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Pellet smoker, which one?

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wash11

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Any suggestions on the best pellet smoker these days? I assumed Traeger was the go to but have been told they are not made like they used to be and that there may be better options out there.
 

Sandlord

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love my pit-boss.
It has an option I don't see on other Pellet Grills. A sliding dampener over the firebox to allow direct flame to hit your meat.
 

JFMFG

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We love our traeger and if you have an issue you call them and they ship the part out to you within a timely manner.
 

Riverfamlee

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X2 on the pit boss. Know a few friends with them. All positive, Another buddy of mine has a traeger and just bought a bigger pit boss. Says he likes the pit boss way better. I know a few that have had lighting or temp issues with their traegers too. Not sure if the is a common issue. Also the pit boss is a lot cheaper.
 

Riley1

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I’m planning on getting a Smokin Brothers.
Most others listed are Chinese.
 

BUSTI

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Yoder YS64S.
 

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SpeedyWho

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Another Vote for Yoder, they're an American made product with superior build quality
 

WildWilly

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love my pit-boss.
It has an option I don't see on other Pellet Grills. A sliding dampener over the firebox to allow direct flame to hit your meat.

Camp Chef woodwind has the same also.

I've had my woodwind a couple years now and love it. My friends have Traegers without the direct flame option and they wish they did. I've also seen lots of studies showing that Traegers can't hold steady temps like they used to anymore
 

DB / HAV

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I love my treager, but I really love the igrill temp probes with Bluetooth. I think it is a Weber product. Your phone will tell you when your meal is ready. These are awesome!
 

DWC

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My Traeger has never let me down. Used it a shitload over the last 60-90 days.
 

Havaduner

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We've been super happy with our PIT BOSS, had it just about a year, use it 2-3 times per week. I'd take a look at the new WEBER. I haven't seen one in person yet.
 

EBT531

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Another happy RecTec guy here. I've had it for 2yrs with zero issues. Construction is heavier than most, made of stainless, excellent controller, the wifi seems silly until you find your self monitoring your temps while you had to run to the store, and it holds temps extremely well.
 

pkbullet

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Memphis grills gets my vote. It is very efficient and has a great controller. It is stainless steel and very high quality construction. I have had traegers before so that is my only comparison, but they aren't even close.
 

was thatguy

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As you can see, you’re going to get a list of every pellet grill made. Lol

So this tells us that they are all pretty good.
My Traeger is well over 10 years old. I’ve replaced some parts along the way, and I keep a spare igniter and thermostat probe in the drawer.
I use it almost every day. Sometimes twice a day. I average close to 20 pounds of pellets a week.
There are better ones, there are worse ones.
For the money, Traeger is right there at Home Depot.
Rec Tec is the high dollar grail as I understand it.
Green mountain is probably the best bang for the buck.

Flame away

(I don’t know what my next one will be, I’ll figure it out if or when the bottom falls out of this Traeger some day)
 

McKay

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Memphis grills gets my vote. It is very efficient and has a great controller. It is stainless steel and very high quality construction. I have had traegers before so that is my only comparison, but they aren't even close.

Have not got to play with the Memphis but I have heard they are bad ass! High dollar from what I seen.
 

Rondog4405

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I'm a GMG man myself.. but I've been taking a hard look at these. They look badass.
 

Zed

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I love my Yoder....use it every week. That beast will last forever!!
 

scouter

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Memphis grills gets my vote. It is very efficient and has a great controller. It is stainless steel and very high quality construction. I have had traegers before so that is my only comparison, but they aren't even close.

+1. We love our Memphis Grill.....
 

FlyByWire

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I’m a RecTec fan boy, for sure. I’ve had one since they started the company in one form or another, and currently have 2 (700 and bullseye). Customer service is insanely good.

I’d buy a Yoder or Pitts and Spitts (both American made) in a heartbeat if I wasn’t so loyal to RecTec though. Both are awesome.
 

wallnutz

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GMG here. Works great, great customer service. I have had 4 years now and the only problem was the heat sensor, sent me a new one free of charge. I will look at Camp Chef or Yoder if I buy again.
 

Groper

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My Traeger has never let me down. Used it a shitload over the last 60-90 days.
Haha myself included, I procured my Traeger por gratis from a neighbor as it stopped working for them, I cleaned out the auger/shoot and walla it works like a champ. Two years later I've replaced the controller and that's it. I will say that the temp swing can be more than 15-20 degrees but over all happy with my free Trager. :cool:

Spare Ribs last Sunday on they're last hour ;)
20200607_181312.jpg
 
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Cole Trickle

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I have had a Green Mountain for years with zero issues. Yes there are better smokers available but i'm not sure there is a better one for the money.

I store mine under a patio cover and always cover the grill so it still looks great. If its left in the elements it won't last as long.

I would love to have a yoder or rectec but my GMG puts out some great food at about 1/3 the cost.
 

McKay

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this!

and the new ones are running the new bbq controller software called fireboard. Its great and full wifi controlled cooking

Agreed. Fireboard is the shit. I often check on and control my cook from my office 20 miles away from home.
 

checkrd past

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I have had a Green Mountain for years with zero issues. Yes there are better smokers available but i'm not sure there is a better one for the money.

I store mine under a patio cover and always cover the grill so it still looks great. If its left in the elements it won't last as long.

I would love to have a yoder or rectec but my GMG puts out some great food at about 1/3 the cost.

I 2nd this too
 

Kachina26

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CHEVY!
Wait, wrong thread. I do like my Camp Chef. @TBI will be along shortly to sing their praises. They have a big sale at the end of the year if you can hold out.
 

Activated

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I have a Camp Chef and like how easy it is to use...they all seem similar. I just threw out my MBES, after using my Camp Chef, I couldn’t deal with how much of a piece of shit it is.

On my last smoke on my CC I tried a smoke tube/maze to get a heavier smoke. It worked well, except for when the wind kicked up and instead of smoking, it caught on fire. Melted the outside of the lid of my smoker...meat was overdone due to the extra heat the fire caused but was still good. Had a hell of a bark on it. Lol

Will definitely use the smoker maze again but will make sure smoker is nowhere where the wind can get at it.


Now shopping for a CC or something similar for at the house to replace the MBES.
 

lenmann

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Memphis grills gets my vote. It is very efficient and has a great controller. It is stainless steel and very high quality construction. I have had traegers before so that is my only comparison, but they aren't even close.

Can you share some more insight on the comparison between your Traeger and the Memphis? I have a 6 year old Traeger and its getting close to time for a new one. The Memphis is big step up in $ but I really want a way to sear steaks after cooking and I want a more durable unit. The Traeger has been good but construction is a little cheesy and I have some components fail over time.
 

sintax

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Can you share some more insight on the comparison between your Traeger and the Memphis? I have a 6 year old Traeger and its getting close to time for a new one. The Memphis is big step up in $ but I really want a way to sear steaks after cooking and I want a more durable unit. The Traeger has been good but construction is a little cheesy and I have some components fail over time.

thats always the rub with most pellet jobs, i know some offer features where you can remove the reverse flow plate, to make it more of a grill and you just grill over the firebox opening. It still will never be like a Kamado though.

I slow smoke my ribs for hours, and remove my ceramic plates, and open my vents and finish setting the sauce over hot coals. Or if i'm doing a tritip, or something similar, i'll only put in one side of the ceramic, so I have a true hot and cold zone.
 

pkbullet

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Can you share some more insight on the comparison between your Traeger and the Memphis? I have a 6 year old Traeger and its getting close to time for a new one. The Memphis is big step up in $ but I really want a way to sear steaks after cooking and I want a more durable unit. The Traeger has been good but construction is a little cheesy and I have some components fail over time.
To start with the materials are a significant difference. Full stainless with fit and finish as nice as Wolf appliances. They seal with a gasket similar to an oven, even when its cold it uses very little pellets. The controller and app are very user friendly and the wifi work wells even with low signal. The only negative is that the interior cook space is smaller than some of the Traeger models. I believe that we had a Texas XL the same model that come on the back to back trailer cooker that we also still have and it has better capacity. Cleaning is a breeze, three pull out trays lines with baking tins, two for grease and one for ashes. If you get the flavorizer insert you are grilling over open wood fire. I like that all our outdoor appliance have the same finish and appearance, but they are a little more. I have one at our lake place that is going on five years old looks the same a when it was installed.
 

ChevelleSB406

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What do people think of these two options at Costco, the Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker and Traeger Texas elite Smoker. It will be my first foray into smoking meat, so they fit my price range, not looking to go big yet, gotta see if I get the use out of it. I see a GMG available as well at the same price. Just curious mainly about the vertical smoker as I haven't seen much talk on those, do they function very differently, inferior taste, etc?


 

sintax

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What do people think of these two options at Costco, the Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker and Traeger Texas elite Smoker. It will be my first foray into smoking meat, so they fit my price range, not looking to go big yet, gotta see if I get the use out of it. I see a GMG available as well at the same price. Just curious mainly about the vertical smoker as I haven't seen much talk on those, do they function very differently, inferior taste, etc?



im not a huge fan of vertical smokers. If you are doing a few different things in there, its all dripping on the stuff below. I dont really want a pork butt up top leaking all over my ribs.

Outside of that, i'd defer to the pellet smoker guys on here, i dont know much about that brand.
 

Lunatic Fringe

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Any suggestions on the best pellet smoker these days? I assumed Traeger was the go to but have been told they are not made like they used to be and that there may be better options out there.

Next time you're back in Havasu, go see Darrell at Robinson Automotive. He'll hook you up with Green Mountain Grills.
 

Boozer

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What do people think of these two options at Costco, the Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker and Traeger Texas elite Smoker. It will be my first foray into smoking meat, so they fit my price range, not looking to go big yet, gotta see if I get the use out of it. I see a GMG available as well at the same price. Just curious mainly about the vertical smoker as I haven't seen much talk on those, do they function very differently, inferior taste, etc?



Based on your budget I’d go with a pit boss over the Louisiana or the Traeger.

Lowe’s has a pit boss (link below) for $100 less than both of the smokers you posted and it has more surface area than the Traeger. The lower end Traeger’s have come down in price quite a bit over the years but so has the build quality. You’ll get more bang for your buck with a Pit Boss and you’ll save $100 as well.

FWIW I’ve owned 3 Traeger’s. I currently have a Lil Tex Elite that I’ve had since 2013 and the fire box went out on it a couple weeks ago, it still works but I have to manually start the pellets. I’m debating replacing the firebox or getting a new smoker altogether, if I replace it I won’t be replacing it with another Traeger as there are to many other brands with more features for the same price point or less.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

jones performance

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my personal experience on pellet grills is with treger and pit boss. i preferred the pit boss. it held more even temps, had a sturdier feel to it and the sear plate option was nice. the treger was a good unit as well originally, however once the orginal parts needed replaced, the newer current replacement parts had to be replaced again.

the use of both of these was 5 days a week 10+ hours a day. went thru approx 100lbs of pellets in 4 days.

the ultimate badass setup is the yoder for sure.
 

lf2

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What do people think of these two options at Costco, the Louisiana Grills vertical pellet smoker and Traeger Texas elite Smoker. It will be my first foray into smoking meat, so they fit my price range, not looking to go big yet, gotta see if I get the use out of it. I see a GMG available as well at the same price. Just curious mainly about the vertical smoker as I haven't seen much talk on those, do they function very differently, inferior taste, etc?



the Lousiana is made by same company as pitboss (Dansons) same as pitboss vertical just different color.
I have a pitboss vertical and the big horizontal. Overall for the money they work fine but will probably upgrade to a higher end one at some point. Had temp probe issues with the vertical that took a while for them to figure out. And the horizontal biggest complaint is temperature evenness across the grates, if i am cooking alot of stuff i have to rotate food side to side as the right side is way hotter than the left side.
 

Waterjunky

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For my birthday in August My wife said we are buying a pellet grill. My 20 year old Vermont Castings gas grill is in need of its second major rebuild. I am looking at the Yoder, the Rectec and a few others. I want something I can grill a steak on without too much issue. I have a vertical smoker when I really want to get serious in that direction but this would do some smoking all the way through a quick weekday quick burn some dinner.

How easy is it to do a quick set of burgers or steak on these two?
I know they are great for a slower more methodical cook, and that is great for weekends and such, but just as common is the weekday fast and furious getting it done maneuver. I also have the Kamado grill for other applications. It is just a real process to get lit and going meaning it is limited to weekends mostly.
 

HOOTER SLED-

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For my birthday in August My wife said we are buying a pellet grill. My 20 year old Vermont Castings gas grill is in need of its second major rebuild. I am looking at the Yoder, the Rectec and a few others. I want something I can grill a steak on without too much issue. I have a vertical smoker when I really want to get serious in that direction but this would do some smoking all the way through a quick weekday quick burn some dinner.

How easy is it to do a quick set of burgers or steak on these two?
I know they are great for a slower more methodical cook, and that is great for weekends and such, but just as common is the weekday fast and furious getting it done maneuver. I also have the Kamado grill for other applications. It is just a real process to get lit and going meaning it is limited to weekends mostly.
Imo....burgers and steaks...my pellet grill is not the first go to for me. I'd rather grill them or shit, even put them on the griddle. For me, it's a texture thing.
 
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