# Which pellet smoker is a good one?



## nygiant (Mar 16, 2022)

I have had a weber smoky mountain for about five or six years now. While I really like it,  I’m just looking for something a little more convenient as life has gotten busier. More of a “ set it and forget it” type of smoker. 

I was in Costco last week and they had a special on Traegers but I did not bite. I have seen them in there before. Been looking online and on YouTube and see a lot of positives but negative comments as well. The other one I’m looking at, and my brother has one, is a Rec TEC. Just for reference, I was looking at the Traeger 885 size. I guess the similar rec tec was the 700 model? I haven’t looked real closely at those but I’ve heard they’re high-quality and made in the USA. Just wondering for those that know more about these the me if either one of the ones I mentioned is good and if one is recommended over another? Or am I leaving a brand out that’s just as good?


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## bauchjw (Mar 16, 2022)

I’ve never tried a Rec Tec, but I know quite a few have them here and I get the impression that it has a good reputation. I have the Traeger Pro 780 and enjoy it. It’s about as simple as you can get for a busy life. I use it 2-3 times a week for everything, can fit four butts on it, but I augment smoke with a AMAZN pellet tray…plan on getting a tube as well. I also added hi temp gasket seal to the Cooking Chamber door and weight it down to hold temp better. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from a Traeger, but I certainly wouldn’t say it’s the best. They cost a lot and I’m not sure why other than a name. All that being said, I think you are going to have similar downsides to most pellet smokers snd will have to baby them a bit. I don’t think you’re getting anything special for the Traeger’s price, but they aren’t complete crap either. I think Rectec is assembled in US, not completely made in US. Traeger is all China. Anyway, I think the reviews I read of each seem pretty fair and you  wouldn’t go wrong either way, just pick the one that has a few more things you see as a positive! Good luck!


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## DougE (Mar 16, 2022)

I like my Camp Chef sg24 WIFI pretty well. I usually use several times a week.


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## GrumpyGriller (Mar 17, 2022)

I have two (2) Traeger Timberline 1300's and I am very satisfied.  Like all products, there are folks who love whatever they've chosen, and guess I am one of those as well.  No pellet smoker is perfect, and for true/classic smoking, they don't add as much as an offset, but for me at least, they are very versatile and easy enough to use.  I would strongly suggest that you get something that allows for remote control as being able to adjust temp (for me at least) while I am out is great.  Remote monitoring/control means I don't have to stay home all day when a brisket or any other long cook is in process.

Most of the pellet grills don't do searing very well, but with the addition of GrillGrates, you can still get that done pretty nicely.  And combine that with the use of skillets or other cast iron, it makes that even easier.  I do wish the Traeger was a U.S.A. made product,  but I've found their customer service to be very responsive.

Good luck with whatever you choose!


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## tx smoker (Mar 17, 2022)

I have a Rec Tec RT-700 Bull and absolutely love it.The thing is bullet proof, has never given me a problem, and is very versatile. You can run ultra low temps for smoking sausage & bacon, mid level temps for low and slow smoking, and high temps for searing. I did get the sear grates with the package I bought and they can turn out amazing steak with the perfect grill marks. Another person here who O know has the RT-700 is Dave ( 

 sandyut
 )  Maybe he will chime in also.

Robert


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## sandyut (Mar 17, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> I have a Rec Tec RT-700 Bull and absolutely love it.The thing is bullet proof, has never given me a problem, and is very versatile. You can run ultra low temps for smoking sausage & bacon, mid level temps for low and slow smoking, and high temps for searing. I did get the sear grates with the package I bought and they can turn out amazing steak with the perfect grill marks. Another person here who O know has the RT-700 is Dave (
> 
> sandyut
> )  Maybe he will chime in also.
> ...


I feel the same way.  Rec Teq all the way.  I have had mine 4 years now I think, always works perfectly, no temp fluctuations, I’ve run in in 100 degree summers and 20 degree snowy winters.  I would be another one in a second.  

They also have the worlds best customer service.  I emailed a question one day - they called a few minutes later and explained the setting I was confused about.


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## BurntWeenie (Mar 17, 2022)

recteq 590. It works. With pellet grills you need smoke tubes or trays to get heavy duty smoke flavor. I live in a residential area with a small yard so I did not want deal with wood. I like that I can set it and forget it to smoke for hours.


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## SmokinEdge (Mar 17, 2022)

Don’t forget about the Master Built gravity series charcoal cookers. They are set and forget also and provide a decent smoke and bark final product.


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## Smoking Audi (Mar 17, 2022)

We enjoy our Traeger 34 and it works well for us.  Higher temp would be better if we wanted to sear steaks.

My buddy has a Yoder and swears by it.


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## nygiant (Mar 17, 2022)

Wow… I appreciate all these replies. I’ll be honest, I really don’t need to worry about it searing. I have a weber kettle grill that I can do that on or even better, I have the 36 inch Blackstone griddle which sears steaks like nobody’s business.  

I guess the only thing that is slightly concerning is some of you all said there isn’t a whole lot of smoke regardless of which pellet grill it is. I am used to a nice smoke flavor from that Weber Smoky Mountain and putting in the real wood chunks.  I mean, are ribs or chicken or pork butts going to taste like they were cooked in the oven inside, or will they have a decent smoke flavor?


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## GrumpyGriller (Mar 17, 2022)

I use a smoke tube, often 2 of them in most of my cooks, especially if the pit temp is > 225.  Below that temp, Traeger has Super Smoke on some models that adds some more, but I'd guess (though no experience), no matter what you choose, it won't be the same as a stick burner.

On balance, I've gotten plenty of smoke flavor and the visual smoke ring on my briskets and similar cooks, so I am perfectly happy with the minor tradeoff.  And to be honest, I like using the smoke tubes because I can have one flavor of pellets in the hopper and something complimentary/contrasting in the tubes :)


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## tx smoker (Mar 17, 2022)

nygiant said:


> I guess the only thing that is slightly concerning is some of you all said there isn’t a whole lot of smoke regardless of which pellet grill it is.



That is an accurate statement. There are ways to augment the smoke flavor as have been noted however.



SmokinEdge said:


> Don’t forget about the Master Built gravity series charcoal cookers.



This is an excellent point and very sound advice.The MB units seem to be very stable and very highly rated. You might want to consider this. You get good smoke flavor as well as pretty much a set it and forget it platform. I don't know about WiFi connectivity though so that's something you'd want to look into if it is an important feature for you.

Robert


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## sandyut (Mar 17, 2022)

nygiant said:


> I guess the only thing that is slightly concerning is some of you all said there isn’t a whole lot of smoke regardless of which pellet grill it is.


I think this is true to some degree.  I went from a WSM to the Rec Teq and I think I oversmoked many cooks on the WSM.  I was pleasantly surprised with the smoke flavor from the Rec Tec.  its a different profile than charcoal and wood burners for sure.  I have never felt like I needed to add an Amazin tube for more smoke.  On longer and larger cook, i set the Rec Tec at 189 (extreme smoke) for an hour or two then bump it up to the planned cook temp.  Has never failed to make a great brisket or pulled pork.


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## tx smoker (Mar 17, 2022)

sandyut said:


> i set the Rec Tec at 189 (extreme smoke) for an hour or two then bump it up to the planned cook temp



I also do this when smoking bacon or sausage but do not bump up the temp. Just leave it on low temp / extreme smoke the whole time and it always turns out an excellent product. Here is some bacon I smoked a week and a half or so ago. This is about 23 pounds






















Robert


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## chopsaw (Mar 17, 2022)

nygiant said:


> I guess the only thing that is slightly concerning is some of you all said there isn’t a whole lot of smoke regardless of which pellet grill it is.


I have a Weber SmokeFire EX4 . It puts great smoke flavor on the food . 
Here's a thread I did if you're interested .





						Weber EX4 pellet grill
					

I bought this back in July . Really didn't need one . Really never thought I would ever buy a pellet grill  . Since I've been cutting my own hair for the last 2 years ( covid )  , and saving 20 bucks every couple weeks I had some extra money . I like my Weber stuff . I liked the looks of the EX4...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## DougE (Mar 17, 2022)

I smoked some buckboard and sausages on the Camp Chef set on low smoke (160*) yesterday. It makes a decent amount of smoke when set that low.


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## chopsaw (Mar 17, 2022)

DougE said:


> I smoked some buckboard and sausages on the Camp Chef


That looks fantastic . I did have some smoked sausage in my pellet awhile back . MES was full . Good results , and fast .


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## Smoking Audi (Mar 18, 2022)

All the videos I have watched about smoking meats is that a pellet will give off less smoke than an offset but that doesn't mean you can't get a decent smoke from a pellet smoker.  Temp setting on the pellet play in to the amount of smoke as well.  My Traeger has a SMOKE setting which is below 180F to get max smoke.  As you increase the temp the less smoke you get.  Of course a smoke tube can always be used to help with the smoke.

We get smoke flavor that we like up to about 225, above 250 is much less smoke.


THEN of course throw in the pellet brand to the equation.  Some companies augment their pellets with oils for flavor while others use all hardwoods for the specified flavor and no oils.


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## nygiant (Mar 18, 2022)

Well I appreciate all those who have posted. A lot of good information here. I think I might be leaning towards the rec tec 700 at this point. And the Traeger seems like a very well-built and very popular smoker. They’re available at Costco and I never realized this, but Home Depot has them as well.  I guess that’s the only drawback with rec tec is you have to buy directly from them and wait for it to get here in this world of immediate gratification.  Shouldn’t be a problem though as long as it’s not like a month or 2 wait. 

interesting about the smoke tubes, I had no idea about those but I did look on Amazon and saw them. Also while reading what a couple of you wrote and looking on YouTube, if you want really want good smoke flavor you keep it on about 180° or so for the first hour or two of smoking. Seems the higher temperature you go with on the pellet smokers the cleaner the pellets burn due to the high heat. So essentially, the lack of smoke flavor versus a charcoal/wood smoker shouldn’t be an issue by using the temperature or with the addition of smoke tubes.

I’m definitely interested in the Wi-Fi capabilities and not having to hover over the smoker all the time as well as the immediate settling in of the consistent temperature. With the weber smoky mountain,  it takes a while to get everything going and settled in.


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## sandyut (Mar 18, 2022)

You wont regret the RT-700.  I LOVE MINE.  Used it so much early on my wife told me to stop making meat for a bit…I slowed :).  Well worth any wait.  They have the best customer revise ever.  That and the warranty are very reassuring on a decent size purchase.


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## mike243 (Mar 18, 2022)

Pellets make a difference also, the Kingsford seem to give smoke even at temps as high as 350


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## sandyut (Mar 18, 2022)

I have great success with Lumberjack competition blend.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 18, 2022)

While I would love a Reqtec… I pulled the trigger on a Camp Chef 24 DLX model at the grand opening of a local sporting goods store!  Got it at almost half off due to the grand opening sale!  To be honest I have been very impressed with it!  It has a decent amount of room to cook, the pellet hopper is about standard, but the thing I like the most is the PID controller!  That’s a game changer IMO!


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## chopsaw (Mar 18, 2022)

I looked at several , and came down to the camp chef 24 DLX . Then Weber dropped the price on the EX's , and that's what I really wanted . The 100 returned is what pushed me in that direction . 
The Camp Chef is a nice cooker with some really good options . 
Bottom line is you really can't go wrong with any of the better name units .


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## jaxgatorz (Mar 18, 2022)

I know this wasn't your question.. If you are ok with the WSM, and just want set it and forget it.. Maybe think about a temp controller like flame boss or guru. I ran my 22 WSM with one and it was awesome to not worry about anything... Sleep all night while it's cooking.. Just used my FB on my new vertical smoker and it ran 225 within 2 degrees for 15 hours.. Heck, there are guys on the forum that will help you build one !  Just a thought... Good luck


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## sandyut (Mar 18, 2022)

jaxgatorz said:


> I know this wasn't your question.. If you are ok with the WSM, and just want set it and forget it.. Maybe think about a temp controller like flame boss or guru. I ran my 22 WSM with one and it was awesome to not worry about anything... Sleep all night while it's cooking.. Just used my FB on my new vertical smoker and it ran 225 within 2 degrees for 15 hours.. Heck, there are guys on the forum that will help you build one !  Just a thought... Good luck


Gild you brought this up.  Used a BBQ Guru control for a few years and it was dreamy.  Kept the temps tight and the WSM used way less fuel.

I had a PartyQ which I think they stopped making but it worked great.


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## nygiant (Mar 18, 2022)

Very good point….didn’t even think about that for the WSM.  The other thing in addition is  getting the thing out, filling up with charcoal, start more charcoal  to dump on it.  It really isn’t a lot but the convenience of the pellet smoker just seems like the flip of a switch.  Something my wife would be more inclined to use too.  Plus, a lot more room on a pellet.  I struggle to do 2 racks of ribs on my WSM, I have the smaller one and sometimes have to cut them to get the lid on.  Seems like I’m making excuses for myself now to justify a pellet…ha ha.


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## bigfurmn (Mar 18, 2022)

Also not what you asked but I have a Pit Boss pellet. I love it but gravity feed charcoal grills have my attention right now.


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## sandyut (Mar 19, 2022)

TBH-I prefer my rec teq over the WSM.  It’s just easier.  I can start it from the kitchen and its ready in 5-15 minutes depending on the outside temp.


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## spohnat (Mar 19, 2022)

i just got a grilla grills as debating between this and recteq. I saw the main differences as the grilla has two controllers (pid and one w a greater temp swing), insulated barrel and cheaper.  Both have warranties,  & good customer service. before last week, you could say Grilla was the smaller company.  Grilla was acquired for 27 million by American Outdoor brands.


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## sandyut (Mar 19, 2022)

spohnat said:


> Grilla was acquired for 27 million by American Outdoor brands.


WOW…. I feel like customer service takes a big hit when this happens.  I hope it doesn’t but time will tell.


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## chopsaw (Mar 19, 2022)

spohnat said:


> i just got a grilla grills


Congrats on the new purchase . I'm sure you'll love it . Take time to learn it and post up some cooks .


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## civilsmoker (Mar 19, 2022)

I have recteq and a green mountain and love them both. I think a pellet is a must have BBQ tool for a busy lifestyle. I also have 2 reverse flows and two open fire type and use them all.  Camp Chefs have a true PID so they are a good unit. My advice is to get one with a true PID and ceramic rod as it is the thing that give people the most issues....


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 19, 2022)

civilsmoker said:


> I have recteq and a green mountain and love them both. I think a pellet is a must have BBQ tool for a busy lifestyle. I also have 2 reverse flows and two open fire type and use them all.  Camp Chefs have a true PID so they are a good unit. My advice is to get one with a true PID and ceramic rod as it is the thing that give people the most issues....



Good grief 

 civilsmoker
 !  Do you have any room in your backyard?  Or do you play volleyball diving around the smokers?


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## civilsmoker (Mar 19, 2022)

WaterinHoleBrew said:


> Good grief
> 
> civilsmoker
> !  Do you have any room in your backyard?  Or do you play volleyball diving around the smokers?


 Well.....that's a good question!  Have a 200sqft covered enclosure planned so they can have their own "home".....

Oh and don't forget the Weber Smoke Fire.....was looking at it over the weekend as I got one of the new 2022 Genesis' (after 19 years of service from my old one).


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 19, 2022)

civilsmoker said:


> Well.....that's a good question!  Have a 200sqft covered enclosure planned so they can have their own "home".....
> 
> Oh and don't forget the Weber Smoke Fire.....was looking at it over the weekend as I got one of the new 2022 Genesis' (after 19 years of service from my old one).



Ha, awesome!  We are thinking of moving… sooo the smoker pad will definitely be in the plan!


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## nygiant (Mar 23, 2022)

So wanted to check back in since it’s been a few days.  I’m leaning hard towards the rec tec 700. I see they have a sale where they’re $200 off now so I probably need to jump on it.  If there is one complaint/concern, its that there is no second shelf inside.  I have not seen one in person but I guess the inside is big enough to where that should not be a concern? I was just looking at the Traegers at Home Depot and they all have a second and sometimes third shelf depending on the model.  I wonder why that is with Rec tec?

Also while in Home Depot on separate business, I saw this masterbuilt gravity fed charcoal smoker (pics attached). Since when can you set the temperature on lump or briquet charcoal? Never seen anything like it!

Also for giggles……a $3,800 Traeger!!! Crazy!


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## ross77 (Apr 5, 2022)

My two cents. I started with a WSM and loved the flavor but not the work once I had kids. I sold it and got a MES. Easier but never did like the flavor profile. Next was a ReqTec 680. Very convenient but you give up smoke flavor IMO. Yes you can lower the temp but then everything takes longer. Also, without a direct flame option it’s not really a sear, more like a really hot oven heating up grill grates. Getting up to high temp does take time. 

I bought the Masterbuilt Gravity 560 a couple years ago and I love the flavor as it’s very close to the WSM. It’s almost as easy as a pellet smoker but requires just a bit more work. The response time is worlds better than a pellet grill as it gets up to temp quick and it gets HOT. The only downside is the build quality as I don’t see this lasting 10 years. Maybe if it was only used for low temps. But the flavor is superior as the wood chunks smolder in the ash bin. You can also burn wood with the charcoal. 

I recently picked up the Oklahoma Joe Bronco barrel smoker at a big discount to add to my collection. I sold the WSM, MES and ReqTec. I also have a BlackStone….


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## schlotz (Apr 6, 2022)

Bottom line: you can make great smoked meat off of all the ones mentioned in this thread. So selection comes down to options, ease of use, longevity, clean up & maintenance oh... and the compromising trump card being affordability.

Some are used to higher smoke levels, and it's their prefered profile. Not a problem as there are smokers suited for that preference. Personally the wife & I want smoke that does not completely mask the flavor of the meat I'm smoking. Pellets hit that mark for us and if a bit extra is needed the added tube does the trick. I went through the process a number of years ago when wanting a pellet smoker. In the end my priorities lined up with what I still use today buy everyone bases their priorities on specific individual needs. A good due diligence should match you up with the right smoker.

Let's us know how you end up!


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## nygiant (Apr 9, 2022)

ross77 said:


> My two cents. I started with a WSM and loved the flavor but not the work once I had kids. I sold it and got a MES. Easier but never did like the flavor profile. Next was a ReqTec 680. Very convenient but you give up smoke flavor IMO. Yes you can lower the temp but then everything takes longer. Also, without a direct flame option it’s not really a sear, more like a really hot oven heating up grill grates. Getting up to high temp does take time.
> 
> I bought the Masterbuilt Gravity 560 a couple years ago and I love the flavor as it’s very close to the WSM. It’s almost as easy as a pellet smoker but requires just a bit more work. The response time is worlds better than a pellet grill as it gets up to temp quick and it gets HOT. The only downside is the build quality as I don’t see this lasting 10 years. Maybe if it was only used for low temps. But the flavor is superior as the wood chunks smolder in the ash bin. You can also burn wood with the charcoal.
> 
> I recently picked up the Oklahoma Joe Bronco barrel smoker at a big discount to add to my collection. I sold the WSM, MES and ReqTec. I also have a BlackStone….


Thank you for your feedback.  Sounds like me starting (and still having) the WSM.  The one think About don’t want to do is but something that falls apart or won’t last. Hence, me owning a Weber smokey Mountain and a Weber kettle grill.  Moved in from cheap made gas grill that weed rusting out and falling apart every 4 years.     That’s why I’m probably going with the Rec Tec 700.  Some, like you, say the smoke flavor is not enough. I was watching a video on YouTube made by the owners of rec tack and they say you can put a handful of pellets on the heat deflector or even a woodchuck in it gives you extra smoke flavor. Also the smoke tubes are an option as well.  I really like the build quality, the customer service, and the ease of operation. That’s why I think I’m probably going that route.


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## nygiant (Apr 9, 2022)

schlotz said:


> Bottom line: you can make great smoked meat off of all the ones mentioned in this thread. So selection comes down to options, ease of use, longevity, clean up & maintenance oh... and the compromising trump card being affordability.
> 
> Some are used to higher smoke levels, and it's their prefered profile. Not a problem as there are smokers suited for that preference. Personally the wife & I want smoke that does not completely mask the flavor of the meat I'm smoking. Pellets hit that mark for us and if a bit extra is needed the added tube does the trick. I went through the process a number of years ago when wanting a pellet smoker. In the end my priorities lined up with what I still use today buy everyone bases their priorities on specific individual needs. A good due diligence should match you up with the right smoker.
> 
> Let's us know how you end up!


I hear you about the smoke flavor sometimes being too strong. I’ve done a couple cooks like that on the weber smoky mountain. Not necessarily the unit itself but probably user error and putting into much wood.  that rec TEC 700 really looks like it fits the bill. Build quality, ease of operation, and the price point is right on. I think my wife wants to give it to me for Father’s Day or my birthday which are both in June. I want that sucker right now but if I bought it now, I know that would make her upset.


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## ross77 (Apr 9, 2022)

It’s a different type of smoke flavor. I tried the tubes and adding pellets to the deflector but it’s just not the same. IMO it’s more of a wood fired oven flavor. Just not what I was looking for. I don’t like heavily smoked food either. In the end you just can’t beat the flavor of smoldering wood chunks. Again, all personal preference.


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## civilsmoker (Apr 9, 2022)

nygiant said:


> I hear you about the smoke flavor sometimes being too strong. I’ve done a couple cooks like that on the weber smoky mountain. Not necessarily the unit itself but probably user error and putting into much wood.  that rec TEC 700 really looks like it fits the bill. Build quality, ease of operation, and the price point is right on. I think my wife wants to give it to me for Father’s Day or my birthday which are both in June. I want that sucker right now but if I bought it now, I know that would make her upset.


You might want to “hint” to your wife that the reqtec 700 is on sale right now....200 off. Maybe they will delay ship it for Father’s Day but 200 bills right now is a lot of pellets or meat!

You can also put a small chimney with lit coals and some wood chunks inside the 700 if you want some of that real wood flavors but the 700 does a pretty good smoke profile.


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## nygiant (Apr 9, 2022)

ross77 said:


> It’s a different type of smoke flavor. I tried the tubes and adding pellets to the deflector but it’s just not the same. IMO it’s more of a wood fired oven flavor. Just not what I was looking for. I don’t like heavily smoked food either. In the end you just can’t beat the flavor of smoldering wood chunks. Again, all personal preference.


Real interesting how different types of smokers have different smoke profiles. Like you said though, the real thing is, everyone has a different liking and it is personal opinion.


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## nygiant (Apr 9, 2022)

civilsmoker said:


> You might want to “hint” to your wife that the reqtec 700 is on sale right now....200 off. Maybe they will delay ship it for Father’s Day but 200 bills right now is a lot of pellets or meat!
> 
> You can also put a small chimney with lit coals and some wood chunks inside the 700 if you want some of that real wood flavors but the 700 does a pretty good smoke profile.


Heck yeah you’re right, $200 off is nice!  I am mentioning that today.  Anyways, it’s very interesting what you just said about the chimney with coals and wood chunks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of that. Definitely have one already because I have the weber kettle grill and Smoky Mountain.  I don’t know… it’s like the other poster was saying one or two above this, it’s all personal preference and the amount of smoke flavor that you want in there. I know my wife and kids don’t like too strong of a smoke flavor.  I don’t mind it, but from  looking on YouTube and doing some reading, if you start off your smoke around 180° for the first 90 minutes to 120 minutes, A lot of people say that’s the most smoke flavor you’re going to get anyways, in the first two hours. Apparently these pellet smokers have to be kept under 200 to really get a lot of smoke out of them. I guess the pellets burn so clean at higher temperatures that’s probably why there isn’t much smoke flavor. However it’s not like you have to keep it at 180° for 8, 10, 14 hrs.. It’s really just the first two hours from several videos I’ve seen and things I’ve read on different sites.


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## civilsmoker (Apr 9, 2022)

The time under 225 won’t render any fat so this is good for lean meats. Fattier meats not so much. The RT puts some very nice smoke flavor @ 225 to 275


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## ross77 (Apr 9, 2022)

Correct. I’d always run my pellet smoker at 180 first to get more smoke on it. However that will just add to the cooking time. I found that briskets took quite a long time. What I like about my charcoal Gravity is that I can smoke at 275 the whole cook and still get great flavor. I do all my briskets, ribs and pork butts at 275 now.


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## simoon (Apr 20, 2022)

I have a Z-Grills that I have had great results with. 

I use a couple of smoke tubes to get the smoke flavor up to the level of a wood burner. 

I also augmented the lid with a gasket ($12 on Ebay) to keep in the smoke and better regulate temp.

I am getting very close to the smoke level of a wood burner, with the convenience of a pellet smoker.


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## nygiant (Apr 20, 2022)

Well I’m happy to report that my rec teq 700 is on a truck  and on the way to the house. Should be delivered soon!.  Wife surprised me last night and told me she ordered it. For an early anniversary/birthday gift.  Can’t wait!!!!


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## nygiant (Apr 23, 2022)

Truck delivered it yesterday afternoon. Now I just have to find some time to put it together. Only thing that sucks is it’s in my garage and I’m gonna have to move it up to my deck which has about 10 or 12 stairs from the ground level. I’m assuming taking it piece by piece off the pallet and putting it together on the deck would be best considering the weight when it is fully constructed.


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## sandyut (Apr 23, 2022)

shouldn't be a problem to assemble on the deck or have a buddy help you once you have it together in the garage.  I dont this its all that insanely heavy.  I moved mine up and down a couple steps singlehandedly.  

Congrats on you RT-700.  I have loved mine for years now.


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## nygiant (Apr 23, 2022)

sandyut said:


> shouldn't be a problem to assemble on the deck or have a buddy help you once you have it together in the garage.  I dont this its all that insanely heavy.  I moved mine up and down a couple steps singlehandedly.
> 
> Congrats on you RT-700.  I have loved mine for years now.



OK that’s really good to hear. For some reason I thought this thing was really heavy.  I had like 300 pounds stuck in my head.

I’ll probably be back here asking some questions. I’ve watched a good amount of YouTube videos that rec teq has posted as well as other people that own these.

I think you’re supposed to do something fatty as your first smoke like a bunch of chicken thighs? What are some of the better pellets to buy? Seems all Home Depot sells is Traeger. I have a Lowe’s and Walmart near me as well.  I guess I could get some off Amazon as well.  assuming that’s not really cost-effective due to the weight and shipping.


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## sandyut (Apr 23, 2022)

Lumberjack are my favorite pellets.  They are sold at dicks here locally. I buy them from a guy for $10 a bag.   Found him on a local classified listing.

first cook, I would do something pretty straight forward.  Fat content doesnt matter.  Thighs would be good.  Baby back would be good.


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## chopsaw (Apr 23, 2022)

Roll that thing in the front door and out the back . Lol . 
I use B&B pellets in my Weber . I really like them , and easy for me to get . Acadamy sports if you have one close sells them . 
Congrats on the new rig . My Performer was a Fathers day gift from my wife in 2006 . One of my favorite grills .


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## sandyut (Apr 23, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Roll that thing in the front door and out the back . Lol .


Love that idea!


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## bill1 (Apr 23, 2022)

Best done 


chopsaw said:


> Roll that thing in the front door and out the back .


Best done when the spouse is gone.


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## chopsaw (Apr 23, 2022)

bill1 said:


> Best done
> 
> Best done when the spouse is gone.


No issues with that here . Probably would have been her idea .


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## 1MoreFord (Apr 23, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> .......................
> I use B&B pellets in my Weber . I really like them , and easy for me to get . Acadamy sports if you have one close sells them ....................



I was very happy when I got my pellet grill to find out that the Academy Sports stores near me sold B&B at good prices  but recently they have stopped selling  B&B and have switched to Bear Mtn.  Still a good brand but TSC sells them and I'd like to still have B&B as an option.


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## OldSmoke (Apr 23, 2022)

nygiant said:


> Wife surprised me last night and told me she ordered it.


You married well.

Does she have a fishing boat?


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## chopsaw (Apr 23, 2022)

Good to know . I was inthere last week and they only had a couple bags of B&B . No other pellets.  I bought what they had , I'll have to go back and look .


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## nygiant (Apr 23, 2022)

So I’m looking around at all my local stores and it doesn’t seem like anyone has some of the better pellets mentioned here. Just checked tractor supply. They have bear mountain and they also have pit boss. The bear mountain has oak in it and I thought I read somewhere that is considered a “filler wood” when it comes to smoking, is that correct?. Looked at the pit boss pellet And it was a hickory, Maple, and Cherry pellet, nothing else.  Pitt boss is 40 lbs $16.99 and bear mountain is 20lbs $9.99


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## chopsaw (Apr 23, 2022)

Go get a bag of each and decide what you like .  Blends work just fine in my opinion .


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## civilsmoker (Apr 23, 2022)

I have burned over 200 lbs of the pit boss in my RT 1250 and they burn reasonable. A bit “dusty” but a good flavor!  I burn Lil’ devils cause I get them for 6.50 per 20lbs.... cause I burn LOTs of pellets (burned 60 lbs in the last 3 weeks alone). They are a blend of alder, apple, hickory, maple, and mesquite....if I can’t get LD’s I get the pit boss one....

PS I had to take my 1250 to the back porch a piece at a time.  Worked just fine!

PS congrats and enjoy!


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## 1MoreFord (Apr 24, 2022)

nygiant said:


> .................................The bear mountain has oak in it and I thought I read somewhere that is considered a “filler wood” when it comes to smoking, is that correct?....................


Oak or alder are the "fillers" in many pellets.  Both are good smoking woods in their own right.  They are generally more plentiful and less expensive than the woods we think of as "flavor" woods so that's why they are used in blends.

I try to buy and use LumberJack 100% Hickory whenever possible.  Failing that I'll buy Bear Mtn. or B&B Hickory which are blends.


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## mike243 (Apr 24, 2022)

Went yesterday, pu a bag of southwest whatever the heck that is lol


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## nygiant (Apr 24, 2022)

1MoreFord said:


> Oak or alder are the "fillers" in many pellets.  Both are good smoking woods in their own right.  They are generally more plentiful and less expensive than the woods we think of as "flavor" woods so that's why they are used in blends.
> 
> I try to buy and use LumberJack 100% Hickory whenever possible.  Failing that I'll buy Bear Mtn. or B&B Hickory which are blends.



Interesting, good to know. Thanks for explaining that.  I think I might try these to start. Reviews look awesome.


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## chopsaw (Apr 24, 2022)

I have 20 pounds each of Apple , cherry , mesquite and a 40 pound bag of the championship blend in B&B . I'll be going tomorrow to Academy and picking up some Bear mountain . I'm going to get it while the getting's good . 
When I had my offset , I would run it with red oak , and throw a couple splits of apple or whatever in there for flavor . Blended pellets seems about the same to me . 
When I did a brisket the other day , I put 100% mesquite pellets in the bottom then filled it with mesquite blended pellets . Burn the 100% advertised pellets for smoke boost , then the blend drives it home .


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## chopsaw (Apr 25, 2022)

1MoreFord

Just got back from Academy Sports . The shelves were stocked with B&B pellets and wood chunks / chips . Might be a regional thing . Got 100 pounds for $43.00


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## zwiller (Apr 25, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> I have 20 pounds each of Apple , cherry , mesquite and a 40 pound bag of the championship blend in B&B . I'll be going tomorrow to Academy and picking up some Bear mountain . I'm going to get it while the getting's good .
> When I had my offset , I would run it with red oak , and throw a couple splits of apple or whatever in there for flavor . Blended pellets seems about the same to me .
> When I did a brisket the other day , I put 100% mesquite pellets in the bottom then filled it with mesquite blended pellets . Burn the 100% advertised pellets for smoke boost , then the blend drives it home .


Didn't know you had an offset.  Is the offset legit head and shoulders above other smokers?


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## chopsaw (Apr 25, 2022)

zwiller said:


> Is the offset legit head and shoulders above other smokers?


Yes . There is nothing that compares as far as I'm concerned . I just had a cheap Char-Griller Smoke pro . Made some great food . 
I was way into it . I would start the fire in the smoker , Then I had an old kettle that I used to burn Red oak down to coals . All bark removed , then shoveled the coals into the fire box on the smoker . Sometimes I would add Lump charcoal , but was mostly wood coals . That method is way to much work , but the food is fantastic . 
I would love to have a nice offset that held temps .


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## civilsmoker (Apr 25, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> Yes . There is nothing that compares as far as I'm concerned . I just had a cheap Char-Griller Smoke pro . Made some great food .
> I was way into it . I would start the fire in the smoker , Then I had an old kettle that I used to burn Red oak down to coals . All bark removed , then shoveled the coals into the fire box on the smoker . Sometimes I would add Lump charcoal , but was mostly wood coals . That method is way to much work , but the food is fantastic .
> I would love to have a nice offset that held temps .


Ok, I just have to applaud on the proper BBQ description above!!!!


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## chopsaw (Apr 25, 2022)

civilsmoker said:


> Ok, I just have to applaud on the proper BBQ description above!!!!


That was way back in the late 90's . Been cooking with wood since my 20's . 
Something truly magical happens with red oak 
and meat . 
A beef steak grilled directly over wood coals is perfection .


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## civilsmoker (Apr 25, 2022)

Crazy, how mainstream BBQ is today.... I mean good BBQ was often a multi day event with minimal sleep or shifts and was truly an art on how far to burn the coals down and the timing of burning splits down to coals...... Now we turn on our grill from the phone drop a protein on and watch the graph as it cooks only to have the alarm go off and we go take it to the kitchen counter..... no fires to build, no coals to shovel, good sleep..... But it means BBQ almost every day if you want.......


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## nygiant (Apr 25, 2022)

civilsmoker said:


> Crazy, how mainstream BBQ is today.... I mean good BBQ was often a multi day event with minimal sleep or shifts and was truly an art on how far to burn the coals down and the timing of burning splits down to coals...... Now we turn on our grill from the phone drop a protein on and watch the graph as it cooks only to have the alarm go off and we go take it to the kitchen counter..... no fires to build, no coals to shovel, good sleep..... But it means BBQ almost every day if you want.......


Evolution. Hence, life in the 21st century too. I was using a Weber smoky mountain and was just spending way too much time getting things going and monitoring etc. Might not be as authentic or even as smoky, but I’m looking forward to my new Rec Teq.


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## civilsmoker (Apr 25, 2022)

nygiant said:


> Evolution. Hence, life in the 21st century too. I was using a Weber smoky mountain and was just spending way too much time getting things going and monitoring etc. Might not be as authentic or even as smoky, but I’m looking forward to my new Rec Teq.


Oh don't get me wrong, I LOVE my pellet (RT 1250), and have said many times before, if I could only have one smoker it would be a pellet and I have some very nice traditional and wood fire smokers! I use mine 3-4 days a week!


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## MJB05615 (Apr 25, 2022)

I've been using my Chargriller as a Charcoal Grill to make Steaks over wood, lately.  Thanks to Rich 

 chopsaw
 's older post and helped me through the first run a few wees ago.  Haven't looked back since and have done several now.  Still sourcing Red Oak chunks so I can try those.  I have done Hickory and Oak and Post Oak.  It's the only way I can eat Steak now.  I'll still use my MES for standard smoking though, it's failsafe.


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## chopsaw (Apr 26, 2022)

MJB05615 said:


> It's the only way I can eat Steak now.


I need to get back to it . It seems if it's not 30 mph winds , it's raining .


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## MJB05615 (Apr 26, 2022)

chopsaw said:


> I need to get back to it . It seems if it's not 30 mph winds , it's raining .


Next stop for me is CI steak.  That'll be in a few weeks.  Anxiously awaiting that.


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## Brewing&Q'ing (Apr 26, 2022)

bigfurmn said:


> Also not what you asked but I have a Pit Boss pellet. I love it but gravity feed charcoal grills have my attention right now.


I am actually thinking of getting a Pit Boss 850 Pro Series from Lowes. I have had my WSM for 10 years and just need more convenience at this point. I was thinking of trying a hybrid cook just to have fun start off on the WSM and finish on the Pit Boss. get the smoke flavor and then the ease of not having to babysit something.


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## Fraser (Apr 26, 2022)

Just my $0.02: We’ve had an RT-680 (predecessor to RT-700) since ‘14. Since then it’s gotten several ‘upgrades’ (including fire rod, fan motor, wi-fi controller, among others), most at little/no cost. Their CS is nothing short of phenomenal. As noted, an email to them triggered a timely phone follow-up, who does that?  For me, that level of CS is important in purchase decision. 
My lawyers want me to say I’ve never owned a Traeger or other brand of pellet-pooper so can’t comment/compare. But I’ve had stick burners and, frankly, don’t miss the sleepless nights and chimneyithiology. I’m a regular congregationist at the Wi-Fi Church.
As far as smoke levels (and at the risk of having my Texas citizenship revoked for saying this) but I’ve never preferred brisket meteorites, obsidian turkeys or LaBrea chicken, so product with a more subtle smoke is welcome. Just remember you can always add smoke; tricky to remove it. Like sandyut


sandyut said:


> i set the Rec Tec at 189 (extreme smoke) for an hour or two then bump it up to the planned cook temp


depending on how much I want to impart.
Oh, and don’t neglect pellets. Sawdust may be ok heating a house but the idea of smoking food is the smoke. GrillGrates are also a recommended accessory.

Hope this helps!


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## silverhawx (May 29, 2022)

nygiant said:


> I have had a weber smoky mountain for about five or six years now. While I really like it,  I’m just looking for something a little more convenient as life has gotten busier. More of a “ set it and forget it” type of smoker.
> 
> I was in Costco last week and they had a special on Traegers but I did not bite. I have seen them in there before. Been looking online and on YouTube and see a lot of positives but negative comments as well. The other one I’m looking at, and my brother has one, is a Rec TEC. Just for reference, I was looking at the Traeger 885 size. I guess the similar rec tec was the 700 model? I haven’t looked real closely at those but I’ve heard they’re high-quality and made in the USA. Just wondering for those that know more about these the me if either one of the ones I mentioned is good and if one is recommended over another? Or am I leaving a brand out that’s just as good?


My wife bought me a Rec Tec. Doing my 3rd smoke on it in the early morning. My daughter made me a Gunpowder rub. So far they have turned out great. I gave my some my old Traeger. Moving forward and not looking back. So much room on the RT700 with the fold down table, extra shelves and the griddle works great for bacon. Ill try to post picks tomorrow.


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## silverhawx (May 30, 2022)




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## Hijack73 (May 30, 2022)

I wouldn't go with the Pit Boss again.  Mine is usable after I added a Savannah Stoker PID BUT before that it was not a machine I enjoyed cooking on.  

The 850 just isn't big enough either.  That's the one I have.  It is good for butts (up to 2 big ones or even 4 smaller ones) but for a big brisket it isn't ideal, and that is my main complaint.  I'm a brisket guy, and briskets ain't cheap anymore.  

I guess I've got $750-800 bucks in mine after the addition of the aftermarket motherboard and all of the shipping and taxes etc...., and it still is far from what I would consider a good smoker.  I've learned to make it work, but I wouldn't buy anything less than a 1250 Rec Teq if I had to buy another pellet machine.


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## G8trwood (May 30, 2022)

On so many the capacity is meh. Mine is a 1000, and that is kind of true if doing wings or ribs. Butts won’t fit on bottom with top shelf in. Shelves that don’t slide out…. Come on guys. How about 36 * by 25 high or so space with 3 real shelves that slide out and deep enough for a slab of ribs to run front to back ;) I realize I am high maintenance… haha


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## fxsales1959 (May 30, 2022)

SmokinEdge said:


> Don’t forget about the Master Built gravity series charcoal cookers. They are set and forget also and provide a decent smoke and bark final product.


I'm glad someone else mentioned this. I didn't want to pee in the stream, and have never used pellets, but I absolutely love my Masterbuilt  gravity fed 560. Charcoal flavor, plenty of smoke if you do it right, and temps can get to hell +one degree. I'd never leave any appliance unattended, but my 560 is as close to set it nd forget it as I think I trust. I haven't used my "Egg" or offset since i bought it.


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## mike243 (May 30, 2022)

As high as charcoal has gotten I am glad I didn't grab a gravity fed, have a Weber 18" clone thats pretty cheap using charcoal. Running my pellet smoker is a lot cheaper. 4+ years and still running great


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## friedenfels (May 31, 2022)

Apologize for being late to the party. I currently have a Traeger 885 Ironwood, and while it has performed well, I just pulled the trigger on a Recteq RT-1250. Recteq's app is not quite as robust as Traegers, but does everything you need it to. Traeger has a super smoke mode up to 225, not sure it has really made that much a difference. Recteq built like an armored truck, and the stainless will last many years. Both around the same price. Can't go wrong with either, but for me - Recteq for the win.


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## sandyut (May 31, 2022)

F
 friedenfels
 you are gonna love the RT-250.


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## chopsaw (May 31, 2022)

The cover comes off my SmokeFire more than any of my other cookers . I just love the results , from low and slow to high heat grilling . Cleans up with a stiff brush and a scraper that comes with it . No shop vac to drag out . I can't think of one complaint . I was on the fence , but couldn't be happier that I bought it .


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## BCP3006 (May 31, 2022)

nygiant said:


> I have had a weber smoky mountain for about five or six years now. While I really like it,  I’m just looking for something a little more convenient as life has gotten busier. More of a “ set it and forget it” type of smoker.
> 
> I was in Costco last week and they had a special on Traegers but I did not bite. I have seen them in there before. Been looking online and on YouTube and see a lot of positives but negative comments as well. The other one I’m looking at, and my brother has one, is a Rec TEC. Just for reference, I was looking at the Traeger 885 size. I guess the similar rec tec was the 700 model? I haven’t looked real closely at those but I’ve heard they’re high-quality and made in the USA. Just wondering for those that know more about these the me if either one of the ones I mentioned is good and if one is recommended over another? Or am I leaving a brand out that’s just as good?


If I had some criteria to help me choose the pellet smoker that would give me the best blue smoke, I would just have to pretend that each pellet smoker was a girl and pick the prettiest one and hope she could smoke my heart.
As far as creating blue smoke the pellets can't till the difference of the brand make or model of this pellet smoker they're going in. It was just pure stupid look on my part that I picked up bag of pit boss charcoal blend pellets at the end of barbecuing season last year at Walmart. So there was this one bag of charcoal blend pellets from pit boss laying there and I'm still at the point trying to search out those pellets that give blue smoke. All the pellets I have ever tried that look like wood only gave white smoke and that's all smoke I saw for 6 months and was getting very discouraged because I can get blue smoke on an offset smoker. So I picked up that one bag and I don't know how long it sat there or in the warehouse if they stored it in at Walmart and they picked it up from the manufacturer's Warehouse and God only knows how long it sat in that warehouse...
When I got home I took a handful of pellets put them in the hopper and turned it on and went inside and threw some seasoning on some ribs and came back out and looked over at the smoker which is just a natural occurrence because every time I come out I always look over there I guess just to make sure the smokers still there LOL put lo and behold there was blue smoke coming out of there and you should have seen a smile on my face.
Then I started to do some testing with a hygrometer with some of my charcoal blend pellets from pit boss and I put them in a piece of Tupperware and I put my hygrometer in there with them and snapped the lid shut and walked away and a couple days later the hygrometer said 41% moisture. There has got to be a moisture threshold that has to be violated to make those pellets not create blue I read that some manufacturers are trying to shoot for 5% moisture in their pellets where they normally would be shooting for 10 to 15% moisture. These moisture experiments have started conducting got me to thinking that maybe a blue smoke with 5% moisture would be a better smoke than with a blue smoke with 15 or 41% moisture because when I took my ribs off the smoker there was no smoke flavor on the ribs and I smoked them for 5 hours at a low temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. So there went my smile I had on my face but you only made me dig deeper trying to find a way to get more flavor onto my meat and it does come from the refrigerator and not allowed to come up to room temperature before they enter the smoker.I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell if those ribs were even in a pellet smoker... So I sat down and ate them anyway...
I have been watching a couple gurus on YouTube using pellet smokers and they're always bragging about the flavor.. pare these gurus getting pilots delivered to their backyards straight from the press that makes the pellets without having to sit on a shelf and a warehouse for God only knows how long? Does lower moisture have anything to do with smoke quality? I know you can't get more flavor by creating more blue smoke because the thinner the blue smoke the better the flavor is but it's not actually the smoke that gives the flavor if something else in the gases given off by the fire that is lost somehow so that just got me to wondering how these gurus on YouTube for getting all of this flavor from their pellet smoker. I get good color and a smoke ring but when Elvis leaves the house he brings the flavor with him.
My pellets are stored in tupperware so that keeps the moisture out and the pellets will snap when I break them with my fingers so that means they're still dry but even at 41% moisture they'll still I am assuming that 41% moisture does have some effect on flavor. I'm thinking that the color of the smoke Ring determines how well your fire is burning and you need a hot fire to create blue smoke 650° up to 750° smoldering pellets in a smoke tube only create white smoke but slap me with a pork chop if I'm wrong . But more smoke will not get you more flavor because the least amount of smoke is enough to give you that deep smoke wood flavor like to smoke you can barely see coming out of your stack


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## BCP3006 (May 31, 2022)

BCP3006 said:


> If I had some criteria to help me choose the pellet smoker that would give me the best blue smoke, I would just have to pretend that each pellet smoker was a girl and pick the prettiest one and hope she could smoke my heart.
> As far as creating blue smoke the pellets can't till the difference of the brand make or model of this pellet smoker they're going in. It was just pure stupid look on my part that I picked up bag of pit boss charcoal blend pellets at the end of barbecuing season last year at Walmart. So there was this one bag of charcoal blend pellets from pit boss laying there and I'm still at the point trying to search out those pellets that give blue smoke. All the pellets I have ever tried that look like wood only gave white smoke and that's all smoke I saw for 6 months and was getting very discouraged because I can get blue smoke on an offset smoker. So I picked up that one bag and I don't know how long it sat there or in the warehouse if they stored it in at Walmart and they picked it up from the manufacturer's Warehouse and God only knows how long it sat in that warehouse...
> When I got home I took a handful of pellets put them in the hopper and turned it on and went inside and threw some seasoning on some ribs and came back out and looked over at the smoker which is just a natural occurrence because every time I come out I always look over there I guess just to make sure the smokers still there LOL put lo and behold there was blue smoke coming out of there and you should have seen a smile on my face.
> Then I started to do some testing with a hygrometer with some of my charcoal blend pellets from pit boss and I put them in a piece of Tupperware and I put my hygrometer in there with them and snapped the lid shut and walked away and a couple days later the hygrometer said 41% moisture. There has got to be a moisture threshold that has to be violated to make those pellets not create blue I read that some manufacturers are trying to shoot for 5% moisture in their pellets where they normally would be shooting for 10 to 15% moisture. These moisture experiments have started conducting got me to thinking that maybe a blue smoke with 5% moisture would be a better smoke than with a blue smoke with 15 or 41% moisture because when I took my ribs off the smoker there was no smoke flavor on the ribs and I smoked them for 5 hours at a low temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. So there went my smile I had on my face but you only made me dig deeper trying to find a way to get more flavor onto my meat and it does come from the refrigerator and not allowed to come up to room temperature before they enter the smoker.I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell if those ribs were even in a pellet smoker... So I sat down and ate them anyway...
> ...


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## bill1 (Jun 3, 2022)

BCP3006 said:


> ...Does lower moisture have anything to do with smoke quality? ...


Moisture in wood turns to steam which might appear as added white smoke, and gets some folks excited they're getting more "smoke", but it's not flavoring your food, just adding humidity.  And I think it's much easier controlling the humidity in your cooker with water pans (set at varying degrees of coupling to your heat source, or with its own electric element if you want to go whole hog) than by selecting wood moisture.   Added humidity definitely helps your meet cook quicker (compare a steam burn with just sticking your arm in an oven to see what I mean.)  Now in general shorter cook time would mean _less_ smoke flavor, but I don't find that to be true, so I believe that the steam also helps the large flavor molecules of the smoke condense out and stick to the meat.  At least that's the Blonder explanation and he's a pretty sharp guy.


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## BCP3006 (Jun 4, 2022)

bill1 said:


> Moisture in wood turns to steam which might appear as added white smoke, and gets some folks excited they're getting more "smoke", but it's not flavoring your food, just adding humidity.  And I think it's much easier controlling the humidity in your cooker with water pans (set at varying degrees of coupling to your heat source, or with its own electric element if you want to go whole hog) than by selecting wood moisture.   Added humidity definitely helps your meet cook quicker (compare a steam burn with just sticking your arm in an oven to see what I mean.)  Now in general shorter cook time would mean _less_ smoke flavor, but I don't find that to be true, so I believe that the steam also helps the large flavor molecules of the smoke condense out and stick to the meat.  At least that's the Blonder explanation and he's a pretty sharp guy.


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## BCP3006 (Jun 4, 2022)

I'm new to using a vertical pellet smoker. And had it for seven or eight months now and 90% of that time I only got white smoke out of the pellets I went by and I had several brand.

I tried to order Royal oak 100% charcoal pellets but what I received was Royal oak pellets when I specifically said Royal oak charcoal pellets of their two different pellets all together anyway but through some in my smoker and all they did was belch out white smoke.. I called the store where I bought them and I tried to return them but they said just keep them so heck how much is use them for fertilizer in the garden totally useless for smoking.last year at the end of barbecue season I was in Walmart and I saw a bag of pit boss charcoal blended pellets and that kind of reminded me about that charcoal pellet I tried to order so I picked up a bag and it was the only one laying there and no telling how long it laid there and in the warehouse and in the warehouse from the manufacturer where they store there stock anyway I brought it home took a handful and threw them in Hopper turn the grill on went inside about 5 or 10 minutes later I came out and glass over at the smoker just out of habit trying to make sure it's still there and hoping it didn't wander off. But there it was right in front of my eyes all I could see was blue smoke coming out of the smoker of my eyes. I blinked a couple times and rub my eyes and sure enough that blue smoke was still there well long story short I had a rack of ribs in there and I smoked them for 5 hours and when I pulled them out when they were done with all that blue smoke coming out that just tells you that you far is burning right and clean but there was no smoking wood flavor on your pork ribs.
We as consumers don't really see what happens to our pellets behind the curtain.
Anyway, all this wood gets ground up into sawdust and exposed to air and air oxidizes everything it touches so if there was flavor in the wood well there isn't quite so much when you get it off the shelfand the good Lord only knows how long it sat on that shelf in the warehouse...

I watch gurus on YouTube using their pellet grills and they tell you what flavor pellets they are using and at the end of the cook they always tell you how great and wonderful the flavor is.. I'm sorry I haven't learned how to taste flavor watching a video. I have never tasted any flavor with any brand of pellet that I have used even if it was putting out blue smoke there still was no wood flavor on the meat.
But there are those who only want to taste a subtle amount of smoke on their meat and that makes them happy well I'm not from that camp. If you put meat on a smoker I wanted to taste like it smoked when you pull it off and not have to sit there and think well do I taste the flavor or not well then pretty soon you convince yourself there might be some flavor there

YOUR HOPES THOUGHTS WISHES AND DREAMS ABOUT MY PREDICAMENT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I STILL HAVE ONE TRICK UP MY SLEEVE ABOUT HOW TO GET SOME FLAVOR ON YOUR PORK RIBS...

I HAVE A BIG GLASS WINDOW ON MY SMOKER AND I WONDER WHY THEY PUT THAT THERE. I KNOW THE RIBS AREN'T GOING TO GO ANYWHERE SO WHY SHOULD I WATCH THEM and no I have never burned up a piece of meat on my pellet grill.
And while I'm still standing on my stump I can truthfully say these smoking tubes or a big hoax yeah they put out lots of smoke but it's all white smoke and yes I tried some of those pellets I have that create blue smoke in my pellet grill but all they put up in those tubes are white smoke.


blue smoke tells you is that you have a clean fire and the smoke doesn't have anything to do with the flavor of your meat, the gas is giving up by your clean fire that combined together produce that red ring around your meat and because that happens you see blue smoke...

Okay okay I'll get off my stump...

Well maybe somebody came out for me some advice.

I was burning sticks for 35 years and just wanted to see what this pellet grill world was all about.


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## bill1 (Jun 5, 2022)

BCP, I think what's happening is that pellet smokers burn their fuel just too fast.  Both crucibles and pellets should be larger...think of a typical offset.  (IMO Traeger was basing his cooker just too much on pellet furnaces.) Charcoal is basically wood that's had half its energy content burned out already. (And unfortunately also at least half of the smoke flavor as well.)   

I suspect you had bluer "finer" smoke (this Wikipedia article has a great picture of white milk turning blue with fine flour added) just because the crucible was a bit cooler using charcoal pellets instead of wood pellets, so indeed you had a better fire per se.  (You didn't mention the cook temperature for your ribs, but I doubt you were pushing the 500-degree limits that the market for pellet "grills" feels they need to address, so of course you weren't starved for _heat energy_ from using charcoal instead of "full-strength" wood.)   Alas, even though you had a better fire, the limitations of the stock pellet grill at impacting smoke flavoring to food are still there.  Sorry that the smoke flavor molecules didn't stick to your food as well as you'd hoped.


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## G8trwood (Jun 5, 2022)

bill1 said:


> BCP, I think what's happening is that pellet smokers burn their fuel just too fast.  Both crucibles and pellets should be larger...think of a typical offset.  (IMO Traeger was basing his cooker just too much on pellet furnaces.) Charcoal is basically wood that's had half its energy content burned out already. (And unfortunately also at least half of the smoke flavor as well.)
> 
> I suspect you had bluer "finer" smoke (this Wikipedia article has a great picture of white milk turning blue with fine flour added) just because the crucible was a bit cooler using charcoal pellets instead of wood pellets, so indeed you had a better fire per se.  (You didn't mention the cook temperature for your ribs, but I doubt you were pushing the 500-degree limits that the market for pellet "grills" feels they need to address, so of course you weren't starved for _heat energy_ from using charcoal instead of "full-strength" wood.)   Alas, even though you had a better fire, the limitations of the stock pellet grill at impacting smoke flavoring to food are still there.  Sorry that the smoke flavor molecules didn't stick to your food as well as you'd hoped.


Couldn’t agree with this more. I have believed for a while that they need a larger firepot and move more air through at a lower velocity. They wanted  the efficiency for heating, but for cooking we want dem flavanoids!


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## BCP3006 (Jun 5, 2022)

bill1 said:


> BCP, I think what's happening is that pellet smokers burn their fuel just too fast.  Both crucibles and pellets should be larger...think of a typical offset.  (IMO Traeger was basing his cooker just too much on pellet furnaces.) Charcoal is basically wood that's had half its energy content burned out already. (And unfortunately also at least half of the smoke flavor as well.)
> 
> I suspect you had bluer "finer" smoke (this Wikipedia article has a great picture of white milk turning blue with fine flour added) just because the crucible was a bit cooler using charcoal pellets instead of wood pellets, so indeed you had a better fire per se.  (You didn't mention the cook temperature for your ribs, but I doubt you were pushing the 500-degree limits that the market for pellet "grills" feels they need to address, so of course you weren't starved for _heat energy_ from using charcoal instead of "full-strength" wood.)   Alas, even though you had a better fire, the limitations of the stock pellet grill at impacting smoke flavoring to food are still there.  Sorry that the smoke flavor molecules didn't stick to your food as well as you'd hoped.


Thanks for the text Bill.

The Bigger word gave me an idea.  They do extrude coconut shell and shape it using the same technique as they do wood pellets.about the only difference is there is a hole going down through the middle of the extruded coconut to form a longer thicker pellet kind of looks like IMR 4831 rifle powder only on steroids . I'M JUST GOING TO HAVE TO CREATE A GLAZE WITH THE FLAVOR OF CHOICE MAYBE SOME HICKORY AND SOME RASPBERRY FLAVOR.

WELL I ENJOY THE HANDS-FREE COOKING ON A PELLET SMOKER BUT I SURE MISS THAT OFFSET SMOKER FLAVOR.

I have a buddy that is an accountant who works in one of those tall buildings in Dallas Texas that have building is just full of accountants anyway I made him some smoked ribs one day and they brought some to the break room to eat for lunch and he heated those up in the microwave and he said immediately he noticed something different about the people they were moving faster Missouri whether they were coming into brake warm or going out they were on a mission to find out where the smell of them ribs were coming from they finally zeroed in on my buddy in the break room and they told him they've never smelled ribs that good in their entire life. That that was the second compliment I've ever had with this meat I've been smoking of course I haven't been offering any of it to anybody other than cooking for myself.

I used to drive a truck and was downtown Dallas for quite some time and it looked like there was a food truck convention going on there and I talked to the one of the guys says,  no that's just lunch time everybody comes out of the big buildings and comes down and loads up with that food on those food trucks. If I had a food cart and parked it at the entrance doors to one of those buildings I should have a sellout every day , man if I only had a little food cart..


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## BCP3006 (Jun 5, 2022)

BCP3006 said:


> Thanks for the text Bill.
> 
> The Bigger word gave me an idea.  They do extrude coconut shell and shape it using the same technique as they do wood pellets.about the only difference is there is a hole going down through the middle of the extruded coconut to form a longer thicker pellet kind of looks like IMR 4831 rifle powder only on steroids . I'M JUST GOING TO HAVE TO CREATE A GLAZE WITH THE FLAVOR OF CHOICE MAYBE SOME HICKORY AND SOME RASPBERRY FLAVOR.
> 
> ...


I found a restaurant at the Lincoln square in North Arlington Texas they had some darn good smoked ribs.


Have been to Austin and ate at some of those mom and pop shops looking for good taste and smoked ribs but none of them were ever quite like I make as far as flavor.. I was always looking for that deep rich wood smoke flavor in the meat and when I found it it would be like ringing that taco Bell in my head... After I move I'm going to have to get me a better offset smoker. I could just turn that pellet smoker into an oven and be happy with that...


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## BCP3006 (Jun 5, 2022)

BCP3006 said:


> I found a restaurant at the Lincoln square in North Arlington Texas they had some darn good smoked ribs.
> 
> 
> Have been to Austin and ate at some of those mom and pop shops looking for good taste and smoked ribs but none of them were ever quite like I make as far as flavor.. I was always looking for that deep rich wood smoke flavor in the meat and when I found it it would be like ringing that taco Bell in my head... After I move I'm going to have to get me a better offset smoker. I could just turn that pellet smoker into an oven and be happy with that...


I started using stick burners 35 years ago and I was hooked on pecan wood that's what everybody was raving about so I started out using pecan and one day about 10 or 15 years later at the bright idea to try some mesquite but that was only after I ate in a mesquite smokehouse in order to steak and I just about fell out of my chair that doggone steak was good I mean really good and I've been hooked on mesquite ever since . I have never over spoken anything with mesquite. Yep that was mesquite I had on those ribs my buddy had in that office building.

Maybe some people got some that were over smoked and that gave them a bad review of the flavor.


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## bill1 (Jun 8, 2022)

BCP3006 said:


> ...they brought some to the break room to eat for lunch and he heated those up in the microwave and he said immediately he noticed something different about the people...


You tend these smokers while you cook and you really overload your olfactory senses.  I'm always saying "needed more smoke" at the dinner table.  But you know, the next day after a shower and change of clothes, when you take leftovers into work and microwave them, that smoke flavor really comes wafting out in all its glory.  Brings out a lot of complements.  (Of course some prefer their raw veggies, which is fine.)


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## BCP3006 (Jun 8, 2022)

bill1 said:


> You tend these smokers while you cook and you really overload your olfactory senses.  I'm always saying "needed more smoke" at the dinner table.  But you know, the next day after a shower and change of clothes, when you take leftovers into work and microwave them, that smoke flavor really comes wafting out in all its glory.  Brings out a lot of complements.  (Of course some prefer their raw veggies, which is fine.)


I just wish I had the problem of smelling like barbecue when I'm using my pellet smoker. I see The thin blue smoke finally after 7 months searching for a pellet that will create blue smoke. So the brand of pellet that I have till does not give my barbecue that wood smoked flavor...

Very nice looking grill call the FUSION FUEL GRILL but they certainly don't show any blue smoke in the air. But then some people want to see white smoke..


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## bill1 (Jun 8, 2022)

BCP3006 said:


> I just wish I had the problem of smelling like barbecue when I'm using my pellet smoker. I see The thin blue smoke finally after 7 months searching for a pellet that will create blue smoke. So the brand of pellet that I have till does not give my barbecue that wood smoked flavor...
> 
> Very nice looking grill call the FUSION FUEL GRILL but they certainly don't show any blue smoke in the air. But then some people want to see white smoke..


It's probably this:  https://grills.lifetime.com/ 
I don't see anyone promoting it, but I'd think the trick would be to supply at least half the cooking power via a propane burner (possibly with a water pan intercepting most of that heat) and then rely on the pellets for just smoke flavoring.  
And I like Lifetime's somewhat simplified approach to grease/fat management too.


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## BCP3006 (Jun 8, 2022)

bill1 said:


> It's probably this:  https://grills.lifetime.com/
> I don't see anyone promoting it, but I'd think the trick would be to supply at least half the cooking power via a propane burner (possibly with a water pan intercepting most of that heat) and then rely on the pellets for just smoke flavoring.
> And I like Lifetime's somewhat simplified approach to grease/fat management too.


I found a brand of pellets that created blue smoke but I got no flavor on my meat. Grill was set for 130° f and I smoke those ribs for 5 hours but no smoking flavor on the ribs.

I wasn't continually peeking at the ribs to see what was going on cuz I knew the ribs weren't going anywhere so I look the smoker take control of them but low and behold there was no Smokey flavor on the meat to make it smell like it came from a smoker.. your thoughts wishes hopes and dreams would be appreciated...


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## Ahsan390 (Oct 24, 2022)

Pit Boss pellet smoker is good one. It has different models but Pit Boss 71820 FB pellet smoker is my favourite one.


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