BEST Pellet Grill/Smoker for Weekend Warrior???

[DR_3]

Help please.... I have been spending way too little time cooking and too much time reading reviews, websites, etc!

I need to get pellet grill/smoker with size, functions, etc. like Camp Chef Woodwind SG, Rec Tec Bull, etc. I know Jeff has a comparison chart with a few on it (https://www.smoking-meat.com/which-pellet-grill-smoker-is-right-for-you) and recommends Camp Chef but I have seen several recent posts/reviews here and elsewhere that are pretty concerning. Lots of other reviews out there but little consistency between them. I know a lot of folks "love my ___", but then I see others' say that same type is no good.....

I can always look-up size, functions, etc. but I want to know which I should get so I can "set and forget" and use for months and months without fixing, modifying, etc. (done that before); within reason, price is not a major factor

 

[rdubs20]

I love my guerilla grill Silverbac. Had it for 2 years so far works great and great company.

 

[Geter-Done]

DR_3
I was at a place that sells Traeger wood pellet grills last week.
They looked nice.

Link:https://www.traegergrills.com/

 

[NU2SMOKE]

I own a REC TEC BULL and I cannot stop singing it praises. Like you I spent 6 months reading reviews and watching videos trying to find the "BEST ONE"
What I figured out is there is no "BEST ONE"....I found the right one for me, and for me...the right one was the Bull.
It is built exceptionally well. It cooks better than anything I have ever seen and the customer service from the company is beyond exceptional. They are based in GA. You call them up for anything...A question, a problem, anything and they will do back flips to help you!
If you want more info ....pm me and I will tell you all you would like to know!
And no I do not work for them....I could not be that lucky!
Heres a couple of pics...


Reverse SEAR 32oz Ribeye

SPARE RIBS...look at the smoke ring!

Smoked Picahana....Smoke ring perfect...medium rare and delicious!!

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Rec Tec or MAK.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

For what you say that you want, “set it and forget it”, I’d check out Rec Tec.

For the same money, it’s just tough to beat their build quality, features, customer service, and yes, their “set it and forget it” capabilities.

 

[DR_3]

Thanks all!
Has anyone tested the minimum and maximum of the Rec Tec?
E.g. if I wanted to cold smoke salmon or sear a ribeye

 

[NU2SMOKE]

I purchased the cold smoke box with my Bull. I live in Florida and right now it is 98 deg here daily as an ambient so there is no cold smoking for me at all but plan to use it alot when we get the cooler weather.

 

[sandyut]

the lowest setting is 180. If cold smoking is going to be something you do alot - then you will likely want to buy the "smoke box" attachment. I have done salmon but not cold smoked. High setting - I have had mine to 450, they say it will do 500 which I would believe.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

I maxed out the temp on the controller and got 550 here in hell oh i mean Florida...lol
At the low setting it its called Extreme smoke setting. It does just that....put out a ton of wonderful smoke! And none of it is bitter. I even spent a day....10 hours... "mapping" the grill temp using 9 probes to measure the grill temp at different areas to see if it had hot and cold zones just so I would know everything about this grill and was floored my how close in temps the whole grill is.

 

[Fishonshawn]

I have a camp chef woodwind. I like it. I love the sear box. I'm pretty new to pellet grills and knew nothing about them when I got it a few months back. Just did some research and settled on the woodwind. It did arrive damaged which pissed me off to no end but camp chef took care of me and made me happy.
Things I dont like about the grill:
1.the temp swings. Now i will say I think some people are to anal about temp swings. Some people on here will have you think that if your grill swings 5 degrees off your food is ruined. Unless you have a PID controller your temps are going to swing up and down a little as pellets burn and fresh ones get dumped. Not the end of the world. But my camp chef has wild swing. It's gone up as high as 80 degrees over and as low as 50 under. Now it doesnt bug me to much as those were the extremes and it's not like it stays at those temps. It goes up and comes right back down and it hasn't ruined anything yet but that does seem like a higher swing than should be expected.
2. I had my pellets go out last week during a brisket. My brisket was at 190 to so it was almost done. What a pain. If you have a flame out it should shut off but it just kept dumping pellets. Good thing I noticed or I have no idea what would have happened. It filled the burn cup completely with pellets.
3. It leaks smoke from all around the lid. I just added a gasket to the lid hoping that would help with some of the leakage and maybe even help with keeping a more steady temp but it didnt.
4. It should come with the front shelf!!! I ordered one from QVC. It was $50 which was cheaper than from camp chef. But it should be included.

Overall though I am super happy with it and the sear box really is great. So those are the down falls to mine. So if those are things you dont think you can live with then I'd suggest something else. Figured I'd tell you what I dont like.