First post and seeking advice

[vbonanni]

Hello all. First post ever on a bbq forum so looking for advice. I have been smoking meats and fish for about ten years now with what my family and friends say are pretty good results (the beginning was tough with a lot of bumps and horrible food). My arsenal currently consists of 2 Weber genesis propane grills, an 18 inch WSM, a 14 inch WSM, and a small Masterbuilt propane smoker which someone gave me because they didn’t like smoking. I also have an Auber temp controller that I use with the WSM’s. Having 5 items takes up too much room and the 18 inch WSM doesn’t have enough space plus its a pain to get to the bottom rack so I’m wanting to upgrade my equipment but not sure which path to follow. I don’t like to mix fish and meat in the same smoker so I’m thinking to keep the 14 WSM which is what I use to only smoke fish. For meat, My thought process is to 1) keep 1 Weber propane grill and buy an insulated vertical cabinet smoker 2) get rid of everything and buy a LSG pellet grill. Your thoughts and comments are appreciated as I have no experience with a pellet grill but have read a lot of good things about the one from LSG.

 

[smokerjim]

Welcome to smf , great place here. I will give my opinion on pellet grills/smokers, if you like very light to light smoke flavor they might be for you, but if you like heavier smoke flavor I would give it a second thought. Again that's my opinion I'm sure you'll get more opinions on them, some people love them and some dont.

 

[02ebz06]

All I've ever owned are pellet grills.
Currently have an LSG 20x42 on order.
No shortage of space - lower grate 20x42 and upper is 15x42.
I haven't heard anything bad about them.

The LSG has a Fireboard controller that has the pit produce thin blue smoke for the entire cook.
Should be better than any others IMO.

 

[thirdeye]

I've never owned a pellet grill, and had one propane grill in the early '80's. I've cooked on Big Green Eggs and drum smokers for many years. BGEs are very versatile (grill, smoke, bake, direct, indirect, and they laugh at cold weather). Drums produce a unique "open pit" flavor because of the fats dripping into the coals. You are cooking very raised direct, or you can hang meats.

I would recommend looking into some of the ceramic cookers, and there are several brands of drums out there... or Big Poppa Smokers sells a drum kit (you provide the drum) that is pretty slick.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Welcome to smf , great place here. I will give my opinion on pellet grills/smokers, if you like very light to light smoke flavor they might be for you, but if you like heavier smoke flavor I would give it a second thought. Again that's my opinion I'm sure you'll get more opinions on them, some people love them and some dont.

I've never owned or used a pellet smoker, but have read others say the same as Jim. I've always had stick burners...

 

[jcam222]

I would highly recommend you check out the Masterbuilt gravity feeds. Set and forget convenience with charcoal and wood taste.

 

[uncle eddie]

Welcome to SMF from Missouri.

Never had a pellet grill but agree with others about hearing complaints of light smoked flavor. Most of my sons friends started out with pellet poopers and within 3 to 5 years they all switched to other types of smokers to get more smoke flavor.

FWIW - I smoke salmon often in my MES40 and never had any issues with fish odors. Salmon is not very "drippy" though and I do use cooking spray on my grates to keep the salmon skin from sticking.

 

[schlotz]

On the other side of the coin here. Been using a higher end pellet smoker for years. For larger whole proteins I have the option to add a single smoker tube which does a great job raising the smoke level. I quickly discovered that the flavor profile my unit can provide allows for a very good smoke flavor without totally masking the protein. IMO, it's the sweet spot for smoked meat. In the end, everybody has their smoke level preference and usually settle in with it. So YMMV, but you do have options to pick from.

 

[tomhooper]

I cooked on an offset for 40 years. Was gifted a Traeger and never went back to the offset. There was a learning curve but the convenience of not having to tend a fire all night was just too good to pass up for this old dinosaur. Granted there is a lighter smoke but I remedy that by throwing in a smoke tube.

The beauty was revealed to me when I did a brisket for over 16 hours and didn't open the pit until close to the end.

But it took someone gifting me a pellet smoker to bring me over to the dark side.

 

[vbonanni]

I cooked on an offset for 40 years. Was gifted a Traeger and never went back to the offset. There was a learning curve but the convenience of not having to tend a fire all night was just too good to pass up for this old dinosaur. Granted there is a lighter smoke but I remedy that by throwing in a smoke tube.

The beauty was revealed to me when I did a brisket for over 16 hours and didn't open the pit until close to the end.

But it took someone gifting me a pellet smoker to bring me over to the dark side.

 

[vbonanni]

Right now I’m going back and forth between the LSG 20 x 42 Pellet Grill and the LSG Mini Insulated Cabinet Smoker. If I had the confidence that the pellet grill could allow me to get rid of the propane grills I would do the pellet grill. I don’t want to end up with both the pellet grill and the propane grill.

 

[vbonanni]

Can anyone out there convince to keep my Weber Genesis and go with the Insulated Cabinet or can someone convince me to sell the Weber and go with the LSG Pellet Smoker.

 

[vbonanni]

I was really hoping for some input but at this point I'm leaning toward keeping the Weber Genesis and buying an insulated cabinet. They are a lot of money and probably too much but I have been looking at the Cascade Que Deville and the Lone Star Grillz Mini. Any thoughts?

 

[02ebz06]

Well I don't know if anyone can "convince" you one way or another.

Never had an insulated cabinet smoker, but understand they are nice units.
I think they would be your most expensive option with the LSG Pellet Smoker next.

As stated previously, I've owned nothing but pellet grills, no offsets, or cabinet smokers.
It is very hard to ignore the convenience of a pellet smoker.
Throw a brisket on at 10pm and go to bed.
The LSG has an app that you put on you phone and keep by your bed to alert you.
The Fireboard controller is a pretty phenomenal controller.
There is so much you can do with it.
Don't know how the controller does it, but the LSG has a continual stream of thin blue smoke coming out of the chimney.

Have 3 weeks to go until I get my 20x42.

 

[HalfSmoked]

As always when someone ask for an opinion they get blasted by pros and cons. Unfortunately, they are from actual trials and errors and personal opinions. Any type of new smoker will have learning curve. Smoke tubes seem to help to increase smoke. My $.02.

Warren

 

[BigW.]

I have several different cooking tools because one does not do everything perfectly. Last night fired up the Genesis for a quick grilled chicken. Last weekend used the kettle for steaks. My favorite is the kettle, but don't always have time. I do use my pellet on occasion for jerky or when I need some extra room. You sound like you know you can downsize. Either LSG cookers will be an awesome addition.

 

[DemonPit]

Pellet smoker here. I get great smoke rings and smoke flavor with mine. My city ordinance doesn't allow me to use an offset burner. I'm not a fan of electric or propane smokers.

 

[vbonanni]

Big W, I think you have hit the nail right on the head. Like you, last night I fired up the Genesis but it was for a piece of salmon. I am trying to downsize while realizing that not one piece of equipment does everything perfect. I would love having just one item but I think no matter whether I get a pellet or an insulated cabinet that I will always have the Genesis for quick cooks like last night. Since that is the case, i really just need a smoker and without any disrespect, I really think the cabinet will turn out better food than the pellet.

 

[noboundaries]

I'm a charcoal briquette guy with a KISS outlook on smoking meat. No electronics to fail or power ro lose.

It is only me and my wife. I have a 22.5" WSM that I once used extensively. When the shutdown happened, charcoal prices shot up and quality decreased. I switched to using my 22.5" Kettle for everything. It was 50% (estimate based on usage) more efficient than the WSM for fuel. I can easily get 6-7 hours at 250°F out of about a 1/2 large chimney load and a couple chunks of wood before I add more charcoal to finish a smoke. No special loading process. Just dump under one side of a flip-up grate. I do use a Smokenator or two charcoal baskets.

It I wanted to spend the money, I'd absolutely get an insulated cabinet smoker. It can be used with wood, charcoal (lump or briq), or a mix of charcoal and wood. I just can't justify the cost difference, though, between a 26" Kettle and a cabinet smoker. If my 20+ year-old 22.5" Kettle ever wears out, a 26" is my next purchase.

But, hey, that's me.

 

[chp]

An insulated vertical cabinet is the only smoker I sold after being challenged by the temperature control. I would not recommend going that direction if you are looking to minimize the number of smokers you own. I would also suggest you consider a Kamodo type smoker. I have a BGE and it takes care of me on those long overnight smokes. It produces good flavor and maintains temperature under a lot of conditions.