Good day,
I heard about this community in a youtube video. I can't remember which, but it involved a review of a Rec Tec Mini (which I will be purchasing sometime soon).
I am new to using pellet grills, and up until this last weekend, only ever used charcoal in my Weber or cheap propane grills (which last about a year or 2 on average).
My manager and a co-worker started to get into smoking meats and making sausage this last year, and that is all I ever heard about over my cubicle walls. A friend of mine sent me a link to a Indiegogo (sort of like a kickstarter) for a pellet grill. A company called Z Grills.
The price was right so I picked one up. It came last week and I did my first cook with some Lumberjack Applewood pellets on some country style pork ribs. I did only 2 of the 5 ribs as a test and they turned out so good. I don't Think i've had anything like them.. cooked at 225 over 4-5 hours. I mixed up some Aaron Franklin BBQ sauce from his books, and I was in heaven.
Well... I went to cook the other 3 ribs the next day and it didn't go so well (no ribs were harmed.. so don't fret). The grill malfunctioned and burned up to about 480 degrees when set to 225 somewhere in the 2nd hour of cooking. Luckily I was working outside and saw that something was wrong, so i was able to shut down the grill and start over.. Ribs got a little more done on the outside then i would have liked, but overall they were saved.
But to make matters worse, the paint on the bottom of the grill is peeling off after only 2 uses. I'm rectifying the issue with the company now and will be getting different pellet smoker. In my research and reading all sorts of forums, I've decided on purchasing a Rec Tec Mini RT-300.
That is how i discovered this forum.. its been an adventure.
Thanks!
Matt
My first cook on a pellet smoker pictured below
