# Pellet smoker



## Jsamps91

Hey everyone,

I am new to this forum and new to smoking meat. Ive been doing as much research as I can on what pellet grill to get. I think at this point its between camp chef and pit boss. I just wanted to get some suggestions. I for sure want a pellet and ash dump on the smoker. When I was at Walmart I did see a new smoker that did come out but cant find great reviews yet since it is new. It Is the Cuisinart Woodcreek. Has anyone used this yet?

Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## kruizer

Welcome to SMF from Minnesota. Can't say anything about the Cuisinart but some one will be along shortly to answer your question.


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## BKING!

Jsamps91 said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I am new to this forum and new to smoking meat. Ive been doing as much research as I can on what pellet grill to get. I think at this point its between camp chef and pit boss. I just wanted to get some suggestions. I for sure want a pellet and ash dump on the smoker. When I was at Walmart I did see a new smoker that did come out but cant find great reviews yet since it is new. It Is the Cuisinart Woodcreek. Has anyone used this yet?
> 
> Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.


Hey there! Lots of people love pit bosses on this forum. I hear good things about camp chef as well. Pit boss is great for high heat searing with a pellet fire. Some Camp chef  models allow you to sear with gas. Do you have a preference? I wouldn’t go with Cuisinart personally because I haven’t heard much on them.


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## bregent

Jsamps91 said:


> I just wanted to get some suggestions. I for sure want a pellet and ash dump on the smoker



Just a few comments about that.  Most of the ash in the burn pot is blown out by the fan. Only the heavier stuff remains. By the time enough of that accumulates to be of concern, you'll need to pull the drip tray to clean out the bottom of the grill anyway. So I'd put very little value on an ash dump feature that only dumps the burn pot.

Similarly, I don't find much value in a pellet dump. Due to the high temperatures that pellets burn, much of the subtleties between different wood species are lost, so there really isn't much reason to be swapping out pellets. Most folks that I know stick with one pellet for everything.

Note that some of the newer Camp Chef models now come with a PID controller,  so the problem of big temperature swings that some folks report should not be an issue with those.


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## Jsamps91

Thats why I am hesitant to go with the Cuisinart but It is actually really nice and has a 30 pounds hopper. along with some cool storage options, lighting and the window. Camp Chef seems like a great option for easy use and clean up plus attachments. Just not sure I want to spend $1000 on this.


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## mike243

I like the pellet dump and yes pellets have different flavors, I have a sear area on my pit boss but I have a gas grill if needed, almost 2 years without any problems besides a temp probe, 5 year warranty on them now.


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## BKING!

Jsamps91 said:


> Thats why I am hesitant to go with the Cuisinart but It is actually really nice and has a 30 pounds hopper. along with some cool storage options, lighting and the window. Camp Chef seems like a great option for easy use and clean up plus attachments. Just not sure I want to spend $1000 on this.


I would also look at customer support and warranty. Pellet grills have moving parts and may run into an issue down the road. As far as price goes, you get what you pay for. With that said , you should be able to find something you will really enjoy under $1000


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## Chasdev

My Camp Chef 24 works great and cost $500.


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## fivetricks

I do not own a pellet grill, but after having read literally hundreds of "what pellet smoker to buy" threads, I can confidently tell you that you should also be checking out rec-tec and grilla grills pellet grills before you pill the trigger on a unit.

Those seem to have the most rabid and satisfied fans :-)


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## sawhorseray

fivetricks said:


> I do not own a pellet grill, but after having read literally hundreds of "what pellet smoker to buy" threads, I can confidently tell you that you should also be checking out rec-tec and grilla grills pellet grills before you pill the trigger on a unit.
> Those seem to have the most rabid and satisfied fans :-)



I agree 100%! I also don't own a pellet popper and most likely never will, way too many moving parts and things that can break for my liking. That being said, a* LOT* of guys on this forum rave about the Rec-Tec and the great customer service they provide, on top of pulling off a lot of fantastic cooks. If I was going to buy a pellet smoker, and I'm not, I'd get a Rec-Tec. I'm not positive but I think there's some dough left over from a grand, maybe getcha some of that fancy over-priced internet meat with the savings. Just my 2¢ worth. RAY


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## SmokinEdge

If you want a grill for every day do everything in a price range, I would look at Green Mountain, if you want a more thought out, leveled up pellet machine go Yoder.
having said that, if you want to smoke, for the most part, look at the Pit Boss vertical pellet machines. That’s my vote.


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## negolien

Make sure you research whatever choice you make carefully.  Alot of the  pellet grills have auger and controller issues.


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## Jsamps91

Rec Tec is a little more than I would like to spend. As far as a sear goes some pellet smokers can do it if not I still have my gas grill as well that I can sear on. Good customer service is great.


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## Jsamps91

Ive been going back and forth between the Cam Chef Woodwind and a Pit Boss. Basically comes down to money. Has any used or seen the new Oklahoma Joe Ride DLX? I saw one at the store yesterday very sturdy with a lot of room in it. I also love the sear smoke mode it has. I am just worried about flair ups and hot spots. Oklahoma Joes Rider DLX.


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## BKING!

Jsamps91 said:


> Ive been going back and forth between the Cam Chef Woodwind and a Pit Boss. Basically comes down to money. Has any used or seen the new Oklahoma Joe Ride DLX? I saw one at the store yesterday very sturdy with a lot of room in it. I also love the sear smoke mode it has. I am just worried about flair ups and hot spots. Oklahoma Joes Rider DLX.




I haven’t heard of the Oklahoma joes pellet smoker. I’d also look at Grilla grills silverback


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## Jsamps91

Has anyone used Smoke Daddy's Pellet Pro 1190? I know they make a lot of aftermarket parts for other pellet grills and also made their own. They are only about 45 min from me so I thought maybe I would check them out.


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## BKING!

Jsamps91 said:


> Has anyone used Smoke Daddy's Pellet Pro 1190? I know they make a lot of aftermarket parts for other pellet grills and also made their own. They are only about 45 min from me so I thought maybe I would check them out.



I’ve heard their controller was awesome. Build quality is good too I hear.


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## Jsamps91

Right now I think I am between Camp Chef Woodwind, Zgrill, Pit Boss and Pellet Pro. I guess I really comes down to price and size. When I cook when I have friends over which is often we love a lot of sides and veggies so I need space for that as well. But also I dot want something that if I am cooking steaks or burgers I can actually get a nice sear on.


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## mike243

I can sear on my Pitboss, over 1000" no side burner or grill grates needed imo. $500 and a 5 year warranty these days, the vertical wont sear.


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## chef jimmyj

I too am looking at Pellet Grills. The best use of the Pellet Dump is not to change flavors as much as if you live with High Humidity, removing the pellets will save time clearing auger jams from disintegrating pellets. I would not purchase any NEW entries into the Pellet Grill market for at least a year and the Bugs have been discovered and worked out. Look at the Weber debacle...JJ


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## hoity toit

chef jimmyj said:


> I too am looking at Pellet Grills. The best use of the Pellet Dump is not to change flavors as much as if you live with High Humidity, removing the pellets will save time clearing auger jams from disintegrating pellets. I would not purchase any NEW entries into the Pellet Grill market for at least a year and the Bugs have been discovered and worked out. Look at the Weber debacle...JJ


JJ, I went with the Pit Boss Austin XL for a couple of reasons. One is the ability to slide the fire grate opn and directly sear over the open flame, and second was the pellet dump feature. It has 1000 sq in of grill space which is nice, a couple meat probes, and several heat levels anlong with being able to control how much pellets feed when you are in smoke mode. I have only done 4 cooks on mine so far and all went well. When you finish your run just turn it off and the fan stays running until the unit cools down. On thing I did notice is that there is almost 100% combustion on the pellets, so very little ash residue as far as cleaning goes. I have always been a stick burner but I am sold on this one. 

HT


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## Jsamps91

So I went with the Camp Chef Woodwind Wifi 24. I really wanted the 36 but they wont get it back in stock until at least late next month because of the Coronavirus. I think the 24 should be more than enough to do what I want though.


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## Jsamps91

chef jimmyj said:


> I too am looking at Pellet Grills. The best use of the Pellet Dump is not to change flavors as much as if you live with High Humidity, removing the pellets will save time clearing auger jams from disintegrating pellets. I would not purchase any NEW entries into the Pellet Grill market for at least a year and the Bugs have been discovered and worked out. Look at the Weber debacle...JJ


The Camp Chef Woodwind Wifi 24 or even regular without wifi has pellet dump, ash dump, and also does have the slide grate for smoke to grill.


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## Winterrider

As JJ  stated, the pellet dump would be a handy thing if in humid climate. Late summer we do experience some pretty high humidity at times, so I will need t o probably have to shop vac out when not used for awhile.


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## Jsamps91

What is everyone's favorite pellets to use?


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## Chasdev

I find the ash dump a great addition on the CampChef.
I always empty the auger (and of course the pellet box) after every cook and the dump feature allows me to hear when the last of the pellets exits the auger tube, which I can of course retrieve  and return to the pellet bag.
For beef I prefer B+B post oak pellets, they really do smell like post oak when they burn.
For Pork I use hickory or a hickory based pellet blend.
For birds I like Traegar  gourmet blend, it smells divine when burned.


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## UrbanCowgill

BKING! said:


> I’ve heard their controller was awesome. Build quality is good too I hear.


I have a Smoke Daddy pellet pro 36k btu in my smokehouse to assist with temperature control. Ive only used about 6 or 8 times but it has performed with th e PID controller working well and holding temps +\- 5 deg.


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## Tim P.

Chasdev said:


> I find the ash dump a great addition on the CampChef.
> I always empty the auger (and of course the pellet box) after every cook and the dump feature allows me to hear when the last of the pellets exits the auger tube, which I can of course retrieve  and return to the pellet bag.
> For beef I prefer B+B post oak pellets, they really do smell like post oak when they burn.
> For Pork I use hickory or a hickory based pellet blend.
> For birds I like Traegar  gourmet blend, it smells divine when burned.


I also have the Camp Chef woodwind 24.  I will need to start doing what recommended of cleaning out the auger with humidity soon coming.  My problem is the slide out to empty burn pot into the cup.  After the first use, between heat and buildup of crust, it won't slide.  I have to loosen the two screws outside of burnpot to make it work.  So I've been using wet/dry vac each time.  Have you had any issues with your slide out tray.
Thanks for tips on pellets, been using Camp chef mostly.  Home depot website has free shipping and a lot of brands, fyi.


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## splendorlex

Well, it turns out my Walmart happens to still have one of those Cuisinart Woodcreek pellet grills marked down to 200 bucks. I'm sorely tempted just to get one of those things for such a tiny price. Anyone here ever use one?


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## Buckeye02

splendorlex said:


> Well, it turns out my Walmart happens to still have one of those Cuisinart Woodcreek pellet grills marked down to 200 bucks. I'm sorely tempted just to get one of those things for such a tiny price. Anyone here ever use one?


I had one for awhile. It worked fine. For 200$ I'd grab it. All the gimmick stuff it comes with can go in the trash when you get it unboxed. But as a smoker it worked good. I had to replace the hotrod once and then I gave it to my sister and they ended up having to replace the auger motor. Which was because they left it outside uncovered for a couple months and moisture got to the pellets and clogged the auger up. Their customer service has been great though. I got the hotrod and then the auger motor assembly for free. I think it's a 3 year warranty. They are still using it now with no issues and are extremely tuff on stuff.


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