Getting a new smoker: pellet smoker discussion welcome

[FowlersFreeTime]

So my wife surprised me and said I can get a new smoker for my birthday. Hey, its the big 40, so I'm not gonna turn that offer down! She knows I was looking at Traegers and we agree that with the kid and other distractions, an electric pellet smoker just seems to be right for me.

Traeger® Ironwood Grill - Traeger Grills

Pros and cons?

I'm coming from a gas burner, wood chip, vertical smoker, for reference.

 

[caseydog]

Pros and cons?

I had a Traeger. I ordered it online, so I had to assemble it, which took a while. First time I tried to use it, it didn't work. Traeger sent me a new controller, that I had to wire in myself. It took a couple of hours, but it seemed to work.

Then I did the recommended "burn in" to cook off any manufacturing gunk. The &$#@ ting caught on fire -- flames six feet in the air!

I sent the charred remains back.

A lot of people swear by them, but my experience was not so good. Whatever you buy, get it locally, so it is fully assembled, and you can return it easily if you have a problem.

CD

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I had a Traeger. I ordered it online, so I had to assemble it, which took a while. First time I tried to use it, it didn't work. Traeger sent me a new controller, that I had to wire in myself. It took a couple of hours, but it seemed to work.

Then I did the recommended "burn in" to cook off any manufacturing gunk. The &$#@ ting caught on fire -- flames six feet in the air!

I sent the charred remains back.

A lot of people swear by them, but my experience was not so good. Whatever you buy, get it locally, so it is fully assembled, and you can return it easily if you have a problem.

CD

Holy **** CD, that's insane!
I don't mind the assembly part, its like Legos for adults But more importantly, I feel like when you assemble something you can have a better idea of what might need to be replaced down the road... and how to do it yourself. I think I might do a timelapse of me assembling it, just for fun.

No, I was more concerned with being able to get a variety of wood for the pellets, but it seems with their hopper style, you just go with bulk pellets and don't really get to change often. In contrast, with the small smoker I could do pecan wood chips in the morning, apple wood later the same day, and mesquite the day after. Maybe I will keep the vertical smoker for small batch jobs?

 

[caseydog]

Holy **** CD, that's insane!
I don't mind the assembly part, its like Legos for adults But more importantly, I feel like when you assemble something you can have a better idea of what might need to be replaced down the road... and how to do it yourself. I think I might do a timelapse of me assembling it, just for fun.

No, I was more concerned with being able to get a variety of wood for the pellets, but it seems with their hopper style, you just go with bulk pellets and don't really get to change often. In contrast, with the small smoker I could do pecan wood chips in the morning, apple wood later the same day, and mesquite the day after. Maybe I will keep the vertical smoker for small batch jobs?

The main thing with an expensive purchase like the one you are planning to make is that it is worth it to buy locally, even if is costs a little more. Being able to take the item back quickly and easily is worth it. The reason having it assembled by the local seller is so they can't say a problem was due to you assembling it wrong.

There is a great True Value Hardware store not far from me that offers free assembly of any grill/smoker. They are also very good about dealing with any problems you have.

Pellets are easy to find, at least here. You should learn how much you need to load in the hopper for a particular length of cook. You can always start with a small-ish amount, and add more if you need to. You don't have to start with a full hopper.

Cabella's/Bass Pro Shops also have a good selection of pellet poopers (that's their nickname with BBQ folks). I'm pretty sure they offer free assembly, too. I've also found them to have excellent customer service.

CD

 

[GadgetGuy]

FlowersFreeTime, I truly realize that you desire to get an outdoor smoker, but THIS is the one that I own. it's a stovetop unit designed to smoke meats indoors. We are not allowed to cook outdoors here, so I did the next best thing, which was to get one of THESE. It is by no means dangerous at all. Instead, it gives off a very pleasent odor from the meat being cooked in it that makes you really want to taste the food when it's done!! I've used it several times, & the smell of the smoked food is so heavenly. The wood pellets make it all happen!! The next best thing to having an outdoor BBQ grill!!!!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

FlowersFreeTime, I truly realize that you desire to get an outdoor smoker, but THIS is the one that I own. it's a stovetop unit designed to smoke meats indoors. We are not allowed to cook outdoors here, so I did the next best thing, which was to get one of THESE. It is by no means dangerous at all. Instead, it gives off a very pleasent odor from the meat being cooked in it that makes you really want to taste the food when it's done!! I've used it several times, & the smell of the smoked food is so heavenly. The wood pellets make it all happen!!
View attachment 98326

Down here in FL, we live in central A/C, so I would not want to smoke anything inside the house. When I sear steaks in the cast iron I usually have to open windows and pray the smoke alarms don't go off

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

The main thing with an expensive purchase like the one you are planning to make is that it is worth it to buy locally, even if is costs a little more. Being able to take the item back quickly and easily is worth it. The reason having it assembled by the local seller is so they can't say a problem was due to you assembling it wrong.

There is a great True Value Hardware store not far from me that offers free assembly of any grill/smoker. They are also very good about dealing with any problems you have.

Pellets are easy to find, at least here. You should learn how much you need to load in the hopper for a particular length of cook. You can always start with a small-ish amount, and add more if you need to. You don't have to start with a full hopper.

Cabella's/Bass Pro Shops also have a good selection of pellet poopers (that's their nickname with BBQ folks). I'm pretty sure they offer free assembly, too. I've also found them to have excellent customer service.

CD

That's a fair point re: local shops.

Regarding pellets, I did a little more digging online and found that the Traeger pellets are not very good. They work, they just don't have a strong smoke flavor and they have some additives. There are better options which do not contain additives and can be single-type wood versus a blend of miscellaneous woods. For example, I really like apple wood for fish and chicken.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

caseydog Do you think this would be a better purchase than the Traeger?
SmokeFire EPX6 Wood Fired Pellet Grill, STEALTH Edition | SmokeFire Series | Wood Pellet Grills | Weber Grills
I like that for the price you get more cooking surface and a section that's capable of 600 degree searing.
I don't like that the lid doesn't seal as well as the Traeger Ironwood, plus the Traeger looks easier to clean. The position of the hopper is a bit weird too (you'd be standing in the smoke to refill pellets mid-cook, if its going through pellets fast).

 

[caseydog]

caseydog Do you think this would be a better purchase than the Traeger?
SmokeFire EPX6 Wood Fired Pellet Grill, STEALTH Edition | SmokeFire Series | Wood Pellet Grills | Weber Grills
I like that for the price you get more cooking surface and a section that's capable of 600 degree searing.
I don't like that the lid doesn't seal as well as the Traeger Ironwood, plus the Traeger looks easier to clean. The position of the hopper is a bit weird too (you'd be standing in the smoke to refill pellets mid-cook, if its going through pellets fast).

I have heard of the SmokeFire pellet grill/smoker, but have no actual experience with one.

I have a Consumer Reports membership, and here is what they said...

CD

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Nice! Would I be pushing my luck to ask you for a similar screenshot of "Traeger Ironwood" or "Traeger Ironwood XL"?

 

[GadgetGuy]

And the link is not working.

 

[caseydog]

Nice! Would I be pushing my luck to ask you for a similar screenshot of "Traeger Ironwood" or "Traeger Ironwood XL"?

Well, it appears Consumer reports did not do an in house review of the Traeger, so all they posted was the user reviews.

Here is the user review summary for the Weber...

CD

 

[caseydog]

All I can offer is that I've owned a lot of Weber products, and they have all been top quality, made in USA products. My one experience with Traeger was a disaster, but a lot of people love them.

Traeger grills were originally made in the USA, but the company was sold in 2006, and now they are all made in China. My Traeger was made in China.

CD

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Well, I got caught up in the hype, so I did indeed order the Traeger Ironwood. I went for the smaller one, not the XL. It should arrive in a few days. Weather permitting, I'll at least assemble and do an initial burn-in this weekend.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

It arrived this weekend!

Initial burn in and internal pics later. Maybe tonight, depending on weather.