[Dweverett]

I started to ask what it was that led you to sell the old smoker and then realized I'd probably seen the post in the sale section. You probably already have a pretty good sense of how much value you'd see in the ease of use of the pellet based on your offset experience. If you were out smoking every weekend, it might not be that difference. If it was a limitation based on your schedule you'll find pellet grills open up a new world.

In terms of the smoker you'd have to pick up, I don't know if you have a trailer hitch on any of your vehicles but uhaul doesn't charge mileage on their trailers so it would be pretty affordable to pick it up. Obviously it would kill a day to go get it.

$1500 and the capacity you are looking for has quite a few options. Lots of pellet grills in that range, many of the ceramics like the kamado joe, an assassin grill....

Actually, given your winters a ceramic might not be the worst choice in the world. A pellet grill will work too, just will go through more pellets but something like a BGE or KJ won't care at all.