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PRDATR

Looking for recommendations for a Pellet Smoker

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My Brinkman R2D2 is on it's last legs. Wild Woody's post got me to thinking I need a new smoker but don't know where to start. What do you guys have, what do you like and what would you do differently id you were to buy a new one?

Is it possible to get one already put together and delivered in the East Valley or at least mostly put together? I am looking for something I can run for at least 12 hours without refilling the hopper.

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I love my pit boss 820. Has an 18 pound hopper I believe. Two well sized grates that can hold quite a bit of meat. The 1100 Austin has 3 grates i believe. When I tried to do my research, it was frustrating. Seems most people love one brand, hate the other. Traegers are a bit more pricey but work well also. Pit boss are heavier gauged material from what I could tell. Lowes should have products assembled for pit boss.

Good luck. I'm so glad I went with a pellet smoker. Theyre awesome.

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I love my Traeger 22. You can get pretty good deals at the traveling roadshow at Costco on them. I got mine at Home Depot on sale at Xmas time 1.5yrs ago. It has been AWESOME. We use it ALOT. 

I hear good things about Green Mountain too. 

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I’ve had my pit boss for a while. I don’t hate the other brands but Pitt boss is an Arizona company. 

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I think with pellet smokers these days it really don't matter what you buy in terms of performance.  Not to mention every one has a controller you can upgrade.  I went camp chef for the pellet dump option and for the ash dump cup because I didn't want to clean the ash out with a shop vac.  My personal recommendation would come down to ease of use at the end of the day.  And don't forget pellet tubes are a great way to supplement smoke  

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14 minutes ago, CatfishKev said:

I think with pellet smokers these days it really don't matter what you buy in terms of performance.  Not to mention every one has a controller you can upgrade.  I went camp chef for the pellet dump option and for the ash dump cup because I didn't want to clean the ash out with a shop vac.  My personal recommendation would come down to ease of use at the end of the day.  And don't forget pellet tubes are a great way to supplement smoke  

I am definatly looking for something that is low maintenance

 

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I have use a camp chef and on the side it has a burner.  Makes it easy to do reverse sears, or just cook up a few burgers or steaks.  Mine too has a cup for ashes and makes dump and clean ups real easy.  I bought mine from HD but I put it together, I am sure Lowes or HD will build it.   It wasn't hard.

My BIL has the same model and we has smoked tons, including a standing rib roast for Christmas last year.

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Just now, PRDATR said:

I am definatly looking for something that is low maintenance

 

I like my pellet grill for the right purpose but I can honestly say it does not replace the need for a box smoker. When i use the pellet grill to smoke meats generally use a pellet tube to increase smoke flavor.  Ya know how on a regular smoker when you open the door it blows a  billowing smoke cloud that burns your eyes till dissipates? Well pellet grills don't really do that. The fan constantly blows the smoke around but most of it gets vented out quickly hence the need for the pellet tube.  I think it mostly depends what you are trying to do.  I'm not getting rid of my electric masterbuilt.  If you want HEAVY smoke a pellet grill doesn't quite cut it for long time smoked meats but they definitely have their place.  In terms of ease of use and less hassle i think camp chef wins . 

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4 minutes ago, CatfishKev said:

I like my pellet grill for the right purpose but I can honestly say it does not replace the need for a box smoker. When i use the pellet grill to smoke meats generally use a pellet tube to increase smoke flavor.  Ya know how on a regular smoker when you open the door it blows a  billowing smoke cloud that burns your eyes till dissipates? Well pellet grills don't really do that. The fan constantly blows the smoke around but most of it gets vented out quickly hence the need for the pellet tube.  I think it mostly depends what you are trying to do.  I'm not getting rid of my electric masterbuilt.  If you want HEAVY smoke a pellet grill doesn't quite cut it for long time smoked meats but they definitely have their place.  In terms of ease of use and less hassle i think camp chef wins . 

You might be using the wrong pellet smoker 😉

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3 minutes ago, oz31p said:

You might be using the wrong pellet smoker 😉

What's yours do that any others dont?

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8 minutes ago, oz31p said:

Burn my eye with heavy smoke😉

puff puff pass

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13 minutes ago, oz31p said:

Burn my eye with heavy smoke😉

That's a reference to a box smoker when u open the door. If it's burning thin blue smoke it builds up inside because there is very little venting allowing it out which is exactly my point. That's why a box smoker has its place still. Its actually better for long smoking.  

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