Pellet vs. Electric

[hank2000]

My traeger will get to 450 and with searing plates it will sear just fine I do with steaks and hamburgers all the time plus with a smoke tub you get a good smoke tast.

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

My traeger will get to 450 and with searing plates it will sear just fine I do with steaks and hamburgers all the time plus with a smoke tub you get a good smoke tast.

From my reading, a smoker should be low and slow which is why I went with an MES. I can just use my grill to get up to 450° and throw a smoker box in it. Would be the same as a pellet grill, but cheaper.

 

[hank2000]

True. I have an MES as well I use it all the time but I like my traeger for higher heat for things like chicken and turkey plus I like to fuel with wood without having to cut it. Each has its place. If you choose the MES you didn’t go wrong

 

[bregent]

From my reading, a smoker should be low and slow which is why I went with an MES. I can just use my grill to get up to 450° and throw a smoker box in it. Would be the same as a pellet grill, but cheaper.

Just because pellets grills can do high heat (mine will reach 700F) doesn't mean they can't do low and slow. All pellet grills can smoke as low as 180F, and several models can get down to 150F.

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

Just because pellets grills can do high heat (mine will reach 700F) doesn't mean they can't do low and slow. All pellet grills can smoke as low as 180F, and several models can get down to 150F.

You're correct. They can go low and slow. But, then I have heard there isn't much of a smokiness to the meat.

 

[azbohunter]

Agree...one of each would be great. I have a MES 30 with a Auber PID and a mailbox mod for the AMNPS to sit in. It does wonders for salmon at 100 degrees for a couple hours before turning up the heat. I would like to own a bigger and better insulated smoker for higher temps and more room but the MES has served me for 3 years, hundreds of smoked fish, a few pork butts, ribs, chicken, just completed a venison neck roast that was awesome...MES does a good job for a very small investment.

 

[lothar1974]

I have 2 MES40's, a Gen 1 and a 2.5, I use them only for smoking sausage / snack sticks. I have a Memphis Elite pellet smoker 180 - 700 degrees, I use this for all other, pork shoulder, brisket chicken, pizza etc. Both are great produts and its really down to personal preference. I prefer my pellet smoker for main Q smoking, for me its more accurate and never fails, Double Walled, Sealed, 304 Stainless Steel for MN winters :)

 

[daricksta]

My traeger will get to 450 and with searing plates it will sear just fine I do with steaks and hamburgers all the time plus with a smoke tub you get a good smoke tast.

I've read and hard that it's hard to keep temps constant in a Traeger because they're so poorly insulated. Have you found that to be the case?

 

[daricksta]

This is the information I was looking for. I would be doing more of chicken breasts, ribs/pulled pork, and probably brisket. What would you recommend having used both?

I have smoked innumerable pork ribs, beef briskets (including a whole packer brisket), pork shoulders,a turkey breast, salmon fillets, ribeye steaks, boneless chuck roasts, beef jerky, and cheeses in my MES 30 Gen 1 and the results have all been very good to superb, depending how good my technique was and other factors. I only use wood pellets in my smoker. This year I hope to smoke a whole duck to make Peking Duck in my smoker. I already have the steel duck hangers so I can hang the duck from the top rack. I'll definitely be smoking bacon and pastrami. So even though my 30" smoker is a little guy, it's turned out some great Q using wood pellets.

OK, the official top temp is 275 degrees but the MES will burn hotter than that, but I don't recommend it on a regular basis. What I don't like about pellet smokers is that they depend on a motorized auger to keep the wood pellet burner filled with pelllets. If the motor were to go out, it most likely would be expensive to replace it.

Choosing the best smoker for you depends on what you would prefer to smoke with, the cabinet style or the offset style, how much you plan to pay, and where you plan to store it when not in use. i chose the MES 30 Gen 1 because it was going to be my first smoker (it's still my ONLY smoker), it was under $200, it was electric (I didn't want propane) and I already had a Weber charcoal grill, and it was small enough to store in my garage and to wheel out to my my front or back yards and back. if and when I buy a 2nd smoker, I will most likely stick with a larger Masterbuilt because I can't afford the higher-priced brands. Or if I want to try charcoal again, I'd consider a 22" Weber Smokey Mountain. That way I could fool around with getting smoke rings.

 

[hank2000]

I've read and hard that it's hard to keep temps constant in a Traeger because they're so poorly insulated. Have you found that to be the case?

No not really most pellet grills I’ve seen are not insulated I did get a blanket for mine to help it in the winter time but no I’ve never had much problems with mine

 

[ross77]

The motors on pellet grills are not that expensive and are actually pretty easy to replace. On my RecTec there is just one shroud to remove and you can see all the internals. I haven't had any issues in the 15 months I've owned it. I've not read about the auger motors being a common problem although RecTec has a 6 year warranty so I'm not really concerned about it. I had a 30" MES prior and the electronics failed twice but at least it was inexpensive in the first place.
I started with a WSM and the food it produced was fantastic but I just didn't like the babysitting required.

 

[newqreview]

Having used a MES 40 and a Pellet Pro, I would say that great smoke flavor can be achieved on both.
I like the MES 40 better for its capacity (like 8 butts or 4 Packers) and ABT's.
I like the Pellet Pro better for ribs, chicken and smaller quantitys of roasts like Brisket and Butts.
I know a smoke ring doesnt count but the truth is that we are visual creatures and the food from the Pellet Pro is beautiful...

 

[daricksta]

No not really most pellet grills I’ve seen are not insulated I did get a blanket for mine to help it in the winter time but no I’ve never had much problems with mine

I've only really known two people who complained about how the lack of insulation made it difficult to keep a stable cooking temp, one of them was my brother-in-law, but that was years ago. At that time he didn't know much about smoking or grilling and it's been years since I've eaten there.

 

[BobZEE]

You made the right decision. I've never owned a Traeger (or similar pellet smoker), but I repaired one recently and have had demos. IMHO, pellet smokers are neither fish nor fowl. What I mean is that they are somewhat like an oven in that you can set temperatures fairly accurately and do "roasting," but you can't get them anywhere near as hot as a traditional indoor oven, and certainly not hot enough to do pizza, something that might possibly be interesting if you could get a wood-fired oven taste to your pizzas.

You can't sear on them, so they have none of the characteristics of a gas or charcoal grill.

But the biggest issue is that, from my limited experience, they don't really do a very good job of imparting smoke to the food, and because they use "heating pellets" rather than "smoking pellets," the taste of what little smoke they put onto the food is not quite right. I have never gone past a Traeger and thought, "man, that sure smells good." By contrast, when I go past someone's traditional smoker or grill, I want to hang around and see if I get offered a nibble.

my Pit Boss will get to 475+ AND WILL SEAR

 

[TulsaJeff]

There is a definite difference between heating pellet and cooking pellets.. definitely make sure you are using the correct ones. Those are NOT interchangeable in any way.

Furthermore, pellet grills put out more smoke at the lower temperatures. I usually start everything on as low as it will go or a specialized "smoke" setting and leave it there for about an hour. After that, I set it for whatever I want my cooking temperature to be and it is as tasty as it gets with plenty of smoke flavor.

 

[karateauditor]

The motors on pellet grills are not that expensive and are actually pretty easy to replace. On my RecTec there is just one shroud to remove and you can see all the internals. I haven't had any issues in the 15 months I've owned it. I've not read about the auger motors being a common problem although RecTec has a 6 year warranty so I'm not really concerned about it. I had a 30" MES prior and the electronics failed twice but at least it was inexpensive in the first place.
I started with a WSM and the food it produced was fantastic but I just didn't like the babysitting required.

I currently use a WSM 22" and I too don't like the babysitting required. I'm really interested in the Rec Tec Bull but like others, I've been unsure of a pellet grill's smoking capabilities. To me a pellet grill seems to have the best of both worlds of an electric smoker and a stick smoker. It has the controlled temps, possibly a lesser smoke profile on the meats, uses wood (pellets). My one concern is using it in the winters. I live in Michigan and we hit -15 at times. Does the Rec Tec maintain temps pretty well in colder temps? I'm sure it'll use more pellets in those temps but just wondered if it can maintain a low and slow cook in 0 degree temps?
I really like what I read about the Rec Tecs and it is at the upper range of what I'm willing to pay, so no Yoders or Memphis grills for me unless a REALLY convincing argument can be made for it :-)

 

[ross77]

I’m in MN and my 680 maintains temp in below zero. It uses more pellets and takes longer to get up to temp.

I smoked a brisket overnight at below zero and it held 225 with little variance.

 

[karateauditor]

Thanks for the info Ross77! Just had another question if you don't mind :-) How is it's capacity? I like doing 18-24 lbs turkeys for the holidays. Can it hold that big of a bird and if so, can it do two? Probably won't do two at once but I'm just asking to get an idea of size.

 

[ross77]

If you’re talking about the Bull you should be able to fit at least 2. Might want to check the height measurement though.

 

[karateauditor]

Thanks again!