Which pellet smoker is a good one?

[nygiant]

Bottom line: you can make great smoked meat off of all the ones mentioned in this thread. So selection comes down to options, ease of use, longevity, clean up & maintenance oh... and the compromising trump card being affordability.

Some are used to higher smoke levels, and it's their prefered profile. Not a problem as there are smokers suited for that preference. Personally the wife & I want smoke that does not completely mask the flavor of the meat I'm smoking. Pellets hit that mark for us and if a bit extra is needed the added tube does the trick. I went through the process a number of years ago when wanting a pellet smoker. In the end my priorities lined up with what I still use today buy everyone bases their priorities on specific individual needs. A good due diligence should match you up with the right smoker.

Let's us know how you end up!

I hear you about the smoke flavor sometimes being too strong. I’ve done a couple cooks like that on the weber smoky mountain. Not necessarily the unit itself but probably user error and putting into much wood. that rec TEC 700 really looks like it fits the bill. Build quality, ease of operation, and the price point is right on. I think my wife wants to give it to me for Father’s Day or my birthday which are both in June. I want that sucker right now but if I bought it now, I know that would make her upset.

 

[ross77]

It’s a different type of smoke flavor. I tried the tubes and adding pellets to the deflector but it’s just not the same. IMO it’s more of a wood fired oven flavor. Just not what I was looking for. I don’t like heavily smoked food either. In the end you just can’t beat the flavor of smoldering wood chunks. Again, all personal preference.

 

[civilsmoker]

I hear you about the smoke flavor sometimes being too strong. I’ve done a couple cooks like that on the weber smoky mountain. Not necessarily the unit itself but probably user error and putting into much wood. that rec TEC 700 really looks like it fits the bill. Build quality, ease of operation, and the price point is right on. I think my wife wants to give it to me for Father’s Day or my birthday which are both in June. I want that sucker right now but if I bought it now, I know that would make her upset.

You might want to “hint” to your wife that the reqtec 700 is on sale right now....200 off. Maybe they will delay ship it for Father’s Day but 200 bills right now is a lot of pellets or meat!

You can also put a small chimney with lit coals and some wood chunks inside the 700 if you want some of that real wood flavors but the 700 does a pretty good smoke profile.

 

[nygiant]

It’s a different type of smoke flavor. I tried the tubes and adding pellets to the deflector but it’s just not the same. IMO it’s more of a wood fired oven flavor. Just not what I was looking for. I don’t like heavily smoked food either. In the end you just can’t beat the flavor of smoldering wood chunks. Again, all personal preference.

Real interesting how different types of smokers have different smoke profiles. Like you said though, the real thing is, everyone has a different liking and it is personal opinion.

 

[nygiant]

You might want to “hint” to your wife that the reqtec 700 is on sale right now....200 off. Maybe they will delay ship it for Father’s Day but 200 bills right now is a lot of pellets or meat!

You can also put a small chimney with lit coals and some wood chunks inside the 700 if you want some of that real wood flavors but the 700 does a pretty good smoke profile.

Heck yeah you’re right, $200 off is nice! I am mentioning that today. Anyways, it’s very interesting what you just said about the chimney with coals and wood chunks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of that. Definitely have one already because I have the weber kettle grill and Smoky Mountain. I don’t know… it’s like the other poster was saying one or two above this, it’s all personal preference and the amount of smoke flavor that you want in there. I know my wife and kids don’t like too strong of a smoke flavor. I don’t mind it, but from looking on YouTube and doing some reading, if you start off your smoke around 180° for the first 90 minutes to 120 minutes, A lot of people say that’s the most smoke flavor you’re going to get anyways, in the first two hours. Apparently these pellet smokers have to be kept under 200 to really get a lot of smoke out of them. I guess the pellets burn so clean at higher temperatures that’s probably why there isn’t much smoke flavor. However it’s not like you have to keep it at 180° for 8, 10, 14 hrs.. It’s really just the first two hours from several videos I’ve seen and things I’ve read on different sites.

 

[civilsmoker]

The time under 225 won’t render any fat so this is good for lean meats. Fattier meats not so much. The RT puts some very nice smoke flavor @ 225 to 275

 

[ross77]

Correct. I’d always run my pellet smoker at 180 first to get more smoke on it. However that will just add to the cooking time. I found that briskets took quite a long time. What I like about my charcoal Gravity is that I can smoke at 275 the whole cook and still get great flavor. I do all my briskets, ribs and pork butts at 275 now.

 

[simoon]

I have a Z-Grills that I have had great results with.

I use a couple of smoke tubes to get the smoke flavor up to the level of a wood burner.

I also augmented the lid with a gasket ($12 on Ebay) to keep in the smoke and better regulate temp.

I am getting very close to the smoke level of a wood burner, with the convenience of a pellet smoker.

 

[nygiant]

Well I’m happy to report that my rec teq 700 is on a truck and on the way to the house. Should be delivered soon!. Wife surprised me last night and told me she ordered it. For an early anniversary/birthday gift. Can’t wait!!!!

 

[nygiant]

Truck delivered it yesterday afternoon. Now I just have to find some time to put it together. Only thing that sucks is it’s in my garage and I’m gonna have to move it up to my deck which has about 10 or 12 stairs from the ground level. I’m assuming taking it piece by piece off the pallet and putting it together on the deck would be best considering the weight when it is fully constructed.

 

[sandyut]

shouldn't be a problem to assemble on the deck or have a buddy help you once you have it together in the garage. I dont this its all that insanely heavy. I moved mine up and down a couple steps singlehandedly.

Congrats on you RT-700. I have loved mine for years now.

 

[nygiant]

shouldn't be a problem to assemble on the deck or have a buddy help you once you have it together in the garage. I dont this its all that insanely heavy. I moved mine up and down a couple steps singlehandedly.

Congrats on you RT-700. I have loved mine for years now.

OK that’s really good to hear. For some reason I thought this thing was really heavy. I had like 300 pounds stuck in my head.

I’ll probably be back here asking some questions. I’ve watched a good amount of YouTube videos that rec teq has posted as well as other people that own these.

I think you’re supposed to do something fatty as your first smoke like a bunch of chicken thighs? What are some of the better pellets to buy? Seems all Home Depot sells is Traeger. I have a Lowe’s and Walmart near me as well. I guess I could get some off Amazon as well. assuming that’s not really cost-effective due to the weight and shipping.

 

[sandyut]

Lumberjack are my favorite pellets. They are sold at dicks here locally. I buy them from a guy for $10 a bag. Found him on a local classified listing.

first cook, I would do something pretty straight forward. Fat content doesnt matter. Thighs would be good. Baby back would be good.

 

[chopsaw]

Roll that thing in the front door and out the back . Lol .
I use B&B pellets in my Weber . I really like them , and easy for me to get . Acadamy sports if you have one close sells them .
Congrats on the new rig . My Performer was a Fathers day gift from my wife in 2006 . One of my favorite grills .

 

[sandyut]

Roll that thing in the front door and out the back . Lol .

Love that idea!

 

[bill1]

Best done

Roll that thing in the front door and out the back .

Best done when the spouse is gone.

 

[chopsaw]

Best done

Best done when the spouse is gone.

No issues with that here . Probably would have been her idea .

 

[1MoreFord]

.......................
I use B&B pellets in my Weber . I really like them , and easy for me to get . Acadamy sports if you have one close sells them ....................

I was very happy when I got my pellet grill to find out that the Academy Sports stores near me sold B&B at good prices but recently they have stopped selling B&B and have switched to Bear Mtn. Still a good brand but TSC sells them and I'd like to still have B&B as an option.

 

[OldSmoke]

Wife surprised me last night and told me she ordered it.

You married well.

Does she have a fishing boat?

 

[chopsaw]

Good to know . I was inthere last week and they only had a couple bags of B&B . No other pellets. I bought what they had , I'll have to go back and look .