Pellet grill (Traeger) = less smoke flavor?

[archer75]

IF one wants those accessories, yes. But not everyone needs or wants those so best to leave those out and the individual can decide what they need.

I don't need a cover or shelf or sear zone. I only care about the base price.

I'd put rec-tec, green mountain, pit boss and traeger (except ironwood/timberline) in the same category. Since I already have a smoker in that category the only worthwhile upgrade is to go up to those more expensive options.

The mak is going to have the best smoke output and with it's stainless construction it's going to last forever. And they're made not even 100 miles from me. I have a yoder dealer across town so I don't have to pay shipping. And I can get a Traeger Timberline right down the road and it comes with a $100 gift card to a local butcher. So I have some options!

 

[SlowmotionQue]

IF one wants those accessories, yes. But not everyone needs or wants those so best to leave those out and the individual can decide what they need.

I don't need a cover or shelf or sear zone. I only care about the base price.

Each to his own. But no way I'd spend that kind of money for a pellet grill and not cover it over the winter or when not in use if it were being kept outside.

No way I'd have snow, ice, rain, pollen bird crap and everything else on top of my $1,800.00 pellet grill, just sitting there, and sometimes just sitting there for days, weeks or months. I don't necessarily "need" to, but I like to take care of my things as best I can.

Furthermore, if I'm going to drop that kind of dough on a pellet grill, well then I might want the best means that it has to offer if I want to sear a steak. That means the sear zone,........... unless I already have a Weber Kettle, Kamado or better yet, a Salamander type cooker to sear steaks with.

And if I already have those, and that kind of additional grilling real estate already, and/or that kind of access to natural wood smoke flavor when I smoke, and/or that kind of high heat searing capability, well then I'm probably not going to drop the better part of 2 grand on any pellet grill in the first place. Forget the extra dough for the accessories.

But again, I emphasize, that's just my way of thinking. YMMV.

But really, when I was looking, I asked myself; "Why would I pi$$ around with an $1800.00 MAK, which won't get anywhere close to this below, in terms of searing temp, with or without a sear zone, when I can already do this on one what I already have?:

I'd put rec-tec, green mountain, pit boss and traeger (except ironwood/timberline) in the same category.

Perhaps I'd do the same, depending on the parameters of the category.....Or perhaps not. I lean towards not for several reasons.

But even if I were to put them all into the same category, I'd still have to pick a leader of that particular category.

That leader IMO, is Rec Tec. Hands down. I could go into why I say that. But I won't.

Since I already have a smoker in that category the only worthwhile upgrade is to go up to those more expensive options.

I can certainly understand that way of thinking, if one is talking about an "upgrade" amongst pellet grills.

But at the same time, I also see it as likely a lateral move in some ways. But again, just my opinion.

However I'm also of the opinon that pellet grills, and just pellets, have their very real limitations when it comes to smoke flavor to begin with.

And so in my own case, I concluded that even if I did go to one of the "more expensive options", it still would not trump the food that I can produce off of my $400.00 WSM, in terms of smoke flavor. Someone else may see it the same way.

And it's still not going to produce food that is "$1000.00 better" than food that I can cook on my $899.00 Rec Tec.

Because pellet grills have their limits on smoke flavor vs cookers which use real wood and/or charcoal, I look at "expensive pellet grills", such as MAK, much in the same way that I'd look at the "smartest guy in a group of intellectually challenged guys".

He might be the best in that particular group. Might be the top dog. But at the end of the day, he's the best of what, and the best amongst whom?

Really, he's the best amongst midgets. And so to me, an "expensive pellet grill", ....in the context and arena of smoke flavor producing cookers, is a "best amongst flavorful smoke producing midgets."

After all, it's still burning pellets, I don't care how much it cost. And pellets, have their limitations when it comes to mimicking true charcoal or seasoned wood flavor on food.

That's why I don't hold high priced pellet grills in that great of esteem. But that's just me. Some others see it differently, of course. But it's why I won't spend right at 2 grand for a pellet grill. Any pellet grill. And why I look at "elite or Cadillac amongst pellet grills,..... similar to how I would look at a list of; "elite or Cadillac amongst cheap wines".

The mak is going to have the best smoke output and with it's stainless construction it's going to last forever. And they're made not even 100 miles from me.

Nothing last forever, and for all the hype, a MAK is still a pellet grill. It's burning compressed sawdust pellets, as opposed to lump charcoal, and/or seasoned hardwood.

By extension, it's not going to produce a smoke flavor to "my tastes", and that's all that matters "to me", which can rival my old offset stick burner, and now either of my WSMs.

Personally, I was not willing to spend $1800.00, to verify that which I already know.

So I chose what I concluded was the best of the bunch of the category that we discussed earlier.

I have a yoder dealer across town so I don't have to pay shipping. And I can get a Traeger Timberline right down the road and it comes with a $100 gift card to a local butcher. So I have some options!

Good to see that you have options that not everyone has.

Again, best of luck, whatever you decide.

 

[archer75]

Each to his own. But no way I'd spend that kind of money for a pellet grill and not cover it over the winter or when not in use if it were being kept outside.

No way I'd have snow, ice, rain, pollen bird crap and everything else on top of my $1,800.00 pellet grill, just sitting there, and sometimes for days.

Mine stays in the garage. It has never, in 8 years, had so much as a drop of rain on it. I just leave it at the front of the garage and open the door and smoke away. The garage has an overhang as well so I can push it in the driveway a bit and it stays dry.

Furthermore, if I'm going to drop that kind of dough on a pellet grill, well then I might want the best that it has to offer if I want to sear a steak. That means the sear zone, unless I already have a Weber Kettle or Kamado to sear steaks on.

I have other options for searing steaks.

And with the cast iron pan or grates I already have I can certainly and easily do a reverse sear on a pellet smoker. But mostly I go with another option. Depends on my mood.

And so even if I did go to one of the "more expensive options", it still would not trump the food that I can produce off of my $400.00 WSM, in terms of smoke flavor if I'm willing to stay up all night and babysit it.

Just different is all. A different smoke profile. I sometimes smoke with charcoal/wood in a drum. Depending on what I feel like.

I was looking at picking up a WSM as well to take camping as it seems pretty portable. I see you can get fans/probes for them that manage the temp for you. I haven't looked too much in to it.

Nothing last forever, and for all the hype, a MAK is still a pellet grill. It's burning compressed sawdust pellets, as opposed to lump charcoal, and/or seasoned hardwood.

By extension, it's not going to produce a smoke flavor to "my tastes", and that's all that matters "to me", which can rival my old offset stick burner, and now either of my WSMs.

If not forever then certainly longer than most others. But compared to other pellet smokers it's going to get more smoke in the food.

But you're certainly right, it's all about personal preference and taste and what that's worth to you.
I like having a variety of options be that pellet, charcoal, wood or gas. I use them all for different reasons. Most of the time pellet as it's just easier. Especially now that I have a busier schedule. So it's worth it for me to drop some money on getting a quality one(I already have a midrange one). And one I can manage remotely and that produces more smoke.
But of course that may not be important to everyone.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Mine stays in the garage. It has never, in 8 years, had so much as a drop of rain on it. I just leave it at the front of the garage and open the door and smoke away. The garage has an overhang as well so I can push it in the driveway a bit and it stays dry.


I have other options for searing steaks.

And with the cast iron pan or grates I already have I can certainly and easily do a reverse sear on a pellet smoker. But mostly I go with another option. Depends on my mood.

My cars take up my garage, but to the gist of the above, yep, I agree. Like you, depends on my mood as well which of my cookers I use and for what. I love having options. I also hear you on the cast iron. Accumulating it over the years, I now have more cast iron in my possession than I can shake a stick at. Grates, griddles, skillets, pots, Dutch ovens, oyster grill pans, brie bakers, etc..... It's a pain to keep seasoned, but it is my favorite cooking surface.

One of these in the link below, or something similar is in my crosshairs now, and after I do a bit more research, I'm going to go ahead and pull the trigger.

https://www.ottogrills.com

Just different is all. A different smoke profile. I sometimes smoke with charcoal/wood in a drum. Depending on what I feel like.

I was looking at picking up a WSM as well to take camping as it seems pretty portable. I see you can get fans/probes for them that manage the temp for you. I haven't looked too much in to it.

Yes, definitely "different". And it's a "difference" that I've grown accustomed to. But I still very much enjoy the taste of food cooked over "real" wood and charcoal.
But I also love my Rec Tec for it's sheer and unrivaled convenience and technology, yet combined with simplicity, vs my other cookers.

I don't even have to go outside to light it. I don't even need to be at home to light it.

If not forever then certainly longer than most others. But compared to other pellet smokers it's going to get more smoke in the food.

Well, you seem like a knowledgable person, and so I bet you know this already. But I'm going to just throw this out there for if not you, then for someone else who might be interested about smoke and food.

Smoke doesn't get "into" food, or more specifically meat, to any appreciable extent. The smoke flavor that one tastes in food, is primarily as a result of smoke, and the quality and quantity of that smoke, which got "onto" the food.

Smoke flavor is almost all on the surface of meat. Smoke really does not get into, or penetrate meat to amount to much.

It's a very good read, scroll down for the specifics on what I'm referring to.

https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...iring/what-you-need-know-about-wood-smoke-and

What this means to me is, if I can expose my meat to the quality smoke, or the thin blue smoke that I want, and for the period of time that I want it, well then it doesn't much matter which device/cooker I use to do that, just as long as I get that done.

And when it comes to pellets, I wonder, once you get to a certain point, if one pellet grill, burning the same pellets from out of the same bag as the next pellet grill, does that, ie get quality smoke onto the surface of meat, any better than the other.

Somehow, I doubt it.

Pellet smoke, is pellet smoke. No matter which burn pot produced it.

Why would Lumberjack Competition Blend pellet smoke, produced from a hot Rec Tec burn pot, smell or taste any different once it got onto food, than Lumberjack Competition Blend pellet smoke, coming from the burn pot of a Yoder or a MAK?

I could be wrong. But I have a hard time believing, a very hard time believing, that the average person, in a blind taste test, could identify for instance ribs, cooked on a Yoder, vs a MAK, vs a Rec Tec, .........using pellets which came from out of the same bag of pellets.

There certainly would not be $1,000.00 worth of difference. At least not to me anyway, and that's even IF I could tell the difference.

The takeaway though I think, is that if one is looking for a smoker which is supposed to get more smoke into the meat, well then it might pay to read up on both smoke and meat, and what happens when we smoke meat and how well, or not, smoke actually penetrates meat.

But you're certainly right, it's all about personal preference and taste and what that's worth to you.
I like having a variety of options be that pellet, charcoal, wood or gas. I use them all for different reasons. Most of the time pellet as it's just easier. Especially now that I have a busier schedule. So it's worth it for me to drop some money on getting a quality one(I already have a midrange one). And one I can manage remotely and that produces more smoke.
But of course that may not be important to everyone.

Agreed again, and I approach my outdoor cooking the same way.

You mentioned earlier in your post WSMs, and "fans/probes for them that manage the temp for you".

Been there, done that too. BBQ Guru CyberQ. 3 meat probes, chamber probe, spare fan, WiFi, alarms, the works.

IMO, not worth the money. Why?????

They operate on a principal of blowing air over the coals in an attempt to stoke the fire, using a small motorized fan, through one of the bottom vents.

The trouble is, heat inside your cooker depends on both air and fuel.

As the fuel is consumed, after awhile, the fan blows harder and harder. Problem is, blowing air over used up, dead and dying coals won't do you much good towards maintaining your temps.

But what you will get, is ash from consumed coals being blown all over your food.

The fan blows at a percentage, based upon what the device's food chamber probe is reading. As temp drops, the fan blows harder and closer to 100%.

But temps drop when your fuel is close to expiring. You can blow all the air you like over dead and dying coals, your temps aren't going to go up.

On the opposite end fo the spectrum, they also don't "apply the brakes" like a good PID controlled pellet grill does.

If your temps start to rise using one of these Guru type devices, well then there's not a whole lot that you can do.

That's part of the beauty of a good pellet grill. It regulates both fuel, by dispensing pellets, and air, by the control of the fan. It adds more pellets and air if your temps drop, and backs off on the pellets and air as your temps rise.

I'm also with you on the remote capabilities. I love the WiFi and PID capabilities of my Rec Tec, and the convenience is a large part of why I'm willing to somewhat sacrifice on the depth of smoke flavor vs the smoke flavor that I can produce on one of my WSMs, my Kamado, or my Weber Kettle.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Of course. They all have the same basic components. But all but rectec created their own designs. Whereas rectec literally took the traeger barrel and put the hopper on the back. Kept the same chimney and cover on it. Same firepot. Same controller on their first model. Same grates, drip pan, diffuser. In their case it was a blatant ripoff. All they are is a blinged out traeger. These two, cook the same as a result.

I missed this earlier, and felt compelled to respond to it.

I believe that this is at least the second time you refer to Rec Tec's "first model".

The first Traeger pellet grills came out in 1988, I believe. Anyone feel free to correct this if wrong. Rec Tec made their first pellet grill in 2009, so about 21 years later.

The Traeger patent expired in 2006. By 2009, more than one competitor was making pellet grills and it has only expanded.

Since 2009, Rec Tec has improved their product and expanded their product line. Just in quality of parts used in construction, the Rec Tec line has moved ahead of the Traeger. Forget the accuracy of temperature control and their PID controller.

To continue to refer to Rec Tec's "first model", and compare it to Traegers of 10 yrs ago in your argument, is a bit disingenuous. Rec Tec's "first model" came out 10 years ago. They have come a long way since then.

Everyone else is at least doing something different and often times better.

"Everyone else", covers a pretty broad group.

But you say "Everyone else is at least doing something different and often times better."

OK.......What is it that "everyone else" is doing "different" and "often times better" than Rec Tec?

I'm immensely curious as to what all this might encompass, and I'll wait for your response.

And BTW, you say that Rec Tecs and Traegers cook the same? Am I following you here?

Please elaborate. Because it can be argued, and effectively so, that because of their general design, pellet fed fire pot, almost always center mounted, diffuser plate, fan, drip pan, their use of convection, all pellet grills basically cook the same.

BTW, your argument, reminds me a bit of the argument that some Kamado owners have had.

A Vision Kamado from out of Home Depot, cooks the same, or ....better put, can cook food just as good and which will disappear in the presence of family and guest just as quickly, as food cooked on a Kamado Joe, and as food cooked on a Big Green Egg or a Primo.

Of course some of the Big Green Egg folk will tell you that this isn't so, just like some of the MAK folk will tell you the same when pellet grills are being discussed and "bench raced"/compared

But they typically cannot demonstrate just why, when asked.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

I missed this earlier, and felt compelled to respond to it.

I may be stepping out of line Slow, and I mean no offense, but quit being so argumentative. It goes against the nature of this forum. Ford copied Chevy, and Chevy copied Ford. If the end user is happy with their cook, then what does it matter?

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I may be stepping out of line Slow, and I mean no offense, but quit being so argumentative. It goes against the nature of this forum. Ford copied Chevy, and Chevy copied Ford. If the end user is happy with their cook, then what does it matter?

Indeed.

And no, I wouldn’t call it “stepping out of line” on anyone’s part. However it is curious that you direct your admonishment towards just myself when I ask for clarification on the following:

...In their case it was a blatant ripoff. All they are is a blinged out traeger. These two, cook the same as a result.
Everyone else is at least doing something different and often times better.

That’s quite the assessment and conclusion. It stoked my curiosity.

However if my inquiry offends you, then I’ll ask him to elaborate and make my request via private message instead of in the open forum, as I would like to know the truths which led him to arrive at this final conclusion, which is reflected in those last few sentences. I’d like to of course not violate any forum decorum.

But at any rate, I shall do my best and endeavor to avoid offending you any further.

 

[Little-m]

Oh yeah? Well the volume on mine goes to 11.

 

[sandyut]

That’s quite the assessment and conclusion.

Understatement of the year! Thank you SlowmotionQue.

 

[mike243]

Lot of brand bashing been going on when folks ask about a certain cooker, a lot of the replys are hearsay not first hand experience imo

 

[NU2SMOKE]

GUYS GUYS GUYS....Cant we all just get along and agree that REC TEC is the best!!!...LOL

 

[banderson7474]

Lets switch gears....

the only way to smoke correctly is to not wrap the meat and anyone that does is wrong

 

[sweetride95]

Lets switch gears....

the only way to smoke correctly is to not wrap the meat and anyone that does is wrong

OH NO YOU DIDN'T....

 

[smokinq13]

GUYS GUYS GUYS....Cant we all just get along and agree that REC TEC is the best!!!...LOL

NO...we all can agree that treager is overpriced Chinese crap!! Just like yeti coolers! ;D come at me!

 

[sandyut]

GUYS GUYS GUYS....Cant we all just get along and agree that REC TEC is the best!!!...LOL

NO...we all can agree that treager is overpriced Chinese crap!! Just like yeti coolers! ;D come at me!

Amen to both! thanks guys!! big like!

 

[smokeisbest]

Pellet Grills. Not true smokers. But the beauty of it is you can both grill and smoke, and with the added help of a tube, you can get that smoke profile up a notch. I've certainly been able to do so. I see nothing wrong with a small $16 upgrade to enhance the flavor profile to where you'd like to be.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I purchased the AMZN and it is perfect. Now i can set and forget which is the true beauty of the pellet grill, and I am getting a lot more smoke in those critical first three hours. Best of both worlds!! Problem solved..

 

[smokeisbest]

It's not so much the gear but the user knowing what to do with it. The best pit in the would can be a total waste in the hands of someone not knowing how to use it. Heck a lot of folks don't even know what barbeque is must less how to cook it.

Not really - for all the technical reasons quoted above.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

Sooooo.....to wrap or not to wrap.....hmmmm.....

 

[banderson7474]

Haha