Pellet Fan
Pit Talk -- Comments and Questions Regarding These Pellet Pits => Which Pit Should I Choose? => Topic started by: bmwhitetx on February 08, 2018, 10:17:38 AM
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Hi all, I'm a BGE owner for about 8 years but thinking of switching to pellet and sell the egg. I also have a Weber gasser that I will keep because the wife can operate it and an Anova. I use the egg mostly for low and slow and the occasional sear. Really like pizza but it has been hit or miss with temp control. The reasons I don't use the egg more is lighting it is a pain, dealing with lump (last bag was half marble size), and the small cooking area (have to cut ribs in half, packer barely fits).
It seems that all the things I dislike about the egg are solved with a pellet cooker. I want to do more meals outdoors style but usually end up on the Weber instead of dealing with the egg. So my question for you pellet guys - are any of you converts from BGE cooking? And if so, are you glad you switched? What do you miss about the BGE (flavor??). I'm looking at the Danial Boone and RecTec Stampede (like wi-fi). But I appreciate quality so also the small Yoder 460.
So what say you current/former eggheads? Note I would sell the egg - simply don't have the room for both so the "keep them both" option is not applicable. Thanks!
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I've had a BGE-L for over 20 years and still use it occasionally. I added pellet grill(s) about 5 years ago and the majority of my outdoor cooking is now on the pellet machines. However, I still use the gasser or BGE for searing. There are some foods that, IMO, taste better on the BGE, but like you, I feel that it's a PIA to fire it up. Where the pellet grills really shine is in long low temperature over night cooking. I think that where they fall down is with high temperature short cooks. I get very little discernable smoke flavor if I cook a roast say at 350°. While I think that cooking with charcoal provides a unique flavor profile, if I had to choose, I'd go with Pellets. :2cents:
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I own a Blaz'n Grand Slam and really like it. However, there are many good pits out there now. The new Stainless RecTecs look very good and they have really brought them up to snuff with WIFI. Depends on your size needs and quality ($) desires. There are good cheap pits and good expensive pits to look at as well. I expect you will get ample suggestions on this inquiry. It is always good to go out and see a pit you are interested in if you live close to a dealer.
Keep us informed and good luck with your pick.
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I cant help with the last part so I will stay out of it!
Is the budget in the range of the 3 units you listed...I am assuming under $1300?
I'm a BGE owner for about 8 years.
I also have a Weber gasser that I will keep...
I use the egg mostly for low and slow and the occasional sear.
Really like pizza but it has been hit or miss with temp control.
The reasons I don't use the egg more is lighting it is a pain, dealing with lump (last bag was half marble size), and the small cooking area (have to cut ribs in half, packer barely fits).
So my question for you pellet guys - are any of you converts from BGE cooking? And if so, are you glad you switched? What do you miss about the BGE (flavor??). I'm looking at the Danial Boone and RecTec Stampede (like wi-fi). But I appreciate quality so also the small Yoder 460.
So what say you current/former eggheads?
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Is the budget in the range of the 3 units you listed...I am assuming under $1300?
I figure I will get a good price for the large egg - it has a custom cedar table and several nice accessories so the $1300 is kind of my upper limit but could go higher. The Yoder looks like the same "quality" as Weber and BGE so it appeals to me. I have owned too may cheap grills and learned my lesson. But I wouldn't want to spend a ton and realize the egg was maybe better. Catch-22.
Looks like pellet will handle brisket and ribs similar to my egg but more convenient. My concern with RecTec is the 9.5 inch clearance. As I posted in that forum, that seems low. I do a turkey every Thanksgiving in the egg and it comes out wonderful. Not sure some of these grills could handle a 18# turkey clearance wise. (And thanks for explaining the off-topic misunderstanding on that post!)
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I have two eggs. With almost 12 years of use.. I use to sear mostly..Best baked potatoes. It doesn't take me long to light an egg and get it up to temp...No concerns re:electrical, as you know..The egg does take getting used to. Once mastered, it's a no brainer, for most of us.
My first pellet grill (actually a smoker) was a Traeger,Lil Tex. I found it did well in warm weather cooking below 350º. Given time with not too cold weather and no or low wind, 400º could be achieved..Most all my cooking was done @ 325º or/and in the smoke mode. I felt it was being stressed cooking @ high temperatures...I put up in November and back to work, April due to the cold..The eggs kept on working. Had the Traeg' for 5 years..There were a few problems; PM me if you are interested in them.
Last June, I got a Memphis Pro - well, no where anything like the Lil Tex..Gets HOT fast, hot, cold, rain or windy. It is so easy to maintain, almost too easy. There is a direct flame insert (small in size),to boot..Pellet consumption is low. Overly designed and well built. All stainless so there rust isn't a concern...It was a hard decision to make (the purchase)..It comes back to your statement about cheap pits. They cost more.
Taste wise;I don't like the taste of broccoli cooked over charcoal. It's good in a pellet pit..
Maintenance is required on any pellet pit with some being easier to service, such as regular burn pot cleaning, keeping the drip tray clean and scraping out the grease trough and bucket(not a problem on the Pro).. Pellets, fins could be a problem if not controlled and they must be kept dry.
If there way to see the pit(s) you are interested in, in action would answer a lot of questions I an sure..That is; start-up ,cook and clean. Have a good look and ask questions..
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Have you ever tasted food cooked on a pellet unit?
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I own a MAK 2 Star and love it. I also have two big Eggs and under no circumstances would I sell mine. I might give one to my son who is a great cook in his own right but I will always keep one for myself. I use both especially if I am cooking for a crowd or really want to go hot. Pellet grills top to around 500 and the Egg well over 600. So unless you need the money to buy your new Pellet grill I would keep your Egg and make the decision to sell after you have used your new grill for a few months.
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My old CS Whole Hog would get to 700+, my Memphis Pro will get to 650°+...My IR gun Pegs at 932° and it could not read the PG500...I know it gets close to 1000°...So some may top out at 500°, but there are several that put that number to shame!
Pellet grills top to around 500 and the Egg well over 600.
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Never had a ceramic cooker, but I do have WSM. The WSM will put more smoke on meat than I feel desirable.
The conversion is like weaning yerself off of salt. My ex would put salt on ham. :puke:
I got my Jr 4-1/2 years ago and haven't used the WSM since (or the kitchen oven). Once ya get past the overwhelming 'smoke' taste yer accustomed to, you'll start to realize everything you've been missing.
The biggest drawback for me was the hassle of babysitting the charcoal and disposing of it. I was at the WSM every 30 minutes or so, and constantly looking out the window at the progress. Ya might as well have chained me to it. No more...
As mentioned prior; yer not gonna like the results if yer wanting a heavy smoke taste.
I gave up on additional salt many years ago. I gave up excessive smoke when I got the Jr. IMHO, I'm far better off for the choices.
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Can’t go wrong with a pellet pooper, I had cooked great meat on the Traeger and great meat on the MAK.
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Over the years I’ve owned numerous Kamado Joes. 3 Big Joes, 1 Classic and a Jr. I was a kamado NUT. I sold them all when I discovered pellet cooking. I now cook on a MAK and have zero desire to go back. For high temp grilling/searing, I will sometimes use my kettle, but for 95% (minus screaming hot searing), I much prefer the ease and end result of my MAK.
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Eight or nine years ago when I decided it was time for something other than a gas grill I came real close to going for a BGE. I starting researching and stumbled onto an article about Traeger and ended up with that instead. I'm on my second pellet grill now, a Firecraft Q450 and I use it several times a week. I still thought about getting a BGE to go with it, but a few years ago I got my first Weber Kettle using "recognition points" which is a perfect compliment to a pellet grill and I just can't come up with a reason to buy the BGE. In short, I think moving to a pellet grill is a good choice.
I use my pellet grill 3 or 4 times a week, charcoal about once a week for burgers or carne asada, and my Bull gas grill about 4 or 5 times a year. A really only got the gas grill to fill the hole in the fancy concrete BBQ island that the previous home owner built.
Wait, what was the question again? Oh yeah, I highly recommend the Firecraft, but for a little more money the Yoders look really cool.
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I've had a YS640 for over 3 years now. Been very good to me. In fact Sunday night 6 pork butts are going on for an overnight cook. It's a great steak cooker also!
Gonna be over $1300 but well worth it.
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The number I refer to are not with GG and they do not requires a grill conversion or kit!
I’ve seen 915 on my grill grates on the yoder...
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Have you ever tasted food cooked on a pellet unit?
No I haven't and that's why the trepidation on my part. My friends that bbq all have eggs but of course eggheads are a vocal group. May have silent pelletheads out there. I'll ask around.
I do like the smoke profile I get. Did two Papa Murphy pizzas last night on the BGE and turned out very flavorful - once I got the fire and pizza stone stabilized - which took almost an hour.
Lots of great feedback so far. Looks like I'll strike the Rectec due to height. Need to look at some of the others you guys mentioned. That Blaz'n looks really nice but no price info online I could see. Need to see what local dealers are (I'm in the Dallas area). Thanks!
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It is Bully for Me Teddy!
I did not take Physics in HS or College. I believe the max setting on your Yoder is 600°? How does a piece of metal get hotter then the setting of the controller? You said you don't use a sear kit. Which I am then assuming you have your diffuser and grease try in the unit, like my Whole Hog, Memphis Pro and PG 500 did.
How do you defy the laws of physics and get your GG 300°+ hotter? What am I not understanding?
I’ve seen 915 on my grill grates on the yoder...
Bully for you...Yoder doesnt require a grill conversion kit either, unless you are referring to GG as a kit? I was simply stating that only a few pellet grills can actually sear on par with a kamado over lump. Near as I can tell, there might be 3-4 at most
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I just purchased a q450 for the exact same reason as the OP. I love my egg but feel like I never use it due to time constraints of starting etc. I’ve had it about 7 years. I’m doing a butt on my q450 tonight so for me that will be a good test if I go ahead and sale the egg. I don’t need both. I think on the FireCraft you have 30 days to return no questions asked. While it would be a PITA to return I’d do it if I feel the food is inferior.
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I have a large Big Green Egg and a Cookshack FEC 120. I would like to get something that can do direct sear in a pellet fired unit.
The Egg does a good job with direct, but I hate having to use the lump charcoal. The Egg only cooks right when the lump charcoal is fairly large pieces, unfortunately the bottom 1/3 of the charcoal bags are generally broken up into pieces that are less than optimal for use in the egg. Smaller pieces are fine for lower temp cooks, but not for steaks.
I would like to be completely out of the charcoal cooking at some point.
I'm leaning toward a Memphis grill of a Fast Eddy PG 1000.
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I yhad a GMG DB for several years and my wife wanted a BGE and we ended up with the XL. It was way too big for the two of us so Isold it and we got a medium BGE. I used a Rocks Stoker for temp control at lower heats/ It cooked wondefully and using Cowboy lump gave it a nice flavor. Pizza, steaks, pies, brissket, ribs, etc. were excellent. Most of the time I still usewd the GMG for low and slow. The BGE was too much work to light, clean, preheat, etc. I sold that BGE after building a UDS and adding a fan for the Stolker. I worked as well as the BGE for everything except high heat cooks. For burgers and brats I used my little Weber Q gasser od Lodge cast iron Sportsman grill.
My wife had cooked our brat lunch at the Royal a few times and used a Memphis Pro. When she retired a few years ago that was what she wanted for a retirement gift and we purchased one. It is hands down better than the BGE and does eveerything from jerky to steaks with no fussing or mess. Sears at high heat, cooks burgers as fast as the gasser, and does low and slow with precise temps and times. I've cooked on many brands of pellet grills and the Pro is the best for me. Well worth the cost.
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I've never owned an EGG or had the desire to. I've had plenty kettles & gassers over the years. Got tired of burning out a gasser every 2 years so in 2008 I bought a Traeger LiL Tex & the addiction was on. Then went to a GMG Jim Bowie, GMG Davy Crockett & recently a Louisiana LG800 Elite. I also still won't part with the GMG DC, Its one mean LiL Cooker & goes with us every time in the camper
I'm pretty new to the LG 800 Elite from what I've seen of it so far its going to the best pellet grill I've owned. It holds temps well, evenly across the grates. I'm intrigued with the flame zone cooking this has to offer. Still experimenting with good results. https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=1823.0
There's plenty of choices out there today. Lots more than there was 10 years ago. I know I couldn't justify the price of a high end pit to my bride so I stay in the lower to middle of the road.
Good luck with your choice! I do know you will like the ease of use over an EGG.
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I just purchased a q450 for the exact same reason as the OP. I love my egg but feel like I never use it due to time constraints of starting etc. I’ve had it about 7 years. I’m doing a butt on my q450 tonight so for me that will be a good test if I go ahead and sale the egg. I don’t need both. I think on the FireCraft you have 30 days to return no questions asked. While it would be a PITA to return I’d do it if I feel the food is inferior.
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So how did our butt turn out?