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[markalbob]

Hi all, first post but I am looking to buy a pellet smoker to replace some old stuff--I have a propane grill and a home-made drum.  I have read a fair bit on here and understand the pellet smoker has some limitations in both grilling and smoking, but they appeal all the same--controlling temps was a pain in the drum, and my grill was already a deeply sub-par grill.

I have a budget of between $500 and $800, with an ABSOLUTE ceiling of a thousand.  Bonus points to keep me below that, for sure.  I know I won't get everything on my wish list at that price, but since different people value different things here are my main objectives:

1.  Big enough for at least one turkey.  Ideally two.

2.  Most stable temp control I can manage in that price range--I know people here complain of some devices having 20-degree swings, which may not be ideal and if I can avoid that, great...but my drum did worse than that and still cooked very well, including never burning anything.  It just made timing and when dinner was really done much more of an adventure. 

3.  Best/heaviest construction.  Stainless would be great, so would thick, and double-walled.  Somethings gotta give but there's also degrees of construction as well, so looking for the most robust builds in my price range.


Things I don't care about (admittedly I may just not see the value and you can point out my newbie errors):

Bluetooth (I can check probes by stepping outside once in awhile....again still vastly easier than my drum, where I was sliding a cooking thermometer into a hole in the lid-is there another big value-added to this?)

multiple meat probes (again nice, but I can poke the meat once in awhile, and it will still be way less work than my drum plus I can buy these as aftermarket add-ons)

Sear box (I have several portable burners and cooktops, and cast iron skillets)


so, thoughts?  Where is my money best spent  Sales are certainly welcome, anything $1200 bumped to 899 for example would be great.  I looked at the rec tec grills hard, but it seems a number of 680 complaints have cropped up recently in terms of build finish and apparently some of the assembly hardware, so less certain now.  The woodwind looks nice but includes a searer I don't want, however there's a lot of camp chef (and green mountain, and other) units out there.......thoughts anyone?

Thanks in advance,
Mark

[rwalters]

Although I don’t have one, if in your shoes, I’d take a serious look at the Grilla Grills Silverbac.  I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about them and they are well within your budget.

[LowSlowJoe]

Double walled is not going to happen in the under $1000 pellet grill market today... ( or probably every ).

Heaviest construction???   well that's pretty tricky too , some of the really heavy duty grills out are above $1000...

I'm not normally a big fan of the Rec Tec RT-680, but that was often because I felt it was a little overpriced... They normally are basically $1000 plus shipping, which normally would put you at close to $1200... I'm also not a big fan of 20" diameter barrel shaped grills, because they to some degree limit how much room you have inside the grill... but then there aren't many grills under $1000 that have better headroom either.  So... anyway, while I'm not usually a fan... Right now Rec Tec is closing out the RT-680, because they have a newer model coming... the RT-680 can be had for $998 which includes shipping ( only until they are all sold, the new model is $1200 which includes shipping ).

  There are a lot of other grills under $1000... but none that fit the description of what your asking for ( heavy steel, etc... )...   Normally I'd suggest you look at GMG, but they are not known for their heavy duty steel... they are a good grill, with more headroom than many other grills...  but anyway...

 Good luck, I'm sure many others have many other opinions on the matter...

FYI - two turkeys of what size...   I could fit two 12 pound turkeys on a lot of grills, but two 18 lb turkeys is probably a bit trickier to do.

[wilpark]

Id look into the Pitboss Austin XL.  Good size and from my brief examination soild build.  Weighs about 200 lbs

[Andygev35]

I would give a Grilla Silverbac a good hard look.  $699 shipped to your door.  The bottom half of the cook chamber is double-walled for insulation, and requires absolutely no blanket in the winter.  It will smoke in sub-zero temps without any issues whatsoever, but the RTD would need to be pre-warmed with either your hand or a lighter or torch just to get it started up at sub-zero temps.  Also keep in mind that going below 220 degrees in that cold of an environment is not conducive to keeping the fire going in the fire pot with cold air blowing on it.  Having said that, the Silverbac was far and away the best choice for me at that price range, not to mention it's extremely well-built, weighs nearly 200lbs and will last for years to come.  As for temperature swings, don't get too hung up on keeping temperature swings at a minimum.  For pellet grills, that's where your smoke flavor is generated.  PID controllers are extremely good at maintaining temperatures in pellet grills, but the downfall of a consistent temperature is the lack of smoke generation.  I'll smoke a boston butt at a setpoint of 225, and the temp swing will go anywhere between 200-250.  While that may seem like a lot, it was engineered that way to produce smoke.  Grilla's mantra is "Trust the Swing".  My OCD side balks at that, but my taste buds sure dont!!  Just my 

Here's a video about the double-walled construction

And a video comparing the Silverbac to the Traeger Elite 34

[Deebo1133]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pit-Boss-Austin-XL-1000-sq-in-Pellet-Grill-w-Flame-Broiler-Cooking-Probe/793230399

I have no experience with this grill but I have been researching and shopping pellet grills for months and this is hands down the best value in the pellet grill sector that I have come across. Mad by Louisiana grills if I am not mistaken.

But if I were looking at that 1k budget area, I would probably buy this
https://www.firecraft.com/product/firecraft-pellet-q450-pellet-grill

[jgrayson]

Hello,

My recommendation is the FireCraft Q-450.  It's usually $995, but they currently have a sale price of $795.  I have one, and like it.  Here are my comments are your list of wants/needs:

Cost - even on the sale price it's at the high end of your price range, but if you buy it while on sale then you will get to a higher quality.
Big enough for a turkey - yes, I have cooked a whole turkey breast (turkey breast on the bone, but no legs, thighs, or wings).  It easily fit, and should easily accommodate a whole turkey.   I bet I could fit two of these whole breasts in there are once.
Temperature swings - I haven't studied this in great detail, but it seems to do better then my old Traeger.
Construction - stainless steel!  This was one of the features that got me to buy it.

[okie smokie]

The camp chef dlx smoke pro is the same as the woodwind without the sear station.  Although the double wall, heavy construction it is not.  The Blazin Gridiron would really be a great fit, double walled, heavy construction, great features- price is right on the edge of your top end.  Give them a call to see what Tim can do for you.

Sorry, the Gridiron is around $1400 with shipping.  Over your budget.  The Grand Slam is around #1200 shipped.
I would look at the Q450 on sale now for $799 including shipping.  SS, pellet dump, searing capability.  For the extra $200, you can get a cover and GrillGrates.  Has a PID controller.  Don't need a double wall.  I suspect they are getting ready to release a newer model, but it will be more expensive. 

[Old Smokey]

I really like my GMC DB. It's in your price range even with the wifi. I really like the wifi. I can monitor pit temp (and change/calibrate it if necessary) and the food temp all from my couch.

[BigDave83]

Don
t rule out the pellet pro line, they have some different sizes you may find something close to the size you need. They run nice specials from time to time also.

[okie smokie]

Best bang for the buck category only at Walmart.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pit-Boss-Austin-XL-1000-sq-in-Pellet-Grill-w-Flame-Broiler-Cooking-Probe/793230399

Looks pretty good and well built. $500 if you pick it up. 

[sbryant24]

I sold my RT-680 and went with the Firecraft Q-450.  Keep in mind I had the original design Rec Tec unit. ( Painted, old controller, old igniter ) I think Rec Tec did the right thing when they redesigned their units. I like the looks of the Stampede and that would be on my radar if I was looking for a new unit. ( Though they may not ship until almost June. ) It's only minus in my book is that there still isn't the ability to grill over a direct flame. The Firecraft does everything I want it to do and I am very happy with it.

[ylr]

If there's an Academy Sports nearby, check out the Triton XL. Not as pretty as the Austin, but is bigger and has some interesting features, also $500.

[markalbob]

ok, so I think I have things pretty narrowed down now:

REc-Tec Stampede:  592 sq inches, solid temp control, expensive and not shipping till nearly June
Rec-Tec 680:  Bigger, even more expensive, but on sale as closeout at just within budget highest end

Grilla Silverbac: love the fact its cheaper, and it has a cabinet which seems nice.  507 sq inches is a bit bigger than the FireCraft 450.  Stainless lid, insulated (but non-stainless) lower portion.

Firecraft 450:  stainless, good sale, smallest

Piot Boss Austin XL:  cheapest at 500 at Wal-Mart, I know nothing about its controls or construction and haven't heard much here

Anyone else I should add to the list?  Which of these would you pick, or avoid, and why?

[markalbob]

I should probably note:  stainless is nice, it doesn't rust, but if folks have recommendations with finishes they know protect I don't need stainless, I just don't want a rusted-out box in 5 years....