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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


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Old 10-16-2018, 04:56 PM   #1
BadkissonTT
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Default Pellet Smoker/Grill..thoughts ?

Not looking to start a debate on real wood fire vs pellet at all here.

How are these things ? I'm talking bbq quality....

I know it's not the "real deal" in the world of BBQ...but simplicity and price has me thinking about buying a Pit Boss Austin XL...just 'cause i can get a good deal on one and the "ease" of it.

Anyone have some real input on going this route?

How does the taste compare ?

Gimme some real insight plz...Thx everyone.
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Old 10-16-2018, 05:06 PM   #2
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I look at the pitbosses at walmart at least once a week hoping for a clearance but it never happens.


May just bite the bullet and buy the classic for my birthday next month.
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Old 10-16-2018, 05:15 PM   #3
highergr0und
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Oh geez, lots of pages of comments on this scattered around.....

I think it boils down to trading smoke for cooking convenience. When I do a long cook, I fill the hopper, set a dial and go back to sleep, shopping, playing, whatever. I get really well cooked meat, bark is good, meat is tender, etc, when I'm done as mine holds a temp really well. What I don't get is the heavier taste of smoke imparted by cooking on a stick burner.

At the end of the day, it doesn't bother me much since I do not like Q with a heavy smoke taste. But sometimes I long for just a bit more.... But then again I don't want to babysit a fire, I need to get a tube and see if it improves it just a touch
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Old 10-16-2018, 05:29 PM   #4
pjtexas1
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What's the budget? There's a couple in the $600 range that have PID controllers. Pellets have finally become accepted. I'd stay away from some lower end models that might require you to replace the controller just to work properly.

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Old 10-16-2018, 05:38 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pjtexas1 View Post
What's the budget? There's a couple in the $600 range that have PID controllers. Pellets have finally become accepted. I'd stay away from some lower end models that might require you to replace the controller just to work properly.

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This. Get one with a good controller. The controller is the difference between a good pellet smoker that you love and one that causes constant frustration. Probably the cheapest pid controller on the market is the pellet pro. I prefer pid controllers but they aren’t 100% necessary.
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Old 10-16-2018, 05:54 PM   #6
BadkissonTT
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pjtexas1 View Post
What's the budget? There's a couple in the $600 range that have PID controllers. Pellets have finally become accepted. I'd stay away from some lower end models that might require you to replace the controller just to work properly.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
I'm thining about springing for the Pit Boss Austin XL.

Here's the Walmart link on it...but i'm not shilling for Walmart either.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pit-Boss-...hoCJfcQAvD_BwE

But....i'm also could easily consider a Camp Chef Smoke Pro SE

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camp-Chef...ype=14&veh=aff

Last edited by BadkissonTT; 10-16-2018 at 07:04 PM..
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Old 10-16-2018, 05:56 PM   #7
smoke ninja
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Quote:
Originally Posted by highergr0und View Post
Oh geez, lots of pages of comments on this scattered around.....

I think it boils down to trading smoke for cooking convenience. When I do a long cook, I fill the hopper, set a dial and go back to sleep, shopping, playing, whatever. I get really well cooked meat, bark is good, meat is tender, etc, when I'm done as mine holds a temp really well. What I don't get is the heavier taste of smoke imparted by cooking on a stick burner.

At the end of the day, it doesn't bother me much since I do not like Q with a heavy smoke taste. But sometimes I long for just a bit more.... But then again I don't want to babysit a fire, I need to get a tube and see if it improves it just a touch

I had a comment in one of my threads addressing this.

I find stick burners to produce a light smoke. I cook with mostly clean exhaust. I'd say a stick burner tastes closer to pellets than charcoal and chunks. I do believe alot of folks oversmoke their bbq and dont even know any better, ignorance is bliss. heck the oldest form of Q in America, whole hog, was traditionally cooked over wood embers not smoking wood.

I'll say it one more time. Bbq is not smoking
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Old 10-16-2018, 06:00 PM   #8
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+1 to PID controllers not being necessary. My Cookshack doesn't use PID and it holds temperature better than my GMG controllers.
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Old 10-16-2018, 07:23 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smoke ninja View Post
I had a comment in one of my threads addressing this.

I find stick burners to produce a light smoke. I cook with mostly clean exhaust. I'd say a stick burner tastes closer to pellets than charcoal and chunks. I do believe alot of folks oversmoke their bbq and dont even know any better, ignorance is bliss. heck the oldest form of Q in America, whole hog, was traditionally cooked over wood embers not smoking wood.

I'll say it one more time. Bbq is not smoking
Well said.
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Old 10-16-2018, 09:15 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BadkissonTT View Post
I'm thining about springing for the Pit Boss Austin XL.


But....i'm also could easily consider a Camp Chef Smoke Pro SE
I have had the Camp Chef Smoke Pro SE for a year. The only thing I had to replace was the temperature gauge on the hood, and Camp Chef sent me one under warranty. It doesn't have a PID controller, or a digital readout. It does not have a food probe.

I have a Maverick 732, and I use it to help me watch things. I have done ribs, chicken and brisket. It has cooked them all very well. Especially the St. Louis Ribs.

I have found that pellets do make a difference. I now use Mes quite blend B&B on brisket for a heavier smoke flavor, and I use the Apple blend B&B for Pork and Chicken.

I also use the high smoke setting for an hour or so, when I first put the meat on the pit. I then raise the temp to my desired cooking temperature.
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Old 10-16-2018, 09:41 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoking Cajun View Post
I have had the Camp Chef Smoke Pro SE for a year. The only thing I had to replace was the temperature gauge on the hood, and Camp Chef sent me one under warranty. It doesn't have a PID controller, or a digital readout. It does not have a food probe.

I have a Maverick 732, and I use it to help me watch things. I have done ribs, chicken and brisket. It has cooked them all very well. Especially the St. Louis Ribs.

I have found that pellets do make a difference. I now use Mes quite blend B&B on brisket for a heavier smoke flavor, and I use the Apple blend B&B for Pork and Chicken.

I also use the high smoke setting for an hour or so, when I first put the meat on the pit. I then raise the temp to my desired cooking temperature.


Sounds like you’ve got things nicely figured out! Any pics of recent cooks and/or your Camp Chef. We always love pics... lol.
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Old 10-17-2018, 07:37 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smoke ninja View Post
I find stick burners to produce a light smoke
I have found the same thing. I run ol' Cindy here on a diet of 100% pecan wood. No charcoal, just straight wood:



Running it clean, I get a light smoke profile. The most noticeable difference is that it tastes more "woody". You know that smell you get when you cut wood with a table saw or similar? It's not a burnt, smoky smell, but a clean woody smell...that's what I get from a stick burner that I don't really get from a pellet grill. However, it's so light and fleeting that if it's not there, you likely wouldn't miss it.

I've also found that different grills from the same manufacturer will put down different amounts of smoke. My little DC will put down a solid smoke, but the big JB is very very light on smoke. My PG1000 runs rings around all of them. Solid smoke profile with no creosote undertones. It is also a non-PID controller. Biggest con is temperature overshoot when the system is disturbed. I'm contemplating an Arduino replacement for the GMG controller that is non-PID just to see how that would work. I could also build in a PID loop just for fun. My big problem with GMG controllers is that they don't control for Integral windup very well, and I've seen situations where the temperature will just continue to slowly climb and climb and climb over several hours. PID programming is not easy. I do not think that many (if any) manufacturers have devoted the proper resources (i.e. a process control engineer) to tune the PID loop. It's not enough just to mash "Autotune" and walk away.
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