Who has one and why do I need this to be my first pellet smoker?
I dont know about this one and canât find much info on it.
I do have a cabelas branded camp chef pellet smoker (got it for $300) . I use it weekly and have been for the past 2.5 years. Its amazing and would recommend a pellet smoker/grill to anyone who loves to Que. And a good quality Bluetooth thermometer!
Thanks, I currently have an electric smoker that works great for me, Iâve been eyeing a pellet smoker for years though, probably still eyeing it after today too
I would stay away from this one as it seems to only have pre-sets and not a temperature dial or display
Manual indicates you set the temp and time on the digital controller. It also has an ash dump handle for the fire pit. Wish someone had one to review. https://d3gqasl9vmjfd8.cloudfront.net/86d9644e-c2b5-46f2-ab3c-2136748b1706.pdf
I bought the smoke hollow last time they had them on woot and I still havenât got mine to work. I have had a case open with them since March! Iâd stay away. Smoke hollow is very poor quality and master built customer service suuuuucks!
For the same price you can get a Z Grills brand pellet grill or Pit Boss brand for $499 both are much more established brands that have good support
I have a pit boss and it has.been through some hellish weather in last 2 years and still works amazing. Wonât go with any other brand besides pitboss now
You can convert your electric smoker (Bradley?) into a pellet smoker with an A-maze-n pellet tube. Thatâs what I did with mine a few years ago.
Pellet smokers are the easy bake ovens of the bbq world. You wonât get the smoke of a traditional smoker and anyone going into purchasing should know that. They sure are convenient though.
Love my CampChef pellet smoker - totally disagree that you canât get good smoke out of pellets.
So whatâs the differences between a pellet smoker and an electric smoker (the kind that looks like a small 'fridge)?
>'Kat
Iâve smoked for many years - from modifying charcoal and gas grills, to a cheap barrel smoker, home made electric smokers & stick-burners, and kamados. Picked up a Pit Boss pellet grill last fall on a close out special and love it. Iâve heard the complaint that they donât make as much smoke, mostly from people whoâve never used them and are parroting what theyâve heard. I havenât had that problem - Iâd suggest that if this is an issue, itâs with the individual smoker or the individual using it. In either case, one could use the pellet tube referenced above - cheap easy fix. The âeasy bake ovenâ is another disparaging remark made by folks who primarily havenât used them. I guess if that makes you feel better about yourself. I havenât found it easier than my kamados - those have truly been set it and forget it. I can go 10-12 hours on a kamado without touching it, my PitBoss will at least need pellets added in that time.
Everything I stated is fact, not opinion. Evidence of this shortcoming even come from reviews of true pellet units like Yoder & Blazân Grill Works, not just bottom units like Camp Chef, Z-grills, Pit Boss, etc. Theyâll simply never equal smoke output of traditional smokers. It doesnât matter how many cheater tubes you throw in there. For many people, thatâs good enough.
In an electric smoker most of the heat comes from an electric element and thereâs usually another smaller element to burn wood chips (or bisquetes in the case of Bradley Smokers) for the smoke. Pellet grills have a small rod to ignite the pellets but once theyâre lit all of the heat and smoke comes from the burning pellets. I find that my Camp Chef pellet grill produces a much less acrid smoke than my Bradley does which makes for better tasting barbeque.
Cheat tubes, thatâs cute. Iâve never had a smoker, from home-made to over $1k that I havenât modified in some way. Sad to know Iâm somehow âcheating.â I guess using a Texas crutch is âcheatingâ too, unless youâre in a KC BBQ-sanctioned event where nearly every winner does it.
And if your pellet smoker (or any smoker) doesnât put out the volume of smoke desired, a tube most certainly can give you as much as you need. Iâve seen folks use these in competition (and win!) in Bradleys, pellet smokers, Weber kettles, and others. Nobody accused them of cheating.
Not sure what a âtrue pelletâ unit is, or how a Yoder is âtrueâ and a Camp Chef is somehow, by this reasoning, a âfalseâ pellet smoker. So, enlighten me, what exactly makes a Yoder a âtrue pellet smoker?â
If itâs another way to get people to enjoy making their own BBQ, Iâm all for it. Frankly, I donât care about the equipment was used to make it, itâs the final result. A good BBQ chef can make good BBQ on any kind of smoker.
@SylvreKat:
Theyâre both great ways to get started in BBQ! What Coogles shared sums it up nicely. Itâs also important to note that a pellet smoker requires electricity to run the auger, fan, element, and thermostat. The pellet grill has more flexibility - for example, on mine, I can move the heat deflector and use it like a traditional grill. The electric box smokers are probably a little easier way to get started, but not significantly so. Grab one and get your 'Que on!
Lol. Christ, youâre soft. I take it youâve never been to a cooks meeting before a competition. Iâve been competing for 30 years around the Midwest, primarily in the KC area. Competitors always grumble about pellet smokers and, occasionally, call it cheating. They get around the âno electricityâ rule with the ignition rod. Itâs been a sticking point since the beginning.
I was clear in my points, especially stating the convenience and that itâs good enough for many people. Thereâs nothing wrong with that.
Sure. All I know is with that Bottom feeder Camp Chef you disparage and that I own, my wife declares that my brisket and ribs are the best that she has ever eaten and trust me, me and the missus have gone to plenty of high falootin BBQ places in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, Florida and North Carolina, which we love doing. And yes, I have to agree with her. And smoke? I smell like smoke just walking by the damned thing. So let me ask, do you even know how to BBQ? You sound like a propane type of fellow.