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...