I Need a New Grill/Smoker

[chilerelleno]

I need some helpful recommendations and input, especially from y'all with direct experience in the newer pellet poopers.

My old Charbroil grill has been rebuilt numerous times and I just can't justify continued rebuilds, and my Camp Chef SV24 is rusted out in the bottom.

Time to bite the bullet and think about buying new gear and the list of choices are daunting.
Propane or pellet are what I'm interested in.

The following seem like they might do both grilling and smoking, maybe not so well at one or another though.
Traeger Timberline 850 gen 1
Rec Tec 1250
And with the pellet machines what would I be looking at for operating costs (pellets)?
Further I'd be wanting to know which pellets have the best smoke flavors, burn rates and whatever else I'd need to know about them.

And a Weber Genesis S-435 should be a great grilling machine, but not much for smoking.
One thing I look at with the Sear Stations like on the Genesis is that it is half or less of the total grate area, and that looks like it could slow your roll when cooking for a lot of people.

Is there a machine out there that does both grilling and smoking well? And does it reliably?

Maybe I should just buy another CCSV24 and a dedicated grill again.
I've time to ponder it since it'll take a month or so to finance the purchase(s) out of our budget.

 

[Flatrate]

Sorry I am not going to be much help. All I can say is I like the idea of having separate cookers. I don't always want a smokey flavor on everything. If your in the camp that loves everything with smoke I would go with the Rec Tec you listed.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

As you know there is a lot of us RecTec fans. Since I started using the low smoke setting for couple hours been really happy with smoke flavor. I been using the smokehouse pellets from Sams. $15 for 40 lbs. I just put some Lumber Jack in to see how they compare. The cost I think is cheaper to run than charcoal. Here some beef ribs did yesterday. I do use water pan in smoker to get better smoke ring.

 

[BC Buck]

Im surprised you would even consider buying another CC product. Bought a used Memphis years ago and love it. Dont know what my next pellet machine would be but CC is not getting any of my $.

 

[SmokinAl]

I was going to do a write up on my RT 1250 at the 1 year mark. So far I’m happy with it, I sold 4 smokers & use the RT for everything, except searing meat. For that I use my rebuilt several times Genesis. I would not buy RT pellets, lumberjack are much better. Have not tried the pellets from Sam’s though. I also use a water pan & the size of the grill is pretty impressive. I’m sure you could get a small pig in there. The other problem is with the grill cover, it’s getting stiff with small holes in it, and not a year old yet. Contacted RT CS about it & they are sending me a new cover n/c. Will do a complete 1 year review in a couple of months.
Al

 

[tx smoker]

I'll chime in here with my very limited experience with pellet smokers. I've only used one and that's my Rec Tec RT700. Had it for several years now and it has performed flawlessly. Never a single glitch. It's been bullet proof and absolutely rock solid, no matter the weather conditions. I've heard that Yoder makes a great cooker too but also heard that they can get a bit pricey. From my standpoint, I highly recommend the Rec Tec products...and their customer support is legendary.

Robert

 

[schlotz]

All good questions John. Of the machines you mentioned I suspect the Rec-Tec will be your best choice. Yes it can grill and provide satisfactory results but realize that statement is subjective as everyone has their own expectations. You can start with the Rec-Tec and see. If it doesn't then add a specific grill. As you can see by the sig I have a smoker and a grill. Each does what they do best but that's just me. If I was limited on space then the smoker would be the winner.

Pellets, well this will probably be met with some dissension but after using many brands over the years I've come to the conclusion the biggest difference is in price and the amount of ash left behind. Pellet smokers are NOT in the same league as stick burners however they can provide very good results. Personally we do not care for over smoked meat which can completely mask the meat flavor, ergo the MAK. For those used to more heavy smoke, just add a pellet tube. As far as wood type, that's at the chef's discretion for the protein involved. My go to brand for many years was BBQ'ers Delight based upon the least amount of ash. After a while reality set in, since I always use the ash vac to suck out the smoker before I start a new smoke, the ash amount is not an issue. Today when I need to resupply, it comes down to availability and price.

Good luck with your decision. Always fun to help others spend their money

 

[chilerelleno]

Thanks for the input so far guys, it's appreciated.
The more I look around and compare the more I'm leaning towards the Rec Tec 1250.

If it won't grill/sear to my satisfaction then I'll end up like I've always done and have both a smoker and grill.

Im surprised you would even consider buying another CC product. Bought a used Memphis years ago and love it. Dont know what my next pellet machine would be but CC is not getting any of my $.

Camp Chef's parts availability may suck, but I've never had to rebuild it, just new racks.
I've put out some really good Q from my CCSV24 over the years, so of course being comfortable with it I'd think about another.

 

[jcam222]

I know it’s not on your list but I’d consider a Masterbuilt gravity feed too. The food that my buddy cooks on his darn near rivals that of stick burners. I wouldn’t say the build quality or customer service rival Recteq but price point is lower and food is spectacular. Temp range on them is like 200 up to 700 so can do some searing and other unique things too.

 

[Texas Cookin']

I bought a Traeger Pro in 2016 and I use it exclusively. Got rid of my propane grill shortly after. It serves all purposes for me. I can smoke at whatever temp I want and I can crank it up to high (450) and grill whatever I want. I used to buy the Traeger brand pellets and they are great but expensive. I tried several cheaper pellets and was always disappointed because they would not let the Traeger run at a consistent temp. I then found some at Sam’s club and for 15 bucks per 40 lbs they are awesome. Great flavor and great quality. Good luck with your purchase.

 

[Texas Cookin']

Sam’s pellets

 

[h8that4u]

Also if getting the RecTeq, make sure to get the sear grates, they really do work for searing.

 

[TNJAKE]

Sam’s pellets View attachment 655525

I get a bag every time I'm at sam's. You can smell the difference when you open the bag. I consider them high quality

 

[clifish]

I know it’s not on your list but I’d consider a Masterbuilt gravity feed too. The food that my buddy cooks on his darn near rivals that of stick burners. I wouldn’t say the build quality or customer service rival Recteq but price point is lower and food is spectacular. Temp range on them is like 200 up to 700 so can do some searing and other unique things too.

Love my MB800 but i will still have a gasser for quick sear and quick burger cooks, oh and the griddle...lol you will also not go wrong with a RT or Smokefire,

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Chile when I had my Traeger I would use whatever pellets TSC had. Then read about lumberjack on here. What a difference they were. Nice smoke flavor and started using them for every smoke. I sold it because I get bored and was able to sell it what I paid for it. But once I transfer I’m planning on buying another one and using Limberjack pellets again. I also ran a smoke tube inside and was pretty happy with the flavor.

 

[civilsmoker]

Chiler, I currently have the RT 1250 and the 435 Weber and they are a perfect combo. There is just no matching the sear of the Weber sear station on a pellet unless it has an open flame mode and at that it’s a small area compared to the Weber.

As far as pellet burn, the 1250 will average about 1 lb an hour at 235, and a bit more at 265. Above 375 it’s closer to 1.5 and above 500 2 to 2.5. I pay 14 for 40 lbs of Costco pellets….translates to 35-40 hours of smoking.

I have cooked the crap out of my 1250 and have had zero issues. I do have to vacuum it out about every 6 weeks but I burn a lot of pellets through it.

There are a lot of other nice pellets to choose from, so there is a choice…. Given the choice again it would be a 1250 or a 1050 as I haven’t seen anything that would want me to make a change.

 

[babydocsmoke]

Two good options! I have a Traeger Ironwood 885 but will be buying a RT1250 when I'm ready for another pellet grill. Might be a while before I'm ready for another grill but thats the plan. The Traeger has been ok...but seems to not perform like it used to.

I know some get pretty passionate about the pellet grills being trashy, but the truth is they are dang handy. I'd love to sit outside all day watching football and tending an offset, but that's really not an option for the working man.

 

[Nodak21]

I also have an older Traeger. It’s good but takes forever to heat up in winter so I use my gas most of the time if it’s below zero out. Cost of pellets are maybe a Tish higher than propane cost. Have you considered a pit boss? Much cheaper and still have like a 3 year warranty

 

[cptnding]

All good questions John. Of the machines you mentioned I suspect the Rec-Tec will be your best choice. Yes it can grill and provide satisfactory results but realize that statement is subjective as everyone has their own expectations. You can start with the Rec-Tec and see. If it doesn't then add a specific grill. As you can see by the sig I have a smoker and a grill. Each does what they do best but that's just me. If I was limited on space then the smoker would be the winner.

Pellets, well this will probably be met with some dissension but after using many brands over the years I've come to the conclusion the biggest difference is in price and the amount of ash left behind. Pellet smokers are NOT in the same league as stick burners however they can provide very good results. Personally we do not care for over smoked meat which can completely mask the meat flavor, ergo the MAK. For those used to more heavy smoke, just add a pellet tube. As far as wood type, that's at the chef's discretion for the protein involved. My go to brand for many years was BBQ'ers Delight based upon the least amount of ash. After a while reality set in, since I always use the ash vac to suck out the smoker before I start a new smoke, the ash amount is not an issue. Today when I need to resupply, it comes down to availability and price.

Good luck with your decision. Always fun to help others spend their money

I have had a Yoder 640 for several years and my go to brand was BBQ'ers Delight as well. A couple years ago the place that I bought them from went under and I called the company to see if I could get a load shipped for reasonable cost. Much to my surprise the owner of the company took my call and proceeded to tell me that the B&B brand pellets sold at Academy sports are the exact same product from them under a different label. If you have one near you the price is good. Hope this helps.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

I have a Rec Tec Mini that is around 9 years old. The only thing I have replaced is the fire rod. That's it. Great little smoker. RT's customer service is also top notch. As far as pellets. I don't like Traeger pellets. My favorite was Lumberjack, but I can't find them locally anymore. I've recently been using Bear Mountain pellets that I buy at Tractor Supply and they seem to be pretty good for the money.