Pellet Smokers

[NOLA Smoker]

Trying to get an idea of what folks think about pellet smokers. I've been reading alot while working on plans for Backyard kitchen and trying to figure out what its best to get. Is a pellet smoker a decent smoker or do you need to get an offset? Pellet looks easy, but i'm reading some stuff saying maybe its not a great smoker the way the pellets burn. I have no idea. Thanks

 

[kruizer]

Pellet smoker have been good but they are getting better all the time. My Camp Chef Woodwind works really well and I am in the process of updating it to the digital Wi Fi controller

 

[jkarch]

Trying to get an idea of what folks think about pellet smokers. I've been reading alot while working on plans for Backyard kitchen and trying to figure out what its best to get. Is a pellet smoker a decent smoker or do you need to get an offset? Pellet looks easy, but i'm reading some stuff saying maybe its not a great smoker the way the pellets burn. I have no idea. Thanks

I have a Traeger. I would never call it a smoker. It's a pellet fed outdoor grille. I'd never smoke any homemade products on it.....as there's virtually ZERO smoke flavor. I've found customer support to be ex Ellen....3 years on all models. It works great, just a few minor issues, but I'd not recommend this for someone who's setting up something like you.

 

[NOLA Smoker]

thanks

Pellet smoker have been good but they are getting better all the time. My Camp Chef Woodwind works really well and I am in the process of updating it to the digital Wi Fi controller

thanks. I'm just trying to get some ideas before I pull the trigger on my line of cooking tools for outdoor kitchen/smoke shop. Your roster of cookers looks pretty dang strong. Congrats. I'm starting with the idea that in addition to my Kamado Joe(Big Joe II) I should add a gas grill and an offset smoker. Thats the starting lineup for the sake of discussion and advice.

 

[NOLA Smoker]

I have a Traeger. I would never call it a smoker. It's a pellet fed outdoor grille. I'd never smoke any homemade products on it.....as there's virtually ZERO smoke flavor. I've found customer support to be ex Ellen....3 years on all models. It works great, just a few minor issues, but I'd not recommend this for someone who's setting up something like you.

so does that mean some pellet smokers are better at smoking stuff and some should just be considered a grill? Thanks

 

[jkarch]

so does that mean some pellet smokers are better at smoking stuff and some should just be considered a grill? Thanks

I'm sure there's a wide variety of opinions on this....what's good, what's bad. take it all in....then go to the manufactures site and read reviews. then go to amazon, type in the model you like...and read those reviews. it takes time to get what you want. Traeger does make a model with 'super smoke'....added after the complaints of little smoke. it's over a Grand. An alternative....get what's in your price range. it may not be the best smoker....but you can always get a smoke tube to set on the grille and run at the same time...... you can find those all over.....amazon has them. good luck.

 

[bregent]

How much smoke flavor you want is completely subjective and is also relative to what you are used to. If you are used to really heavy smoke, then you might not detect any smoke flavor in a pellet grill. On my pellet cooker I get a tad less smoke flavor than a really clean burning stick burner. The key is to use lower temps, and stronger flavored woods like hickory or pecan.

 

[bdskelly]

I’ve got the RecTec Bull now. Very good unit. It’s been in service over a year now without a lick of trouble. I’ve owned more smokers than I can remember. This rectec is the easiest to use and the product is consistent.

 

[pvbbq]

How much smoke flavor can you get out of it?

 

[bdskelly]

How much smoke flavor can you get out of it?

How much is kind of subjective. I’d say not as much as my offset of course. It would be on par with my old MES I think. I’m happy with the flavor. I only use hickory pellets . Hope that helps

 

[pops6927]

My son got a Camp Chef Dlx and had great success doing briskets on it! So I bought one too, but can;t get out to buy any meat to cook on it yet! Want to do a rump roast or a couple baby back ribs on it!

My Son....

....bought a Camp Chef Woodwind Pellet Smoker, and this was his 1st brisket on it!

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[NOLA Smoker]

anybody have experience with Memphis pellet grills?

 

[hawtsauc3]

My buddy has a traeger. It makes beautiful bbq that tastes like it came off a grill. If your goal is ease of use they make sense but if you want flavor you might want to try another option, especially now that things like the master built gravity exist

 

[Blues1]

Also, how much tending do you want to do? Constantly keep an eye on it? or set it and forget it?

 

[Khaymanbb]

All pellet smokers just use wood pellets for their heat, and give off smoke. Same as any charcoal or wood grill. Good quality wood pellets are real wood compressed into small pellets, so it's basically a wood smoker. Some have the ability to have much higher temperatures than others, so if you're in the market for one get one that suits you individually. I have a Pit Boss Series 7, the temp only gets up to around 350, which is perfectly good for anything I want to smoke. Adding an Amazn tube will add more smoke flavor, which many here use. Grab one for $20 pretty much anywhere. The maze one is a bit more, but smokes for much longer. I'd search for one with good reviews, as some have problems and others don't. Traeger is the first, I think they pretty much invented wood pellets, so that's a good start. Many many others have copied and/or made them better. The downside is the expense. Figure about $20 for a bag of pellets, and those last maybe 36 hours or so, which again all depends on what you want to bbq. Good luck, and get ready for tons of amazing food!