Choosing which type of smoker

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ShakingHorizons

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 1, 2019
22
5
I currently have a MES (not sure which size honestly) and while I love the food that comes off of it, I am unable to cook an entire packer brisket.

I do not like how long the smoker takes to come up to temp, nor do I like how long it takes to get back to temp after mopping, spritzing, etc.

My father-in-law has a Traeger and I can't say I am impressed. The meat never tasted smoked, it actually tasted like it sat in an oven all day. After reading the forums here, I see that I am not the only one and seems to be the "pellet smoker" issue (burns too efficiently). There are SO many brands out there of pellet grills it is daunting to compare any of them.

I have a co-worker with a Rec-Tec and he can't say good enough things about it, but I have never tasted any of the meat he has smoked so I have no idea if it is in line with the Traeger. I am not completely sure if pellet is the way I want to go - propane is out due to the amount of wind we receive in my area, and I have no interest in tending to a fire all day.

One of the main reasons for this post is that I have a friend who is moving and has a Grilla Silverbac Pro that he would like to sell me for 1/2 price. It is less than 6 months old and very well taken care of - but again, I have never tried anything he has smoked. Basically, I want the same quality (or better!!!) of food my MES cooks, but with enough room for a packer brisket, and something that holds temp better.

Thoughts?!?
 
I have heard plenty of good things about Rec-Tec and Grilla. That said it seems to me that you have tried things smoked on a pellet smoker and do not necessarily think its smokey enough. To any of them you could certainly add a smoker tube as a secondary source of smoke. Honestly I would ask my buddy if I could do a cook on the Grilla to try it out. Half price or not if you aren't satisfied with results you wont use it. I would also however suspect the risk is low if you buy it since at half price and so new you could easily resell it if you wanted to.
 
It was down to Rec Tec and the Silverback Alpha for me. I went RT. But at 1/2 price, I wouldn't hesitate a second on taking that off his hands. Smoke tube can be used it more smoke flavor is needed. Otherwise you will need to go to a stick, WSM, or kamado style for more smoke flavor. All which require a little more attention.
 
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I have heard plenty of good things about Rec-Tec and Grilla. That said it seems to me that you have tried things smoked on a pellet smoker and do not necessarily think its smokey enough. To any of them you could certainly add a smoker tube as a secondary source of smoke. Honestly I would ask my buddy if I could do a cook on the Grilla to try it out. Half price or not if you aren't satisfied with results you wont use it. I would also however suspect the risk is low if you buy it since at half price and so new you could easily resell it if you wanted to.

Unfortately he is moving this weekend and is 3 hours away, otherwise great suggestion!!

According to Grilla's website, they have acknowledged that pellet smokers don't provide as much smoke in cooking and have remedied this by cycling the heat.
 
It was down to Rec Tec and the Silverback Alpha for me. I went RT. But at 1/2 price, I wouldn't hesitate a second on taking that off his hands. Smoke tube can be used it more smoke flavor is needed. Otherwise you will need to go to a stick, WSM, or kamado style for more smoke flavor. All which require a little more attention.

I have definitely narrowed it down to a high power electric or pellet.

When my friend purchased the Pro, I asked him why he didn't spring for the Alpha (back before he offered it to me). He stated that his neighbor had a Pro that then "upgraded" to the Alpha (PID system) and said that there was an OBVIOUS smoke flavor decrease with the "upgrade". The small temperature fluctuations in the Pro puts a little more wood pellets into the pot, giving your food that extra wood flavor. His exact words were "The alpha keeps temps dead on, but you lose flavor".
 
As Jcam mentioned, get yourself an A-Maze-n pellet tube or tray and jump on the Grilla. the tube or tray adds the smokiness you are looking for without being over powering. I am not a huge fan of my GMG grill, but for ease of use, a pellet grill is hard to beat.
 
As Jcam mentioned, get yourself an A-Maze-n pellet tube or tray and jump on the Grilla. the tube or tray adds the smokiness you are looking for without being over powering. I am not a huge fan of my GMG grill, but for ease of use, a pellet grill is hard to beat.

Mind expanding on the "I'm not a huge fan of my GMG grill"? They come HIGHLY recommended around here.
 
Mind expanding on the "I'm not a huge fan of my GMG grill"? They come HIGHLY recommended around here.
I'm not a huge fan of mine either. However customer service is great, but i had to have my circuit board replaced twice and mine is less than a year old. But like i said, customer service is great .
I also have the Daniel Boone GMG
 
Have you considered a WSM 22.5
I have had one with a BBQ Guru pit controller for 8 or 9 years & it will still hold a temp I set it at with a + or- of 2 degrees. I use it for overnight cooks. I have gotten 22 hours out of one load of charcoal & wood, but I'm in Florida & the overnight temps were in the 60's & 70's when I did that. But it will easily run at 225 for 19-20 hours in just about any condition, without touching it.
Al
 
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Have you considered a WSM 22.5
I have had one with a BBQ Guru pit controller for 8 or 9 years & it will still hold a temp I set it at with a + or- of 2 degrees. I use it for overnight cooks. I have gotten 22 hours out of one load of charcoal & wood, but I'm in Florida & the overnight temps were in the 60's & 70's when I did that. But it will easily run at 225 for 19-20 hours in just about any condition, without touching it.
Al

Our weather varies 30-40°F on any given day between night and day - that and the wind is never calm. I would like to stick to electric or pellet.
 
The Alpha can be set the same as the Pro. It does not need to be in the PID mode. That is one plus on the thing. Tube smoker would certainly help, as I plan on using for extra smoke.
 
Mind expanding on the "I'm not a huge fan of my GMG grill"? They come HIGHLY recommended around here.
customer service is great, as is the warranty. They have sent just about every replaceable part for mine. board, temp sensor, igniter, etc.
My reason for disliking it is the fact it tends to dry out foods on long cooks if precautions are not taken. I have used stick burners for years and still don't think anything compares to the cooking and taste they give. I do like the freedom from stoking a fire every hour, but when time permits, I shun the GMG in favor of my rusty, trusty New Braunfels stick burners.
even with the deflectors properly positioned, the circulating air from the burn pot fan dries out foods unless wrapped. It seems folks pretty new to smoking love them, butmost guys I have talked to who always used wood fired smokers think they leave something to be desired in the cooking department. Those who never mastered a stick burner do not have that experience to compare to, so most think pellet grills are the best thing since sliced bread
 
Personally I've never liked any electric smoker. You will never get the amount of smoke flavor you're looking for. I purchased an OKJ Longhorn offset stick burner and I love it. It is made of thick enough steel to hold temps and is a solid build.
 
Personally I've never liked any electric smoker. You will never get the amount of smoke flavor you're looking for. I purchased an OKJ Longhorn offset stick burner and I love it. It is made of thick enough steel to hold temps and is a solid build.

On the contrary, I have been using my electric smoker for over 6 years and I DO get the amount of smoke flavor I'm looking for - unmodded even!
 
On the contrary, I have been using my electric smoker for over 6 years and I DO get the amount of smoke flavor I'm looking for - unmodded even!
Good for you but that's not the norm. You just can't get as much bark on the meat. Youtube has videos on this subject.
 
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Good for you but that's not the norm. You just can't get as much bark on the meat. Youtube has videos on this subject.


They don't mention electric vs anything. I would never in a thousand years compare an offset smoker to anything else, offset is going to take the cake in flavor every time.
 
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