# pellet smoker used as a grill ???



## ravenclan (Apr 20, 2018)

i have been told that alot of people use their pellet smoker as a grill also. the manual talks about it but does not go into great details.

I have a PitBoss 700FB and i know it will maintain a 500 degree temp so i guess you cook on it just like a propane/charcoal grill?


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## jmardock (Apr 20, 2018)

I have a Rec Tec RT680 and often use it as a grill with the help of GrillGrates, but am really happy I kept my gas grill for more spontaneous cooks. It takes awhile to preheat a pellet grill.


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## mrad (Apr 20, 2018)

I agree. I used my Blazn to grill with a couple times when I first got it.  then the novelty went away and I went back to the gas or charcoal grill.  Takes too long to heat up and the high temps are not good for the paint.


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## motocrash (Apr 20, 2018)

You have a Pellet Grill.
*700FB PELLET 71700FB*
MSRP: $499USD



The 700FB Wood Pellet Grills from Pit Boss offer the best value per square inch in the pellet grill industry! These 8-in-1 grills have the cooking versatility from smoking to searing (standard flame broiler) with a dynamic range of cooking temperature from 180° to 500°F, and all with the simple turn of a dial. An electric igniter allows for easy, mess free, barbecue lighting. With complete structural strength and durability, these high-value grills are meant to last.


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 20, 2018)




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## ross77 (Apr 20, 2018)

I use my RecTec 680 quite often for grilling with Grill Grates. I haven’t turned on my Weber gas grill since getting the RecTec. It takes about 20 minutes to get to 500.


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## mrad (Apr 20, 2018)

A pellet grill will work for grilling but you do not get the smoke flavor at those temps. I used mine for about a year and then went back to the weber and hardwood lump when grilling. If I'm in a hurry I will use my weber gas. 
You will also read a lot about paint starting to peel when grills are used a lot at high temps. Probably not a big deal if you want to paint over it with high temp paint.  

The new rec tecs probably don't have to worry about this with their stainless steel cook area design. What a great idea.


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## ravenclan (Apr 23, 2018)

after looking at my friend's smoker that he used as a grill .....i will not use mine as a grill.

His smoker is pealing the paint from the heat using it as a grill. I don't want that to happen to mine since i will have to keep it outside with a cover. I don't want it to rust. and i have a Weber grill that is sitting there so may as well use it.


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## ross77 (Apr 23, 2018)

What smoker does he have?  I've been using mine for 2 years as both grill and smoker with no paint peel.


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## ravenclan (Apr 23, 2018)

ross77 said:


> What smoker does he have?  I've been using mine for 2 years as both grill and smoker with no paint peel.



he also has a PitBoss 700FB but he has had his for about two years and he uses it alot for grilling


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## Geebs (Apr 23, 2018)

I use my woodwind to grill a lot, I like the flavor of pellets over gas so thats why I use mine more then my gas grill.


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## daveomak (Apr 23, 2018)

Pellet "smokers" are grills....
*Hot Smoking*
Hot smoking is the most common method of smoking. Continuous smoking at 105-140° F (41-60° C), 0.5-2 hours, 5-12% weight loss, heavy smoke. This is not recommended for large pieces of meat that are expected to be stored for a long time. Although it is the fastest method, there is not enough time for adequate smoke penetration. This results in higher moisture content, reducing the product’s shelf life. Hot smoking can be divided into three separate phases:


Drying out the surface of the meat for 10-40 min at 112-130° F (45-55° C), some very light smoke is acceptable, although not necessary. Besides drying out the surface of the meat, the temperature speeds up nitrite curing. Keep in mind that the draft controls must be fully opened to eliminate any moisture residing inside of the smoker. Applying smoke at temperatures higher than 130-140° F (54-60° C) will prematurely dry out the casings on the surface of the meat and will create a barrier to smoke penetration.


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 23, 2018)

Hmm.. hard to find a pellet grill that can smoke under 175° .  I would say 150 - 160 is best for jerky.
Only a couple pellet _smokers I see go that low._


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## ross77 (Apr 23, 2018)

As far as I’m concerned 225 -250 is typical smoking temp for ribs, pork butts and brisket. My pellet “smoker/grill” smokes them nicely. If you want to call it a grill so be it. 

I did the same on my WSM which I could also grill on if I removed the middle section.  So is that also a grill?  

I don’t recommend smoking those cuts of meat below 180. If you want to do jerky or sausage you can add a smoker box.


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## daveomak (Apr 23, 2018)

Folks confuse "Smoking", BBQing" and "Grilling"...   3 different temperature ranges for cooking food...


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## daveomak (Apr 23, 2018)

*Barbecuing*
There is a significant difference between smoking, barbecuing, and grilling. When grilling, you quickly seal in the juices from the piece you are cooking. Grilling takes minutes. Smoking takes hours, sometimes even days. Don’t be fooled by the common misconception that by throwing some wet wood chips over hot coals you can fully smoke your meat. At best you can only add some flavor on the outside because the moment the outside surface of the meat becomes dry and cooked, a significant barrier exists that prevents smoke penetration. A properly smoked piece of meat has to be thoroughly smoked on the outside and everywhere inside. Only prolonged cold smoking will achieve that result. Smoking when grilling is no better than pumping liquid smoke into it and claiming that the product is smoked now. Let’s unravel some of the mystery. All these methods are different from each other, especially smoking and grilling. The main factor separating them is temperature.

_Smoking _- very low heat 52° – 140° F (12° - 60° C) 1 hr to 2 weeks, depending on temperature
_Barbecuing _- low heat 190° – 300° F (93° - 150° C) low and slow, few hours
_Grilling _- high heat 400° - 550° F (232° - 288° C) hot and fast, minutes
The purpose of _grilling_ is to char the surface of the meat and seal in the juices by creating a smoky caramelized crust. By the same token a barrier is erected which prevents smoke from flowing inside. The meat may have a somewhat smoky flavor on the outside but due to a short cooking time it was never really smoked. Most grilling is performed on gas powered units.

Barbecuing is a long, slow, indirect, low-heat method that uses charcoal or wood pieces to smoke-cook the meat. The best definition is that _barbecuing is cooking with smoke_. It is ideally suited for large pieces of meat such as butts, ribs or whole pigs. The temperature range of 190° - 300° F (88° - 150° C) is still too high for smoking sausages as the fat will melt away through the casings making them greasy. The baked sausage will taste like bread crumbs.

Barbecue is a social affair, people gather to gossip, drink, have fun and to eat the moment the meats are cooked. On the other hand, traditionally smoked meats are usually eaten cold at a later date. As barbecue brings people together, it is not surprising that everybody loves the event. Although barbecue is popular in many countries, nobody does it better than Americans. There, barbecue is a part of tradition like American jazz. It has become the art in itself with constant cookouts and championships all over the country. Although barbecued meats can be placed directly on the screen and cooked, in many cases they are first marinated. Marinades consist of many flavoring ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, and spices whereas traditional curing basically contains only water, salt and nitrite, sometimes sugar is added as well. To make great barbecued products the understanding of the following steps is required: controlling fire and temperature, moisture control, smoking with wood and the required time for barbecuing.


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## daveomak (Apr 23, 2018)

*Cold Smoking*
Cold smoking at 52-71° F (12-22° C), from 1-14 days, applying thin smoke with occasional breaks in between, is one of the oldest preservation methods. We cannot produce cold smoke if the outside temperature is 90° F (32° C), unless we can cool it down, which is what some industrial smokers do. Cold smoking is a drying process whose purpose is to remove moisture thus preserving a product.

You will find that different sources provide different temperatures for cold smoking. In European countries where most of the cold smoking is done, the upper temperature is accepted as 86° F (30° C). The majority of Russian, Polish and German meat technology books call for 71° F (22° C), some books ask for 77° F (25° C). Fish starts to cook at 85° F (29.4° C) and if you want to make delicious cold smoked salmon that is smoked for a long time, obviously you can not exceed 86° F (30° C). Cold smoking assures us of total smoke penetration inside of the meat. The loss of moisture also is uniform in all areas and the total weight loss falls within 5-20% depending largely on the smoking time. Cold smoking is not a continuous process, it is stopped (no smoke) a few times to allow fresh air into the smoker.


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## ross77 (Apr 23, 2018)

It’s all semantics. I’ve read more than one book that claimed smoking was up to 250. 

By your rationale I have a Pellet BBQ or a Hot Pellet Smoker. Not a grill.


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 23, 2018)

:cool:


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 23, 2018)

https://www.meatsandsausages.com/barbecue


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 23, 2018)

I read this all once or twice.. Good info


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## daveomak (Apr 23, 2018)

By _*your rationale *_I have a Pellet BBQ or a Hot Pellet Smoker. Not a grill.

Not my rationale...  Stanley Marianski's web site ...  a Polish website at that...  Sorry...


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## motocrash (Apr 23, 2018)

Grill


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## ross77 (Apr 23, 2018)

We better change the name of this sub-forum from "Pellet Smokers" to "Pellet BBQ's or Pellet Hot Smokers".

Call them whatever you want but I'm calling mine a pellet smoker.  I also had a WSM and a MES.  Both were smokers.  My Weber Genesis is a grill.


*Smoker.* A cooker that generates smoke and allows the meat to cook with indirect heat. Consumer smokers usually work at temperatures in the 200°F to 300°F range. Some commercial cold smokers work at lower temperatures.

Cold smoking, As defined by FDA, is usually done at temperatures under 140°F. The food, often cheese, fish, or sausage, is heavily infused with smoke flavor, but it is not cooked by heat. Most commercial smoked fishes and cheeses are cold smoked. Cold smoking cheese at home is relatively safe, but cold smoking meats at home is dangerous because the temperature is ideal for growth of pathogenic microbes, especially the botulism bacterium, and, although smoke has preservative properties, unless done properly cold smoking can produce food that is dangerous. For this reason cold smoked meats are usually cured with precise amounts of salt and/or other preservatives. Cold smoking of meats should be left to professionals and not attempted at home. People can die if you do it wrong.

*Hot smoking.* Is usually done at temperatures higher than 130°F. At this temp, microbes are being killed, but it can take two hours or more to pasturize foods at 130°F, much less time at higher temps.

*Smoke roasting* or Southern barbecue Is usually done in the vicinity of 200°F to 250°F, at most under 300°F. The food is cooked by the heat, and when it is finished it is free of harmful living microbes. At these temperatures not much shrinkage occurs. Smoke roasting is relatively easy to do on backyard smokers and barbecue equipment. Most of the best barbecue ribs, pulled pork, and briskets are cooked in this temperature range.

https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...lossaries/glossary-cooking-and-barbecue-lingo
https://amazingribs.com/barbecue-history-and-culture/what-barbecue


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 23, 2018)

It's really just an oven. But instead of gas or electric it runs on wood pellets. 
I would call it an oven.  But you can use it like a broiler too.  :p


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 23, 2018)

It's a great tool to have for most every way of  cooking food with smoke.  I would own one one day if I had the place to put it.


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## SonnyE (Apr 23, 2018)

ross77 said:


> It’s all semantics. I’ve read more than one book that claimed smoking was up to 250.
> 
> By your rationale I have a Pellet BBQ or a Hot Pellet Smoker. Not a grill.



I don't agree that a Pellet BBQ, as is presented by most of the manufacturers, are smokers. They can make smoke, but do so at higher temperatures than smoking, true smoke curing, is done at.
Most of the ones I've read up on cannot operate at a low enough temperature to not cook the meat in it. 150-175° is too hot for smoke curing.
Sow belly, bacon, would go rancid if you attempted to smoke it in a Pellet pusher.

I like to look at the masters of smoke preservation, Native Alaskans, and Native Americans. They use small, smoky fires tended for days and weeks, smoke curing meat on racks in the open air.
Folks talk about TBS (Thin Blue Smoke), but it doesn't get much thinner than open air racks over tended tiny fires.

And because a Pellet burner cannot operate at cold smoking temperature it was dropped in my search for a new Smoker.
I have a gas grill for cooking. And I have a highly modified electric smoker for smoking in Ambient (cold) to 275°.
But without modification, my store bought "smoker" was merely an outdoor oven I could (maybe) get smoking done in.
200° is NOT smoking Salmon, it damn well is cooking it.
So for smoking, I required a Mailbox Mod, and I use an 8' section of corrugated aluminum to cool the smoke before it even enters the box. I even use a fan to move air around to get the tube as cool a temperature as the air allows. And the box stays within two degrees of the ambient.

I know of no Pellet Grills, BBQ's, or what have you's, that can function as a true smoker. It isn't in the nature of the beast. The Pellet burner method of turning the pellets to smoke does not allow for low temperature smoking.
They (Pellet poopers) can make great food, no doubt about that. Just remember they are not a smoker. No more than any other high temperature cooking device is.
A burning meat market does not constitute a smoker. But ad writers would make you think it is.


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## ross77 (Apr 23, 2018)

Cooking a brisket at 225 in my pellet smoker for 19 hours is not what I would consider grilling.  I'm definitely not going to attempt that in a Weber Genesis.  I would agree it's not a "cold smoker" but it certainly imparts smoke flavor into the food.  Call it hot smoking then.  There is a separate sub-forum here for Cold Smoking.  

We've got several sub-forums here for 'smokers': Charcoal Smokers, Propane Smokers, Electric Smokers, Wood Smokers and Pellet Smokers.  

I think we're getting into the weeds on specific types of smoking.  Curing/cold/hot.  I've read that smoking is 160 to 250. 251-375 is BBQ and anything over that is grilling.

It's all a matter of opinion as far as I'm concerned.


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## motocrash (Apr 23, 2018)

You should write the manufacturers:eek:
Strange what the people who make them call them :confused:
https://pitboss-grills.com/products/?category=wood-pellet-grills
http://www.rectecgrills.com/
https://www.traegergrills.com/shop?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI17b__4bS2gIVkv5kCh2wbgl8EAAYASAAEgKt_vD_BwE


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## ross77 (Apr 23, 2018)

Read the description of what the manufacturers say they can do. 

“This precise temperature control allows you to grill, smoke, sear, and bake”


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## motocrash (Apr 23, 2018)




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## ross77 (Apr 24, 2018)

Isn’t this smokingmeatforums.com?  Why is anyone allowed to discuss “smoking meat” at temps above 150??

You’re currently posting in the ‘Pellet Smoker’ section. 

There are countless posts from people talking about smoking meat at temps over 150. 


https://amazingribs.com/ratings-rev...uch-kamados-and-pellet-burners/pellet-smokers

“They are often called grills, but, at the time of this writing, I consider them to be primarily smokers. Almost all of them cook with indirect heat and those that try to grill over direct flame don't do it well. If you love steaks, there are far better ways to cook them. But if you love smoked turkey, ribs, salmon, pork chops, brisket, and smoked foods, a pellet smoker may be the best solution available.”


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## gmc2003 (Apr 24, 2018)

Rings Я Us said:


> It's really just an oven. But instead of gas or electric it runs on wood pellets.
> I would call it an oven.  But you can use it like a broiler too.  :p



I'm having a hard time imagining a pooper being used as a broiler...Wouldn't the pellets fall to the bottom the grill before igniting, or would you hang the pooper upside down from the rafters? :D

Chris


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## Rings Я Us (Apr 24, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> I'm having a hard time imagining a pooper being used as a broiler...Wouldn't the pellets fall to the bottom the grill before igniting, or would you hang the pooper upside down from the rafters? :D
> 
> 
> 
> Chris



Oh.. Ha. I meant they sometimes have a sear plate you can remove and you can direct cook over flames. 
My mistake.


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## Geebs (Apr 24, 2018)

Seems like some here are really against the pellet grills being called a smoker. Who gives a crap, we are all cooking good food that we enjoy and doing what we love. I call my WSM the bullet, shoot me (see what I did there) for calling something other then its name.


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## Whistle (May 19, 2018)

I've seen a few people in this thread mention grilling isn't good for the paint. I wonder how much this would apply to the Rec Tec 700 as it's now mostly stainless steel.


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## mike243 (May 21, 2018)

Call them what you want to just don’t forget to call me to supper,food prep is different the world over and as basic a need as any thing imo,just remember your way isn’t the only way, I’d hazard that the rectec would never have problems running wide open just feeding it might cost a little bit more than smoking


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 21, 2018)

Whistle said:


> I've seen a few people in this thread mention grilling isn't good for the paint. I wonder how much this would apply to the Rec Tec 700 as it's now mostly stainless steel.


You went digging up bones!

I have had 3 Traegers and have used all 3 to grill very hot with. My current rig has a drop in direct sear station that removes all the heat deflecting internals cooking directly over the firepot. I have yet to even notice any discoloration with any of the units much less paint pealing. It’s worth noting here that the Traeger’s are baked on powder coating. I cannot speak for the Pit Boss that has the paint peeling on the friend’s rig or the Rec Tec you own. But it is my belief they are all ‘powder coated’ baked on exterior coatings just as my Traegers.

It is also my belief that if this friend’s Pit Boss was pealing it was because there was a manufacturing error in the application of the exterior coating. The ‘interior coatings’ under the drip pan and near the heat shield are absolutely going to fail. There isn’t any way around that. There is no coating to protect metal from exposure to those kinds of heat and repeatedly near the firepot.

But again, these are just my beliefs (opinions) and conjectures so it’s about as sure footed as using a line the Wallendas’ would use

Pat


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## Rings Я Us (May 21, 2018)

:D


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 21, 2018)

Rings - sends another shot across the bow!

Pat


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## Rings Я Us (May 21, 2018)

I have an electric & charcoal 22.5 Weber kettle smoker. Works good


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 21, 2018)

I smoke on my Traeger Grill and I Grill on my Napoleon Apollo 300 Charcoal Smoker!

Or is it I cold smoke with both and BBQ somewhere in there, hell if I know!

I have smoked cheeses, nuts, vegetables under 90 degrees (ambient was in the 80’s and the smoker or grill was in the sunlight) with the Traeger using a cold smoke generator I have on it but that counts as a modification.

It even has the capacity to grill directly over the pellet flame with yet another modification.

I’m no traditionalist! I don’t leave anything stock! I make it do what I want it to do or I replace it with something that’s able to do just that. HAHAHA...

Pat


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## Whistle (May 21, 2018)

Thanks guys for the feedback. Feeling much better about using a pellet grill for grilling.

I'm thinking I might even pick up one of these grill grats kits as well - https://www.amazon.com/GrillGrate-19-25-Pellet-Station-15-375/dp/B072BTWVLY/


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## Traeger.Rage.BBQ (May 21, 2018)

Whistle said:


> Thanks guys for the feedback. Feeling much better about using a pellet grill for grilling.
> 
> I'm thinking I might even pick up one of these grill grats kits as well - https://www.amazon.com/GrillGrate-19-25-Pellet-Station-15-375/dp/B072BTWVLY/


These are the absolute best mod I have for my Traeger. I have a 4 piece panel set of the 19.25” grates. I have a tub of mods on my Traeger. These grates are without fail the best mod I have done.

I Love them so much I am gonna get a set for my bullet smoker.

Pat


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