Pellet Grill shopping

jcam222 · Jul 8, 2017

Well the time has come that my old Holland Grill needs replaced. Due to my new found love for the smoke flavor I am pretty set on getting a pellet grill. There are so many choices out there and I would like to stay at $1500 or less give or take.

I have considered the Camp Chef Woodwind (included 700 degree sear station, great price point at $899, not so sure of metal gauge and build quality)

Traeger various ( I know many love them but have read a lot of negative reviews lately)

Rec Tec - (Great warranty, seems to have good build quality, decent searing)

Yoder 640 (built like a tank, moveable baffle for direct fire grilling, patented micro controller for heat?)

Fast Eddie line - (pricey, nice stainless build but also very little space between direct and indirect on the 500 model)

Louisiana Champion - (Holy crap space space and more space lol, anyone have this?)

Whats important to me:

1) Solid build for long life / good warranty

2) Must be as good at grilling as it is at smoking. I want to be able to throw on some burgers or chicken breast for a traditional quick cook as much as do a 14 hour pork butt. This is likely my number one requirement.

3) Minimum of around 600 sq. inch cooking space NOT including racks

4) Excellent temperature control

Ease of use / maintenance / cleaning

Currently I am leaning towards the Rec Tec or Yoder. The downside on the Rec Tec is I really like to see and touch something I spend that much on and with no dealer network pretty much out of the question.

scottma · Jul 8, 2017

I've had my rec tec for just over a year and the build quality is great. Very heavy gauge metal. Temp control is spot on. I just set the temp to 400 tonight and threw on a couple burger and a few dogs..Always comes out great. The only other grill I own is a small portable propane grill I seldom use anymore. I get your concern about no dealers but you won't be disappointed. There customer service is one of the best i've ever dealt with.

Good luck with your choice.

Scott

jcam222 · Jul 8, 2017

Thanks Scott. I assume you have smoked on it as well?

scottma · Jul 8, 2017

Yes...alot. Nothing better than being able to throw a butt on before bed set the temp to 225 and not worry for a second about the cook. 40lb hopper is great...No need to worry about running out. It also is very economical with pellet usage only about a pound an hour at 225-250 temp range. I've also never had a complaint about "where's the smoke flavor" that some talk about with all pellet grills.

zerowin · Jul 9, 2017

Camp Chef's line all has the same size grilling area, LUX being the exception, and even with the 6x24 top rack, it's not as big as you're looking for. I have an STX and I love it, but 4 racks of ribs on a rib rack and two chickens pretty much fill it. Pics here:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/265313/pellet-grill-help-purchase-discussion#post_1728275

bregent · Jul 9, 2017

>Camp Chef's line all has the same size grilling area,

That's not true. The LUX is considerably bigger.

https://www.campchef.com/smokers-grills/camp-chef-smokepro-lux-pellet-grill.html

bregent · Jul 9, 2017

>Due to my new found love for the smoke

>flavor I am pretty set on getting a pellet grill.

Have you actually tasted food from a pellet grill? The smoke flavor can be considerably less than from other smokers. Before spending big bucks I suggest going out and tasting food from a pellet grill from a dealer.

>Fast Eddie line - (pricey, nice stainless build but also very

>little space between direct and indirect on the 500 model)

There might be more space in each zone than you think. What a typical cook for you going to be like? How many people will you normally be feeding?

zerowin · Jul 9, 2017

bregent said:
>Camp Chef's line all has the same size grilling area,

That's not true. The LUX is considerably bigger.

https://www.campchef.com/smokers-grills/camp-chef-smokepro-lux-pellet-grill.html

This is correct, I only mentioned them having the same size because most of the new pellet grill shopping posts mentioned the woodwind or dlx models but the lux ix the exception. I should have been more specific, my apologies.

The high and low smoke settings on them impart a generous amount of smoke flavor. Add a tube and it can quickly become overpowering but balances well with normal temp settings.

mossymo · Jul 9, 2017

I am not saying it is the best but my wife and I have had a Yoder YS640 for well over 5 years now and have been very happy with it. We have no experience with other pellet grills to compare it to.
Compare the following with other pellet grills you are considering...
- Cook chamber is 10 gauge steel, weighs over 300 pounds and is built like a tank!
- Can adjust temp from 150º to 600º plus.
- With 2nd shelf there is 1070 square inches of grate space.
- Warranty is 3 years control systems and 10 years on the grill body.
- Made in the U.S.A.

jcam222 · Jul 15, 2017

My normal cook varies anywhere from 4 people to 10 plus. Ordinarily if I am going to grill and / or smoke I am going to load it up lol. The price point with the attached sear station (big plus to me) on the Woodwind is pretty tempting at $899. I really am down to either the Camp Chef Woodwind, Rec Tec or Yoder. Yoder is backordered on the 640 for a 15 week lead-time for direct orders but there is a dealer south of me that will have a few in August. Have not checked the lead time on Rec Tec.

Still pondering.............

zerowin · Jul 15, 2017

While the top end camp chef has very nice convenience features I still wonder if its big enough for your needs. Whatever you decide I look forward to see some cooks from it in the future.

bregent · Jul 15, 2017

jcam222 said:
My normal cook varies anywhere from 4 people to 10 plus. Ordinarily if I am going to grill and / or smoke I am going to load it up lol. The price point with the attached sear station (big plus to me) on the Woodwind is pretty tempting at $899. I really am down to either the Camp Chef Woodwind, Rec Tec or Yoder. Yoder is backordered on the 640 for a 15 week lead-time for direct orders but there is a dealer south of me that will have a few in August. Have not checked the lead time on Rec Tec.

Still pondering.............

If it were me, I wouldn't even factor in lead time. Get the grill you want based on price, features and performance. If you opt for something just because you get it quicker, you may be sorry down the road.

jcam222 · Jul 15, 2017

I agree bregent, ultimately I will buy what I feel is best in my price range which is $1000 to $1600ish

deuc224 · Jul 17, 2017

Traeger 34 series and replace the controller with a pellet pro PID. Best thing ive done besides my samsung fridge lol.

jporter72 · Jul 18, 2017

How you like the pro pid? I am having temperature control issues almost since I bought my pro 34 in feb

deuc224 · Jul 19, 2017

jporter72 said:
How you like the pro pid? I am having temperature control issues almost since I bought my pro 34 in feb

Honestly i didnt even give the 34 series controller a chance cuz i bought the traeger new and bought the PID at the same time. But it has performed flawlessly since the day i got it. Temp only swings 5 +/-

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