Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Pellet Grill Anyone?

On that note, I doubt that I would pay full price for a Traeger. I paid $500 (plus a bit for add-ons) through a dealer friend for my 3400. If I had to pay full price, I would likely look at some more robust options.

yeah I love charcoal the best for grilling, but normally I just use my gas grills for that. the last brisket I did I tried using BBQ butcher paper instead of foil wrap. I normally wrap the brisket when I wake up in the mornings. I like to wrap it when it gets to about 150-160 degrees. I found the butcher paper kept the same moisture, but greatly increased the smoke flavor. Its just another tool, if you want more or less smoke flavor depending on the pellets you are using.

Thats great!!!!!!!!

Pretty hard to screw up a meal with a pellet smoker. I looked at vertical pellet smokers at Costco a while back. I was ready to buy one until I checked how much fuel they use- VERY inefficient. They had triple the burn of a Traeger style.

I would love to get one of those little battery powered Green Mountains to take camping!

I have that very one and love it.

My old 7-in-1 Cabelas propane/ charcoal cooker finally rusted out after 5+ years and I couldn't get the part I needed anymore to fix it.. so I started researching my next purchase. I had never smoked anything in my life, merely grilled steak, ham steak, hamburgers, and chicken on cheap charcoal grills for most of my adulthood. Ended up going with a Rec-Tec Stampede pellet cooker. Couldn't be happier. 5 year warranty and made from some pretty stout stainless metal. Comes with the wifi, control-it-from-your-phone thing on it, so say, an all-night smoking brisket operation can be monitored and changed mid-stream from your bed.

I got it around March or April of this year and have been going to town on it. I've made at least 3 meals per weekend every since then- except two weekends when I was out of town. I've now made brisket 3 times successfully in addition to about anything else that is normally smoked. Well except I haven't tried turkey yet. They're pretty efficient, but I've used it so much that I made at least my 3rd trip to Rural King for another 100 lbs of pellets this past weekend- I was down to just two 20 lb bags.

Matter of fact, I've been using it as my outdoor oven these last few weeks so I don't have to heat my house by using the "real" oven. Two weekends ago I made, grilled salmon, smoked chicken breasts, and reverse-seared steaks. During the week, I heated up frozen: fish, shrimp, and pizza (on separate nights). This past weekend, more grilled salmon, smoked hamburger, and more steak. Last night I baked some home-made molasses cookies.

I joined 3 different pellet smoker groups on Facebook after I bought it for information and recipes, and I have to say, those groups are growing in number by leaps and bounds. I think it's probably the fastest growing thing in smoking/ grilling right now, because it's so effortless. So, you get the hate from "traditional" smokers who had to earn their badge of honor the hard way by pulling all-nighters tending the charcoal or wood to make a good brisket or hog. And I get it.

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Hawk, does it come with a remote? And what is the lowest setting you can put it on to get smoke?

Thanks.

I am in on the RECTEC grills as well.

I researched the hell out of all the pellet grills and kept coming back to the RECTEC's.

I bought the Bull 700 first and loved it so much I bought a Stampede for our lake cabin and love that one too.

Been very happy with both and highly recommend them.

My Dad has a Traeger and the RECTEC blows that thing out of the water in my opinion.

Thanks for the rec's on that Rec Tec. I'll look into that.

Uncle Johnny, been running treager for 15 years or better, I'll never do without one. Very versatile, I smoke my salmon, smoke my pork bellies for bacon, pizzas, reverse seat steaks yada yada yada.... Great grills!

There was a Traeger rep at Costco on Saturday. He had a mountain of grills behind him. He was getting some interest and I saw a few heading out the door.

I have a Traeger Pellet grill but I don't use it for burgers, steaks, chops, or chicken, other than smoked chicken I put in salads.

I believe pellet grills are for smoking primarily. Stuff like ribs and brisket.

I've cooked other things on it like steak and salmon, but my Weber charcoal grill does those so much better, it was a one and done occasion.

Do a reverse sear with your Traeger and a cast iron pan, on the stove, to finish. Very good stuff!

But I will agree, it isn't a "grill" in the truest sense.

So if a guy knows what he's doing on the pellet grill, how long does it take to grill up a juicy burger on it, or a 1" juicy rib eye medium rare?

I smoke both for 1\2 your or so, then crank er up, I suppose if a guy just cranked er on HIGH outta the gate it wouldn't take too long

Exactly what I do. I use charcoal for most grilling. Where the pellet grill shines is long cooks like pork butt. 14 - 16 hour stuff.

What temp do you run your Traeger on when doing a brisket?

I love my pellet grill, but don't use it for burgers, steaks or other quick-cooking meats where you want a initial high temp sear.

Unless I'm mistaken, the "pellet" part of a pellet smoker/grill is for smoking only, not for grilling burgers, though the lines can get blurred a bit if the thing is capable of reaching grilling temps. If the grill portion is thick enough that it retains heat well and isn't so flimsy that it rusts through after only a couple years of use, then I could see using the pellet smoker to supplement charcoal inside the main compartment to add additional smoke flavor to grilling. On the unit JG referenced in the OP, the "steak searing" compartment is gas and it looks like the main compartment is intended for slow smoking meats with the pellet system at much lower temp. I don't personally like using gas for grilling; food just don't turn out as flavorful as with a conventional charcoal/wood grill.

Me personally, I just have a simple plain-Jane heavy walled homemade cylindrical grill for grilling and do my smoking in a dedicated smoker. I just add some wood chunks on one side of my charcoal bed when I want to get additional smoky flavor to grilled meats. Pellet smokers work great, but all the ones I've seen are intended primarily for smoking. If one has a separate grilling compartment and your intent is to buy it mainly for grilling, it seems to me that you're paying a lot extra for the smoking portion without adding any advantage in grilling vs. just a plain ole, inexpensive charcoal grill.

Don't have a Traeger, but do have a Green mtn. I start brisket at 175 and cook with fat side up for 4 hours.

Turn over and cook opposite side for another 2 hours.

Flip again and turn up to 185 for another 2 hours or so or until internal temp is 165.

At that point, pull off, wrap in aluminum foil and drizzel a half cup apple juice over brisket and turn up to 225. Let cook wrapped until internal temp is 200, which is usually 2-4 more hours.

It takes all day and maybe I make it more complicated than it should be, but it turns out great.