# In the market for a grill



## Bobby Strange (Jan 30, 2020)

Hey guys,

i am in the market for a new grill...ive been looking at pellet smokers and Kamado style ceramic grills...does anyone have a preference?


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## SmokingUPnorth (Jan 30, 2020)

What are your plans for it? Just grilling or smoking also. Are you looking for gas/charcoal? I love my Webber kettle I rarely use my MES do most smoking and all grilling on my kettle. You can do a lot with them


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## sandyut (Jan 30, 2020)

I love my Rec Tec Bull.    But I also have a Weber genesis for grilling.  Both have been super reliable and great performers.


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## Bobby Strange (Jan 30, 2020)

Hawaiianbrian said:


> What are your plans for it? Just grilling or smoking also. Are you looking for gas/charcoal? I love my Webber kettle I rarely use my MES do most smoking and all grilling on my kettle. You can do a lot with them



Id like to be able to do both on it.


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## Bobby Strange (Jan 30, 2020)

sandyut said:


> I love my Rec Tec Bull.    But I also have a Weber genesis for grilling.  Both have been super reliable and great performers.


that rec tec bull looks amazing


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## mike243 (Jan 30, 2020)

too many choices to little $ to buy every thing I want. thinking Masterbuilt 560 will be my next stepping stone.


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## flagriller (Jan 30, 2020)

Rec Tec Bull


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## banderson7474 (Jan 30, 2020)

Rec Tec Bull is the Cadillac of pellet smokers and the customer service is second to none


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## negolien (Jan 30, 2020)

Bobby Strange said:


> Id like to be able to do both on it.



Take a look at the Masterbuilt 560 a few of use have them now on the site and I haven't heard many complaints about the cooks


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## tx smoker (Jan 30, 2020)

Bobby Strange said:


> that rec tec bull looks amazing



Yep...you can't go wrong with the 700 Bull. Since getting mine the only other cooker I use is the propane grill. The Bull is very versatile. You can smoke, grill, and do super low and slow for sausage, bacon, dried beef, etc. Those super low temps you cannot maintain with a Kamado style grill. I have an XL BGE also and about the lowest it will stay lit is 225 to 230. That's too high for sausage and such. I believe the highest temp the Bull will attain is 500, which is still fine for grilling, but I'll just use the sear burner on the propane grill if I need something that high.

Lotsa choices and not an easy decision to make. Keep us posted.

Robert


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## Alphonse (Jan 30, 2020)

Rec Tec has a great reputation and a buddy of mine loves his.  Another top end is the Yoder but really pricey but it comes with the FireBoard PID controller built it which puts it in another league. 

Take a look at the new Weber pellet grill just coming out now.  It will likely be a top performer and Weber is known for value and quality in their grills.  I am not a fan of  many of the sheet metal pellet grills out there.  I worry about quality and durability.  The pellet grill market is getting quite crowded these days and the cost pressures are on.

Ref. kamados, I personally would buy that first.  I would stick to a good ceramic one.    Kamado Joe sells a great package and comes with all the stuff you need vs. add-ons that Big Green Egg is famous for.   

Starting out, the pellet grill is really convenient.  The kamado is more versatile.   I think you should buy both!


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## tx smoker (Jan 30, 2020)

Alphonse said:


> The kamado is more versatile.



With all due respect, I must disagree with this. I have both a BGE and a Rec Tec 700 Bull. I can do WAY more with the Rec Tec than I can with the BGE. The only thing on the plus side for the Egg is that it'll attain higher temps than the Rec Tec. They are a great piece of equipment, don't get me wrong, but from a standpoint of versatility, the Rec Tec wins hands down.



Alphonse said:


> I think you should buy both!



Now this I wholeheartedly agree with!!   

Ya can never have too many cookers,
Robert


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## sweetride95 (Jan 30, 2020)

A good pellet grill is hard to beat. If there's convenience, there's a better chance you will use it more often.


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## tander28 (Jan 30, 2020)

I've had an MES30 for years now and love it for what it is--a cheap way to get into smoking. More recently I bought a Camp Chef Woodwind SG with the Sear Box. It has been awesome in the short time I've owned it.


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## 6GRILLZNTN (Jan 30, 2020)

Weber Kettle!


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## rexster314 (Jan 30, 2020)

negolien said:


> Take a look at the Masterbuilt 560 a few of use have them now on the site and I haven't heard many complaints about the cooks
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Wholeheartedly recommend this grill. I've had mine for about 3 weeks now. Smoked a low/slow brisket already on it


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## Omnivore (Jan 30, 2020)

Just to put my 2 cents in - I have a Traeger and while I love it for smoking (rock solid temps), its no fun to grill on.  It takes quite a while to heat up and at max temp I can't get any nice grill marks unless I want overcooked meat. My next pellet grill will be one that has some sort of searing mechanism on it.


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## mike243 (Jan 30, 2020)

Love the slide on my pitboss for searing


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## Alphonse (Jan 30, 2020)

6GRILLZNTN
 makes a great suggestion to get a Weber kettle.   Here's a video by Baby Back Maniac.  Notice that he owns a bunch of Webers!  

Interesting that he doesn't own a pellet grill at the moment.  I am betting that he will add a Weber pellet grill soon however.


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## Bobby Strange (Jan 31, 2020)

Id like something that i can use to cook low and slow but also if i had some friends over and wanted to cook up some brats or burgers, i could get that done as well...basically the best of both worlds.  these replies are fantastic, thank you very much.


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## retfr8flyr (Jan 31, 2020)

Check out the new Weber Smokefire grill. For doing both grilling and smoking it looks like the one to get.


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## ross77 (Jan 31, 2020)

I have a RecTec 680 which is replaced by the Bull.  Same but Bull is all stainless.  I like it and it makes things simple but it's really not a grill.  I prefer direct heat for quick grilling of steaks and burgers etc.  For smoking, pellet cookers don't produce enough smoke flavor for some people.  That includes me, I don't want heavy ash tray smoke but the RecTec produces really light flavor.  Sometimes I can't taste any smoke at all.  

I recently bought the Masterbuilt Gravity Feed and it's the best grill/smoker combo IMO.  Maintains low temps and quickly gets up to searing temp.  It takes about 5 minutes to go from 250 to 600.  Great flavor.  Very versatile smoker/grill.


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## gmc2003 (Feb 1, 2020)

Bobby Strange said:


> Id like something that i can use to cook low and slow but also if i had some friends over and wanted to cook up some brats or burgers, i could get that done as well...basically the best of both worlds.  these replies are fantastic, thank you very much.



I was staying out of this discussion because I'm not a pellet or ceramic user, but since other options have been brought up. Here's my suggestion: 

A Weber 26" Kettle. Plenty of space for almost anything you want and can easily go hot/fast or low/slow. 

Here's a side-by-side with the my 26" and 22" Kettles for reference. 








Chris


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## Bobby Strange (Apr 23, 2020)

After weighing the pros and cons - i ended up going with a Pit Boss 820 pro - Can smoke at low temps and grill at high temps.  Such a great grill.


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