Author Topic: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.  (Read 2918 times)

Offline tweeter55

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Help me out Ladies & Gents.
My old grill went kaput.
Been thinking about a pellet grill for a while now.
Obviously the Traeger brand comes to mind but there are many others out there.
Any thoughts & recommendations to confuse me further?
Over the years:       1972 Harley Rapido
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Offline Conrad

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2018, 06:19:41 AM »
Grilled pellets?

Doesn't sound too appetizing. What kinda marinade do you use for pellets?
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Offline Rubber_Snake

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2018, 08:29:02 AM »
The nice thing about those Traegers is that you “set it and forget it”.  They maintain temp and smoke and there’s a variety of pellets out there. 

I just picked up my first offset smoker, Oklahoma Joes “Highland” model from Lowes.  Seasoned it and took my first crack at it on the 4th.  Smoked 6 tri tips with coal and hickory and they came out fantastic.  Didn’t have to tend the hotbox much (easy boys), and cooked them for about 2.5 hours. 

I’m pretty happy with it so far and it’s built very well.  The thing weighs a ton!  Takes two people to get the box out of a truck (or one clever little Mexican dude).  I assembled it myself, but it would’ve been much easier with two people.  The metal wheels can probably leave rust stains on a deck, so that is something to look out for. 

Maybe someone here who has some experience with the Traeger can chime in?
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Offline tweeter55

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2018, 08:58:57 AM »
Grilled pellets?

Doesn't sound too appetizing. What kinda marinade do you use for pellets?
Funny Conrad. Very funny.
I’m thinking of using maple pellets. They should already be flavored with maple syrup marinade, right?
Over the years:       1972 Harley Rapido
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Offline Poseidon

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2018, 09:07:23 AM »
The nice thing about those Traegers is that you “set it and forget it”.  They maintain temp and smoke and there’s a variety of pellets out there. 

I just picked up my first offset smoker, Oklahoma Joes “Highland” model from Lowes.  Seasoned it and took my first crack at it on the 4th.  Smoked 6 tri tips with coal and hickory and they came out fantastic.  Didn’t have to tend the hotbox much (easy boys), and cooked them for about 2.5 hours. 

I’m pretty happy with it so far and it’s built very well.  The thing weighs a ton!  Takes two people to get the box out of a truck (or one clever little Mexican dude).  I assembled it myself, but it would’ve been much easier with two people.  The metal wheels can probably leave rust stains on a deck, so that is something to look out for. 

Maybe someone here who has some experience with the Traeger can chime in?

You will probably need 2, but a grill pad will protect your deck from any marks from the grill.



I just replaced my New Braunfels offset smoker that I’ve had for almost 20 years. It finally rusted thru earlier in the spring. I bought the Oklahoma Joes offset smoker with the gas grill and stove burner on the right side. So far it is my all time favorite grill.

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Offline B.D.F.

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2018, 09:32:58 AM »
Yeah, me too- I have those same questions. Thinking about buying a pellet smoker and looking for one that works well, and is a good value with the works well being paramount.

Traeger brand looks promising but so does the Pit Boss.

Brian

Help me out Ladies & Gents.
My old grill went kaput.
Been thinking about a pellet grill for a while now.
Obviously the Traeger brand comes to mind but there are many others out there.
Any thoughts & recommendations to confuse me further?
Homo Sapiens Sapiens and just a tad of Neanderthal but it usually does not show....  My Private mail is blocked; it is not you, it is me, just like that dating partner said all those years ago. Please send an e-mail if you want to contact me privately.

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Offline soonerone

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2018, 06:41:46 PM »
Lots of good information at "amazingribs.com".....Many different types  of smokers tested. I've been seriously looking at Yoder's and Rec-Tec.. Good luck with your search..

Offline Conrad

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2018, 06:50:14 AM »
Mmmmmmm, ribs...

[smg id=337]
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Offline tweeter55

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2018, 08:40:30 AM »
Haven't pulled the trigger yet. Rec Tec is definitely in the running if I can get past the premium. I understand quality doesn't come cheap, though.
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Offline gPink

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2018, 08:56:06 AM »
You never said what your needs are. Are you going to smoke or grill or both?

Offline tweeter55

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2018, 11:26:54 AM »
 I plan on being able to do both with the same machine.  I want to put the emphasis on smoking, though.
« Last Edit: July 15, 2018, 04:25:21 PM by tweeter55 »
Over the years:       1972 Harley Rapido
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Offline Hooligan

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #11 on: July 16, 2018, 10:25:52 PM »
I'm gonna throw a stone in the bush here.......

What happened to cooking meat on an open flame fire? :popcorn:
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Offline Eupher

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #12 on: July 18, 2018, 12:29:57 PM »
I'm gonna throw a stone in the bush here.......

What happened to cooking meat on an open flame fire? :popcorn:

Assuming your question is sincere (might be joking -- I wouldn't know) open flame fires aren't conducive to smoking or  grilling either, as the "fire" is inconsistently hot. Coals are what is needed; these provide the direct heat you're looking for.

And when you're smoking meat, you want it low and slow. I keep my Weber Smoky Mountain smoker at around 200 deg. F., and I've had a pork shoulder in the thing for up to 14 hours. Yields a good quarter inch of bark, and smoky flavor throughout the meat.
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Offline tweeter55

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #13 on: July 18, 2018, 05:39:29 PM »
 Seriously considering the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX.  The reviews look promising and YouTube did a comparison with a Traeger and it appeared to me it kicked butt.
Over the years:       1972 Harley Rapido
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Offline gPink

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #14 on: July 18, 2018, 06:10:59 PM »
Is this useless if the power goes out?

Offline tweeter55

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #15 on: July 18, 2018, 06:47:09 PM »
Is this useless if the power goes out?
Nope. Got a generator. LOL
Over the years:       1972 Harley Rapido
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Offline gPink

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #16 on: July 18, 2018, 06:52:33 PM »
Could it be converted to a 12v fan?

Offline B.D.F.

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #17 on: July 19, 2018, 04:42:59 AM »
Not in any practical way for the ones that have igniters (self start the pellets) because they consume too much power. For the basic running of the grill / smoker, a 12 volt power source such as a car battery and an 115 V AC inverter would <probably> work for the controller and the auger and fan that fire the pellets. But honestly I doubt it is really practical, especially considering the long hours of use when smoking.

For other types of outside cooking during a power failure, unless one does have and use a generator already for hours, a propane grill probably makes more sense.

Brian

Could it be converted to a 12v fan?
Homo Sapiens Sapiens and just a tad of Neanderthal but it usually does not show....  My Private mail is blocked; it is not you, it is me, just like that dating partner said all those years ago. Please send an e-mail if you want to contact me privately.

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Offline Hooligan

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #18 on: July 19, 2018, 08:09:51 AM »
Assuming your question is sincere (might be joking -- I wouldn't know) open flame fires aren't conducive to smoking or  grilling either, as the "fire" is inconsistently hot. Coals are what is needed; these provide the direct heat you're looking for.

And when you're smoking meat, you want it low and slow. I keep my Weber Smoky Mountain smoker at around 200 deg. F., and I've had a pork shoulder in the thing for up to 14 hours. Yields a good quarter inch of bark, and smoky flavor throughout the meat.

I hear you Eupher, what I meant was cooking it with an open top, not closed up.  In the RSA, we burn wood that turns to coals (obviously), but we don't put a lid on it. We throw a piece of expanded metal over the coals, and prepare the meat like that.

Smoking the meat is a different story all together....     We also don't smoke the meat that often here, although I like making warthog sausages with cheese, and preparing them in a hot smoker. I've built a hot smoker just for that our of a 45Gal. drum, using charcoal as the heat source.

Did this quiite a whuile back, but here is the link again on "how to braai".

http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=18000.0;attach=26628
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Offline tweeter55

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Re: To pellet grill or not to pellet grill...That is the question.
« Reply #19 on: October 19, 2018, 06:43:53 PM »
Update...Just brought home a Smoke Pro DLX.
Now looking for your fool-proof smokin’ recommendations.
Over the years:       1972 Harley Rapido
1972 Suzuki T350R  1979 BMW R100RT
1987 Honda Helix.    2006 Kawasaki Concours