I love my Cookshack PG500 and have cooked on it a lot over the last couple years, but the small capacity is really starting to bother me. I often cook both a full packet brisket along with multiple racks of ribs which means I need to use my stick burner, which I don't mind at all, but I don't always have the time to tend the fire, so I want to look at alternative pellet smokers.

I originally looked at RecTec, GMG and Yoder before coming across the PG500 on my local Craigslist. I'm open to other brands, but I was good build quality and the ability to cook a whole packer brisket with either a couple butts or 4-6 racks of ribs. Who builds a decent pellet smoker with tons of space?

on my Blaz'n Grand Slam with pro shelves, I routinely cook:
 a full packer
3 racks of ribs
a mix of sausage and beef ribs.

If you want a lot of space, get the Gridiron with the pro shelves.

Remember, this is the 24" Grand Slam. The Gridiron is a foot wider.

What is your budget.

I went from a PG500 to a YS640 (loved it). I now have a Grid Iron with Pro Shelves and love it also. If space is your biggest concern I would recommend looking at a Blaz'n.

Why switch from Yoder to the blazn?  They appear similar but for thicker metal on the Yoder. 


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Why switch from Yoder to the blazn?  They appear similar but for thicker metal on the Yoder. 


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Well it wasn't a switch. Here is the story.

I started with a PG500 and loved it except for the size. I needed more space. I then replaced the PG500 with the Yoder YS640 and a used Cookshack Charbroiler CB036. Well I still needed more sized as I started doing some catering. I sold the YS640 and purchased a used Cookshack FEC-120. My thinking was I could do everything on the FEC-120 but that didn't quite work out. So I purchased the Blaz'n Grid Iron with Pro Shelf vs. going back with a YS640 because the Pro Shelf gave me more space.

 I don’t have a huge budget. I was shooting for something in the $1500 range but may be able to go a little higher for the right smoker.  Thanks for the suggestion so far I’ll have to give them a look.

I don’t have a huge budget. I was shooting for something in the $1500 range but may be able to go a little higher for the right smoker.  Thanks for the suggestion so far I’ll have to give them a look.

If you are not in a hurry check ebay and craiglist. I found my PG500 on ebay and my FEC-120 and CB036 on craiglist.

on my Blaz'n Grand Slam with pro shelves, I routinely cook:
 a full packer
3 racks of ribs
a mix of sausage and beef ribs.

If you want a lot of space, get the Gridiron with the pro shelves.

Remember, this is the 24" Grand Slam. The Gridiron is a foot wider.

I'm with ArborAgent.  My Blaz'n GS is just great. Gridiron would give you much more space.  Hard to beat.
 

If the AZ is for Arizona, BBQ Island posted their Black Friday sale. Might be worth a look.

Thanks Darwin, I gave it a look. They have some decent discounts. I liked the prices on the GMG, but watching the demo it looks like the auger feeds right into the side of the firepot. Seems like that would be prone to auger fires. I'm going to check out the Blaz'n pits and keep an eye on CL and OfferUp.

Thanks Darwin, I gave it a look. They have some decent discounts. I liked the prices on the GMG, but watching the demo it looks like the auger feeds right into the side of the firepot. Seems like that would be prone to auger fires. I'm going to check out the Blaz'n pits and keep an eye on CL and OfferUp.

The Blaz'n also feeds into the fire pot. If that is a concern you need to look at the Yoder. This was the only concern I had before buying my Blaz'n as I was use to the PG500 and Yoder dropping pellets into the fire pot. Blaz'n created a new shutdown procedure a to fix the issue. When you turn off their units the fan runs to burn off the remaining pellets which prevents auger fires. Since having my unit for a year or so I haven't had any issues.

I have a question here, I am by no means trying to defend the PG-500 but one of the reasons I had for buying one is that what you cook on the indirect side does not drip grease onto a hot pan. From what I see looking at these other grills this will be the case as was my Rec-Tec. I personally find that the dripping of grease onto a sizzling hot pan emits a odor and taste I really do not like. Just wondering what the rest of you think? Will you get the same flavor as you do with the PG-500?

To me the PG500 is the ultimate unit except for its size. The only reason I sold my PG500 was because it was too small for my needs. I loved the direct grilling side so much I purchased a Cookshack charbroiler.

Now regarding grease dripping on the diverter, I haven't notice any bad taste.

I love my Cookshack PG500 and have cooked on it a lot over the last couple years, but the small capacity is really starting to bother me. I often cook both a full packet brisket along with multiple racks of ribs which means I need to use my stick burner, which I don't mind at all, but I don't always have the time to tend the fire, so I want to look at alternative pellet smokers.

I originally looked at RecTec, GMG and Yoder before coming across the PG500 on my local Craigslist. I'm open to other brands, but I was good build quality and the ability to cook a whole packer brisket with either a couple butts or 4-6 racks of ribs. Who builds a decent pellet smoker with tons of space?

Have you looked at FEC100's? Sound like just what you need and you can get deals on used ones online.