Who owns a pellet smoker/grill

[Patrick_CT]

MAK 2 star. I love the versatility of it and use the cold smoking/warming drawer a lot. It sets hot enough to grill but to be honest I prefer the reverse sear method better for most steaks.

[ACW3]

MAK 2 Star.  I can't add to all the MAK accolades.  Great grill!!

Art

[fishingbouchman]

One star. Love it

[Hub]

I tried to reply for you yesterday but the server gagged and fell over.  Don't know if it was my prose or just the flu.

Anyhoo:  I have a Memphis Advantage and a Traeger 075 (New Old Stock, American made).  I use both and together they account for about 90% of my cooking.  I became a predominantly pellet cooker about three years ago.

The Memphis is well insulated, has great capacity, and great range.  It will smoke low and slow for hours and hours or I can goose it up and sear steaks at 600+ degrees.  My only complaint with it has been grease clean-out and that has been fixed on newer models.  The Traeger is really a smoker only, but will edge toward 400 on a good day (enough to grill burgers).  It doesn't have the steadiness or control of the current generation of pellet cookers but is still very useful.

What new pellet cooks need to know is that it takes a "transition" of sorts to convert to pellets from charcoal or sticks.  Pellets smoke only at low temps by using cycles of the controller to create "smoulder" periods.  Conversely, at higher temps they burn cleanly and don't produce much smoke, although some flavor woods such as mesquite will come thorugh in grilling.  For convenience, a pellet cooker is much like a gas grill -- you can fire it up and go.  Unlike a gas grill, howver, it will impart wood flavor to the cook.

Over the years (some as a moderator on another forum devoted to pellet cooking) I've discovered one great truth that anyone considering a pellet cooker needs to know:  Pellet cookers will not create heavy smoke flavor.  They impart light to moderate smoke easily, though, when you learn how to cook on one.  This characteristic causes problems for about 25% of their users -- the ones who demand heavy smokiness in the groceries.  If you like what I call "creosote belch" (lingering smoke) level smokiness you'll be better off with either a stick burner throttled back to smoulder heavily, possibly using some green wood in the mix, or with another heat source (charcoal, gas, electric) smouldering chips, chunks or biscuits of hardwood constantly.

Final advice:  Buy good pellets!  There are getting to be a lot of good brands, finally.  Some pellets are 100% hardwood and some are mixtures.  Both have their purpose and place.  Avoid cheap lower quality pellets like Traeger and off-brands.  Never, never burn heating pellets.

We have several very experienced pellet cooks active on this site.  PM any of us if you have specific questions.

Hub

[Scallywag]

Started out with a Traeger then wised up and got a Mak 2 Star.. nothing but good things to say about it!

[Sam3]

Good info Hub. Thanks for posting that.

Not a pellet smoker/grill owner....yet.

 

[TentHunteR]

Good info Hub. Thanks for posting that.

I agree! Hub brings out a couple of really good points.

What new pellet cooks need to know is that it takes a "transition" of sorts to convert to pellets from charcoal or sticks.

Very true. Keep in mind, though, that this same principle holds true no matter what kind of a cooker you're switch from/to. You will have a transition if you're switching from an offset smoker to a barrel cooker, for instance. Even switching from one pellet cooker to another will take some transition.

...the ones who demand heavy smokiness in the groceries.  If you like what I call "creosote belch" (lingering smoke) level smokiness  you'll be better off with either a stick burner...   Pellet cookers will not create heavy smoke flavor.  They impart light to moderate smoke easily, though, when you learn how to cook on one.

I think you hit the nail on the head, Hub! I am convinced that some folks think they need to belch smoke rings, but I think that's exactly the kind of smoke that turns many people off of smoked foods.

To me that's the beauty of the pellet cookers.  With a stick/charcoal burner, it takes a little practice to get and maintain that coveted, light blueish-gray smoke that enhances the flavor without overwhelming. Pellet cookers give you that clean smoke naturally. There are things you can do to get a heavier smoke, but that's for another thread.

[Hub]

To me that's the beauty of the pellet cookers.  With a stick/charcoal burner, it takes a little practice to get and maintain that coveted, light blueish-gray smoke that enhances the flavor without overwhelming. Pellet cookers give you that clean smoke naturally. There are things you can do to get a heavier smoke, but that's for another thread.

Blue smoke is good smoke.  White smoke is not.  Art (ACW3) and I took Rod Gray's (2009 KCBS Champion) cooking class in 2010.  Rod cooked all 4 competition meats on both his Jambo (high dollar stick burner) and his FEC 100 (high dollar pellet smoker).  Side-by-side comparisons of the results were essentially the same to me (KCBS judge).  Pellet cookers are designed and built to produce blue smoke naturally.  Stick burners have to be adjusted to do so but that is the intent of most builders of same.  Thus, pellets will get you where you want to go, if blue smoke is where you want to go 

Hub

[Savannahsmoker]

Traeger mated to a Master Built



Royall 2000

[Patio Cook#1]

MAK **Star

[deestafford]

Last  year at the Gathering , TeeSquare had got in touch with an outfit here in Augusta, GA called Rec Tec and they loaned us a trailer that had four of their pellet grills mounted on it and they got a lot of use and those who cooked on them seem to really like them.  They are built like a tank and did not used near the amount of pellets we thought they would and they were going almost coninuously for about three days.  The cost is about $995. I would buy one if I were in the market for a pellet grill.  Web site www.RecTecGrills.com   Dee

[smokeasaurus]

Rec Tec was my first choice but my good buddy over at Simi Pellet Grills does not carry that line as of yet.

[TMB]

Rec Tec was my first choice but my good buddy over at Simi Pellet Grills does not carry that line as of yet.

I cooked a french cut loin on a Rec-Tec and I liked it a lot.    So many nice pellet grills out there it's hard to decide which one to get!

[muebe]

One of the lowest pellet consumption grills you will find is the Memphis line of pellet grills. My Memphis is the bottom end line and only has a double-wall hood and I average 0.53 lbs an hour at 225F for an overnight cook with low temps.

At the cost of pellets it is something to consider when making a purchase. Especially if you are using premium pellets.

Just thought I would throw that out there

[MossyMO]

One of the lowest pellet consumption grills you will find is the Memphis line of pellet grills. My Memphis is the bottom end line and only has a double-wall hood and I average 0.53 lbs an hour at 225F for an overnight cook with low temps.

At the cost of pellets it is something to consider when making a purchase. Especially if you are using premium pellets.

Just thought I would throw that out there

I have read of their low consumption of pellets in comparison to other pellet grills and also read of the even temperatures across the cooking grate, sound like a well made cooking grill. Also from what I have read about them is when it comes to high temperature grilling it is not what hey are noted for; have you used yours for searing?