The Official Pellet Grill Smoker thread.

[BKING!]

I am a couple of cooks in on the MAK and I gotta say, I love this thing. Being able to program the controller, throw some meat on in the morning and head to work is a game changer. Coming home from work and being an hour away from nicely smoked ribs is something I can get used to! I have been monitoring the temps with my Thermoworks and I seem to be maintaining the set temp within about 5 degrees. Much better than the 30 or so degrees I was getting on my last setup.

I have to be honest and say that I doubted all of the claims of how much more smoke this puts out over other pellet grills, but I am happily proven wrong. One of these days I will quit being lazy and post a few pics.

Yep. Mak puts a bunch of smoke on food relative to other pellet grills. Yoder, Pitts and spitts, and cook shack does a good job too from what I read You get what you pay for with pellet grills.

 

[JWFokker]

Hi Matt,

I bought an Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX last month from Lowe's. It was $600, so I don't know if that's out of your price range or not.

It's my first pellet grill, and so far I like it. Lots of space, big sear area that gets really hot. When I did some temp tests, with an empty pit it would run about 50* hotter than what the unit read. But with food in there it was a lot closer and the variance from left to right was within 10 degrees. I use a smoke tube with it for additional smoke. The QuickDraw hopper is a nice feature, but the doors are spring loaded so I'm not sure how reliable that will be in the long run.

The build quality is OK, not spectacular. The door has a bit of a gap on the right bottom side, and I was planning on getting a lava lock gasket to address that. I also have in intermittent problem where it sometimes trips the GFCI about 20 minutes after starting it. After you reset the GFCI it runs forever. They are sending me a new control board to address that.

No wifi or app, but I have a Thermoworks Signals so that was no big deal to me.

If it's a PID controller that undercuts Pit Boss, which is something. OKJ isn't known for high quality but they don't make junk either. I kinda like it better than the Lockhart and KC Combo.

 

[alias_rice]

Do you work really short days or cook ribs for a really long time?


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Haha. During ski season I have been accused of working very very short days. The ribs were also technically put on during my lunch break. The pork butt on the other hand went on early.

 

[rwalters]

I am a couple of cooks in on the MAK and I gotta say, I love this thing. Being able to program the controller, throw some meat on in the morning and head to work is a game changer. Coming home from work and being an hour away from nicely smoked ribs is something I can get used to! I have been monitoring the temps with my Thermoworks and I seem to be maintaining the set temp within about 5 degrees. Much better than the 30 or so degrees I was getting on my last setup.

I have to be honest and say that I doubted all of the claims of how much more smoke this puts out over other pellet grills, but I am happily proven wrong. One of these days I will quit being lazy and post a few pics.

Yep, MAK’s were clearly designed from the ground up to be a pellet smoker... and one of MAK’s highest priorities from day one has been maximum smoke production. They definitely have it dialed in. You my friend are in for years and years and years of good eating! That said, get off your lazy butt and show us the $$$ [emoji12]

 

[smoke ninja]

I've read through a LOT of this thread and my interest is piqued....


Right now have a Performer, Big Joe and a Q220 for quick stuff. I'll be honest, I'm 5 years behind on pellet grills and don't really know what to expect out of one. I can't afford a Mak or a Yoder - budget would be whatever I can sell the kamado for plus a couple of hundred.



But - can pellet grills do it all now? It seems that many of the units are, at a bare minimum, more than competent smokers. But what about grilling and searing? I do a lot of reverse sear right now and it would be great to do that on one machine.



1. Where's the value point on pellets right now? I can't afford a Mak, but don't want to throw away $400 on something either.



2. What brands should I be looking at? Seems like Camp Chef, Pit Boss, Traeger, Grilla, Green Mountain?



3. I'm very early in this, what else am I not thinking about?



I copied this from earlier in the thread:

What are your requirements in a pellet grill?

-Low n slow only, or will you be grilling? GRILLING
-How cold do the winter months get in your neck of the woods? Cold - routinely in the teens and twenties
-What types of proteins do you think you'll be cooking most often? Chicken, plate short ribs, ribs, pork
-How many people do you feed on a regular basis, and do you enjoy entertaining? What's the highest head count you think you'd be feeding at one time from this cooker? Regular cooks are 4-6, and can't imagine going over 15?
-When you say that you want something "as easy to clean as possible"... exactly how clean are you talking? Scrape down the drip pan and vacuum out the ash on a regular basis... with the occasional scrape/wipe down of the interior walls? Or are you talking showroom clean after every cook? I want to keep it from burning down and that's probably it

Let's start there and see where it leads...

Hi Matt- Based on what you have shared, and if I were in your shoes, this is the grill that would most have my interest. Although I have never cooked on one, I have seen them in person and they seem to be a great bang for the buck. They also have the sear zone, which from everything I have gathered works very well.


http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pit-Boss-...red-Pellet-Grill-with-Flame-Broiler/838778838

I will speak on this as I have this exact cooker.

first at $500 I'm not sure I'm in. I found mine as a clearance item for $200. for that price I'm it's great but at $500 I would look at spending an extra hundred or two and get something a little better.

It grills well, there is a learning curve. I use grill grates sometimes and they add to the usable grill space. normal setup I can grill 2 steaks comfortably, more with the grill grates.

for long cooks I think some mods help. there's a hot spot in the middle and things can burn on the bottom if you cook hot and fast for too long a cook. with a little care it's a more than capable smoker.

where it shines is medium length cooks. sides, and appetizers. meatloaf, chicken wings, pork loin, rack of lamb..... I've started doing my turkeys and prime rib on the pit boss too. its versatile and easy to use. gets up to temp in 15 minutes and gets hot enough to sear a steak well.....not 700° but I've got some good results

all cooked on my pit boss classic :thumb:

 

[rwalters]

That last pic... OH MY!!!!

 

[BKING!]

Nice looking grub, the standing rib roast really caught my eye lol

 

[gtsum]

The last pic is money!


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[Crispy Bacon]

Anybody ever cook bacon strips in their pellet grill? I know they are greasy.

 

[blazinfire]

Well this is awesome.. First time I get to post in an appreciation thread!

Just got my Silverbac! This thing is amazing. Loving it.

Cooked up chicken legs last night on its first cook!

 

[rwalters]

Anybody ever cook bacon strips in their pellet grill? I know they are greasy.

Many times. YUM!

 

[Crispy Bacon]

Any tips?

Looks awesome! Any tips

Many times. YUM!

 

[Crispy Bacon]

Nice!

Looks nice & clean.... for now! How you liking it?

Well this is awesome.. First time I get to post in an appreciation thread!

Just got my Silverbac! This thing is amazing. Loving it.

Cooked up chicken legs last night on its first cook!

 

[blazinfire]

Looks nice & clean.... for now! How you liking it?

I absolutely love it! I got a cook thread going now!.. As of day 2.. I don't regret my purchase at all. and I"m glad I didn't go with one of the cheaper pit bosses I was looking at. I would of probably regretted it then.. I can't give you my full opinion until I get a few cooks in it.. But Grilla Grillz has something good going here IMO

 

[rwalters]

Looks awesome! Any tips

Upper grate(s)... 275-325° start to finish. Try a few times at different temps and see which cooking temp you prefer

 

[Super 8]

....

 

[Super 8]

These work well for bacon, steak tips etc.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Expert-Grill-Disposable-Grill-Topper-3-Pack-16-x-12/198264567

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

Upper grate(s)... 275-325° start to finish. Try a few times at different temps and see which cooking temp you prefer

just have a foil pan under to catch grease?

 

[rwalters]

just have a foil pan under to catch grease?

Yep, but I tend to use a sheet of aluminum foil with the edges slightly turned up. Cheaper and I don’t mind tossing when done.

 

[MattGoose]

Hi Matt- Based on what you have shared, and if I were in your shoes, this is the grill that would most have my interest. Although I have never cooked on one, I have seen them in person and they seem to be a great bang for the buck. They also have the sear zone, which from everything I have gathered works very well.


http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pit-Boss-...red-Pellet-Grill-with-Flame-Broiler/838778838

Hi Matt,

I bought an Oklahoma Joe's Rider DLX last month from Lowe's. It was $600, so I don't know if that's out of your price range or not.

It's my first pellet grill, and so far I like it. Lots of space, big sear area that gets really hot. When I did some temp tests, with an empty pit it would run about 50* hotter than what the unit read. But with food in there it was a lot closer and the variance from left to right was within 10 degrees. I use a smoke tube with it for additional smoke. The QuickDraw hopper is a nice feature, but the doors are spring loaded so I'm not sure how reliable that will be in the long run.

The build quality is OK, not spectacular. The door has a bit of a gap on the right bottom side, and I was planning on getting a lava lock gasket to address that. I also have in intermittent problem where it sometimes trips the GFCI about 20 minutes after starting it. After you reset the GFCI it runs forever. They are sending me a new control board to address that.

No wifi or app, but I have a Thermoworks Signals so that was no big deal to me.

I will speak on this as I have this exact cooker.

first at $500 I'm not sure I'm in. I found mine as a clearance item for $200. for that price I'm it's great but at $500 I would look at spending an extra hundred or two and get something a little better.

It grills well, there is a learning curve. I use grill grates sometimes and they add to the usable grill space. normal setup I can grill 2 steaks comfortably, more with the grill grates.

for long cooks I think some mods help. there's a hot spot in the middle and things can burn on the bottom if you cook hot and fast for too long a cook. with a little care it's a more than capable smoker.

where it shines is medium length cooks. sides, and appetizers. meatloaf, chicken wings, pork loin, rack of lamb..... I've started doing my turkeys and prime rib on the pit boss too. its versatile and easy to use. gets up to temp in 15 minutes and gets hot enough to sear a steak well.....not 700° but I've got some good results

all cooked on my pit boss classic :thumb:

Thanks guys, this is some great help. And enough new info to bring me to my next questions


Let's assume the budget is closer to $900. Max, max, max.



Controller - I'd appreciate more input on controller type. Generally it seems like you have to balance temp control and smoke output. PID are more precise and more expensive. I'm guessing that "cheap" PIDs hold temp but don't make much smoke. Any thoughts on how to choose? Or corrections to my understanding?


Capacity - I'm thinking around 500" of primary grilling space is a good place to start. Same as a 3 burner gas grill, plus it seems like you can buy a lot of secondary cooking space.



Insulation - Have to choice b/w insulated cook box or a blanket. Does it matter that much? Does one approach work better than the other? I understand I would have to find somewhere to store a very, very smelly blanket.



Searing - It's important to me Camp Chef's sliding grate seems like a great option. But, you can only get it on the older models or on the new ones that also have a searbox, which I don't understand. Conversely, a Grilla with grill grates seems like a viable option.



Wifi - Convince me I need it. It's about 10 steps from my back door to the driveway. Biggest selling point to me is that I could put a butt on at night, let it run, and then turn the temp down to a holding temp from work. It seems like wifi runs around $200 or more?



Probes - don't know what I should be looking for... One for the box and one for food, if wifi enabled?



If I'm looking at the Silverbac Pro and the CampChef SmokePro SG 24 at $750 and $700 (cause the accessories for these things are $$$) what concerns should I have, and what else would you tell me to look at/consider?