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BBQ advice
Bangers
Posts: 850 ✭✭✭✭✭ Graduate
I am looking for some opinions to help me make a decision. I was recently awarded at work and given a handful of options to "shop" from as a result. The two most valuable things on the list of options are a Peloton Bike and a Traeger Timberline 1850. The irony is that about 2 months ago I bought my wife a Peloton that she had been wanting for 6 months. And recently when she was asking me what I wanted for Father's Day, I suggested a new grill - but I am tired of buying the cheapos that I have to replace every 3-4 years. She guilted me into picking something less expensive (sounds fair right?) so I ordered myself a pair of Oakley sunglasses on ebay (probably knock-offs) to replace some I lost recently.
It all sounds like stars aligning I know, but I have been using propane for a long time and I had a Weber in mind. I have been looking at those with a burning desire for at least 12 years. So with that, finally to my ask for advice....
A key variable to consider is that I have a 4 year old, a 7 year old, and a wife that get hangery if they don't have food ready to eat by 6:15 most days, and I typically grill 3 times a week (often on week nights). I do not doubt you can cook far superior meals on the Traeger based on what I am seeing online, and I could see myself getting really into it all when I have the time (i.e. when the kids are older), but I am concerned even the "easy" stuff takes a lot longer on the pellet smokers.
Should I just pick this top of the line Traeger that I never would have spent that kind of money on and try pellet smoking or order the Peloton, sell it for $1500-$1600, buy the Weber of my hearts desire, and still have ~$700 to put in the bank?
All opinions welcome, but especially interested in those of you that grill with pellet smokers.
Comments
I have a Kamado Joe and absolutely love it. I cooked steaks on it last weekend and added some nice Cherry wood chunks to the lump charcoal and the flavor was out of this world. These type of cooking units hold their heat for an extraordinary amount of time and require very little fuel to maintain a consistent temperature.
Get the Peloton, sell it for $1600. Get a RecTec 590 for $900 (better quality than Traeger too) for your low and slow smoking, and have $700 left towards your Weber.
I second this game plan
I have never used a pellet but I know some love it. I use a stick burner and a charcoal grill.
Get the Peloton, sell it, buy an Orion cooker for $125 on sale or less (try Cabela's or Bass Pro), and FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. One bag of self light (the WHOLE bag) per cook. Great ribs, pork shoulders, small briskets, turkeys, etc. in less time than you can imagine, and PREDICTABLE! Buy a kamado for your slow weekend cooks at Costco at the end of summer for $499. Pocket the rest of the money, and thank me later.
I fussed at my wife for buying a Recteq, then we “cooked” on it. I tell you, it’s dummy proof. Smoked the best brisket I’ve ever had on it. Then preceded to smoke some of the best butts we’ve ever cooked. We’ve even done ribeyes on our’s and they were fantastic, too. Best money we’ve ever spent on an “appliance”. Plus, it smells great while out in the yard either working or just relaxing. Also, very easy to clean.
Big green egg. You will never buy another grill/smoker. Had ours for 15yrs now.
I personally haven’t gotten into the pellet smoking thing. To me, part of the fun of smoking is the constant attention and need to keep the fire going, sometimes overnight (read as: excuse to have a beer and play with fire.)
No doubt the Traeger will take more time but so does all low and slow cooking. You just adjust when you start. In fact, depending on what you’re cooking you could probably start the Traeger before you leave for work and let it ride all day.
My advice, get either product and sell it. Get yourself a nice Weber Kettle for everyday cooking, and get a Weber Smokey Mountain as an entry-level smoker until you find out that you really like the process and results of smoking.
Also invest some of that in a good digital thermometer (one with probes for meat and smoker temp.). The thermometers that come on 99% of grills are cr@p.
Invest the balance in an S&P500 Index fund with low fees so that when you’re ready to move up to the next level smoker you’ll (hopefully) have the cash. That, or bet on JT Daniels to win the Heisman at +1,000 odds.
Let us know what you decide. Amazingribs.com is an excellent resource for recipes, techniques, and reviews of equipment. It’s a must read for anyone getting into smoking.
I've found that Grills are like fishing boats. Want to fish skinny water you need a 17' flats boat. Rough weather with heavy chop, you need a 24' Bay boat. Want to get way offshore and fish some deep water, you need a Bigger boat.
Want to throw some meat on the grill for a "quick" meal you need a gas grill. (DCS my go to) Got a turkey, butt or brisket you want to smoke, you need a smoker grill. (BGE my all time favorite but have to admit the Recteq RT 700 is a great alternative). Want to make a Grill statement that blows everyone away, check these out.
https://www.grillworksusa.com/
Pure Grill Porn
You will be pleased with rec tec,awesome smoker. You can cook a quick meal on it also. The Rec Tec has a great customer service team also. Built like a tank.
Thanks for all of the opinions and helpful advice! The consensus seems to be get the Peloton and sell it and then buy both gas and a less expensive pellet smoker. I like this idea. I had not heard of the Rec Tec but that seems to be the overwhelming favorite here for value + quality. I just placed the order for the Peloton. I wont actually receive it until August. Hopefully it sells quickly - would love to try my hand at a smoked brisket on Sept 4th! That gives me a little time to decide what model to go with.
Aside from the brand / model advice - any tips on use and maintenance for a newbie from you pellet smoking experts I should keep in mind?
Best advice I can give for a pellet grill is wrap the drip pan in heavy duty aluminum foil. That way when you clean it, you’ll only need to peel the aluminum foil off and replace with new foil. I also have a 5 gallon bucket with the vacuum attachment on top (about $25 at Lowes/Home Depot). Use this to vacuum the ash out of the bottom of grill. I generally try to clean the grill after every 40 lbs of pellets (1 big bag).
I looked at the BGE and the ceramic is thicker on the KJ, it also has a lid actuator allowing for better control and ease of use. The KJ comes with more standard features for less $ too.
Green Egg is a fine grill, but absurdly overpriced. I have an Akorn Chargriller that costs about 1/3rd of an Egg (last I checked). It's rock solid quality. Also the company is based out of Sea Island GA and very easy to deal with if you need to order a new part. Like the small inner circle cast iron grill that will fall out and shatter on the concrete.
That's only if you really want to go the charcoal route. There are some really nice gas and pellet grills out there now. Honestly, if I was in the market I'd look at those pellet grills. Those are genius.
Speaking of kamado grills made in GA...I don't own one of these, but if I did, being made of cast iron, it'd make an amazing heirloom to pass down through the next 5 to 10 generations! - https://www.goldenscastiron.com/kamado-grills/
I second the Big Green Egg (BGE). I've had mine over a decade, and never looked back. It's a grill/smoker/oven all in one. FYI the Kamado is good too :)
How it's made: How the Big Green Egg is Made - YouTube
BGE Forum: https://eggheadforum.com/