Newbie on a budget...

[MissouriNoob]

hi all!

Want to buy a Pellet Grill/Smoker combo for fathers' day. Husband doesn't have much experience. He was interested years ago, but our system was really primitive, and didn't have any temp control. After ruining a few pieces of meat he kind of gave up. I just recently discovered that pellet grills exist, and think it would solve the main problem of temp control issues. (And get him interested again hopefully!)
I started looking for a budget option that would be a good solid introductory grill (b/c not 100% sure he'll love it, but hey, we don't have kids, so a fathers' day present doesn't HAVE to be on point, right?)
The more research I do, the harder this seems to get. If budget was no issue I'd get a Yoder. But don't want to invest that much until it's clear that it'll be used enough to be worth it.
I definitely want electronic temp control (seems to be standard now) and space for a full rack of ribs. (Seems typical.) We don't need much cook space.
Locally I have narrowed down a bit - looking at:
Pit Boss 440D with Flame Broiler (like the flame broiler option.) It's $315 at local Wal Mart.
Traeger Junior Elite 20 is $430 and available locally. Traeger seems to be a mixed bag though.
Pit Boss Pro 820 at $399 locally on sale. (not sure I need the size, but seems very well featured for less than the Traeger above, and is very well reviewed.)
Camp Chef SmokePro XT is $429 locally. (supposed to be super easy to clean - that appeals to me.)
There's a Green Mountain Davy Crockett with WiFi for $325, but I don't see that model on the GMG website. I know the Daniel Boone comes recommended, but not sure about this cheaper one.
I was also interested in the Grilla line, but they're out of budget, and nowhere to see one locally. Is it worth going up the extra $100 to get a Grilla Chimp when we're 100% inexperienced?

Any other recommendations would be much appreciated. Can I expect them to go on sale at better prices for fathers' day? Or is there a deal out there that I should be looking at? I would love to get something easy and intuitive enough to get husband fired up about grilling and smoking again.

 

[MileHiGuy]

A salesman at the local Smoking store said he has a Green Mountain. I don't know much about pellet grills but I would check that brand out.

 

[crazymoon]

MN, If you want to stray from a pellet grill there are several electric models that will control your temps and are fairly reasonable,Masterbuilts and Bradleys come to mind

 

[levithan9]

I've got the PITBOSS 820. Not the PRO EDITION (i wish i did). I went from a Master Built electric 40 inch to this, and my original plan was to get a Grilla Silverback. But those were $700 at the time. I settled for the PITBOSS, because if i didn't like it, i could return it. Needless to say, I still have it. And i love it. It took a while to grow on me, and my only complaint is having to remove everything to clean out the firebox.

But, i've cooked a few briskets (i have a PITMAKER SAFE smoker for my briskets) and some of the best chicken and ribs i've ever made. I've done full corn on the cob with the leaves still on it, and jalapeno poppers, i've done pizza, made a loaf of bread, smoked some jerky, and of course , made some pork shoulders and buffalo wings. I'll never eat deep fried wings again.
It's different from a gas grill, and their is the added cost of the pellets, but the satisfaction that i get from people devouring and giving high praise for the food that comes off it, is well worth it.

At $399 for the PRO version, you get a fold down shelf, and a upgraded PID controller with meat probe. And that is a steal. If i were you, i'd jump all over this at that price. Because i had to wait a full year before i saw another sale on the one i got. Tell him it's a early fathers day gift, and by the time the real Fathers day comes, you can buy him some ribs and chicken and other stuff to make him feel like a master of the flame !!

Just be warned, he may love you so much more after this, you may end up with another kid on the way.

 

[WaterRat]

I have the PitBoss 440D. In general I like it but it is an entry level pellet smoker and lacks some features of other makes and models. My biggest dislike is the burner is on the left side so that side burns a bit hotter than the right. That said I still put out great food but need to rotate things around over the course of a cook. The controller for the 820 appears more advanced and I think it has a central burner as opposed to offset. You would also get more cooking space and a built in meat probe. I can't comment on the other makes/models as I have no experience with them. Good luck!

 

[ravenclan]

I have the PitBoss 700 FB and no problems with it. I have a lot of other smokers and the next easiest one t use is a Masterbuilt analog. Both are a "set and forget" since they are electric but both turn out good BBQ.

 

[smokerjim]

my wife bought me a electric masterbuilt 30 a couple years ago, I'm happy with it especially with amazing pellet tray. these are sort of a set and forget but with any smoker you should never totally forget.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

I would do a LOT of research before pulling the trigger. Some of the newer pellet grills coming out seem to have crazy temp swings, and other problems. My good friend got a new Traeger last year that was all over the place temp wise, and then it caught on fire. I have a Rec Tec that thankfully has been trouble free, and they have a reputation for above par customer service. Research customer service, and who pays for shipping if you have to send it back. A lot of companies will be glad to send out new controllers, igniters, etc., but not everybody has the skill set to replace those parts.

If I had to do it all over again, I would buy a Weber WSM(which I have), and never look back. They produce outstanding results, and all I need is some charcoal, some smoke wood, an old coffee can, and a match. That's kind of hard to screw up!

 

[JWFokker]

Pit Boss. They have a 5 year warranty now and you can't beat the price

 

[jlud]

Pellet grills/smokers are pretty easy...it’s an outdoor oven. One thing that might be helpful is to budget some money for something like Fireboard which includes a probe for ambient air temp and a couple meat probes. The ambient part is nice because you can figure out what temp the air by your meat is at....even in the Yoder you will find a difference in what the controller and the built in thermometer read vs where the meat is. I think their probes are more accurate than some other models as well.

I have had the electric version and still have a Weber Smokey mountain. The pellet grill is like a combo of both in some ways. It’s easy to keep temp and do other things while cooking, but not quite the smoke flavor of charcoal or wood.

Buy something that Costco has....that way he can take it back if he doesn’t like. The Yoders you mentioned are on clearance right now due to the new controller coming out as well....they will last a lifetime and the good news is they have a high residual value if you don’t want and sell it.

Good luck! Go with Lumberjack pellets.

 

[Dent08]

+1 on the Pitboss 440D, I bought it as a starter smoker as well and have no regrets. It works wonderfully and is a great compact size for just cooking for the two of you for most of the time. It's a good start as you mentioned just to get him familiarized with smoking.

The only downside as levithan mentioned was having to remove everything to clean out the firepot.

 

[texomakid]

They're are so many makes & models on the market I was overwhelmed when I was trying to decide as well. It can be a daunting tasks trying to figure this out. I can't help with your choices since I never cooked with any of them but I will agree pellets will make a big difference. My guess is you'll enjoy just about any of those choices you've mentioned.

 

[Shootr]

I have a Camp Chef DLX. I like the pellet dump and the ash dump and it was a part of my decision to buy it. They work well, but I still have to vacuum out the bottom of the grill every 3-4 cooks as the ash manages to find it's way out of the firepot.

I have had mine a year now and have had zero problems. It holds temp very well, and is built well (So far it has survived a drywall patio ceiling falling on it, as well as a move this past month - still looks great and no damage.)

Get a smoke tube - made a world of difference in my results, as even on "high smoke", I didn't feel I was getting the smoking experience - with the tube I do.

I'm new to the smoking family - this is my first grill (besides propane high temp grills) and the only problems I've had on my cooks was from impatience - pulling meat too early and not trusting the process. Otherwise, Thanksgiving turkeys, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, pork belly burnt ends, and briskets have all been outstanding and easy to produce.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I have a GMG Davy Crockett grill, really like the control with it. BUT it is a small grill, very portable. If it was my only grill, I would have gotten the Daniel Boone wifi model. I got the Davy Crockett to take camping. It does a fair job of smoking turkey breasts. I can do two in a pinch, one is easier. Temp control is very tight. I really like the wifi option. I can see what the temps are from anywhere in my home, and change temps, make my own cooking program, etc. Follow this address to get an idea of their line.
https://www.sportsmans.com/outdoor-cooking-grills-supplies-accessories/pellet-grills/c/cat130905

 

[jac63]

I have the pit boss 820fb and it turns out amazing food. I paid $399 for it on sale, the pro model at that price is worth every penny. I also have and use a homemade electric w/a PID controller that keeps a temp range of +/- 3 or 4 degrees. At first the temp swings in the pit boss (+/- 20ish degrees) gave me great angst and I was about to return it when my wife convinced me to stop staring at the controller and honestly assess the quality of the food that was coming off of it. After I stopped obsessing over that I started enjoying using it and seldom go to the electric anymore. I probably will add an aftermarket PID controller like the Savannah Stoker eventually just because I can but it really isn't necessary to cook great tasting food.
FWIW the lower the temp settings the more unstable the temp swings are. At grilling temps it hold set temps very well.