Smoked prime rib

[Brewin’&Qin’]

I have six cookers currently. Three kettles ( two Weber’s and a classic Happy Cooker), a portable propane grill for tailgating, a Weber Genesis gasser and my Rec Tec 680. They all have their own purpose, although my kettles get used the most, 3-4 times a week For high heat grilling and searin. I love the Rec Tec and the Q I get off it. Easier to use than the Kettles for smoking meat. If you don’t want to baby sit a stick burner, the pellet grill is a good entry into bbq and smoking meats.
and yes I do brine and or inject depending on what cook is taking place for any of my cookers.

 

[Broothru]

I have six cookers currently. Three kettles ( two Weber’s and a classic Happy Cooker), a portable propane grill for tailgating, a Weber Genesis gasser and my Rec Tec 680. They all have their own purpose, although my kettles get used the most, 3-4 times a week For high heat grilling and searin. I love the Rec Tec and the Q I get off it. Easier to use than the Kettles for smoking meat. If you don’t want to baby sit a stick burner, the pellet grill is a good entry into bbq and smoking meats.
and yes I do brine and or inject depending on what cook is taking place for any of my cookers.

So, I've got a Weber Genesis (3 burner, plus sear burner) that can get to 700°F for a good sear, a Blackstone 2 burner flat top grill, a portable Weber 2000 gas grill for camping and tailgates, but what I want to add is a reliable hands-off smoker. I saw the Traeger and thought that an automated pellet smoker would be a "set and forget" solution that I could, well, set and forget, at least until wrapping for the Texas stall. After reading some of the comments here, I'm no longer convinced that Traeger should be my go to purchase. Again, my goal is a pellet style automated smoker as a stand alone device. Normally cook for 6-8 or fewer people. What should I be looking at?

 

[Brewin’&Qin’]

The best pellet cooker lines would be along the lines of Yoder, Memphis, MAK, Blazin Grills And FEC/Cookshack. Next level would be Rec Tec. Next down from that would be Treager and GMG. Each has a line of cookers and prices accordingly. Weber came out with a pellet cooker last year that initially had issues but they made a few corrections now. There are a few others, I named the biggest names. As mentioned I really like my Rec Tec for smoking and low cooking and was at price point I wanted six years ago. My other pits serve their purposes. Not sure if that helps. Hope we did not hijack the thread. Sorry. PM me if you want any more specific info.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

So, I've got a Weber Genesis (3 burner, plus sear burner) that can get to 700°F for a good sear, a Blackstone 2 burner flat top grill, a portable Weber 2000 gas grill for camping and tailgates, but what I want to add is a reliable hands-off smoker. I saw the Traeger and thought that an automated pellet smoker would be a "set and forget" solution that I could, well, set and forget, at least until wrapping for the Texas stall. After reading some of the comments here, I'm no longer convinced that Traeger should be my go to purchase. Again, my goal is a pellet style automated smoker as a stand alone device. Normally cook for 6-8 or fewer people. What should I be looking at?

Sounds like the Traeger (or equivalent pellet grill) would be a great addition, quite frankly. It's great for smoking and roasting, the two things that may not be the ideal cooking styles for your existing gasser or flat top.

A lot of people complain about quality issues on a Traeger, but honestly when you sell millions and millions of any product, you're gonna have a few lemons. Most of the other brands don't have enough product on the market for quality issues to make much noise.

I wouldn't be scared about Traeger. And given that you're not looking for some of the features of the high-dollar pellet grills, it seems that spending more wouldn't be helpful for your purpose.

Other brands in the mainstream price point that I'd look at would be Rec Tec or Green Mountain Grills, if you want other options from Traeger.

 

[ITV]

Yoder has 9 pellet smokers.... that start at $2000. Too rich for me...
https://www.yodersmokers.com/pellet/

I have multiple Weber grills and a ceramic Vision grill, all charcoal/lump fueled.

My favorite for smoking is my Weber Smokey Mountain, I have the 18" version which cost under $400.

For "regular" grilling I use my Weber kettle grill, I even have a rotisserie attachement that I use for whole chickens. I prefer this over all other methods including beer can chicken.

I use my ceramic grill for pizza, smoking smaller portions of meat and grilling in below freezing weather due to the ability to retain heat very well.

My son has a pellet smoker which he likes for the convience. I prefer the taste of the charcoal over pellets plus the charcoal cost less. Most pellet grill owners don't like the "mess" of charcoal and adjusting vents to control the temperature.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

The nice feature with Weber is the rotisserie option. Nothing beats a chicken, or a rib roast cooked on the rotisserie!

 

[kaffeenjunkie]

The one thing professional chefs strive for with a standing rib roast is even coloration when the roast is cut. I used to do one every Friday night. I do 4 hours at 225° to internal temp of 120° wrap in plastic wrap and foil and put into a cooler (cambro hot box) to rest. You will find at a lower temp that color is completely even across the roast.

The smoker behind that beauty is a Cookshack Fast Eddy pellet smoker. Set and forget. They do make a smaller version.

 

[ITV]

This may be one of the best things on earth. The outside bites are smoky and the center bites are normal beefy. Smoked 3 hours at 300 degrees, wood fired with cherry. Unfortunately the dog got 2 lb of leftovers when no one was looking.

Thanks for the photo, now I want to smoke one.

What was your target internal temp on the prime rib roast?

 

[cfrazier77]

Thanks for the photo, now I want to smoke one.

What was your target internal temp on the prime rib roast?

My family like med rare/med, so I pull at 130 and let it rise to 135 on its own.

 

[jcfontario]

I started for about 15 years with a COS (Cheap Offset Smoker) bought for $150 from a Home Improvement Store. The metal was thin so it had horrible temperature control even though I wrapped it with pink insulation, but it did help me learn how to cook.

Then as a retirement gift to myself, I bought this monster stick burner smoker from a guy who owned a metal fab shop and built it himself. The firebox is 1/2 steel and the rest of it is 1/4" steel. The lid is so heavy that it needs a counterweight. The whole unit weighs about 1000 lbs so it isn't going anywhere (and required that the deck be reinforced to handle the weight). But it is always fun to fire it up with some hickory or cherry logs. Now I am getting hungry.

 

[YeastFeast]

Reading through a number of threads... you've got my mouth watering and my interest piqued.

For someone entirely new to smoking... any advice re what smoker to get? I have a typical propane grill and it is rusted out/ready to be replaced. Is there such a thing as a combo grill and smoker?

I’ve been grilling/smoking/BBQ’ing all my life. I’ve gone through countless grills & smokers. I only own one now, it does everything and has a lifetime warranty so I’ll never need another one. The XL Big Green Egg. I do briskets, pork shoulders, ribs, chicken, hamburgers, meatloaf, rib roasts, brats, steaks, pork chops, bread, cookies, pretzels and whatever else I can think of. It can do it all. Works especially well if you use it year round like I do in a cold climate, performs great in a snowstorm/cold/whatever which is a big reason I went ceramic!

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

@YeastFeast Nice table!

I've been thinking about building one mostly of wood for my Big Joe and Joe Jr, but hadn't considered using paving stones. Looks pretty slick!

 

[YeastFeast]

@YeastFeast Nice table!

I've been thinking about building one mostly of wood for my Big Joe and Joe Jr, but hadn't considered using paving stones. Looks pretty slick!

Thanks!
Super easy, paver stones and landscape glue! Made some simple forms from melamine board & mixed up quikrete countertop mix for the tabletop and shelves. Considered quarts or granite but poured concrete was a fraction of the price!

 

[Oleson M.D.]

I have seen many aftermarket custom builds, mostly using Weber Kettles, but other grills / smokers too. While they are all stunning in appearance, they have a price tag ($$$) to match the looks.