Rec Tec Bull or Pit Boss Pro 1100

[BiscuitoftheSea]

I'm still on the fence on whether or not to swap my MES 40 with maze for a pellet grill, but I've narrowed my options to two: Rec Tec Bull for $1200 and the Pit Boss Pro 1100 for $550.

Looking for first hand advice on whether the Rec Tec is worth 2x the price.

The advantages I see are:

- More temp settings (PB is basically 225 or 250 and nothing in between)
- PID controller
- stainless steel construction
- better warranty by one year
- ceramic ignition

Are those worth another $650? Any I missed?

Thanks

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

What are you expecting from a pellet grill that your current MES and tray set up cannot achieve?

 

[bdskelly]

Here is the advice you’re looking for. The RecTec is worth every penny I replace my beloved MES with a Bull.

 

[sandyut]

Here is the advice you’re looking for. The RecTec is worth every penny I replace my beloved MES with a Bull.

I second the Rec Tec Bull, solid, reliable, great features and build. I love mine!

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I'm going to give you somewhat of a different take, but not so different.

Rec Tec Bull or Stampede, depending upon how much grilling space you need and how much deck or patio space you have, how much of a budget you have and how much you are willing to perhaps go over it, and how many people you'll need to feed worst case scenario.

The Stampede is $300.00 cheaper than the Bull but at 590 sq in on it's bottom shelf, which is all that I count, has 110 sq in less grilling space and a 4yr warranty vs the Bull's 6yr warranty, and there are a few other differences between the two that make the $300.00 extra for the Bull definitely worth it. The Bull has a 40lb hopper vs the Stampede's 30lb hopper for instance.

They both have the same electronics, same ignitor. So the "expensive stuff", well, if they're willing to warranty that for 6yrs on the Bull, and have that much confidence in it, and they're using the same parts in that instance, the controller and the ignitor and fire pot on both the Bull and the Stampede, well then I'm comfortable with the other two years.

The Bull's barrel does have better 304 SS vs the Stampedes slightly thinner gauge SS, in addition to the size difference.

But either way, Rec Tec. Hands down. Whether you go Bull or Stampede. It's worth every penny.

 

[BiscuitoftheSea]

What are you expecting from a pellet grill that your current MES and tray set up cannot achieve?

I have another thread on this, but mainly convenience. I already have a Weber Genesis E330 for grilling quick like burgers and steaks, this would be my smoker only (unless I try some steaks and there is a significant difference in flavor, but at the high temps, I won't be getting much smoke and doubt the smokiness will come through - I suppose I could start them at the smoke setting and then kick it up to reverse sear them).

It would be nice to get the crisp skin on chicken without moving it from the MES to the grill. Plus I can't always do that. The grill is on the deck and the MES / pellet grill is under my porch sheltered from rain and snow, so I can smoke all day no matter the weather and wouldn't be able to make the transition if snow or rain popped up.

I honestly wish I could taste if there will be a difference between the pellet grill flavor and the MES with maze - one smolders the pellets and one burns them. Does that cause a difference in flavor?

I bought the MES for like $200 and added the maze for $30. I'm not in it deep and it was basically a test for me to see if I enjoy smoking and want to pursue it as more than a hobby. I've been doing it now for over a year and am really enjoying it and the output of it (minus the fact that I know smoked foods are terrible for you). Going from the MES is essentially going from a base level setup to a higher level setup. You lose a lot of the inconvenience (no longer have to pre-fire pellets with a blowtorch while making sure the flame is lit for the 10 min, don't have to worry about it only going to 275 degrees, don't have to worry about keeping your meat to the side your maze isn't, etc.) and gain a lot of impressive features (PID controller, precise temp control, ultra reliability). Similar to how I replaced my cheap grill with the Weber.

 

[BiscuitoftheSea]

Here is the advice you’re looking for. The RecTec is worth every penny I replace my beloved MES with a Bull.

Do you remember how long the shipping took? I'm in MN.

 

[BiscuitoftheSea]

I'm going to give you somewhat of a different take, but not so different.

But either way, Rec Tec. Hands down. Whether you go Bull or Stampede. It's worth every penny.

I guess I'm not sure on the size. I've seen the advice to buy the biggest you can to not regret it later. Though I've been tempted to look at the smaller one due to faster heat times and less use of pellets. Are the differences (besides size) enough to justify the extra cost? Do they have a comparison between the two to see all the differences?

 

[mike243]

I'm happy with my pitboss,dont think spending 2x more would make my food that much better in all honesty but if $ wasn't a issue I would buy the rec tec,

 

[mike243]

 

[mike243]

I have a meatloaf on as we speak, snapped these photo's about 2 hrs ago, not sure how much better it could get

 

[mike243]

 

[mike243]

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I guess I'm not sure on the size. I've seen the advice to buy the biggest you can to not regret it later. Though I've been tempted to look at the smaller one due to faster heat times and less use of pellets. Are the differences (besides size) enough to justify the extra cost? Do they have a comparison between the two to see all the differences?

Not a side by side comparison per se.

But you can look at all of the features of the Bull and compare them against all of the features of the Stampede and go from there.

Good luck with your purchase, but the "buy the biggest you can to not regret it later" does have some caveats.

If you already have charcoal grills in your possession, well then you might not be hurting for grilling space as you can bring those into service in the event of a cook which would exceed the space of your pellet grill.

I have a Rec Tec Stampede, two Weber Smokey Mountains, and a Kamado Joe Classic and will not hesitate to enlist all of them at a single time should I need them, and need to cook different foods at different temperatures at the same time.

I have used as many as three of my cookers at a time, doing ribs on the Rec Tec, chicken wings on the Weber, and appetizers, ABTs, etc, on the Kamado Joe, all at the same time so as to have my food ready all at the same time.

I could have bought a Bull instead of my Stampede, but I'm not hurting for grill space due to my other cookers.

If I had a Bull, sure I could have gotten all or most of the food on it all at once. But not all of what I was serving, needed to be cooked at the same temp.

The ribs needed 250*, the wings about 400°-450°, the appetizers about 350°.

The ribs got at least a 3hr head start. And they were still running while the wings and appetizers were going onto their respective cookers.

Everything finished at about the same time.

EDIT:

To further illustrate what I'm talking about. I've been smoking ribs for most of the day.

The boss has decided that she doesn't want ribs for dinner and want's salmon instead.

So right now, I have these going at 250° on my Rec Tec Stampede:

And at the same time, I've had time to soak this plank, prepare this salmon, and I'm running this on one of my other cookers, my Kamado at just over 350°.

A Bull would be nice. But I'm happy with the multiple cookers giving me more versatility as well as more grill surface. So the adage that we mention earlier, does indeed come with a few caveats.

Daw.....Now that's starting to look purdy.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

I have another thread on this, but mainly convenience. I already have a Weber Genesis E330 for grilling quick like burgers and steaks, this would be my smoker only (

Okay, that makes sense.
As we like to say here on the forums, "buy once, cry once".
I would lean very heavily toward the Rec Tec.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I guess I'm not sure on the size. I've seen the advice to buy the biggest you can to not regret it later. Though I've been tempted to look at the smaller one due to faster heat times and less use of pellets. Are the differences (besides size) enough to justify the extra cost? Do they have a comparison between the two to see all the differences?

A lot is going to come down to how much food you need to cook at the same temperature over any given period.

Say for instance, an overnight cook. That is where pellet grills shine IMO.

If you think that you're going to need to cook 5 or 6 pork butts, or two full packer briskets during an overnight cook, and at 225°-250° well then yeah, get a big pellet grill that you can put all of that on at one time and be done or close to done when you get up the next day.

But if you aren't going to need that kind of space, then no need to pay for it.

The Bull comes with a bigger pellet hopper, 40lbs vs 30lbs for the Stampede. The cooking chamber of the Bull is made of a slightly thicker grade of 304 SS vs the SS construction of the Stampede. The Bull has a 6yr warranty. It also has an interior light in it's cooking chamber for night cooks. As mentioned before, it is 702sq in of cooking space vs the Stampede's 592. It has a chimney vs the Stampede's exhaust vents. $300.00 extra for all of that is a good deal if you're in the market to spend $1200.00 on a pellet grill anyway.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

I have a meatloaf on as we speak, snapped these photo's about 2 hrs ago, not sure how much better it could get

Yep, I know the feeling.

I like for mine to be dialed in as well. This cook is going on as I type this. I paused to snap a couple of pics. The probe of my Thermoworks Smoke is mid grill and in cork.

These ribs have been on for a good long time as the bark has started to set, and the smoke tube is burned better than halfway down from full.

I'll be wrapping them soon.


Anyway, the temps are steady. I couldn't ask for better.

EDIT:

I opened it up to wrap them. And when I did, my temp dropped well below 250° down to 218°.

But it settled right back in to where it was previously. I've been very impressed with Rec Tec's PID controller thus far.

She is reading 251° and some some change on my Thermoworks Smoke right as I type this. I'll take it.

 

[BiscuitoftheSea]

At 225-250 degrees, you don't need a supplemental smoke tube, right? There is plenty of smoke at those low of temps?

 

[bdskelly]

So. One more way to look at this
Its good you have that Weber Genesis. While I love the Bull IMHO it’s a better smoker than a grill. In fact that goes for all pellet grill. ( going to start a huge debate here)
I grill on a Kettle or a humongous Barbecues Galore Grand Turbo. ( mostly the Kettle because I’ve cooked on one since dad taught me back in the 70s) I believed whatever pellet unit you buy, you will also need a good grill.
So, all that being said I’d ask you what size was that MES you bought for 200 bucks? Is it a 30” or 40”?
If you had plenty of room for your needs in a 30” then gong with the smaller RecTec would be fine.
My MES was the 40”. My kids and grand kids are over most every Sunday. I’ll feed 15 or more. So I went with the Bull. Whatever you do.... I’d stick with a RecTec. B

 

[bdskelly]

At 225-250 degrees, you don't need a supplemental smoke tube, right? There is plenty of smoke at those low of temps?

No not needed. But I have from time to time for additional smoke flavor. As an example a brisket. I’ll light my maze or tube to add a bit more smoke. It’s all about preference Biscuit