Learn Me: Pellet Grills

I am potentially in the market for a grill, my current grill is a 3 in 1 Gas/ Charcoal/ smokers grill, is getting pretty rusty with some big holes. So I started looking at pellet grills as I like smoking meat, I am just wondering if they are a do it all? I have seen some like the Cuisinart twin oaks which is gas and pellet and the  Cuisinart woodcreek which is pellet but has adapters you put inside the grill where you can use charcoal or Ceramic briquette. I am wondering if getting these multi-purpose grills are worthwhile as the standalone pellet grills like the Zgrills,OK Joes, Pittboss, and Traegers seem versatile as you can control the heat so if you wanted to throw some Hot dogs, Hamburgers, or steak you can easily set the heat accordingly to sear or just smoke them. The reason I ask this is because my current grill was very cheap and it does the job but not particular better then the standalone Weber charcoal or gas grill I owned in the past. I don't like the idea of Cuisinarts as I had a smokers in the past and the control panel went dead and the cost to replace the panel was more then I paid for it, so I bought another cuisinart smoker only for the board to break again. Price point and ease of use are the most important, I don't need special apps, just plug and play. I am looking on the clearance and used market right now.

berkeley pit boss. Biggest pieces of E36 M3 in the entire grilling world, and that's saying something with all the fly by night brands and box store sheet metal thin garbage out there these days. 

Recteq or Z grills are going to be worthwhile without paying for a name and less features like you would a Traeger. 

There are some hybrids out there that have my personal attention though. I can't remember the name off the top of my head, but there's a charcoal smoker than runs like a pellet I'd be very interested in if it had a bigger cooking chamber. 

Clearance and used will be big gambles, used especially because warranties don't transfer and people are ridiculously stupid.

Since my preferred brand is no longer sold or available, and if budget was a concern, I'd buy a standalone controller and build my own pellet smoker out of a drum. Controller and hopper setups are available in the$200 range. In fact I'm probably going to do that next year because I need more cooking space and can't afford $3k+ for a quality enough ready built smoker of any sort. 

I was shopping pellet grills for a while to replace my Webber kettle but couldn't find one in my price range that had good enough reviews to justify the cost. My cousin had nothing but good things to say about his Green Mountian Grill but they were just a little more than I was looking to spend at the time.  

I have a Cabelas pellet smoker. I love it to death. I've had it three years without any issues. Temps range from 180 to around 450.

I still use my charcoal grill for high temp searing steaks. Besides steaks, basically everything else goes on the pellet grill. They are so convenient. My only complaint for awhile was the lack of smoke taste vs a traditional smoker. I got a smoke tube for like 20 bucks that I stuff with pellets and smoking wood chips, that ups the smoke taste a decent amount. 

I have a Cabelas pellet smoker. I love it to death. I've had it three years without any issues. Temps range from 180 to around 450.

I still use my charcoal grill for high temp searing steaks. Besides steaks, basically everything else goes on the pellet grill. They are so convenient. My only complaint for awhile was the lack of smoke taste vs a traditional smoker. I got a smoke tube for like 20 bucks that I stuff with pellets and smoking wood chips, that ups the smoke taste a decent amount. 

Z GRILLS ZPG-6002B 573 sq. in. Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker, Copper this one is close to my budget that I was thinking of buying. I plan on selling my current grill to offset some of the cost.

Pit Boss 743 sq. in. 700FB1 Wood Pellet Grill, Black this is the other one, but I am not sure if the build quality is that much different from the Z.

The only issue I've heard about them is in the humid south, the pellets swell and jam the auger. The only way to avoid it is to not leave any pellets in the hopper or auger. 

I decided to pass on them and stick with a standard grill. 

In reply to Toyman! : I live in south GA. I've never had the pellets swell and clog the auger. But, I have had them swell and not burn well. Whenever I'm done with my cook I empty out my hopper into a 5-gal bucket with a weather proof lid. That has solved all issues for me!

I am of the opinion that if you are on Team Pellet Grill, you would be better served to use either an electric smoker or just roast in your oven and grill on gas.

The whole point to me of cooking with a grill (especially smoking) is the art of controlling the fire, the wood you use, the little challenges and unknowns, etc.  By the time you have an electric pellet grill that takes its fuel out of a bag, has a thermostat and a power cord, and bluetooth so you can sit inside while the grill does its thing, just go get an electric smoker and eliminate the need to burn pellets.  

Following

My dad won a Traeger in a raffle, and has made some dynamite stuff on it.  I've borrowed / used it a couple times to smoke some things, and I like the convenience. 

I've been passively shopping for an older, used model with a knob / non-digital PID, but haven't taken any swings

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

I have had time periods where I would only use charcoal and wood chips, and it truly was a hobby for me, but I no longer find pleasure in spending time doing it, most of my family members won't touch the food. Originally I liked the woodcreak with the options of throwing coals in it, but I would be surprised if I used it at all. I am imagine with my price point it will last for 3 years and I will move on to something else.

In reply to trigun7469 :

Now is the time to start looking for leftovers at the blue and orange stores or at Walmart.  I bought a giant 3 rack pit boss for about 50% off of MSRP this time last year.  No issues so far and it has put in a bunch of hours of work since then.  Buy expensive pellets, the less dust the pellets make, the less you have to completely disassemble for cleaning.  Wrap the drip tray in foil before you start to save yourself cleaning time.  Spend the money on an instant read thermometer and don't trust any of the temp readings built into any grill you buy.

trigun7469 said:

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

I have had time periods where I would only use charcoal and wood chips, and it truly was a hobby for me, but I no longer find pleasure in spending time doing it, most of my family members won't touch the food. Originally I liked the woodcreak with the options of throwing coals in it, but I would be surprised if I used it at all. I am imagine with my price point it will last for 3 years and I will move on to something else.

Sounds like you are an ideal use case for an electric smoker.  

93gsxturbo said:

I am of the opinion that if you are on Team Pellet Grill, you would be better served to use either an electric smoker or just roast in your oven and grill on gas.

The whole point to me of cooking with a grill (especially smoking) is the art of controlling the fire, the wood you use, the little challenges and unknowns, etc.  By the time you have an electric pellet grill that takes its fuel out of a bag, has a thermostat and a power cord, and bluetooth so you can sit inside while the grill does its thing, just go get an electric smoker and eliminate the need to burn pellets.  

That is what I ended up doing. I use a 40" Masterbuilt electric smoker 95% of the time. I'm more interested in the finished product than the journey to get there and I don't usually have time to babysit a pile of charcoal.

I've cooked on everything from a hardwood-fired pit smoker with a 200# hog to a green egg with a chicken. Flavor wise there is no difference between the appliance used. It's all about smoke, heat, and time. How you make the first two is irrelevant.  

Seems like we've found a new topic that is equivalent to "should I buy a pickup truck". 

That said, back on topic:

I have a gas Webber that gets used a couple times a week, year round in New England. I have multiple tanks and it's used for steaks, dogs, fish, etc. It's the daily driver of the grills.

I also have a Pit Boss that's approx 3 years old that gets used a couple times a month in the summer and intermittently throughout the rest of the year. I typically use it to smoke ribs, brisket, chuck roast, and pork shoulder. I also use it as a convection oven to cook cuts like beef tenderloin and ribeye roasts. 

It does a good job at both smoking and convection, for a northerner that doesn't claim to be a pro at smoking meat (seems like that could be worded better). I like the flexibility of being able to choose how much I actively monitor and interact with it.

The biggest issue I ran into was the fire pot would create a hot spot and cause uneven cooking for anything played right above it. I double layer of heavy duty foil solved that problem. I eventually made an arch to act as a heat shield over the fire pot (but under the drip pan) that solves the issue. There are commercially available deflectors, but I had sheet metal available. 

I've got a masterbuilt, which runs on charcoal instead of pellets but has a hopper that can hold about 10 hours worth and is electronically controlled. I really like it, did a brisket on it that came out incredible on my first attempt. to add smoke you just throw wood pieces in the hopper or in the ash tray

No Time said:

Seems like we've found a new topic that is equivalent to "should I buy a pickup truck". 

That said, back on topic:

I have a gas Webber that gets used a couple times a week, year round in New England. I have multiple tanks and it's used for steaks, dogs, fish, etc. It's the daily driver of the grills.

I also have a Pit Boss that's approx 3 years old that gets used a couple times a month in the summer and intermittently throughout the rest of the year. I typically use it to smoke ribs, brisket, chuck roast, and pork shoulder. I also use it as a convection oven to cook cuts like beef tenderloin and ribeye roasts. 

It does a good job at both smoking and convection, for a northerner that doesn't claim to be a pro at smoking meat (seems like that could be worded better). I like the flexibility of being able to choose how much I actively monitor and interact with it.

The biggest issue I ran into was the fire pot would create a hot spot and cause uneven cooking for anything played right above it. I double layer of heavy duty foil solved that problem. I eventually made an arch to act as a heat shield over the fire pot (but under the drip pan) that solves the issue. There are commercially available deflectors, but I had sheet metal available. 

This is exactly like me, except I use a charcoal round weber instead of gas.  I used to have a propane closet smoker, and it just became too hard to keep consistent heat when I wanted to do a smoke longer than 3hrs (basically anything except wings and some ribs).  So I bought a ZGrill pellet smoker and gave the propane smoker up.  I'M NO PITMASTER, I'll be the first to admit, but I like to think I'm a decent cook and my family hasn't ever complained.  In my experience, I've had much better success and better finished products with the pellet smoker than with conventional propane/wood chips.  It's easier and IMveryHO, the smoke flavor permeates better.  This is double-true when it comes to poultry.  A whole chicken or turkey on  a pellet smoker with a good temp probe is absolutely foolproof, and the results are just insanely good.  

Between the two (round weber and pellet grill), I decide how much time I have, what I want out of the cook, and the weather, haha.  I'm probably more 60/40 Weber/Z grill, but I wouldn't go back to a gas grill/gas smoker.  

In reply to golfduke :

I have a HF welding blanket and moving blankets I use to insulate the pellet grill if I'm smoking something and outside temps are 40s and below. I've used it successfully with outside temps in the teens, and cook temps stay stable with the blankets. 

I've owned a Traeger Pro 575 for about 5 years. On average we use it about 16 days a month, but this summer it's been almost every night. I had to change my diet this year so I haven't smoked anything with it since May, but we use it as a wood fired grill on a regular basis. I grill chicken breasts, salmon, burgers, etc at 400F for about 20-25 minutes. IMHO It's much easier to get a consistent cook than with a gas or charcoal grill. Every once in a while it will be hard to light, usually right after a rainstorm, but 99% of the time it lights right up. I never empty the hopper and keep it covered in the winter once it starts raining.

We use our 9 year old Traeger about 3-4 nights a week. Year round. I've replaced the auger motor. Otherwise no major problems. Costco sells them sometimes and it can be a good deal.

I've heard the build quality has dropped.

I had an old vertical cabinet wood smoker and that made the best smoked meats I've ever had, but it needed a visit every half hour or so to check temp and feeding.  The neighbor gave me a masterbuild electric and that was so much easier to deal with I jettisoned the cabinet.  The results weren't quite as good, but the ease of use meant I used it more often.  Cleanup is a PITA though.  The idea of a auto feed, thermostatically controlled smoker sounds great to me, but we're in an apartment now and I can't even have a gas grill on the balcony, so I "grill" on a Tefal Optigrill.  Not quite the same. 

93gsxturbo said:

I am of the opinion that if you are on Team Pellet Grill, you would be better served to use either an electric smoker or just roast in your oven and grill on gas.

The whole point to me of cooking with a grill (especially smoking) is the art of controlling the fire, the wood you use, the little challenges and unknowns, etc.  By the time you have an electric pellet grill that takes its fuel out of a bag, has a thermostat and a power cord, and bluetooth so you can sit inside while the grill does its thing, just go get an electric smoker and eliminate the need to burn pellets.  

Ya I shared that opinion until I had one. Even have threads on here using my stick burner whilst doing other tasks, like shocks and brakes on my ranger. 

A stick burner is nice, but throwing a butt on in the morning and coming back later to ready to eat food is better. 

There are days where drinking beer and tending the fire is the goal, and there are days where just eating is the goal. A GOOD pellet fills that latter niche quite nicely, and still allows for drinking beer all day if necessary.

I still hold firm though, of the 100 or so different smokers I've used through the years, from store bought toys to custom built commercial rigs, electric, propane, charcoal, pellet, wood fired, smoke house, buried, etc, Pit Boss as a brand is down there with cardboard box with an electric heating element and wood chips in a cast iron pan as far as quality of product, and the cardboard box had better temperature consistency.

In reply to gixxeropa :

Smoked a pork butt on the Masterbuilt today. You can see where I realized it wasn't gonna get done before I went to bed, so I upped the temperature haha. Nice to be able to check and control it from the phone app for when it's a bit chilly or damp out

I have been browsing the clearance, I am using brickseek and slickdeals, however nothing is really hiting any other clearance/deal sites to sift through the deals for a grill?

There is a PitBoss on Sale at Menards

https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/grills-outdoor-cooking/pellet-grills/pit-boss-reg-competition-series-850-wood-pellet-grill/pb850cs1/p-4283774893895959-c-1537207499597.htm?exp=false

If compared to the cheaper base model PB Grill, by the time you add a stack, shelf, and any sort of PID upgrade, the one above looks like a better deal

Barring the fact that it's a Pit Boss per RevRico