 for meats.

I've only used it a couple times but so far it has been nothing short of incredible. First off it is very nice looking and extremely well built. Once it reaches the set point the temperature stays right on target and this smoker also includes wifi configuration and two meat probes, neither of which the Pit Boss had.

On the Lowe's website the 5 star reviews keep being posted for the Pit Boss with only a few 1 star reviews that describe the same problems I had so I guess I just got a lemon.

 

[Horseflesh]

That pellet pooper looks nice! The bull horn handles are a gas.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Good! Glad you got something that's working well for you!

 

[Nagorg]

I have a Pit Boss 820D. Once I figured out that I couldn't trust controller I've had great results. I bought a separate temp probe (dual probe) and have one monitoring ambient temp near the grate and the other in the meat.

For a slow cook at 225, I have to set the controller to 200. It does have swings below and above 225 (Sometimes ~40 degrees higher) but seems to average out where I want it. Monitoring the meat temp is the key; I was over cooking stuff before because I didn't realize the thing was hotter inside than what it was reading itself.

I didnt seek out a pellet grill when I got mine. I just found it on sale at Academy Sports and decided to pull the trigger on it. For the price I paid it was a good find and has made me a fan of the pellet grill. When this one croaks, I'll replace it with a better one because you just cant beat the set and forget nature of it for long smokes. I grill on mine too all the time with great results. Even steaks!

For pellets, I usually get mine at Academy Sports too. They stock "B&B" brand which apparently is a high quality 100% wood pellet.

https://www.academy.com/shop/browse...ooking/bbq-accessories/pellets-and-wood-chips

 

[Ki-ri-n]

Giggitty

Got it today. Burned it in an will do beer can Chix tomorrow on it to break it in.

 

[Ki-ri-n]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/media/20180728_212044.69313/

Making jerky

 

[Rick Davidson]

My biggest complaints are startup times and wide temperature swings during cooks. The startup instructions say to run it on smoke setting for 5 minutes with lid open until it ignites which was never a problem. They then say to close the lid and set it to 350 to preheat for 15-20 minutes and though it typically overshoots 350 by 25 to 50 degrees initially it seems to eventually get back down to it during the 15 minute period. However, if you want to run it on low and slow like 200 or 225 it takes at least 40 minutes to get back down to that temp. I have tried letting it drop temps with the lid closed as the instructions state and also at least once by opening the lid however when you open the lid the smoker temporarily resets (by design) to high heat so to minimize heat loss so that doesn't help much. I have also tried adjusting the P value to help here without success.

That's exactly why I was disappointed my PB 700FB. I have noticed much of the same. After several emails to their support office, and over a year of playing with it, I've come to the conclusion you get what you pay for. Looking through some topics and comments, I realised that swings are a part of the pellet grill experience in general, but wild ones shouldn't have to be (like 100° I had).
Sold it in the end and went with Traeger instead.

So far so good, almost a year and a half of smoking w/o crazy swings.
It is a little light on smoke, especially on higher temperature cooks - the hotter you run it, the more efficiently the pellets burn and less smoke is produced. Though I have heard that if you use mesquite pellets the smoke flavor will be greater and potentially could even oversmoke on a traeger (that's hard to believe).

 

[user 30639]

Weber is going to be getting into the pellet grill game next year. I'm going to wait until I see some reviews and can see one in person, but this is now at the top of my list. I have a Weber Kettle and a Weber Genesis and love both of them.

https://www.derrickriches.com/weber-pellet-grill/

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Weber is going to be getting into the pellet grill game next year. I'm going to wait until I see some reviews and can see one in person, but this is now at the top of my list. I have a Weber Kettle and a Weber Genesis and love both of them.

https://www.derrickriches.com/weber-pellet-grill/

I think that Weber has earned their reputation as a highly trustworthy company, so I would expect any pellet grill they produce to be of stellar quality. Much like any company of their size, I'm sure they've looked at the competition extensively and are trying to emulate the positives and avoid the negatives that exist.

I'd still probably give it 6 months after release to work out the production kinks, make any improvements they need as they move to mass production and all the learning that entails. By that point it should be more than stable.

That said, the Weber reputation and name tend to bring a pretty big price tag with it. It'll be interesting to see where they slot into the market. I would expect them to be no less expensive than Traeger, but the question will be whether they try to push the higher end in between Traeger and companies like Yoder or MAK. They somewhat went high-end with the Summit grill, targeting it at the higher end of even kamado pricing. They might do the same here, as the "low to medium" end of the pellet grill world is pretty crowded, with guys like GMG, Traeger, and Rec Tec already being solid established players in the medium end, and a bunch of cheapos on the low end.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I've had a big easy electric smoker for a few years and I like it but the temps are unpredictable and I want a real wood fire. Grilla Grills makes pellet smokers with double-wall construction and heavy gauge steel for consistent performance all year round. When I get around to buying a pellet grill, it'll be their chimp model.

 

[user 30639]

That said, the Weber reputation and name tend to bring a pretty big price tag with it. It'll be interesting to see where they slot into the market. I would expect them to be no less expensive than Traeger, but the question will be whether they try to push the higher end in between Traeger and companies like Yoder or MAK. They somewhat went high-end with the Summit grill, targeting it at the higher end of even kamado pricing. They might do the same here, as the "low to medium" end of the pellet grill world is pretty crowded, with guys like GMG, Traeger, and Rec Tec already being solid established players in the medium end, and a bunch of cheapos on the low end.

From what I have read there are going to be two models. One at $1000 and the larger one at $1200. I can definitely get a Traeger, GMG, or Grilla Grill (which I was seriously considering) for a better price. But, like you said, they have earned their reputation asnd that would make me spend a little more for the smoker. I've had 3 Weber grills, 1 Kettle and 2 different Genesis, and never had any issue with any of them. Hell, my dad has a Weber Spirit that is at least 20 years old and is still running strong.

 

[dougglass80]

I am contemplating buying a pellet smoker. I have a Big Steel Keg, a stainless clone of a Big Green Egg, and a Weber Smokey Joe so I am a fan of using charcoal. However, I have a friend who raves about his Green Mountain Daniel Boone and how easy and stress free it is to use, not to mention his brisket is phenomenal, so I'm considering buying a pellet smoker.

I previously used an Auber temp controller with a PID that controlled a fan in the Big Steel Keg for long smokes which worked great. However, it died after a couple years and Auber wants around $150 for a replacement. I could build a DIY one but I am thinking I might just put the money into a pellet smoker.

In addition to Green Mountain I'm looking at Traeger and Camp Chef (found it on Amazon and it has good reviews). I would like to get the best bang for the buck and though I don't have a top end on my budget I highly doubt I'd spend more than $1000 because I'm inherently cheap.

Do any HBTers have hands-on experience with a particular pellet smoker they'd care to share?

I have purchased a Pit Boss 440 from Lowe's around thanksgiving and after using it for numerous cooks including brisket it is outstanding. I have never smoked a bad piece of meat on it. I tried all kinds of other smokers including a green egg and could not get the results I did with the pit boss. Brisket came off after 15 hours and it sliced like butter. There are a lot of pellet smokers on the market but I chose the pit boss for $265.00 just to try a pellet smoker. No regrets!

 

[beernutz]

I have purchased a Pit Boss 440 from Lowe's around thanksgiving and after using it for numerous cooks including brisket it is outstanding. I have never smoked a bad piece of meat on it. I tried all kinds of other smokers including a green egg and could not get the results I did with the pit boss. Brisket came off after 15 hours and it sliced like butter. There are a lot of pellet smokers on the market but I chose the pit boss for $265.00 just to try a pellet smoker. No regrets!

I'm glad you are happy with yours even though mine was a lemon and I appreciate the suggestion.

 

[AzOr]

This was an email from Fisherman’s Marine. That’s a really good deal if they are even half decent.

I’m not sure how big of a chain they are, but they are in Oregon and maybe Washington.