# So torn on grill/smoker choices! Need help!



## bwarbiany (Apr 9, 2015)

So, my gas grill is on its last legs. Actually, it's probably been on its last legs for two years. It needs to go. I also have a MasterBuilt XL40 which I bought cheap to "get my toes in the water" for smoking. I like it, but it's a bit high maintenance and I'd much rather be cooking on wood or charcoal. Add to that the fact that I have a bit of "found money" by winning an NCAA tourney pool, and I'm in the market for a new grill, and smoker.

The goal is to have one single item which fulfills the entire outdoor cooking needs for my family. Grilling, smoking, it has to cover it all. And capacity matters. I want to be able to toss a full packer brisket on there, or at least 3 slabs of ribs. 

I'm thinking either a Kamado or a pellet grill. Frankly, I'd like to keep the budget in the $1K range or lower, although I know that might not be easy.

Primary options:

Kamado:

Vision Grills available at Home Depot for $699. Probably also need to buy their lava stone. Not sure what else accessories I need.

Primo Large Oval - better for capacity, but more expensive and I think I'd need to spend additional money on their indirect cooking plates. Also, I don't have a table for it and I don't want to spend tons of cash for a table. I can set it on paver stones, but I'd much prefer to look nicer than that. The grill is ~$1000 retail, but I'm not sure how much more I need to spend for the minimally necessary accessories.

Pellet:

Rec Tec is my top choice. Unfortunately, with the cost of the grill, the shipping, and a cover, I'm already nearing $1300... That's more than I want.

Traeger Texas Pro - Nominally $1K, but there is a Costco road show for Traeger this week, and I understand they sell these cheaper at those events.

The fact that my wife can operate a pellet grill but probably will never even attempt to touch the kamado is a point in favor of the pellet grill, and the fact that they truly are easy "set and forget" grills helps quite a bit too. I also happen to already have an Amaz-n Tube 18", so the concerns that a pellet grill don't provide enough smoke don't bother me, as I can add smoke as needed.

The fact that everyone I talk to who has ever used a kamado absolutely loves the damn things is a great point in favor of the kamado. They are more work, but they're also less likely to break due to electrical or motor failures. And the knowledge that I can get them *screaming* hot for searing is nice. The last thing I want is a pellet grill which is great for smoking but won't make a steak how I'd like it. (That last point also suggests that with a pellet grill, I might end up having to buy accessories like "grill grates" to sear, which adds cost there). I think the ideal kamado would be the Kamado Joe BigJoe model, which has capacity and accessories, but that's $1500 everywhere I look. 

Thoughts? I'm honestly completely torn on this decision!


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## boykjo (Apr 9, 2015)

Although I dont have one. If I were to buy a smoker I would choose this one.... 

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/products/weber-731001-smokey-mountain-cooker-22-5-inch-smoker

My 2 cents


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## welshrarebit (Apr 9, 2015)

boykjo said:


> Although I dont have one. If I were to buy a smoker I would choose this one....
> 
> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/products/weber-731001-smokey-mountain-cooker-22-5-inch-smoker
> 
> My 2 cents



I have that smoker and can highly recommend it as well! If you're patient you can one for a good deal off of Craigslist...
I payed $225 for mine, plus I payed $58 for a brand new 22.5 kettle and built a mini for about $75. 

Let's see... Around $360 and I've got a smoker/grill for any occasion!


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## frog1369 (Apr 9, 2015)

I love my pellet cooker!  That's it, that's all I got!

I've got a Weber Performer, Weber Genesis and a Smoke Vault cabinet that I love to play on, but my pellet cooker is my most common go-to for most foods.  It's super easy to use, low maintenance and cooks great food.  When I have time to relax and devote time to a cook, I look to the Performer or Smoke Vault depending on what and how much I'm cooking.  The Genesis I'll just keep forever, well, because it's a Genesis.  Pellet grills can do it all, albeit not to the degree of dedicated cookers for certain tasks, but certainly well enough to suffice a backyard enthusiast.  A few extra dollars for those grill grates and you are good to go.  I did a lot of research and there are cheaper and more expensive grills than the Rec-Tec, but the Rec-Tec is hard to beat for the value to the expense.  Also, there is the Rec-Tec Mini if the grilling area would work for you.  They are getting great reviews.


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## timberjet (Apr 9, 2015)

Traeger's were all the rage around here and everyone got one a few years back. Well, they all own green mountain grills now. Every one of them. If that tells you anything, I would concentrate elsewhere other than them. Their customer service really sucks. If and when the thing breaks down expect to have to rebuild it yourself. In order to smoke on one you need a bunch of accessories to do this. I would not recommend them. If you want what you say you do for your budget. I would get a Weber Smoky Mountain 22.5 inch and a Weber Kettle 22.5 one touch gold or platinum. Much more capacity and you are still way under your mark. The ceramic cookers are really neat and I would like to have one too but for large capacity you might want to think about all this. I love Weber, they last forever and are made in the USA. They have the best customer service and satisfaction of any manufacturer that I know of too. I can still get all the parts to fix my 30 year old genesis. That is pretty cool.


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## panammaniac (Apr 9, 2015)

I have both a gas grill (actually two right now, but leaning towards selling the Weber Genesis now that I have a built-in) and a Traeger pellet smoker.  I love both devices but I see them as serving completely separate purposes.  The Traeger is awesome for smoking - pretty much fill the hopper and forget about it.  I've put meat on it at midnight and let it smoke while I slept, no worries at all about monitoring the temperature and tending to the fire.  The problem with it as far as grilling is concerned is it just doesn't get hot enough for a lot of things.  If I'm cooking a steak I want a good sear - I want to hear it sizzle when I plop it down on the grates. The Traeger only gets to about 425 - 450 max - not enough to get a good sear.  I have a 1600 degree sear burner on my gas built-in that really does a nice job of carmelizing the outside of the meat before I move it over to a lower temperature.

I have never personally cooked on an egg but I have a number of friends who swear by them and use them for both grilling and smoking.  It's all a matter of personal preference but I grill several times a week, but I enjoy the convenience of just coming home, turning a couple knobs, and being ready to cook in 10 minutes or less.


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## fwismoker (Apr 9, 2015)

If you don't care about not having "automatic" then a Big Poppa UDS kit can be put together and painted for less than $200.  WSM is another great alternative if you want store bought. Those types are very easy to maintain temps and the BP also grills though.


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## flyfish (Apr 9, 2015)

I know you are looking for a single unit but speaking from experience a gas grill works great for throwing burgers or other items on for a quick meal after work. My gas grill bit the dust and put toe in the water with a chargriller super pro side burner that I also use for grilling and smoking. certainly well under your budget with enough for a gas grill for those quick meals you don't want to wait for firing up charcoal.


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## timberjet (Apr 9, 2015)

WEBER that is all.


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## bwarbiany (Apr 9, 2015)

Are the Traeger grills really that unreliable? I'm not as concerned with the "fix it yourself" mindset, as I'm an electrical engineer. My boss also has one and loves it. Of course, he's also an engineer, so tinkering isn't beyond him...

Anyone who has actually cooked on and lived with both a kamado and a pellet grill able to chime in here on the relative advantages/disadvantages?


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## jeepdiver (Apr 9, 2015)

Outside of your price range a bit, but the cook shack /fast eddy PG500 pellet grill fits your needs to a T.  I use mine for grilling 2-3 times a week and smoking once a month or so.  It is the best grill I have ever owned without taking into account the smoking side of things.

In another fourms testing the pg500 maxed out their infrared thermometer at 990 degrees.   It works great with an amazing tube for cold smoking or you can add some trays of ice and cold smoke without the addition of the tube using the warming drawer below the ice


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## frog1369 (Apr 9, 2015)

bwarbiany said:


> Are the Traeger grills really that unreliable? I'm not as concerned with the "fix it yourself" mindset, as I'm an electrical engineer. My boss also has one and loves it. Of course, he's also an engineer, so tinkering isn't beyond him...
> 
> Anyone who has actually cooked on and lived with both a kamado and a pellet grill able to chime in here on the relative advantages/disadvantages?


Lots of guys have Traegers and really like them.  It's just that Traeger hasn't kept up as much as other vendors.  I looked at several pellet grills before I bought mine, all you need to do is feel the difference in build quality.  Kinda like Char-Broil and Weber, just raise the lid, kick the legs, pick up the grates, look at the burners.  

I've never cooked on a Kamodo but know they cook well.  Someday I'll own a Big Green Egg just because I like to collect BBQ toys.  Even if I do get one though, it will be more of a novelty for me when I have time because my pellet grill and gas Weber are so easy to fire up, put the food on and let it cook, very little effort.

It really depends on how much effort and time you want to put into your cooking.  On the weekend when I want to relax I cook on the more challenging cookers, have to monitor, tweak, add wood chunks, watch the water pan, etc.  I know, I'm sick, but this relaxes me, it's playing with the toys and making them do what I need them to do.  On a night after work, depending on the meat type, I'll fire up the gasser or the pellet and have dinner ready as fast as I could have in the kitchen with no mess to clean up.


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## panammaniac (Apr 9, 2015)

bwarbiany said:


> Are the Traeger grills really that unreliable? I'm not as concerned with the "fix it yourself" mindset, as I'm an electrical engineer. My boss also has one and loves it. Of course, he's also an engineer, so tinkering isn't beyond him...
> 
> Anyone who has actually cooked on and lived with both a kamado and a pellet grill able to chime in here on the relative advantages/disadvantages?


I wouldn't say they're unreliable at all.  I love mine - it runs like clockwork (and I'm also an engineer by degree - I just don't do engineering work anymore).  As others have said they aren't up to the quality standard of others, so if you're using it every day I'd expect it to not last forever.  But on the flip side they're inexpensive - as another poster suggested it's like the difference between Weber and Char Broil.  Also, don't expect a Traeger to get much hotter than 450 and that's if you're lucky.  I can get mine to 425 pretty reliably but 450 is a stretch.  They're made for low and slow so they aren't the best cooking device in the world for steaks.


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## timberjet (Apr 9, 2015)

I just talked to one of my buddies and he said he has replaced the entire auger and motor 2 times in 2 years and the control unit once. FYI.


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## timberjet (Apr 9, 2015)

I guess I am of the old school mindset that if you pay 750 bucks for a grill you shouldn't have to fix it for at least a couple of years after the warranty runs out. I know. They don't make em like they used to. Mom just replaced a 30 year old dishwasher that has never broke down with a shiny new whirlpool and the thing has broken down 3 times in less than a year.


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## frog1369 (Apr 9, 2015)

Hey Bwarbiany,

Might want to look here to add to your confusion ......... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






But seriously, a ton of information here ..........

http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_g...ers&utm_campaign=Apr+8++2015&utm_medium=email


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## fwismoker (Apr 9, 2015)

My friend has a Traeger and loved it....right up to the point he started eating the food off a drum smoker he got for Christmas...still uses the Traeger occasionally but not often because the flavor is just better.  Oh he added a smoke generator to it also.

Nothing wrong with kamados either, they burn less fuel so it's a lighter smoke taste but people seem to like them.


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## backyardsmokin (Apr 9, 2015)

I have a GMG Jim Bowie and I love it.  I have done a few tweaks to it on the side to make it a little better towards my liking. It is nice to know that I can set it and forget it.  When I first got it,  I had some issues with controller but their support sent a new one out no questions asked.  I have grilled on it, smoked on it, baked pizza,baked bread and baked cookies in it.  

I used to have charcoal smoker/grill and my wife would not touch that.  It is nice that my wife can just set the GMG to 350 and grill a burger or two on it with out issue as well.  

The RecTec was my second choice, but I lucked out and found a nearby GMG dealer that was running a special on them so I picked it up on the cheap.  Not to knock but my neighbor had the fire on his Traeger back flow into the hopper and catch the entire hopper on fire. If you search online others have had this issue as well.


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## bwarbiany (Apr 9, 2015)

BackyardSmokin said:


> I have a GMG Jim Bowie and I love it.  I have done a few tweaks to it on the side to make it a little better towards my liking. It is nice to know that I can set it and forget it.  When I first got it,  I had some issues with controller but their support sent a new one out no questions asked.  I have grilled on it, smoked on it, baked pizza,baked bread and baked cookies in it.
> 
> I used to have charcoal smoker/grill and my wife would not touch that.  It is nice that my wife can just set the GMG to 350 and grill a burger or two on it with out issue as well.
> 
> The RecTec was my second choice, but I lucked out and found a nearby GMG dealer that was running a special on them so I picked it up on the cheap.  Not to knock but my neighbor had the fire on his Traeger back flow into the hopper and catch the entire hopper on fire. If you search online others have had this issue as well.


That is an option... There is a GMG dealer nearby and I'll have a few hours to kill Saturday morning. And the pricing is good. With MSRP $799 (plus tax), I'd save $300-400 over shipping the Rec Tec...

I've heard build quality isn't quite as substantial on GMG vs Rec Tec, but outside of things like metal thickness, is the reliability pretty solid?


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## panammaniac (Apr 9, 2015)

BackyardSmokin said:


> I have a GMG Jim Bowie and I love it.  I have done a few tweaks to it on the side to make it a little better towards my liking. It is nice to know that I can set it and forget it.  When I first got it,  I had some issues with controller but their support sent a new one out no questions asked.  I have grilled on it, smoked on it, baked pizza,baked bread and baked cookies in it.
> 
> I used to have charcoal smoker/grill and my wife would not touch that.  It is nice that my wife can just set the GMG to 350 and grill a burger or two on it with out issue as well.
> 
> The RecTec was my second choice, but I lucked out and found a nearby GMG dealer that was running a special on them so I picked it up on the cheap.  Not to knock but my neighbor had the fire on his Traeger back flow into the hopper and catch the entire hopper on fire. If you search online others have had this issue as well.


One of my friends has the GMG.  It's definitely a better quality piece of equipment than the Traeger, but it's also considerably more expensive - roughly double the price of the equivalent size Traeger.  Maybe the next smoker I buy after I cook my Traeger into the ground will be a GMG, but I had to work hard to convince my wife to let me buy a smoker in the first place, and $400 is a lot easier to justify than $800 for a smoker that I use 3 or 4 times a month.

I too have had the backup fire into the hopper.  One thing you have to really be careful of on the Traeger is making sure you vacuum the ash out of the fire box after a long smoke, otherwise you're at risk for exactly that happening.  Once that ash gets to be about 1/4" deep it starts backing up into the auger and you have a potential problem.  Start with a clean fire box and no issues at all.

To each his own, but to me 350 isn't hot enough to cook a burger or a steak.  I've cooked smoke burgers on the Traeger (2 hours of pure smoke at 225) and they came out tasting amazing, but they have very different flavor than burgers that I sear on my IR burner for 2 minutes a side at 1000+ degrees and finish to medium on the regular gas burners at 500.  I'll do the former every now and then when I have time and I'm in the mood for a smoked burger, but the latter is more of the norm when I get home at 7 PM on a weeknight.  That's why in my book at least, there's no "one size fits all" device.  The Traeger and the built-in each have their own unique characteristics and cook very differently flavored foods, and I use them accordingly.


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## fwismoker (Apr 9, 2015)

For pellet poopers I'm surprised nobody mentioned Smoke Daddy pellet grills.


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## bwarbiany (Apr 9, 2015)

panammaniac said:


> One of my friends has the GMG.  It's definitely a better quality piece of equipment than the Traeger, but it's also considerably more expensive - roughly double the price of the equivalent size Traeger.  Maybe the next smoker I buy after I cook my Traeger into the ground will be a GMG, but I had to work hard to convince my wife to let me buy a smoker in the first place, and $400 is a lot easier to justify than $800 for a smoker that I use 3 or 4 times a month.


The $800 Jim Bowie is roughly the same capacity as the Traeger Texas Elite / Texas Pro, which retail $899/999 on their site. *Slightly* smaller (600 vs 646 sq in), but bigger than the L'il Tex Elite (418 sq in).


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## golfpro2301 (Apr 9, 2015)

I have owned 2 Jim bowies. cooked on them in competition. Also cooked on a daniel boone in competition. Played around with a traeger and the GMG is far superior in my opinion. I love the Jim Bowie. I have since added a Memphis Pro and gave the Jim Bowie to my dad but still take it to comps every once in a while. The memphis pellet grills are amazing machines. Best $3000 I ever spent. I also just purchased an XL BGE last week. These are very easy to use. Cook at 1000* or low in slow for smoking. You save a lot of charcoal believe it or not with an egg. You will re use a full load 3-4 times. I will be honest I wanted to get the Big Joe by Kamado Joe because it included everything and I liked how the rack system worked. Also I have friends that own one and an egg and the Big Joe actually holds more heat at higher temps. Low temps they are pretty much the same. The only reason Why I didnt was the stand for the Joe isnt as sturdy in my opinion to the BGE. I have to travel with it in a trailer to securing it down was a big priority for me. I added the nest handler to keep the egg permanently attached to the nest. The XL Egg will hold 4 butts and if you get a rib rack you can probably cook 6 slabs I would imagine. Buying and selling smokers has become some what of a hobby so I have played around with a lot. Below is my ranking of cookers similar to what you are looking for. Just my $.02

1. Memphis Pro

2. XL BGRE

3&4. GMG Pellet cookers (First one I got the temp controller was about 40* off. Called them up and the 2 day aired me another one second one I bought the lid didnt close correctly. same thing called them up and 2 days later it was at the door)

4. Large BGE

5. WSM 18.5

very bottom Traeger (parts are crap and customer service lacked big time in my opinion)


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## bwarbiany (Apr 9, 2015)

GolfPro2301 said:


> I have owned 2 Jim bowies. cooked on them in competition. Also cooked on a daniel boone in competition. Played around with a traeger and the GMG is far superior in my opinion. I love the Jim Bowie. I have since added a Memphis Pro and gave the Jim Bowie to my dad but still take it to comps every once in a while. The memphis pellet grills are amazing machines. Best $3000 I ever spent. I also just purchased an XL BGE last week. These are very easy to use. Cook at 1000* or low in slow for smoking. You save a lot of charcoal believe it or not with an egg. You will re use a full load 3-4 times. I will be honest I wanted to get the Big Joe by Kamado Joe because it included everything and I liked how the rack system worked. Also I have friends that own one and an egg and the Big Joe actually holds more heat at higher temps. Low temps they are pretty much the same. The only reason Why I didnt was the stand for the Joe isnt as sturdy in my opinion to the BGE. I have to travel with it in a trailer to securing it down was a big priority for me. I added the nest handler to keep the egg permanently attached to the nest. The XL Egg will hold 4 butts and if you get a rib rack you can probably cook 6 slabs I would imagine. Buying and selling smokers has become some what of a hobby so I have played around with a lot. Below is my ranking of cookers similar to what you are looking for. Just my $.02
> 
> 1. Memphis Pro
> 
> ...


Thanks. That's really helpful.

BTW what kind of temps can you hit on the Jim Bowie? It looks like the Rec Tec has no problem getting to 500, the Traeger might top out at 400-450 depending on which one you get, but what about the GMG?


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## golfpro2301 (Apr 10, 2015)

The GMG will go to 500 on the controller. To be honest most entry level pellet grills will be off a little. I think GMG temp allowances is 25* off. This is pretty common for pellet cookers unless you go big time with the memphis. They only allow 5* variation. Rec tec, traeger, etc.. will all be off a little but to be honest it doesnt matter. When I first got mine I drove myself crazy trying to equal out temps on the cooker. There are a few nice mods that help but overall its not worth the time. 

Never go by temp on controller - When using your pellet grill always measure temp using like a maverick or some other accurate thermometer in the middle. Chart the temp on the controller and the actual temp in the cooker. You will start go get an average by how much it is off. As far as max temp it all depends on how creative you are. Yes the controller says 500 but you want higher for steaks maybe even pizza. I have found that removing the drip pan and just leaving in the covers over the fire will get you a few more degrees. I do chicken and burgers like this sometimes. The best mod I did was after I got my memphs. The memphis comes with a searing plate that has holes in it that goes straight down to the fire. It gets to 750*. I took 3/16 Inch steel and made another cover that goes over the fire. Drilled holes in a checker board patter. Cranked it on high and put a rack directly above it. Seared steaks like a dream and I know it had to be more than 600* I have done this same way with pizza. If you are creative enough you can do almost anything with a pellet cooker.


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## bwarbiany (Apr 10, 2015)

I've got a Maverick... I do hear that the GMG and/or Rec Tec holds its set point very well, i.e. the variance will be very low even if the absolute temp is off, while the Traeger is known to drift. 

I'm wondering if the GMG is able to reach its set point of 500? What I hear with Traeger is that even on max temp, the actual grill temp doesn't get up to 500, topping out somewhere between 400 and 450 for most grills.


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## golfpro2301 (Apr 10, 2015)

It will hit 500 in spots but wont hold at 500. I am not an engineer so I cant give you specifics but how air circulates through a cooker will give you hot and cold spots. The GMG is the same. There were plenty of times where It would hit 500ish on left and 420ish on right. Unless you have a convection fan circulating the air there will be temp swings. It doesnt matter when you are cooking that high if it goes back and forth between 450-500. regular ovens do the same thing unless they are high end models with the fan. 

Is the GMG able to reach its set point of 500*? Answer is it all depends on calibration of controller. Its the same with every pellet cooker. If the controller is set to 500* but the thermometer is calibrated to 460* it will never get to 500. That is why I move the plates around depending on what meat I cook. Try not to get caught up with temps too much. You will drive yourself crazy. I loaded up the GMG JB with briskets before and I know the left side will run hotter than the right so I just rotated them every 4 hours or so. No biggie. Same with ribs.


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## backyardsmokin (Apr 10, 2015)

I just finished some seasonal cleaning on my GMG JB and need to do another burn test this weekend, so I will crank it to 500 and see what happens.

As far as durability,  I got mine from a dealer about 4 hrs away and though they offered to build it before I took it home, I only had an SUV not a truck so I took it still in the box.  When I was building it, it fell forward onto the door and except for a few scratches everything was fine.  

The GMG use a baffle under the cooking grates which direct the heat/smoke to come from along the very back and the very front.  If you put a probe near these openings it would look like the temp is way off, but pulling the probe towards the center a little bit will correct it.  I spent the better part of two days adjusting the baffles and everything to the point where I got it to +/- 10 degrees from left to right, and the center being the same temp as the controller.  

If you can wait a little bit, the past few years GMG has ran specials for Father's Day.  The year I got mine it was $100 off, free wireless remote upgrade or $100 in free accessories (my dealer did both $100 off and free wireless remote upgrade).


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## bwarbiany (Apr 10, 2015)

Wow... Everything I keep hearing about pellet grills makes me want that Primo Oval LG... "Set it and forget it" seems to take a lot more work than I thought! Going to have to take a look at a dealer today.

Thankfully the Primo dealer is right next door to Slater's 50/50... I know what I'm doing for lunch too!


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## westby (Apr 10, 2015)

It really doesn't take much more than set it and forget it, but you should validate your temps first so you can truly forget it.  I absolutely love my Rec Tec.  It's temps are nearly spot on with my Maverick probes.  I would order another in a heartbeat.  In the past, I've used vertical electrics, vertical propane (Smokey Mountain), and a homemade propane.  There is no comparison - the Rec Tec is superior in regards to holding and maintaining consistent temps across the entire chamber.  I recently won a Traeger in a raffle and gave it to my mother.  I haven't cooked on it yet with her, but will be this weekend.  Initial thoughts are that its construction is inferior to the Rec Tec.  I've heard ok things about GMG, but I went with RT after all of my research - it hit my pricepoint and reviews were very good.


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## timberjet (Apr 10, 2015)

In the same footprint of size for one of those high dollar pellet smokers you can have the best of both worlds with a WSM and a Kettle. I am telling you. For a little over half the price leaving lots of money for Ribs, Brisket and Butt. Just saying. They never break down, the power can be out and they work, they never really ever wear out and you can get parts forever. They both make really damn good food. No mod's needed as they work right out of the box. Capacity for one hell of a lot of food. I don't see why this is not one of your considerations.


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## jirodriguez (Apr 10, 2015)

22.5" WSM - $400 + 22.5" Weber Kettle $150 = $550

.... which leaves you $450 for MEAT!! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






The WSM and Kettle work great, and both have a small footprint so they don't take up much space on the deck, no moving parts so nothing to wear out or break, just light it and go (no engineering degree required 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





)

The WSM is basically as close to "set-it-and-forget-it" as you can get with a charcoal smoker, just plain works and will hold a lot of food at one time. I can run 22+ hrs. on one 20 lb. load of charcoal, only open it up to toss in wood every so often or to mess with the meat.


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## welshrarebit (Apr 10, 2015)

JIRodriguez said:


> 22.5" WSM - $400 + 22.5" Weber Kettle $150 = $550
> 
> .... which leaves you $450 for MEAT!! :sausage:
> 
> ...



The $550 is if you buy both brand new! I got my 22.5 WSM about a year old off of craigslist for $225 and my kettle on a half off clearance sale at Target's end of season sale in late Sept. or early Oct. of last year, Brand new in the box OTS kettle for $58! 

If you add a BBQ Guru or similar product to the WSM it is a set and forget smoker! I prefer to be outside having a beer next to my loved ones, my smokers...


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## bwarbiany (Apr 10, 2015)

timberjet said:


> In the same footprint of size for one of those high dollar pellet smokers you can have the best of both worlds with a WSM and a Kettle. I am telling you. For a little over half the price leaving lots of money for Ribs, Brisket and Butt. Just saying. They never break down, the power can be out and they work, they never really ever wear out and you can get parts forever. They both make really damn good food. No mod's needed as they work right out of the box. Capacity for one hell of a lot of food. *I don't see why this is not one of your considerations.*


I brew beer. I've brewed beer for over 9 years now, and gotten pretty good at it. I had my system pretty well dialed-in, and everyone who drank my beer raved about it. The beer did reasonably well in homebrew competitions as well.

Late last year, I made a change that I wasn't sure was necessary. I went to reverse osmosis water with desired minerals/salts added instead of straight tap water. After 9 years, I *immediately* noticed a marked improvement in my beer and in competition, my results improved as well.

I look at it this way. Everyone I have heard with a kamado cooker loves it to death. A lot of those people previously had other smokers like a WSM, and they're not rushing to go back to the WSM or any previous cooker. Are the claims that the ceramic body helping to retain heat & moisture, resulting in better product, scientifically proven? I'm not sure. Is it difficult to make great Q on a WSM? Of course not. But is it possible that there's a slight edge to a kamado? It's definitely possible. But the ravenous love for the product, in my opinion, carries some weight. 

I'm a perfectionist. I don't like spending money *unnecessarily* on gadgets, but when there's a good chance those gadgets have some qualitative impact, I don't mind spending the money.


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## backyardsmokin (Apr 10, 2015)

Not to play devil's advocate here, but it is tough to say that a Kamado is going to give you an edge over and WSM.  I have been to competitions where WSMs have beaten out $15,000 Jambo Pits and others where a $50 UDS built in someone's backyard has taken top honors.  Do those that have the expensive cookers get rid of them and buy WSMs and UDSs? No, they just continue on.  

I am sure beer judging would be the same as a smoking competition.  There are many different variables that decide what is the perfect piece of or beer.  In smoking competitions there is the rub/injection recipe, type of wood used, quality of meat and of course the taste buds of the judges among other things.

I started with a Char-Griller and hated that I had to feed it wood/charcoal every 45 mins to keep it going.  Then I moved to a WSM and thought I did not have to add fuel to the fire as often as the Char-Griller, I was still frustrated with having to feed the fire.  I then looked at the BGE, Traeger, GMG, Yoder, RecTec and even a Lang.  I chose my GMG because it offered the best combination of features at the price point I had.  

When it comes to perfection, what is perfection to you?  If it is how it tastes, then what may be perfect for you may be disgusting to someone else.  For me personally, the perfect smoke is having friends, family and neighbors over having a good time and enjoying the food that I made.

On a side note, if you do go with a Kamado style please note some models require that you pull all of your food out of it if you need to put more fuel in.


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## bwarbiany (Apr 10, 2015)

Agreed of course that the cook and the technique is far more important than the equipment... Equipment can matter when it helps the cook do his job better, though.

BTW as much as I said I liked the oval design of the Primo, I went to another shop today and they're offering the XL BGE for $1099... The Primo Oval Large is $1008 and the Primo Oval XL is $1269... This seems like a better value than either. I'll probably need to invest in some of the aftermarket accessories for dividing the firebox and half-deflectors, but I'd have to invest in those for the Primo as well since they're not included.

I did as well get a chance to check out the GMG Jim Bowie, and head to Costco to see the Traeger (also selling for $799). Clearly the Jim Bowie impressed me more than the Traeger, and while I still have the impression from everything I've read that the Rec Tec is a superior piece of equipment, is it ~$400-500 (after shipping) superior? I'm not so sure. The Jim Bowie impressed me enough that I wouldn't mind bringing it home.

So I'm stuck between the $799 Jim Bowie and the $1099 XL BGE (for which I absolutely need the plate setter, which is another $100+). 

I am leaning XL BGE, as it's more versatile, is less prone to mechanical/electrical failure, and while I see the Jim Bowie as maybe a "10 year grill", I can see a BGE as a "20+ year grill"...


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## golfpro2301 (Apr 11, 2015)

I would look on BGE website and see if there is an eggfest by you. They cook on them once then sell. You can pre order and take it home after. Idk how much this would save you but worth a shot. Im at a comp right now and fired up the BGE at 7pm its now 1AM and still holding 225


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## bwarbiany (Apr 11, 2015)

GolfPro2301 said:


> I would look on BGE website and see if there is an eggfest by you. They cook on them once then sell. You can pre order and take it home after. Idk how much this would save you but worth a shot. Im at a comp right now and fired up the BGE at 7pm its now 1AM and still holding 225


Yeah, if I want to wait until June, I'll get the nest included and a few other accessories for $1130 plus tax: http://www.socaleggfest.com/event-eggs-for-sale

I've also been looking at the Kamado Joe BigJoe, which is available at Costco road shows for $1199, which includes all the firebox divider, heat deflector, grill grate system, nest, etc. Reviews I've seen suggest there's really no quality loss going to from BGE to KJ, and a lot of people think their nest is superior to BGE. There is one going on now and one in 2 weeks, both about 1 hr drive from me. I'm going to check out the local dealers today and see how close they'll come to matching that price. If I can't get them to come down, I'll probably hit the San Diego KJ Costco road show in 2 weeks. http://www.costco.com/kamado-joe-schedule.html


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## bwarbiany (Apr 11, 2015)

Yep, I think the answer is going to be the Kamado Joe BigJoe via Costco roadshow in 2 weeks.


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## bwarbiany (Apr 28, 2015)

D'oh! Totally realized I forgot to post an update...













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## seenred (Apr 28, 2015)

The food all looks great!  Congrats on the new cooker...nice looking rig!  Your impressions?  Are you happy with your decision?

Red


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## bwarbiany (Apr 28, 2015)

SeenRed said:


> The food all looks great! Congrats on the new cooker...nice looking rig! Your impressions? Are you happy with your decision?
> 
> Red


Very happy.

Although I screwed up the ribs a bit trying to change temps (got bad smoke), that was just a lesson learned. They were still the most moist ribs I've ever smoked. 

And the ABT's were amazing. I'd done them once before and my wife and I both agreed "this is what they're supposed to taste like!"

The steak was gorgeous. Working with premium beef obviously helps a lot... But they came out great. I got a better sear than I've ever had before. And I could tell why--just trying to flip the meat during the sear was painful because it was so hot. And I was a fair bit tipsy, and was *still* overwhelmed by the temperature that fire was putting out. I don't think a gasser or a pellet smoker could do that. 

And the corn likewise came out perfect. I used Meathead's method of just butter and tarragon, and everyone loved it.


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