Looking at pellet smoker/grills

[Mackeyser]

Specifically, I was looking at the Pit Boss 1600.

It's not a "beginner" smoker/grill, but it's nowhere near as expensive as an offset and I really, REALLY want to start cooking again.

After waiting 5 months, our new stove is being installed (It's really nice, but nothing special. It does have convection which is nice) on Monday.

Wife also is pushing for me to get a freezer for the garage (have to be careful about which freezer in Florida as the humidity and higher heats can really and truly ruin some of them) so we can really focus on eliminating processed foods as much as possible.

When I was doing BJJ, we both loved the "meat and veggies" lifestyle and used carbs, but sparingly... a little pasta or mashed potatoes, etc, but nothing crazy... also prefer using spices that aren't all salt which is why I can't eat out too much... too much damn salt in everything.

Anyway, anyone have any recommendations? Been watching a LOT of vids lately including on which pellets to use, etc.

One concern is pellet jams in Central Florida... humidity is a real thing that will affect the moisture content and thus the ability to regulate temperature.

Anyway, I'm in no way a grill master, but I can be a decent enough cook and since I'm cooking for 7 again... didn't want a smaller grill/smoker especially as we actually hope to entertain this summer/fall.

Any tips or advice on any of this?

Also, while planning on making things like brisket and ribs, also wanting to do smoked salmon, pulled pork and a little bit of everything.

 

[Dodgersrf]

Pellet grills are great imo.
I have the very 1st Gen Traeger. It's small and only has 3 settings, but it still works great.

They put out great, clean smoke and great food.

Where mine comes up short, is grilling. It doesn't get hot enough to sear as well as I would like, but it's still good enough.
I would do some research and find out what grills can really crank the heat out as well.
It's simple technology and I'm sure the newer models can reach higher Temps.

I also have an offset as well as a gas grill.

I use all of them.

 

[RamFan503]

I just bought a Masterbuilt Gravity Series 560. It is actually charcoal fired and can smoke and grill. You can go from 200 to 700 in a few minutes too. It's great for reverse searing and you can buy a rotisserie unit for it for about $100. It is also wifi enabled. So you can start your coals, dump them in along with some wood, set the temp and walk away.

I personally am not a pellet smoker fan. Pretty much all pellets are 80% alder so there's not much difference in flavor between the woods they are supposed to be. I also like the flavor of coal and wood vs the more pure smoke flavor of pellets. But of course they call them easy bake ovens for a reason. Pellet grills - especially Traegers are very easy to operate and by my experience, very well made.

Oh... Also with the one I bought, you can fit fireplace sized logs in it for long smokes.

Here's mine:

Masterbuilt® Gravity Series® 560 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker

With the Masterbuilt® Gravity Series® 560 Digital Charcoal Grill + Smoker you can smoke, grill, sear, bake, roast and more. Set the temperature and the DigitalFan™ maintains the desired cooking temperature. GravityFed™ hopper holds charcoal and gravity feeds fuel to the fire. Grill can reach...

www.masterbuilt.com

 

[Mackeyser]

Those are good temps!

The Pit Boss gets up above 600 with the vents open and can put live fire on the meat which is nice. Needs to have their upgraded controller, but with it, it's not bad. Not as good as the charcoal smokers like the masterbuilt there, but yeah.

I also like that it comes with a griddle in place of two of the four bottom grates.

That masterbuilt looks good, I'll have to look into it, but yeah, I'm pretty much looking for that "easy bake oven" deal... the exact opposite of the offset, if the vids are to be believed... The rotisserie is a nice feature, for sure.

Mad Scientist BBQ on YouTube did a blind taste test on pellets and they found some pretty striking differences (Lumberjack was a solid get by the blind testers and Knotty plum was what the hosts preferred, but not many of the testers did... Also, Traeger pellets was preferred by most including one guy who was a tester who was a national champion BBQer using pellet grills. Others pellets didn't fare so well)

But yeah, everyone said that pellet isn't gonna be nearly as smoky as an offset, but I have room for one thing outside and I can get a grill, grill/smoker or a smoker and I'm def gonna get a combo with pellets. If I have to have super smoky flavor, I could just use a smoke tube, I suppose.

 

[JustMe]

I have a pit boss pellet grill. it’s actually my second one ( i went bigger the second go around)

I personally love it. My buddy has a traeger and I don’t get the reason for the cost difference.

My biggest cons..

It takes a while to get up to temp, particularly in colder weather.

The controller board (they have changed this since) temp settings go in large increments. Like i think it goes 300-350-400 there is no in between. Again they fixed this in newer models

Pros

Fairly even temps across, with the right hand side (chimney side) being the hottest. I would say there is a 25 degree difference left to right, which IMO is respectable.

Bluetooth/wi-fi built in to check temperature probes with your phone. Also have the ability to adjust temperature.

Another new feature that came with my second one is the fire pot can be emptied from the bottom. Before you had to take out the heat deflectors and take out the grills to get to the pot, which you then had to vacuum it out. A real pain in the ass, and prevents people from cleaning it more than they should. Now you can just dump from the bottom and be done in a minute.

 

[JustMe]

Also, pit boss customer service is top notch. They sent me the new controller board free of charge and told me to hold on to my old one as a backup if need be.

They didn’t have to do this, because my grill was never registered and was well over a year old.

Mine is the Pro 1150 for reference.

 

[ramsplaya16]

I have a traeger junior elite and it is my baby. I absolutely love it. It can get up to 500 for any grilling I need to do, but I also have a blackstone griddle for any searing I want to do. I got a pit boss for my brother and he absolutely loves it as well. I constantly check OfferUp as people sell brand new pellet smokers for 100-200$ usually. I scored my trager for $100 and it was only used a few times. Traeger and pit boss, are both great brands, and I have had great experiences with both. Anyone who tells you that you need an offset to smoke things properly is wrong, I can do anything from brisket, to beef ribs, to tri tip, burnt ends, ect.

I just don’t have the time to manage a fire for 12-16 hours sometimes, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

[ramsplaya16]

FYI I use Bear mountain pellets exclusively and they burn clean and are fantastic

 

[JustMe]

I also have a blackstone griddle

My wife got me one for Valentines day. I never knew what I was missing. Damn I love that thing.

 

[ramsplaya16]

My wife got me one for Valentines day. I never knew what I was missing. Damn I love that thing.

Yeah man, my wife got me one for my birthday… breakfast, lunch, dinner, it’s fantastic. A little annoying with the Florida humidity, but I just have to take a little extra care of it. It is by far one of my favorite purchases

 

[Dodgersrf]

Those are good temps!

The Pit Boss gets up above 600 with the vents open and can put live fire on the meat which is nice. Needs to have their upgraded controller, but with it, it's not bad. Not as good as the charcoal smokers like the masterbuilt there, but yeah.

I also like that it comes with a griddle in place of two of the four bottom grates.

That masterbuilt looks good, I'll have to look into it, but yeah, I'm pretty much looking for that "easy bake oven" deal... the exact opposite of the offset, if the vids are to be believed... The rotisserie is a nice feature, for sure.

Mad Scientist BBQ on YouTube did a blind taste test on pellets and they found some pretty striking differences (Lumberjack was a solid get by the blind testers and Knotty plum was what the hosts preferred, but not many of the testers did... Also, Traeger pellets was preferred by most including one guy who was a tester who was a national champion BBQer using pellet grills. Others pellets didn't fare so well)

But yeah, everyone said that pellet isn't gonna be nearly as smoky as an offset, but I have room for one thing outside and I can get a grill, grill/smoker or a smoker and I'm def gonna get a combo with pellets. If I have to have super smoky flavor, I could just use a smoke tube, I suppose.

Regarding the smoke.
You will get good smoke from them.

As Stu said, though alot of the pellets fall short. Some of them taste the same.
There are good brands out there. Some that actually use 100% of the wood it claims to be.
Cooking Pellets, Lumberjack and GMG are all good choices for pellets IMO.

The biggest difference between using pellets and real wood or coal, is that pellets smoke in cycles.
If your looking for easy good food, I think you'll be very happy with it.

 

[Dodgersrf]

You can go from 200 to 700 in a few minutes too.

That's a huge plus.

 

[Selassie I]

I've had a Big Green Egg forever... never used or had a pellet smoker. My friend has one though. He smokes a lot of king fish for his famous smoked fish dip. One thing he always tells me when he eats something I've made on my egg is that he notices a better flavor than what he can get on his pellet smoker. I'm sure it has to do with my smoke coming from real wood and lump charcoal instead of the pellets.

A BGE is also an amazing grill... not just a smoker. Temps can go way above 700° too. Lots of different gadgets for cooking options.

I have a large but my brother-in-law has an XL. My large can make a mountain of food, but brother-in-law's can make enough to feed the planet.

You've tasted ribs I cooked on mine at Tampon tailgates in the past.

 

[Ramlock]

Weber Smokey Mountain 18”

Easy to use.

Charcoal and wood chunks-pecan, post oak and hickory. Sometimes fruit wood for poultry.

I cook everything - brisket, tenderloin, ribs, pork butt, turkey and chicken.

Best chicken breasts I’ve ever cooked - 1 hour, no water in the water pan. Moist and spot on temp. No dried out chicken.

Haven’t had a pellet, but have had such good results that I had to share.

Good Luck!

 

[fearsomefour]

I have a Traeger that I enjoy.
I bought my son a Pit Boss that has both the pellet smoker and a gas side as well.
Both are very good.