Looking for help finding a new grill/smoker

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Rib Rub

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Wanted to get some opinions on a new grill. I have been using my pellet grills for years and my pit barrel cooker but wanted to branch out and get something different. I don’t want a stick burner, I was looking at a Stumps gravity fed, but they are a bit pricy, also love the Ole Hickory, but that is fairly large and pricy also. I am always getting adds for the BBQ Guru as they have ceramic grills, but not sure about the quality. Last but not least I have admired the Assassin 36”. I am still pretty much a novice to all of these, but wanted to see what you guys suggest for ease and quality. I stick to the basics like Ribs, Butts, Briskets and burgers. Curious to see what you guys suggest. I was going to buy the Big Green Egg XL last summer, but I know there are quite a few different ceramic grills and not sure which of them are the best. Thanks for any help.
 
If you have a pellet grill and a PBC, I'd go different. The egg is awesome and i love mine, but you'll cook things similarly to how you do in a PBC. The assassin is nice. Personally, I have kettles, an egg, and an offset so I've been looking for something more open-fire, like a Kudu or santa maria grill.
 
Hard to go wrong with the BGE. They've been around since the 70''s and have the lifetime warranty. You can do low and slow or sear 1k degrees. I've had mine for 9 years and worth every penny in my opinion.

Look for an Eggfest in your area. You will usually find a decent price on them that way. You might also want to look at Craigslist for BGE accessories. Not the Egg itself but for the nest, side tables, etc. I've bought 5+ nests through Craigslist and the most I paid is $50. It might be the cheapest way to purchase. (Just don't buy the Egg itself second hand as it won't come with the lifetime warranty)

Just a thought anyway
 
Assuming you don't need extra capacity on what you are already cooking, then it depends on what new items you want to try out. Pizza or breads, I would lean toward the eggs. For roasting veggies or grilling (say steaks) or things like meatloaf,poppers, moinks, beans, and even larger cuts like clod, suckling etc the Assassin 36 is hard to beat.
 
If you are interested in going the ceramic route, compare the BGE to the Kamado Joe, and the Primo. I have 3 BGEs and love them but the "Big Joe" from Kamado Joe is really nice, less expensive, and comes with extras that you will have to pay for if you go with the BGE. I will tell you that the customer service from BGE is amazing.

Good luck with which ever way you choose to go.
 
My Stumps cooks like a dream. Worth every cent.


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If you are thinking about a kamado, look at the Blaze Kamado. Made out of cast aluminum and pretty much indestructible. They are a little pricey though. A friend of mine has one and loves it and I've checked it out and it's very nice.
 
I picked up a PK360 just before christmas when they had specials on the website. Been a Weber kettle man all my life. Total game changer in my opinion.
 
I've been known to impulse buy smokers and grills (like my GMG Daniel Boone) so mine might not be the best advice, but based on what you have, I'd go with the Assassin. If someone gave me some money and told me to buy myself a new cooker, that's what I'd do.
 
I enjoy my 48" Assassin Grill/smoker. It's versatile, well built, and fairly priced. Jeff was great to work with, also.
 
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I have a Large BGE and love it I can smoke bacon/salon at 150 and sear steaks at over 700 Pizza also Holds temps and really does not care about the weather- I do I have not seen Guru's ceramic grill Their quality is excellent and I would not hesitate to buy through them
 
jdtTX said:
If you have a pellet grill and a PBC, I'd go different. The egg is awesome and i love mine, but you'll cook things similarly to how you do in a PBC. The assassin is nice. Personally, I have kettles, an egg, and an offset so I've been looking for something more open-fire, like a Kudu or santa maria grill.
Click to expand...

Hasty-Bake? http://www.hastybake.com
 
I know its a different category, but my Blackstone is easily my most used cooker.
 
I also have a Kamado Joe Big Joe and it's a fantastic grill. The customer service from KJ couldn't be any better and they also have a lifetime warranty on the ceramics. The main thing I have against the BGE is you have to buy everything, that you really need, separate and it ends costing you a lot more than the KJ because it all comes with the price of the BJ. I also don't like the fine print in their warranty that if you use anything but a BGE product in the grill, your warranty is void. I think my BJ and Timberline 1300 make the perfect combo to cook abut anything you could imagine.
 
jdtTX said:
That's kinda like the assassin.
Click to expand...

Not really besides being a charcoal grill. You can move the fire box up and down on the assasin like the hasty bake. The worlds best ribs are also cooked on hastys at burnco.
 
Huskres said:
Not really besides being a charcoal grill. You can move the fire box up and down on the assasin like the hasty bake. The worlds best ribs are also cooked on hastys at burnco.
Click to expand...

I have an older Hasty Bake but I can't get the fire control down good enough to smoke anything on it. It works great as a grill though.
 
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