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?

Grilled pellets?

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

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?

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?

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.

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?

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..

Mmmmmmm, ribs...

[smg id=337]

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.

You never said what your needs are. Are you going to smoke or grill or both?

 I plan on being able to do both with the same machine.  I want to put the emphasis on smoking, though.

I'm gonna throw a stone in the bush here.......

What happened to cooking meat on an open flame fire?

I'm gonna throw a stone in the bush here.......

What happened to cooking meat on an open flame fire?

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.

 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.

Is this useless if the power goes out?

Is this useless if the power goes out?

Nope. Got a generator. LOL

Could it be converted to a 12v fan?

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?

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

Update...Just brought home a Smoke Pro DLX.
Now looking for your fool-proof smokin’ recommendations.