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Pellet Grill/smoker

riggins44

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Now that weather is getting warm and the days longer, it's time for my annual think about a new grill purchase.

Recently a friend bought a pellet grill/smoker and loves it. I've been hearing more and more about these.

Does anyone have any experience with them? Any feedback good or bad?
 
No. I highly recommend Weber Smoky Mountain Cooker though. It can be used as a grill or a smoker and is super easy to use. Get the larger one if you go that route. There is a virtual Webber bullet website and forum just for that style cooker that's awesome. No experience with pellet type...


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Yep, I bought a Bradley Smoker a few years back and produced some pretty amazing meats with it (pulled pork, bacon, chicken, sausage) - all done with the wood pellets. It got damaged in our recent move, so I will be replacing it this summer sometime. Haven't decided with what, I very well may go back to the Bradley, but not before I look around a little...
 
2 hesitations I would have when I need to replace my smoker when it comes to pellet types...first of all, they are electric, right? So that would limit where I could place it unless I wanted to use an extension cord (and also couldn't do cooks in the rain?). Bigger issue for me would be having to keep pellets on hand since I imagine those are only sold in specialty shops...

Not down on pellet cookers since I have no experience. Definitely an interesting option. Can you do 12-16 hour cooks on a pellet cooker (can you easily refuel mid-cook)?


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I set ours up on a back porch protected by an overhang, and then in a garage as well, right by a window for venting. Worked great. And yes, incredibly easy to refill the pellets.

But you are also correct that you have to have the pellets on hand. Amazon carries the ones I referred to which makes that easy, but I have been caught with a low supply once or twice. And yeah, I've done 13 hour smokes before, no problem.
 
Cool, thanks for the info. I love my Weber Bullet so much that I've started using it for grilling too. I have a nice Weber gas grill that I've used religiously but recently remembered how much better stuff grilled over a real charcoal pit tastes. Plus, there's something gratifyingly manly about starting coals in a chimney starter :)


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If they are electric then I would not be interested. My grills are on a patio off from the house, so I can get away when cooking. Couple people told me Traeger Pellet Grills were good.

Guess will start my quest elsewhere.
 
I have a Traeger. Only way to go. Embrace technology. :) Fill the hopper, set the desired temperature, put a remote digital thermometer in the meat and walk away. I did two pork butts for Easter. I put them in at 9 am and they got done at midnight. Only trip to the smoker was to baste the meat. It takes all the work out of smoking. Getting pellets is not a problem. Ace hardware and SAMS carry Traeger pellets. You can get other brands at lowes and home depot or any BBQ shop. I've never ordered any. Ace has two bag sales all the time.

As to needing electricity, that drives the thermostat and a fan for the flame. Much less work running an extension cord then tending to a fire in a conventional smoker. If your passion is good meat, go pellet. If your passion is all the work involved in getting good meat with a traditional smoker, go conventional. I wanted to be able to smoke but had no desire to tend a flame. Once the meat is going, my day is mine. I've even started it at bed time and let it smoke overnight.
 
There is little to no 'managing/tending to a fire' with a Weber Bullet, other than needing to add fuel if you are going beyond a 12 hr cook or so. And that just entails lifting the top half of the cooker off. You can get a large Weber bullet for $500-$600 dollars and are probably looking at twice that for a similar sized pellet smoker - so that's a consideration too. I'll confess I like the sound of the functionality of the Traeger though. Thanks for the info stevenaa and Goal...


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I looked at the bullet, the egg and traeger when I got mine. I had no experience with smoking, so in my research there seemed a need to get experience to get the most out of the conventional. Having no first hand knowledge, that might be incorrect. My decision was solely on the desire to smoke meat with as little effort as I could put into it. :) It is more expensive up front, and for the fuel, so those are definite considerations. But, I can come home from work and in 5 minutes have a chicken roasting for dinner. You can't get a dry chicken on this thing. Turkey too. I use mine for a lot of cooking I'm certain I'd never do with a conventional. It's basically as easy to use as a gas grill.
 
Cool, thanks for the info. I love my Weber Bullet so much that I've started using it for grilling too. I have a nice Weber gas grill that I've used religiously but recently remembered how much better stuff grilled over a real charcoal pit tastes. Plus, there's something gratifyingly manly about starting coals in a chimney starter :)


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We moved in the Fall and now have a deck again. For the last five years I've had my grill in a garage and had to wheel it out to use it, so I didn't do all that too often. I've used that grill more times in the last 6 months than the last five years combined. And yes, you are 100% correct. I LOVE starting the chimney with wood chunks, then adding something to smoke on top.

Grilled out shrimp last night, and made coleslaw with pineapple for some shrimp tacos. A lot of work for 5 minutes on the grill, but eff it. It was wonderful.

(I also grilled some pineapple because... why not)
 
Not a pellet grill OR smoker, but I recently bought a Napoleon gas grill on the recommendation of a fellow BBQer. It's a higher end brand (although I bought one of their lower end models :)). I highly recommend them. I've been a 'Weber' guy my whole adult life, and for what they do Weber's are pretty solid. But this grill is a serious upgrade. It comes with 4 vertically aligned burners (so you can turn off the center two for indirect cooking), it has a searing station that can get up to 1800 degrees to sear your steaks in seconds before finishing them on a grill. It has an electric rotisserie which works great and a long infrared burner at the back of the grill lined up with the rotisserie section. It's just a fantastic piece of BBQing equipment.
 

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