Turning 40 - I think I'll treat myself.

[aaronmarkson]

I'm turning 40 in a few months and looking for the proverbial unicorn.

Budget is 800 - 1200

Must be able to do Low (Smoke) and High (Steaks and Pizza) heat easily and well. I know it will never be like a charcoal or gas grill and that is fine.

Feature Wish List:

• Temp range of 180 - 600
• Accurate temperature (Does this mean PID?)
• 20lb Hopper or larger
• Insulated body and/or lid for cold weather operation, heat retention, and efficiency
• Direct flame grilling (or is indirect with Grill Grates is sufficient?)
• WiFi
• Pellet Dump
• Ash dump/cleanout - Not sure how well these work, so not a dealbreaker
• about 20 x 24 main cooking area.
• The ability to add a side burner would be fantastic even if it's a mod. (might not be necessary if it can sear well on its own).

Currently deciding between:

• Broil King Regal 400 Pellet Smoker - Temps to 600º - Insulated and sealed lid - Wifi - Rotisserie is a bonus - Seems solid - Not easily able to do direct flame grilling Not a lot of info or reviews on them yet...
• CampChef Woodwind SG with searbox (or sidekick) - Lot's of versatility - Worried about the quality and longevity - No Wifi - Not PID? - Searbox or Sidecick seems great - For some reason, it looks cheaply made to me, but maybe I am wrong about that
• Grilla Silverbac - Insulated Body is nice - Construction seems solid and metal thicker than some others - AlphaSmoke controller is intriguing and possibly the best of both worlds in terms of smoke production and accuracy - Gets Good reviews.
• Louisiana Elite 800 - Temps up to 600º - Double Wall - Sliding diffuser allows for easy direct flame grilling.
• Rec Tec Stampede - Accurate temps - Wifi - Stainless construction - Not easily able to do direct flame grilling - I have to admit that the Rec Tec handles are off-putting to me. I don't like things that look gimmicky... like horns for handle. I know this is silly and that's why I haven't ruled it out.

Are there any of these that are standouts? Any that I should eliminate from the search? Any others I missed?

 

[sandyut]

I'd go Rec Tec. I have a Bull and love it. they have a cold weather cover (insulated) for the Bull for winter cooks.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Don't have a pellet grill but a lot of guys on here seem to love their Rec Tec's. I will attest to Broil King's durability though. I have had a broil king gas grill for years and never had to replace one part on it. Stays outside with a cover on it and not any rust.

 

[JC in GB]

I have heard a lot of good feedback from users about the Rec-Tec cooker. I have also heard good things about the Grilla products but have yet to see one in operation. There are a lot of cookers available on the market. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all the options.

 

[tx smoker]

I have a Rec Tec Bull also and love it. Was a small learning curve for me because it's a totally different animal than what I was used to but am turning out some really good stuff. They have smaller units that may fit your needs and budget better than the Bull. I did not look at any except the Bull so am not familiar with all of them.

Here is the link:
https://www.rectecgrills.com/

On another note, a good friend of mine has a Camp Chef Woodwind with the sear box and absolutely loves it. I've seen some stuff he has turned out and it looks amazing. My only take-away is that I did tons of reading and comparing of grills before ordering the Bull and by far, Rec Tec has the highest ratings of any pellet grill out there.

All things considered though,, yours is not a bad problem to have. Lots of stuff to consider and tons of options.

Keep us posted,
Robert

 

[mike guy]

I’m pretty happy with the rectec bull. I also have an offset stick burner and a big green egg, and the rectec gets all the slow cooks now.

I can’t really recommend it for steaks (or fajitas) but that’s just my personal preference that I like to blast ribeyes at 900 to render and crisp up the fat. I’ve done steaks every which way and my favorite is hot and fast over lump. Worst case scenario you can always hobo stove it up with a charcoal starter and grill grate if the pellet grill doesn’t fix the steak to your liking. Which it might, depending on how you like steak!

Can’t go wrong with the rectec imo, good luck.

 

[bregent]

I'm turning 40 in a few months and looking for the proverbial unicorn.

Question: What's your reasons for selecting a pellet grill over another type of smoker? Not trying to talk you out of it - I love mine - but trying to understand more of what you're looking for.

 

[aaronmarkson]

Question: What's your reasons for selecting a pellet grill over another type of smoker?

Simplicity and versatility.

I currently grill with a Char-Griller Akorn. It's an insulated steel kamado-style charcoal grill. It does great with grilling burgers, brats, steaks, chicken, veggies, pizza etc.. (350 - 600º)

I have gotten good results in smoking meat using charcoal and wood chips, but it takes a healthy dose of babysitting to keep temps steady.

I have a 6-year-old and 3-year-old girl and would rather set a pellet grill and be able to be with the family more rather than tending to the vents. Also, my wife doesn't like fiddling with charcoal at all, so she doesn't use it as much as when we had a gas grill.

My Dad and uncle both have Pellet grills and much of the time, their BBQ turns out better than mine with much less work.

I want to do more low and slow and also be able to grill.

I also only want one grill. When I get a pellet grill I will get rid of the Akorn. I like simplicity and don't have tons of space for 2 or 3 grills/smokers that are dedicated to specific uses at this point in my life.

 

[bregent]

I want to do more low and slow and also be able to grill.

Well, the reason I asked is because if it were me and I did not yet have a pellet grill, I might wait for the Masterbuilt charcoal gravity feed smoker: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/masterbuilt-gravity-feed.291677

Looks like it solves the problem of long minimal attended low and slow, and has the ability to sear pretty hot. Rings most of the other bells you were wanting too, although I haven't see the actual dimensions of the cooking area. Of course, all we have seen are the slick marketing from the company, and who knows if it will really live up to the hype. But if it does, then it looks promising.

 

[tx smoker]

I know you're leaning toward a vertical smoker but I'm getting my RT 77 dialed in and thought I'd share a couple things I've done over the past few days.

Here are a couple of flank steaks I did a few days ago. These were cooked at 500 on the sear grates

This is a smoked sirloin roast I did last night.

The only reason I'm posting these is that you mentioned wanting versatility. The steaks were done hot and fast, the roast was done low and slow. Both are pretty much the epitome of perfection and the flavor was off the charts. If you'll notice, there is a slight smoke ring on the steaks and a really nice smoke ring on the roast. Additionally, both cuts of meat are evenly cooked throughout. Typically with steaks they are more brown on the outer edges and graduate to pink towards the middle.The convection style of heating the Rec Tec generates makes all the difference in the world. I also did some thick cut pork chops the other day that came out beautifully but for some reason I can't find the pictures.

This grill does offer the versatility as well as being bale to do a long cook without having to spend a bunch of time babysitting it. It's something to consider.

Please keep us posted on your quest.
Robert

 

[aaronmarkson]

I know you're leaning toward a vertical smoker but I'm getting my RT 77 dialed in and thought I'd share a couple things I've done over the past few days.

This grill does offer the versatility as well as being bale to do a long cook without having to spend a bunch of time babysitting it. It's something to consider.

Please keep us posted on your quest.
Robert

Looks delicious! And something I will consider.

Well, the reason I asked is because if it were me and I did not yet have a pellet grill, I might wait for the Masterbuilt charcoal gravity feed smoker.

Looks like it solves the problem of long minimal attended low and slow, and has the ability to sear pretty hot. Rings most of the other bells you were wanting too, although I haven't see the actual dimensions of the cooking area. Of course, all we have seen are the slick marketing from the company, and who knows if it will really live up to the hype. But if it does, then it looks promising.

I had no idea this existed. Very intriguing and less $ than the other options. I'll look into it more.

I also just ran across this video on the forthcoming Louisiana Founders Series Grills:

I'm guessing this may be out of my budget, but it sure looks like it ticks all the boxes.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Another vote for Rec Tec.

I have a 590 Stampede and it fits the bill and then some.

 

[catavalon21]

Simplicity and versatility.

I currently grill with a Char-Griller Akorn. It's an insulated steel kamado-style charcoal grill. It does great with grilling burgers, brats, steaks, chicken, veggies, pizza etc.. (350 - 600º)

I have gotten good results in smoking meat using charcoal and wood chips, but it takes a healthy dose of babysitting to keep temps steady.

I have a 6-year-old and 3-year-old girl and would rather set a pellet grill and be able to be with the family more rather than tending to the vents. Also, my wife doesn't like fiddling with charcoal at all, so she doesn't use it as much as when we had a gas grill.

My Dad and uncle both have Pellet grills and much of the time, their BBQ turns out better than mine with much less work.

I want to do more low and slow and also be able to grill.

I also only want one grill. When I get a pellet grill I will get rid of the Akorn. I like simplicity and don't have tons of space for 2 or 3 grills/smokers that are dedicated to specific uses at this point in my life.

I graduated from the Akorn to the RecTec Bull. It could have been a smaller model, but since I was diving into the deep end of an empty pool, may as well do it from the high dive.

I absolutely love the RT700. It truly is as close to "set it and forget it" as anything I have ever owned. Whatever I set it at - it stays right there.

It's great for smoking (though I like heavy smoke, and I use an external tube sometimes to augment it). It also will cook 500F and hold it as long as you like. What it won't do is 700+ like the Akorn will do, and though I haven't tried the sear kit, to me it's an indirect cooker all the way - and a very very good one. I still use a gasser when I want really high temps to crisp up a piece of meat and then toss it on the Bull.

 

[K9BIGDOG]

The latest model Camp Chef's have WiFi and PID available and a 22lb hopper. CC has very good customer service. I believe the warranty is 3 years ( I may be wrong) and the ability to add the Sidekick that includes a flattop griddle and can add a grillbox and a pizza oven put it over the top for me. I have a DLX and if I had to do it again I'd get the latest Woddwind model.