Which pellet smoker is a good one?

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nygiant

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jun 25, 2015
158
96
VA
I have had a weber smoky mountain for about five or six years now. While I really like it, I’m just looking for something a little more convenient as life has gotten busier. More of a “ set it and forget it” type of smoker.

I was in Costco last week and they had a special on Traegers but I did not bite. I have seen them in there before. Been looking online and on YouTube and see a lot of positives but negative comments as well. The other one I’m looking at, and my brother has one, is a Rec TEC. Just for reference, I was looking at the Traeger 885 size. I guess the similar rec tec was the 700 model? I haven’t looked real closely at those but I’ve heard they’re high-quality and made in the USA. Just wondering for those that know more about these the me if either one of the ones I mentioned is good and if one is recommended over another? Or am I leaving a brand out that’s just as good?
 
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I’ve never tried a Rec Tec, but I know quite a few have them here and I get the impression that it has a good reputation. I have the Traeger Pro 780 and enjoy it. It’s about as simple as you can get for a busy life. I use it 2-3 times a week for everything, can fit four butts on it, but I augment smoke with a AMAZN pellet tray…plan on getting a tube as well. I also added hi temp gasket seal to the Cooking Chamber door and weight it down to hold temp better. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from a Traeger, but I certainly wouldn’t say it’s the best. They cost a lot and I’m not sure why other than a name. All that being said, I think you are going to have similar downsides to most pellet smokers snd will have to baby them a bit. I don’t think you’re getting anything special for the Traeger’s price, but they aren’t complete crap either. I think Rectec is assembled in US, not completely made in US. Traeger is all China. Anyway, I think the reviews I read of each seem pretty fair and you wouldn’t go wrong either way, just pick the one that has a few more things you see as a positive! Good luck!
 
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I have two (2) Traeger Timberline 1300's and I am very satisfied. Like all products, there are folks who love whatever they've chosen, and guess I am one of those as well. No pellet smoker is perfect, and for true/classic smoking, they don't add as much as an offset, but for me at least, they are very versatile and easy enough to use. I would strongly suggest that you get something that allows for remote control as being able to adjust temp (for me at least) while I am out is great. Remote monitoring/control means I don't have to stay home all day when a brisket or any other long cook is in process.

Most of the pellet grills don't do searing very well, but with the addition of GrillGrates, you can still get that done pretty nicely. And combine that with the use of skillets or other cast iron, it makes that even easier. I do wish the Traeger was a U.S.A. made product, but I've found their customer service to be very responsive.

Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
I have a Rec Tec RT-700 Bull and absolutely love it.The thing is bullet proof, has never given me a problem, and is very versatile. You can run ultra low temps for smoking sausage & bacon, mid level temps for low and slow smoking, and high temps for searing. I did get the sear grates with the package I bought and they can turn out amazing steak with the perfect grill marks. Another person here who O know has the RT-700 is Dave ( sandyut sandyut ) Maybe he will chime in also.

Robert
 
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I have a Rec Tec RT-700 Bull and absolutely love it.The thing is bullet proof, has never given me a problem, and is very versatile. You can run ultra low temps for smoking sausage & bacon, mid level temps for low and slow smoking, and high temps for searing. I did get the sear grates with the package I bought and they can turn out amazing steak with the perfect grill marks. Another person here who O know has the RT-700 is Dave ( sandyut sandyut ) Maybe he will chime in also.

Robert
I feel the same way. Rec Teq all the way. I have had mine 4 years now I think, always works perfectly, no temp fluctuations, I’ve run in in 100 degree summers and 20 degree snowy winters. I would be another one in a second.

They also have the worlds best customer service. I emailed a question one day - they called a few minutes later and explained the setting I was confused about.
 
recteq 590. It works. With pellet grills you need smoke tubes or trays to get heavy duty smoke flavor. I live in a residential area with a small yard so I did not want deal with wood. I like that I can set it and forget it to smoke for hours.
 
We enjoy our Traeger 34 and it works well for us. Higher temp would be better if we wanted to sear steaks.

My buddy has a Yoder and swears by it.
 
Wow… I appreciate all these replies. I’ll be honest, I really don’t need to worry about it searing. I have a weber kettle grill that I can do that on or even better, I have the 36 inch Blackstone griddle which sears steaks like nobody’s business.

I guess the only thing that is slightly concerning is some of you all said there isn’t a whole lot of smoke regardless of which pellet grill it is. I am used to a nice smoke flavor from that Weber Smoky Mountain and putting in the real wood chunks. I mean, are ribs or chicken or pork butts going to taste like they were cooked in the oven inside, or will they have a decent smoke flavor?
 
I use a smoke tube, often 2 of them in most of my cooks, especially if the pit temp is > 225. Below that temp, Traeger has Super Smoke on some models that adds some more, but I'd guess (though no experience), no matter what you choose, it won't be the same as a stick burner.

On balance, I've gotten plenty of smoke flavor and the visual smoke ring on my briskets and similar cooks, so I am perfectly happy with the minor tradeoff. And to be honest, I like using the smoke tubes because I can have one flavor of pellets in the hopper and something complimentary/contrasting in the tubes :)
 
I guess the only thing that is slightly concerning is some of you all said there isn’t a whole lot of smoke regardless of which pellet grill it is.

That is an accurate statement. There are ways to augment the smoke flavor as have been noted however.

Don’t forget about the Master Built gravity series charcoal cookers.

This is an excellent point and very sound advice.The MB units seem to be very stable and very highly rated. You might want to consider this. You get good smoke flavor as well as pretty much a set it and forget it platform. I don't know about WiFi connectivity though so that's something you'd want to look into if it is an important feature for you.

Robert
 
I guess the only thing that is slightly concerning is some of you all said there isn’t a whole lot of smoke regardless of which pellet grill it is.
I think this is true to some degree. I went from a WSM to the Rec Teq and I think I oversmoked many cooks on the WSM. I was pleasantly surprised with the smoke flavor from the Rec Tec. its a different profile than charcoal and wood burners for sure. I have never felt like I needed to add an Amazin tube for more smoke. On longer and larger cook, i set the Rec Tec at 189 (extreme smoke) for an hour or two then bump it up to the planned cook temp. Has never failed to make a great brisket or pulled pork.
 
i set the Rec Tec at 189 (extreme smoke) for an hour or two then bump it up to the planned cook temp

I also do this when smoking bacon or sausage but do not bump up the temp. Just leave it on low temp / extreme smoke the whole time and it always turns out an excellent product. Here is some bacon I smoked a week and a half or so ago. This is about 23 pounds
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Robert
 
I guess the only thing that is slightly concerning is some of you all said there isn’t a whole lot of smoke regardless of which pellet grill it is.
I have a Weber SmokeFire EX4 . It puts great smoke flavor on the food .
Here's a thread I did if you're interested .
 
I smoked some buckboard and sausages on the Camp Chef set on low smoke (160*) yesterday. It makes a decent amount of smoke when set that low.

1647549401603.png
 
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All the videos I have watched about smoking meats is that a pellet will give off less smoke than an offset but that doesn't mean you can't get a decent smoke from a pellet smoker. Temp setting on the pellet play in to the amount of smoke as well. My Traeger has a SMOKE setting which is below 180F to get max smoke. As you increase the temp the less smoke you get. Of course a smoke tube can always be used to help with the smoke.

We get smoke flavor that we like up to about 225, above 250 is much less smoke.


THEN of course throw in the pellet brand to the equation. Some companies augment their pellets with oils for flavor while others use all hardwoods for the specified flavor and no oils.
 
Well I appreciate all those who have posted. A lot of good information here. I think I might be leaning towards the rec tec 700 at this point. And the Traeger seems like a very well-built and very popular smoker. They’re available at Costco and I never realized this, but Home Depot has them as well. I guess that’s the only drawback with rec tec is you have to buy directly from them and wait for it to get here in this world of immediate gratification. Shouldn’t be a problem though as long as it’s not like a month or 2 wait.

interesting about the smoke tubes, I had no idea about those but I did look on Amazon and saw them. Also while reading what a couple of you wrote and looking on YouTube, if you want really want good smoke flavor you keep it on about 180° or so for the first hour or two of smoking. Seems the higher temperature you go with on the pellet smokers the cleaner the pellets burn due to the high heat. So essentially, the lack of smoke flavor versus a charcoal/wood smoker shouldn’t be an issue by using the temperature or with the addition of smoke tubes.

I’m definitely interested in the Wi-Fi capabilities and not having to hover over the smoker all the time as well as the immediate settling in of the consistent temperature. With the weber smoky mountain, it takes a while to get everything going and settled in.
 
You wont regret the RT-700. I LOVE MINE. Used it so much early on my wife told me to stop making meat for a bit…I slowed :). Well worth any wait. They have the best customer revise ever. That and the warranty are very reassuring on a decent size purchase.
 
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