BIL Wants to Buy a Pellet Smoker – Suggestions?

[Moose]

One of my BILs asked my advice regarding getting a smoker. Knowing him as I do, I suggested not going the route of a charcoal/wood smoker as he likes simple and ease of use.

His plans for the smoker are for ribs, pork butt, sausage and fish. Budget is approximately $600. I did explain there would still be work involved, meaning he would have to clean it out after every use, as well as learn the ins and outs of operating it. I think he’s good with that. I also mentioned that certain brands of pellets are better than others, and cheap isn’t necessarily better as many of us have found with various brands of charcoal and briquette fuels.

Knowing all of this, which cooker(s) would you suggest around this price range, in addition to pellets?

I know no better place than to ask than in this forum, and your replies will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Peabody86]

If he's only going to be smoking meats and not grilling, I suggest considering one of the vertical pellet smoker cabinets by Pit Boss or Louisiana Grills - they're owned by the same company, same thing, different badges. Pit Boss is sold pretty much everywhere. I have an older LG model. It's a great "just a smoker" smoker. The good features are a large hopper on the back of the cabinet with clean out, lots of racks included, and a water pan to keep the humidity up in the chamber. The newer version has the control panel on the side of the cabinet. My version has it mounted below the door. It gets dirty and scratched. That's probably why they moved it to the side, on the hopper. The cons - it requires a bit more care than your standard pellet grill/smoker. You should clean the burn pot often on both types (ideally before each use). But the water pan is an extra piece to clean, as it serves as the grease bucket and humidifying pan. Also, the glass door gets coated with smoke fast. I just let mine stay dirty. I don't have to see the meat through the door, or a chamber full of smoke.

If grilling is part of the plan, pretty much any of your entry level grills will suffice: Pit Boss, Traeger, Camp Chef or Green Mountain Grill. I suggest considering size over features. You can cook more or less on a larger grill. But you can't cook more on a small grill with WiFi. Wifi and other features are cool. But after working my way through all the Traeger sizes (Junior, 'Lil Tex Elite, then Tex Elite), I say that size matters. If space for the grill isn't an issue, go bigger. You can always add WiFi to those grills later, if that's something your BIL wants. In the end, it all comes down to what your BIL feels is the best fit for him - brand, price, size and features. Them's my 2 cents, anyway.

 

[16Adams]

I read a lot about cookers in this price range. Most complaints I read involve wifi-bluetooth- temp swings and hotspots. At it's most basic a PC is a Hopper -Auger-Burn Pot. My Austin XL does not have WiFi nor Bluetooth. It's not true that a pellet cooker is set and forget. It's not. They're simple to ignite, they're simple to dial temperature but the cook is going to be involved with knowing proper start up and shut down, routine cleaning and maintenance, proper lid position during start up and shut down, proper exhaust position and many other things he must be aware of for safety
They're nice, convenient and produce a lighter smoke product than a charcoal rig.

All the Big Box stores are running clearance sales right now. Pit Boss and Sam's have their pellet cookers 2-300 off.

 

[Callahan-que]

+1 on the Pit Boss. I have both the Austin XL and the Tailgater, they get used for everything from smoking ribs and pork butts to grilling ribeye steaks.

 

[WilliamKY]

I just bought a Pit Boss 700FB and after two cooks I'm happy. I paid $314.82 including shipping. It doesn't have Wifi or a probe but I have my own probe and I would never use Wifi so this wasn't an issue. I have to say for the price I was expecting something a bit more flimsy but it is a stout cooker. Steel welded wheels? Yep. The cook chamber has welds. The legs attach to welded, threaded inserts. It has a smoke setting and also a pellet cleanout door in the hopper if you want to change the pellets. My buddy's pricey Rec Tec doesn't have either. I plan to post a cook soon. This old stick burner is happy with his first pellet cooker purchase (not giving up stick burning, just adding to the stable).

 

[Fooball]

Tell him to wait until sometime after labor day and get a Pit Boss whatever model at Walmart for half off. You just have to keep going back to your local store and checking for clearance tags. Happens every year.

He could get the fanciest one they have with a $600 budget and have money left over.

 

[glitchy]

I’d recommend a CampChef SG24 or seeing if he can snag a sale on the Woodwind getting it into his range. Nice balance of features and performance for the price.

 

[rwalters]

Another vote for Camp Chef if it fits the budget I think they are one of the best overall bang for your buck pellet munchers on the market right now.

 

[16Adams]

https://www.samsclub.com/p/zgrills-11002b-wi-fi-pellet-grill/prod26720172?xid=plp_product_5

Sales everywhere on pellet cookers

 

[bbqwizard]

I would steer him towards a Pit Boss with that price range.

 

[16Adams]

So, why didn't I bang the drum and sing high praises for "my" PBAXL??

In this price range you may get the best built trouble free cooker you could hope for. But read the sites, most cooker brands have FB Groups, websites etc that include comments and reviews. Read those comments and reviews. They may not sway you to purchase or walk, but he can learn a lot about troubleshooting issues. Pit Boss is big enough to have multiple FB Groups.

PB AXL has a flame Broiling feature. Some cookers do some don't. Not that others won't, PB has made it super easy. ATTST-- supply chain issues. There are quite a few moving pieces and parts, electronic pathways and mechanical. Some parts do work some parts measure work. Yet they are all connected. When someone has an issue whether electrical or mechanical they expect a rapid replacement of parts. Still reading about back ordered parts. That's why it's best to know everything about your cooker. If you break it or just system failure you may be down a while as parts become available.

 

[Smokin D@wg@77]

Green mountain Grill ....last a lifetime

 

[16Adams]

Green mountain Grill ....last a lifetime

My fist pellet cooker was GMG Davy Crockett. Powerful little cooker..

 

[16Adams]

Just looked at Brickseek Walmart to check prices on the Austin XL
297 in Albuquerque and 447 here. In the 806.

 

[Fooball]

Just looked at Brickseek Walmart to check prices on the Austin XL
297 in Albuquerque and 447 here. In the 806.

$297 here also, which is 48% off.

Moose, fill in your BIL's zip code on this page below and then hit the "check inventory" button.

https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker/?sku=793230399

 

[SmokeOCD]

It's $150 here! Qty 3-4. How do I not buy it? This is going to be really hard...
Spare pellet grill? Wedding/Christmas/Birthday gift?

 

[rwalters]

It's $150 here! Qty 3-4. How do I not buy it? This is going to be really hard...
Spare pellet grill? Wedding/Christmas/Birthday gift?

Buy “it” or “them”? Shoot, you could hold on to them til spring and double your money by flipping them [emoji2371]

 

[16Adams]

Buy at least one.

 

[PatAttack]

$297 here in Charleston, too at select Wally's...

 

[SmokeOCD]

Brickseek lied to me. Quantity in store was correct, price was $297 like everywhere else.