Can you stand one more “what should I buy? thread?

[TwoWheeler]

Long time Weber whore here, starting with a Genesis Silver A about 15 years ago. (It’s still going strong - it lives at my camp). Also have a Genesis gasser, a WSM and a Weber tabletop grill.

The Genesis is my year-round workhorse: (I have been known to shovel 3’ of snow off it to grill...🤨) I grill a variety of stuff (Korean BBQ is a favorite) and it’s also my “outdoor oven” during the summer, when I don’t want to heat the kitchen up with the oven to bake or whatever.

The WSM I use once or twice a month. It suffices for ribs, hot-and-fast briskets and half pork shoulders, but I really want to do long cooks. Crutched briskets and shoulders are …ok… but I really like the bark I get when I don’t wrap...but that means waiting out the stall. I’m also not a fan of charcoal. It’s ok for grilling and short smoking, but when you’re trying to stretch the cook time and start doing things like “the snake” or “Soo’s donut”, you’re cooking with partially lit coals, even if it’s only a few at a time - bleh. I’ve farted around with wood chips in the gasser and been disappointed.

When Weber came out with the Smokefire, I was intrigued. Then I heard about all the issues and decided to wait until it was out of beta. I wasn’t put off by the missing software functionality and once I found out the grease fires were largely self-induced, I was ok with that. What I had an issue with - and still do - is the pellet jams and temp swings.

My wife keeps telling me she’ll buy me whatever I want, but I’m just not seeing “one smoker to rule them all”. (She’s not being entirely altruistic - she likes what comes off the grill and out of the smoker….)

So I come here and you guys fill my head with Traegers and Yoders and Sawtooths (Sawteeth?) oh my.

In short, I’m looking for a smoker I can trust to go overnight without dying of pellet starvation or suffering from electronic flatulence and incinerating my brisket. I don’t need to sear or bake or anything else - I have the Genesis for that. I’m not shy about spending money for quality but I that’s tempered by practicality, since it’s not something I’d use all the time. I don’t need anything huge, since it’s only the two of us. “US made” is a plus, as is “Can I still get parts for this thing, ten years from now?”

Go ahead. Confuse me further. Tell me I have no idea what I’m talking about...:wink:

[KB BBQ]

How about the new Lonestar Grillz pellet cooker?

[JAKs Q & brew]

Ironside IVC with the added pellet popper. You can do all wood, charcoal and wood chunks or just run on the pellets. Or some sort of mix or combination.

[TwoWheeler]

How about the new Lonestar Grillz pellet cooker?

That’s pretty damned nice!

[ttkt57]

The LSG pellet cooker looks great, but every time I clean my Outlaw I wonder how I could ever go back to a pellet cooker without an ash clean out door/water pan spot under the drip pan. For the way I cook and clean up afterwards, it's a game changer.

https://i.postimg.cc/9XLWD0Ys/thumbnail-IMG-2441.jpg (https://postimg.cc/s1ZF8V8J)

https://i.postimg.cc/NjkYw0FN/thumbnail-IMG-2437.jpg (https://postimg.cc/BjbRT4xD)

https://i.postimg.cc/kMp0rbcM/thumbnail-IMG-2411.jpg (https://postimg.cc/kDW1KDzL)

https://i.postimg.cc/FHyFsZWV/thumbnail-IMG-2028.jpg (https://postimg.cc/tsgGBhHs)

[Chester]

Camp Chef, Gorilla Grills, Recteq, Green Mountain and a few others make good quality import models that wont break the bank. Of these, I think the Gorilla, with their recent addition of Wifi, is best bang for the buck for a Pellet Smoker that you don't plan on grilling with (Silverbac AT model specifically). It has some other nice features as well that might appeal to you. With your snow reference, it does come with a insulated cook chamber so it should hold heat better when its cold out. It also has some good controller modes that help hold temp as well. These imports will be around $800-$1200.

Moving up to domestic pellet smokers, you get into the Smoking Brothers (another with an insulated cabinet and recent WIFI), well made and feature rich a little less than the other domestics. Yoder, Pitts and Spitts and Mak are cream of the crop. Lonestar coming out with a nice model, although none have shipped as far as I can tell. Outlaw Smokers from Idaho (parent company of Sawtooth) makes a nice looking smoker. We have one member on the site that really likes his. Some other good ones also like Cookshack, but they are designed as dual grill and Smoker, so maybe not ideal for you, but could work.
These models will be roughly $1700 to several thousand depending on model and features.

If you can swing one of the Domestic models, I think they are a little more robust, although the imports are better value for the buck.

[Dweverett]

Rectec is another good option for what you describe. Stable temps, have never had feed issues, and it’s made of solid materials. I think that lower temps are better if you don’t want to wrap and a design like the Rectec works very well.

If you want to grill on it, there are definitely better options out there but it doesn’t sound like that’s the need you are trying to meet.

[Happy Hapgood]

Long time Weber whore here, starting with a Genesis Silver A about 15 years ago. (It’s still going strong - it lives at my camp). Also have a Genesis gasser, a WSM and a Weber tabletop grill.

The Genesis is my year-round workhorse: (I have been known to shovel 3’ of snow off it to grill...🤨) I grill a variety of stuff (Korean BBQ is a favorite) and it’s also my “outdoor oven” during the summer, when I don’t want to heat the kitchen up with the oven to bake or whatever.

The WSM I use once or twice a month. It suffices for ribs, hot-and-fast briskets and half pork shoulders, but I really want to do long cooks. Crutched briskets and shoulders are …ok… but I really like the bark I get when I don’t wrap...but that means waiting out the stall. I’m also not a fan of charcoal. It’s ok for grilling and short smoking, but when you’re trying to stretch the cook time and start doing things like “the snake” or “Soo’s donut”, you’re cooking with partially lit coals, even if it’s only a few at a time - bleh. I’ve farted around with wood chips in the gasser and been disappointed.

When Weber came out with the Smokefire, I was intrigued. Then I heard about all the issues and decided to wait until it was out of beta. I wasn’t put off by the missing software functionality and once I found out the grease fires were largely self-induced, I was ok with that. What I had an issue with - and still do - is the pellet jams and temp swings.

My wife keeps telling me she’ll buy me whatever I want, but I’m just not seeing “one smoker to rule them all”. (She’s not being entirely altruistic - she likes what comes off the grill and out of the smoker….)

So I come here and you guys fill my head with Traegers and Yoders and Sawtooths (Sawteeth?) oh my.

In short, I’m looking for a smoker I can trust to go overnight without dying of pellet starvation or suffering from electronic flatulence and incinerating my brisket. I don’t need to sear or bake or anything else - I have the Genesis for that. I’m not shy about spending money for quality but I that’s tempered by practicality, since it’s not something I’d use all the time. I don’t need anything huge, since it’s only the two of us. “US made” is a plus, as is “Can I still get parts for this thing, ten years from now?”

Go ahead. Confuse me further. Tell me I have no idea what I’m talking about...:wink:


You already have the smoker you need. Just add a ATC to it. (Automatic Temperature Controller) to it. I've done maybe 20 brisket and pork butt overnight cooks on mine. Planing on doing another overnight brisket for The Bash on The Bayou at the end of this month. 16 hours? No problem.



For anyone wanting to attend a Bash check out this link and sign up! https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=291409


I use KBB. Have the PartyQ. They may not make it anymore. It will run your rig at 275*F all night. Not 274 and not 276. Just don't lift the lid and leave the exhaust vent open 50%.


https://i.imgur.com/t9vGMCD.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/zLkvah7.jpg


They make similar ATC's. WSMs work Great with them.


Good Luck!

[70monte]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned MAK yet. I don't own one but it seems to be a fan favorite for many people here.

[TravelingJ]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned MAK yet. I don't own one but it seems to be a fan favorite for many people here.

Yeah, I was a little shocked that we made it this long without it being suggested.

[CivilTrojan]

Yeah, I was a little shocked that we made it this long without it being suggested.

Chester mentioned MAKs in his paragraph about domestic smokers... but yes, it is surprising nobody has posted the typical “just buy a MAK” response yet. :shock:

Also, you may want to check out smokedaddy.

[rwalters]

I’ll bite... lol.

No such thing as a magical unicorn... BUT, with a backyard FULL of grills/smokers back in 2016 (some being pretty nice), I decided to buy my buddy’s old first gen MAK 1 Star that he was selling. Figured I’d park it to the side and use it on lazy days or on an occasional overnight cook. Did NOT expect it to rise to my most used/favorite cooker. A year later we moved into a new home with a significantly smaller cooking area. I ended up selling ALL of my cookers knowing I’d be replacing them with one, maybe two new cooker(s) at the new home. With a pocket full of cash from the sale of my entire cooking arsenal, and being able to buy pretty much any replacement cooker I wanted, I decided on the 2 Star entirely based on my short previous experience with the 1 Star. Never in a million years did I see that coming. I use the 2 Star all the time from low n slow to weeknight grilling. It is hands down the best all-around grill and smoker I have ever cooked on!

I am guessing there are probably 75 fellow Brethren-MAK owners at this point. The vast majority seem to be very happy with their cooker/purchase. :)