Shopping for a new smoker (<$1000 range) - pellet, electric, open to suggestions

[jgbmgb]

When compressed, the natural Lignin binds it together. Lignin is organic, naturally found in wood. This video shows how they are made. This is showing home heating pellets, but the process is the same for cooking pellets.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g37Wba2U49I"]How Wood Pellets Are Made - YouTube[/ame]

 

[erock1320]

Is this enough smoke penetration!?
Love my Camp Chef DLX Pellet Pooper. It is a set and forget cooker. As any other smoker it will take a little getting used to. Only use the best pellets and remember the fruit woods will give you flavor and hardwoods your btu's. A good blend is the way to go be it your own or premixed.

 

[contento]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback, suggestions, and info.

I simply couldn't pass up the GMG Jim Bowie for $699 (so I didn't). Got the Bowie, the cover, a 48# bag of GMG pellets, and the extra rack for a little over $800 out the door.

Got it home last night and put together. Other than pinching the SH^&*!&&T out of my finger with the drip pan, was a breeze to setup. Got it fired up for the burn in then got to tinkering.

Got the grill on my WiFi network at home (pretty straight forward with the instructions). Couldn't help but sit on my couch watching the game messing with the temp and settings from my phone.

Then, I put my IT skills to work (for you geeks like me):

I used DDNS.net to create a dynamic IP address for my home, turned on VPN (virtual private network) port forwarding to my PC, setup an incoming VPN network connection on the PC, and went to the store.

Now, from my Android phone, I can connect to the VPN at the house from anywhere and interact with my GMG! The GMG isn't designed to do this. You are supposed to only connect to it from the same local WiFi network (so that you don't accidentally turn it on while you are on vacation and burn down the house or worse, ruin the smoker).

THIS is the true meaning of set it and forget it. I don't just want to be able to go take a nap. I want to be able to go to the beach...and keep in control of my smoking. I want to be able to go to watch the fights...and keep in control of my smoking. I want to be able to go to work (well, not as much as the other two things)...and keep in control of my smoking.

now, if I can just figure out how to have it do the dishes....

 

[cpw]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback, suggestions, and info.

I simply couldn't pass up the GMG Jim Bowie for $699 (so I didn't). Got the Bowie, the cover, a 48# bag of GMG pellets, and the extra rack for a little over $800 out the door.

Got it home last night and put together. Other than pinching the SH^&*!&&T out of my finger with the drip pan, was a breeze to setup. Got it fired up for the burn in then got to tinkering.

Got the grill on my WiFi network at home (pretty straight forward with the instructions). Couldn't help but sit on my couch watching the game messing with the temp and settings from my phone.

Then, I put my IT skills to work (for you geeks like me):

I used DDNS.net to create a dynamic IP address for my home, turned on VPN (virtual private network) port forwarding to my PC, setup an incoming VPN network connection on the PC, and went to the store.

Now, from my Android phone, I can connect to the VPN at the house from anywhere and interact with my GMG! The GMG isn't designed to do this. You are supposed to only connect to it from the same local WiFi network (so that you don't accidentally turn it on while you are on vacation and burn down the house or worse, ruin the smoker).

THIS is the true meaning of set it and forget it. I don't just want to be able to go take a nap. I want to be able to go to the beach...and keep in control of my smoking. I want to be able to go to watch the fights...and keep in control of my smoking. I want to be able to go to work (well, not as much as the other two things)...and keep in control of my smoking.

now, if I can just figure out how to have it do the dishes....

Let's see some pics!!

 

[contento]

pic coming! It was dark last night and while I wanted to do some glamour shots, I figured I'd wait until today :laugh:

I have a first group of plans to tackle asap:

- biscuit/toast test to diagram the temp layout
- Nomex gasket seal for the lid
- temp probe ports on the right side
- a switch for the low pellet alarm
- interior LED

oh, yeah, and bacon, I'm making homemade bacon ASAP. Oh, and venison. I have some nice tenderloins in the fridge. Mmm...jerky. That too.

 

[cpw]

pic coming! It was dark last night and while I wanted to do some glamour shots, I figured I'd wait until today :laugh:

I have a first group of plans to tackle asap:

- biscuit/toast test to diagram the temp layout
- Nomex gasket seal for the lid
- temp probe ports on the right side
- a switch for the low pellet alarm
- interior LED

oh, yeah, and bacon, I'm making homemade bacon ASAP. Oh, and venison. I have some nice tenderloins in the fridge. Mmm...jerky. That too.

I ended up getting the same cooker...couldn't pass that good of a deal up. Mine's still in its box in the garage though.

I'm real interested in seeing the mods you do, but you might want to start a new thread. One other mod I read about was putting RTV sealant in the joint between then chimney and smoker to help keep goo leaking down the side of the smoker.

 

[contento]

Ok, so here are a few photos of the new baby in place.

I went out to cook some bacon for dinner. Got her fired up and warmed up to 250 for a bit. Then, I dialed it up to 400 to cook. Never climbed. In fact, started to drop. Hmm...I thought. The troubleshooting in the manual says that if the fan is spinning on the motor and the auger isn't, it's probably a sheered pin. Well, mine wasn't sheered. So, long story short, had to remove the hopper and entire auger assembly. Called tech support. Super nice guy. Sounds like my motor gears failed. They are sending an entire new auger assembly and it sounds like a front shelf for my troubles. Only problem is that he said it might take 5-10 days to get.

had to microwave the bacon

 

[airedale]

Bummer. I've done three cooks on my new Traeger and I still wince to hear the auger motor straining when it has to cut a pellet in half. It sounds quite underpowered to me. I hadn't thought about the gears, but they are certainly straining too. I wonder of all these pellet poopers use the same or the same-rating motor.

 

[Groundhog66]

Bummer. I've done three cooks on my new Traeger and I still wince to hear the auger motor straining when it has to cut a pellet in half. It sounds quite underpowered to me. I hadn't thought about the gears, but they are certainly straining too. I wonder of all these pellet poopers use the same or the same-rating motor.

You get what you pay for, you can't expect much from a Chinese made cooker IMO.

 

[Burnt to a T]

You get what you pay for, you can't expect much from a Chinese made cooker IMO.

I looked into Pellet, and for this, and many other reasons is why I stepped away.

Too many problems when you have moving parts. Its hit, and miss with all brands.

I also have learned a insulated vertical cabinet reverse flow or Gravity are just as much set, and forget as pellet. Also barrel looks like a good option as well.

Might have a bit more set up time, but I don't mind that. My reasons also include:

I use lump charcoal why introduce yet another fuel source.
I don't need electricity to run them.
Don't have to run a GFCI, and find a way to cover them if it rains
I don't have a good source close for pellets nor do I have the room to buy in bulk. What store doesn't have charcoal?
Also the flavor issue many like, and many don't like. I think that is the only type of smoker attached to this issue?
I think they make it look like you can be a pro with no effort, and IMO that isn't true, but they sell it like that.

To each their own, and I hope you get the issue fixed, but it sure doesn't make a person feel good when its broke from the start. Good luck man.

 

[Burnt to a T]

When compressed, the natural Lignin binds it together. Lignin is organic, naturally found in wood. This video shows how they are made. This is showing home heating pellets, but the process is the same for cooking pellets.

How Wood Pellets Are Made - YouTube

http://seriousbirder.com/blogs/what-are-food-grade-wood-pellets/

 

[airedale]

You get what you pay for, you can't expect much from a Chinese made cooker IMO.

Fuzzy thinking IMO. These cookers are almost certainly designed in the USA. For sure the prototypes and component selections were thoroughly tested and approved in the USA. Remember, if there is a mistake these vendors will incur warranty expenses (as GMG is in this case) that will destroy any profit on an individual cooker. Too many problems, they are out of business. The auger motors on the GMG and the Traeger were certainly thought, by USA engineers, to have adequate power for the job and to have acceptable failure rates. And to be fair, my Traeger just sounds labored; it is working fine.

So if you want to complain, it's more accurate to complain about USA engineering and testing. The Chinese just assemble the product using the drawings and component selections that they are given.

 

[Burnt to a T]

Fuzzy thinking IMO. These cookers are almost certainly designed in the USA. For sure the prototypes and component selections were thoroughly tested and approved in the USA. Remember, if there is a mistake these vendors will incur warranty expenses (as GMG is in this case) that will destroy any profit on an individual cooker. Too many problems, they are out of business. The auger motors on the GMG and the Traeger were certainly thought, by USA engineers, to have adequate power for the job and to have acceptable failure rates. And to be fair, my Traeger just sounds labored; it is working fine.

So if you want to complain, it's more accurate to complain about USA engineering and testing. The Chinese just assemble the product using the drawings and component selections that they are given.

It depends on quality control no matter where its made. If you buy cheaper materials, and labor this is what happens.

 

[airedale]

It depends on quality control no matter where its made. If you buy cheaper materials, and labor this is what happens.

Agree, to a point. Having been in the spacecraft business, I am quite familiar with what it takes to achieve near-perfect reliability: Buckets of money.

In the non-spacecraft world, all component choices are a tradeoff between desirable component attributes and cost. Without a doubt, GMG's engineers thought that the power, strength and reliability they got from this particular geared motor was the best they could do, considering the price point the company wanted to hit and the warranty and reputation costs if the geared motor proved inadequate. We will probably never know whether the OP's experience with his new GMG is statistically rare or whether GMG has a bigger problem with the chosen component or with a particular manufacturing batch of motors.

Short version: Life is a tradeoff.

 

[chefman316]

I have been very happy with my Rec Tec smoker is you are going for set it and forget it. I have the larger version at $998 but they also make a smaller $499 model which looks fantastic as well.