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New Pellet Grill/Smoker

troostr

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So my Very old Treager completely shit the bed and the wife wants to replace it for Christmas. What's the top brand these days? Way back when the old Treager was the best (still made in the US), cooked great lasted 3x longer than any gas BBQ I've ever owned, no frills or bells and whistles, but now it's just DONE.

What brand do I want for my next one?
 
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Ladsm

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I have a Landmann from Sams Club and have been super happy with it.
 

jetboatperformance

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I politely ask Tractor supply to come by and retrieve my Oaklahoma Joe and refund my $600 🤣
 

Cole Trickle

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There has been some very nice high end models mentioned. If you can afford it you do get what you pay for.

I would say the standard Traeger has gone a little down hill over the years. Some of the high end offerings look pretty rad but they are spendy.

I have had my Green Mountain Sam Bowie for a long time and its been trouble free. They have also gone up a ton in cost over those 8 years.

If i was looking for a decent budget options I would probably take a look at Z grills. They seem very decent for the price and have competitive pricing and sales to get in the market.(They are having a sale now)
 

HOOTER SLED-

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Another vote for Green Mountain. Bang for the buck imo...cuz I ain't spending no 2k on a smoker...lol
Actually have a 20lb turkey chugging away on mine right now. Had a free turkey sitting around since we went to my Fam's house on Tday. Fuggit...round 2. 😁
 

Javajoe

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Still got my USA built Traeger. Still going strong
1869E8B9-72FA-4D72-81C5-D99AB5441522.png
 

wallnutz

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If you want to stay about the same price point as a Treager, Green Mtn all day. If you want to step up a bit the Recteq or Yoder would be my choice. Probably Yoder first.
 

Racey

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I can't believe nobody has told you Pellet grills suck yet!

The GMG's are pretty awesome. Not sure if other brands have it, but their fan control is excellent, it throttles and strobes, works amazingly well especially for lower temps.
 

sintax

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Rumor has it pellet grills suck!

All that said, If you’re set on a pellet pooper, get a Yoder
 

J DUNN

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I'm upgrading from my Chinese sheet metal GMG to a Lone Star Grillz pellet smoker. I know stick burners are better than pellet but the no hassle of the pellet is what I need right now so I tried to get a really good one. Hope to have it by Christmas. I've been working on this decision for 3 years now. The GMG lasted 5 years and now that I know I love it (smoking and pellet grill ease), it's time to upgrade.
 

Jed-O

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Another vote for Pit Boss. My dad and I both own the large propane one and a buddy of mine has a digital pellet that's almost double the capacity of mine. All have been trouble free
1624216105463.jpg
 

River Runnin

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40 pound Hopper, the best Temp control of the 3 pellets (2 Treager's and 1 Louisiana) I've had -- Even in the AZ summer heat! By far the best constructed, pellet efficient, and best lookin of the bunch! :)
 

Racey

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I'm upgrading from my Chinese sheet metal GMG to a Lone Star Grillz pellet smoker. I know stick burners are better than pellet but the no hassle of the pellet is what I need right now so I tried to get a really good one. Hope to have it by Christmas. I've been working on this decision for 3 years now. The GMG lasted 5 years and now that I know I love it (smoking and pellet grill ease), it's time to upgrade.

I cook on lump charcoal probably 90 percent of the time, but honestly for chicken i still think the pellet grill makes better tasting chicken.

They all have their place, when im doing wings or drumsticks, i pull the pellet grill out
 

Mrs. Riley1

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5D89A03E-0D6C-43B7-8927-F441EAD30AA3.png

We recently purchased this one and we love it. Made in America, front hopper that holds 20+lbs and also acts as a workspace, and can be controlled through our phones. They also have one that looks like a barn that I really wanted, but it doesn’t go with our decor.
 

DLC

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So my Very old Treager completely shit the bed and the wife wants to replace it for Christmas. What's the top brand these days? Way back when the old Treager was the best (still made in the US), cooked great lasted 3x longer than any gas BBQ I've ever owned, no frills or bells and whistles, but now it's just DONE.

What brand do I want for my next one?

i sure hope all these choices listed above narrowed it down for ya!!!

i have 2 treaters one is 10-12 years old and the other I bought used and it’s 7-8 years ( Costco return outlet ) I use them both but at different houses!!!


Post Up what ya end up with !!


The one thing wife says NO WAY on is the BlackStone…. griddle… Not sure why she no-likely!

I’ve been trying for 3 years now!

EDIT -

FORGOT the most important part!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

👍
 

CarolynandBob

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I have 3 Pit bosses. 1 combo grill/smoker in TN. 1 small smoker and one large smoker here in FL. Use the large one when I am smoking a bunch of stuff for our twice weekly pot lucks. Use the small one for just the wife and I.
 

WildWilly

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One not mentioned so far is Camp Chef. I've had one for 3 years without issue. I still laugh when I hear friends talk about all their Traeger issues and temp control problems. But I'll add, I don't use it for smoking, I do that on a WSM.

But I also agree with the Reqtec recommendations too.
 

troostr

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i sure hope all these choices listed above narrowed it down for ya!!!

i have 2 treaters one is 10-12 years old and the other I bought used and it’s 7-8 years ( Costco return outlet ) I use them both but at different houses!!!


Post Up what ya end up with !!


The one thing wife says NO WAY on is the BlackStone…. griddle… Not sure why she no-likely!

I’ve been trying for 3 years now!

EDIT -

FORGOT the most important part!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

👍
Certainly A few Great choices out there. Locally (without running to Lubbock or Abq) I can get Treager (nope) GMG, Camp Chef, Pit boss, the tractor supply brand and there's our local Hardware my buddy owns that said he'd order me anything I want (so he can check it out and maybe carry those too) But I can go online and order anything too.
I was looking at the GMG's online and saw they have the pizza oven deal that goes on the firebox. This might be the deciding factor. My kids have been wanting an Ooni or similar so this would kill 2 birds with one shot. Does anyone with the GMG or even other brands that have a Pizza oven attachment, have any experience with it? Is it worth a shit or just a gimmick?

Also- Merry CHRISTMAS!! Thanks for all the input!!!
 

X-rated

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Found this while searching, looking for a combo or a bbq and a pellet grill for my seasonal home. Anyone have experience with the combo’s? I use a Weber and a Traeger now.
 

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ramos45

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Masterbuilt gravity series does a good job .
 

Groper

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I have a Yoder YS640S and love it, so far it has the most consistent temp range during the cook.
I have a Stick Smoker as well but prefer the Pellet, the stick can be too much smoke and could add some bitterness to the meat.

I was also looking pretty hard at the RecTeq they are a close second imo.

14.7# Spatchcock Turkey for T-Day=perfect 😁
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Waterjunky

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https://www.recteq.com

I have the 700 & Bullseye! -- Will pit them against any! ;)
This, hands down. Every bit as good as a yoder to cook on but costs half the price. That said, in 15 years of almost daily use it will probably be burnt out and the yoder will just need the moving parts replaced along with the electronics. Both are great machines to use. One is well built sheetmetal (thick by industry standards) and the other is like 1/8" rolled plate. :oops:
 

EBT531

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Another vote for recteq I've got a 590 with zero issues. Depends how much $$ you want to spend too. I'm sure there are better units out there for more $$
 

4Waters

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Certainly A few Great choices out there. Locally (without running to Lubbock or Abq) I can get Treager (nope) GMG, Camp Chef, Pit boss, the tractor supply brand and there's our local Hardware my buddy owns that said he'd order me anything I want (so he can check it out and maybe carry those too) But I can go online and order anything too.
I was looking at the GMG's online and saw they have the pizza oven deal that goes on the firebox. This might be the deciding factor. My kids have been wanting an Ooni or similar so this would kill 2 birds with one shot. Does anyone with the GMG or even other brands that have a Pizza oven attachment, have any experience with it? Is it worth a shit or just a gimmick?

Also- Merry CHRISTMAS!! Thanks for all the input!!!
I have a GMG and love it, I will be getting the pizza oven. I talked to a guy that did have the pizza oven and he and is family love it, he recommended it as a must have
 

Cole Trickle

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I have a GMG and love it, I will be getting the pizza oven. I talked to a guy that did have the pizza oven and he and is family love it, he recommended it as a must have
I have the pizza oven attachment and it's rad. Works great and a ton of fun to throw a pizza party.
 

LBsuperJET

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So my Very old Treager completely shit the bed and the wife wants to replace it for Christmas. What's the top brand these days? Way back when the old Treager was the best (still made in the US), cooked great lasted 3x longer than any gas BBQ I've ever owned, no frills or bells and whistles, but now it's just DONE.

What brand do I want for my next one?
@troostr are you looking to get get rid of ur Traeger? I'm a big fan of the old American made ones and have been looking for one to restore. Send me a pic if you're so inclined.

-Reid
 

OCMerrill

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One not mentioned so far is Camp Chef. I've had one for 3 years without issue. I still laugh when I hear friends talk about all their Traeger issues and temp control problems. But I'll add, I don't use it for smoking, I do that on a WSM.

But I also agree with the Reqtec recommendations too.
We have and use on a regular basis, a Camp Chef Woodwind 36.
We have the sear box sidekick but I am going to change it for the larger sidekick that will accept a pizza oven.

Not one single issue in the in the 5 years we've had it.

A 1000 watt inverter and a deep cycle battery will operate the light off, electronics, and auger for over 5 hrs. I tested this for the "Just in case" Scenario. Its solid data to have.

Reqtec was my backup choice. This Woodwind is pretty refined though.
 

HOOTER SLED-

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Certainly A few Great choices out there. Locally (without running to Lubbock or Abq) I can get Treager (nope) GMG, Camp Chef, Pit boss, the tractor supply brand and there's our local Hardware my buddy owns that said he'd order me anything I want (so he can check it out and maybe carry those too) But I can go online and order anything too.
I was looking at the GMG's online and saw they have the pizza oven deal that goes on the firebox. This might be the deciding factor. My kids have been wanting an Ooni or similar so this would kill 2 birds with one shot. Does anyone with the GMG or even other brands that have a Pizza oven attachment, have any experience with it? Is it worth a shit or just a gimmick?

Also- Merry CHRISTMAS!! Thanks for all the input!!!
I have the pizza attachment....to me it's meh. Kinda alot of work. And my family wasn't super hype over it, so I don't waste my time. Lol. But for the functionality of it, it works fine. Basically a cone shaped chingas that goes over the firebox, and you put the fire stone at the level of the regular grate...and put the dome cover over it. I've only used mine like twice. 😂
 

Justfishing

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Jeremy yoder does videos on smokers and smoking. He runs a catering business and has massive wood smokers but does a lot of testing on pellet smokers.

Recently he did a review of a new pellet smoker that had a tray to put a chunk of wood above the fire pot. You are able to add more wood through a chute. He Said it provided a much better smoke flavor than other pellet smokers. Sorry i dont know the name.

I found the video.
 

Spot

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GMG absolutely gives you best value at that price point. If that’s your budget, you can definitely buy GMG with confidence. If you want a serious upgrade that’s when the Yoder and Chris and Pitts come into play.
 
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