# Best pellet grill



## chris dagesse (Jul 6, 2018)

hey everyone new to forum and new to pellet grill world. What is best pellet grill over all and for a beginner? Using a bge currently.  I have looked at rec tec , Memphis elite, and traeger


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## Geebs (Jul 6, 2018)

Cant go wrong with a Rec Tec or CampChef, I own the CC Woodwind but if I would have done more research I think I would have ended up with a RecTec. I personally wouldnt buy a Treager. Dont know much about the memphis elite but I have heard good things about them on here.


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## Ishi (Jul 6, 2018)

^^^ I agree with the above. Just look on this section and see all the Traeger problems. 
I had a GMG for six years with zero issues. 
This Spring I gave the GMG to my son and bought a RecTec 590. I’ve had it for about a month now with no issues and have used it about every day. 
The Memphis grills look awesome but I couldn’t justify the coin for one.


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## chris dagesse (Jul 6, 2018)

How is rectec with if I need it to cool off quick ?


Ishi said:


> ^^^ I agree with the above. Just look on this section and see all the Traeger problems.
> I had a GMG for six years with zero issues.
> This Spring I gave the GMG to my son and bought a RecTec 590. I’ve had it for about a month now with no issues and have used it about every day.
> The Memphis grills look awesome but I couldn’t justify the coin for one.


how is rectec on cooling quickly


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## Bones816 (Jul 6, 2018)

Probably not a Traeger. I’m seriously considering selling mine and getting something else. Quite disappointed.


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## Will Smoke (Jul 6, 2018)

Pit Boss is worth a mention, its solid,pb 820fb, pb 700fb ask yourself what important this will guide you to your grill. (Hint) Close your eyes when doing this.


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## bregent (Jul 6, 2018)

chris dagesse said:


> What is best pellet grill over all



Best what? Best quality, value, best at smoking, searing?? There is no 'best pellet grill' so we really need to know what you are looking for.
Do you have a cost in mind? How large of a cooking surface do you need? How many people do you typically cook for? Do you NEED a wifi controller? Min and max cooking temperatures? Direct flame option? Do you need it to be stainless? Portable?

Also, have you tasted food from a pellet grill before? A lot of folks that are used to stick and charcoal smokers are dissapointed with the level of smoke flavor that most pellet grills produce.


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## chef jimmyj (Jul 6, 2018)

I looked pretty hard at pellet grills from the cheapest to high end. I have not purchased yet but the Kuma Platinum is where I am leaning. It has many of the high end features but several hundred to a grand cheaper than the most expensive grills ...JJ


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## chris dagesse (Jul 6, 2018)

bregent said:


> Best what? Best quality, value, best at smoking, searing?? There is no 'best pellet grill' so we really need to know what you are looking for.
> Do you have a cost in mind? How large of a cooking surface do you need? How many people do you typically cook for? Do you NEED a wifi controller? Min and max cooking temperatures? Direct flame option? Do you need it to be stainless? Portable?
> 
> Also, have you tasted food from a pellet grill before? A lot of folks that are used to stick and charcoal smokers are dissapointed with the level of smoke flavor that most pellet grills produce.


Looking for great quality, price was looking less than 4k. I wanted 42inch. Grill steaks burgers and ribs . And want to do more . Want wifi  want direct flame 

And have tasted pellet grill


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## TonyBones (Jul 6, 2018)

I too am hoping to get a pellet grill/smoker. Was looking at that new Rec Tec "Bull" RT 700 and I've searched the forums before starting up a thread. I see a lot of people thrilled with them. For now my WSM will have to do. The only thing I want to know from those who own a pellet smoker is, has anyone ever lost meat to a power outage? I can imagine a long overnight cook being set and if that were to happen and you didn't get a notification in time... :(


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## Ishi (Jul 6, 2018)

chris dagesse said:


> How is rectec with if I need it to cool off quick ?
> 
> how is rectec on cooling quickly


I tried it last night and it held the temps for a long time. Personally that feature doesn’t bother me as I normally don’t do that. If anything I go from low to high on reverse searing. 
I suppose if I would keep the lid open the temps would drop faster. 
I’m not saying that RecTec are the only one to buy but one feature that I like is I can control the feed rate of the pellets to get the temps that I want if needed.


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## oldsmokerdude (Jul 6, 2018)

I gotta put a plug in for the Louisiana Grills Champion grill. Strongly build, great temperature control, separate smoke and cold smoke chambers, searing station, and other features. Not the cheapest by any means, but I thought a very good value for all that you get. Louisiana has been around a long time and you can get them lots of places, but the only place to get the Champion is at Costco.


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## Geebs (Jul 6, 2018)

With the Memphis I would just have a hard time spending that kind of Money when the RecTec700 is an amazing grill.


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## ross77 (Jul 6, 2018)

You won't get a direct flame from any RecTec model.


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## bregent (Jul 6, 2018)

chris dagesse said:


> Looking for great quality, price was looking less than 4k. I wanted 42inch. Grill steaks burgers and ribs . And want to do more . Want wifi  want direct flame
> 
> And have tasted pellet grill



I don't know any pellet grills that have a 42" wide grate. But if you're other requirements are set in stone, then Memphis or MAK may be your only choice. If you're willing to compromise on some of those requirements, you'll have a lot more choices.

 I have a Memphis Elite and love it. It's actually a bit too large for our needs, and would probably buy a Memphis Pro if I was to buy another pellet grill.


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## schlotz (Jul 7, 2018)

chris dagesse said:


> Looking for great quality, price was looking less than 4k. I wanted 42inch. Grill steaks burgers and ribs . And want to do more . Want wifi  want direct flame
> 
> And have tasted pellet grill


Take a look at MAK!


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## texomakid (Jul 7, 2018)

I second the MAK based on what you said you want and price. It appears to be a solid choice with all those features. I narrowed it down between the MAK and Yoder YS640.


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## Jenneau Ranch (Aug 4, 2018)

Unfortunately, we've have had nothing but problem with our MAK. The fire rod has gone out twice. About six months in, we started having problems getting a temperate above 200. It just wouldn't heat up. We've been on the phone with MAK Grills more times then we can count. MAK Grills has sent my husband parts numerous times and we even tried switching pellets but it's sill not working right. We then spent a bunch of money to replace the fire starter and now it never goes off after the fire is started and burns everything all the way to the pellet bin. Now we're out of warranty...
We wouldn't buy another one. BTW...the Treager Grill (made in China) that we bought 6 years earlier still works.


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## bangstick (Aug 8, 2018)

I've had my Woodwind for just over a year now. It gets cooked on no less than three time per week and it has performed flawlessly. In my opinion, it is the most versatile pellet smoker/grill on the market. It will legitimately hit 500 degrees in the grill (without preheating for an hour) and the sear box hits a legit 900 degrees. I sold my BGE shortly after receiving my Woodwind for Father's Day in 2017.


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