• working on DNS.. links may break temporarily.

Pellet Pooper for $500 or Less

M

mrwhale

Full Fledged Farker
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
224
Reaction score
340
Points
0
Location
Clifton, NJ
Fellow Brethren, My father-in-law who aspires to "up" his game is heading in the pooper direction. He neglected his MES while he was away over the summer and it no longer functions.

Additionally, I out cooked him on my WGA and he has finally admitted to himself he needs a wood heat source but still needs some set it and forget options.

So, he comes to me with a budget of $500 and asks for advice.

Please Brethren, for the sake of the family, what do you recommend?
 
sleebus.jones said:
Check your local Craigslist listing. You'll find gold in there sometimes!
Click to expand...




i'm weary of buying a pellet cooker from craigslist. So many things to go wrong with those things and buying it without a warranty doesn't seem smart.
 
I dont have a vertical, but I have a Pitboss 820. I have had good results with it. If he is using this for slow cooking/smoking (170 to 375) and not searing, Pitboss makes a vertical smoker Pitboss Copperhead, that I believe has a version that is around your price? Aside from that, I would say that he will get good food off of grills from Treager, Pittboss, or Green Mountain. They have smaller versions that are around or below your price.
 
jermoQ said:
I dont have a vertical, but I have a Pitboss 820. I have had good results with it. If he is using this for slow cooking/smoking (170 to 375) and not searing, Pitboss makes a vertical smoker Pitboss Copperhead, that I believe has a version that is around your price? Aside from that, I would say that he will get good food off of grills from Treager, Pittboss, or Green Mountain. They have smaller versions that are around or below your price.
Click to expand...

Thank you!
 
If he’s just “heading “ in the pellet direction, redirect him to The Pit Barrel Cooker. I’ve had both. Zero upkeep, more set and forget, no electronics- 8# charcoal will give approx 275* for up to 8 hours. I love my little pellet cooker, but it has a hot spot, needs electric/power source don’t want to use it in the rain.

For not much over 500$ you could get a Pit Barrel Junior plus a GMG Davy Crockett.

Picking a cooker is like everything else. Personal. Really personal. If he’s wanting to cook smallish 20-30# these are great. If he’s wanting to feed the zip code-not so much.

PBC Jr 229
GMG Davy Crockett 339
 
Last edited:
Look at Smoke Daddy Pellet Pro......... A little over $500 but much better than the sub $500 ones........
 
SmokyDick said:
i'm weary of buying a pellet cooker from craigslist. So many things to go wrong with those things and buying it without a warranty doesn't seem smart.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, let's see here, I've bought 2 from CL and I'm looking at a 3rd. :crazy: No problems with any of them. However, you have to compare the price you pay to what it costs new (duh) and see if that will cover any repairs if needed. Generally speaking, parts aren't expensive and easy to replace. As long as the body of the grill is solid, you should be good to go. I've got the last two at least 50% off.
 
GMG has their Black Friday deal coming. $399 for a Daniel Boone. Or get a Pit Barrel for $299. I have both and love them both.
 
Check out the Pit Boss Austin XL at Walmart. It was 499 but it looks like they recently raised it to 547.

A very large, 1000 square inch cooking surface.

The best part, it now comes with a 5 year warranty.
 
SmokyDick said:
i'm weary of buying a pellet cooker from craigslist. So many things to go wrong with those things and buying it without a warranty doesn't seem smart.
Click to expand...

I've bought 3 Traegers on Craigslist with no regrets !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Looking for Pellet Pooper $500-$700 price range
2 3
Replies
45
Views
3K
blazinfire
B
E
Gonna Try These New Pellet Cookers...
Replies
9
Views
807
el_matt
E
S
Wait 18-24 months for a Shirley or build local in CA?
3 4 5
Replies
98
Views
4K
Joe Black
Joe Black
Jason TQ
Sharing the Weight: A Humble Children's Charity Request
2
Replies
31
Views
1K
Jason TQ
Jason TQ
cfrazier77
Need a pellet grill recommendation for a friend
Replies
2
Views
227
hachi-roku_fan
H
Back
Top