Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire pellet grills

How well do they work compared to charcoal or propane? I see Sportsmans Whs has a bunch of Green Mtn pellet grills on sale.

We are on our second pellet grill.

First was a basic Traeger. Pretty much wore it out over a few years. Upgraded to a Green Mountain a couple years ago.

Wife wanted one for a long time. I fussed it was too expensive. When I finally relented, I complained that she should've bought one years before.

To answer your question: they are simple and easy to operate and get much better flavor than with propane. If you add soaked wood chips to a charcoal fire, you can get the same results, but it takes a lot more time and you can't really control the temp like you can with a pellet grill.

When we want to cook on the pellet grill, we pull the remote out of the drawer and hit a button. Grill fires up and is ready to go in under 10 minutes.

I've got the Green Mountain as well and my experiences are the same. I've had it for about 6 years and love it. I've got a charcoal grill and offset smoker too, but the GM gets used more by far.

I bought a Green Mountain Grill a few months ago and absolutely love it! Everything I've done on it so far has turned out great and it's about as easy as it can get. Mine is digital, but not remote (WiFi) controlled. Goes down to 150 degrees for smoking (you can crack the lid for lower temps) and up to 500 degrees for grilling/searing.

I've done chicken, brats, pork chops, tri-tip, rib-eyes, jalapeno poppers, smoked fish (salmon and albacore), and just did a turkey for Thanksgiving. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!...

I have a Traeger that I did my first brisket on a couple days ago and it turned out great! I've been very pleased with everything I've cooked on it.

Check these out:

yodersmokers.com/

They are made here in my town. I do not own one but wish I had the $$$$ to. I have heard really good things about them. I have looked at them in the showroom and they are built like a tank compared to the Traeger and Green Mountain grills. The only drawback is the price.

After using my Traeger for about 2 years I've found it to be pretty much set it and forget it. From what I've read about pellet grills in general the set it and forget it applies to the pellet gril concept across the board.

Various flavors of pellets on the market enable the cook to dial in desired flavor profiles as well.

I have a WSM smoker as well but after using pellets I found the Traeger has become my primary cooker.

YMMV.

thanks for the info. I ordered one of their Green Mtn grills. Good thing I didn't wait because they're now out of about everything.

Those are pretty good prices for the grills. You might look at investing in the thermal blanket they offer as well. They seem to burn less pellets and allow for a more consistent cook. As far as pellets go, ive had good luck with what Academy sells, and if you watch for sales Treager can get some to you reasonably.

I been using my GMG for almost 3 years and like it a lot. There will be less smoke flavor with a pellet grill but still great BBQ.

I made a trip to the BBQ Delight pellet mill and purchased 600 lbs. . You can make a make a bulk order and save quite a bit but shipping can increase the cost.

Nearest dealer for us is about 4 hours. Nothing wrong with a road trip so keep us informed with your new toy.

As long as you have power pellet grills perform exactly as advertised.

Great cooker!

Dumb question........I assume there are special pellets and you don't use the same pellets you use for heating?

Paul yep!

David

However, I still prefer natural lump in hard wood cookers or the ground.

I'm guessing that the heating type pellets have glues that would screw up the groceries as they burn. Or maybe it's hard wood vs soft wood. I'm not sure.

The biggest issue I have with them is not hitting the high heat needed to sear. They're good for lower temp cooks, pork, chicken, etc. Some brands may hit higher temps than others.

I have had an American made large Traeger for 10 + years.
It is very good for slow cooking ribs, brisket. etc. Good for smoking jerky.
Cannot give good results were high heat is needed. Grill does not reach 500*.

I would not buy another .

Best way to cook steaks is DIRECTLY on lump charcoal….no grill.

I like mine. Its a great bbq.

I don't know why everyone calls a pellet smoker a grill and a charcoal grill a bbq. Its backwards.

The pellet smokers are really a wood fired oven or smoker. No direct grilling at all. Doesn't do steaks well. Does bbq well. The best part is the easy temperature control. Set at 225, go to bed, still at 225 in the morning.

Keep your charcoal for grilling.

Cover it when not in use. Wet pellets in the auger are no fun.

Pellets...Most seem to run about $17 to $20 for a 20lb bag. Costco has a 33lb bag for $20. I also saw some at a grocery store for $6/20lb.

This is very much correct. If you like a seared steak keep the charcoal.