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.

Academy has them for about $10-$11 for 20lbs. Treager runs specials that are about the same price from time to time.

What are the ingredients that make up these "pellets" that smoke chit so great?

Compressed hardwood.....I think

If you have to ask, you can't afford it

that's what she said

hahahaha

Nice of you to let Seminole out.........Rik

Kopi Luwak

The coffee thread is over there.....

yeah?

Man, is that you?

I heard of a fellar that saved up for 3 years to buy a camp chef stove. Now he's talking about financing a yeti cooler

southernjet?? that you?

what's up tnhunter62 ?

inbreds

Are we all still the same person?

My father in law thinks his Traeger is the tits. I can't stand the first damn thing he's cooked on it. Seems he hasn't figured out how to get it hot enough to give a steak even a light sear. Could be the grill; could be the griller.

I've seen that with some things I've cooked but not all. I smoke chicken tenders and they come out tasting like bacon. The brisket I cooked at 225 for 11 hours came out great and was very smokey. I used mesquite for that one. I believe anything cooked low and slow acquires all the smoky flavor most would want.

I won't do steaks on my Treager. I've tried it with them but the Weber does a much better job for anything needing to be cooked quickly like steaks, pork chops, or burgers. I do like the Traeger for Salmon or other fish.

Some of the best steaks I've had came off my Traeger but it takes a pellet grill longer to get up to the right temperature than a gas grill. To me the wait is worth it most of the time.

My buddy got one this year and we have cooked a lot of stuff on it. Pretty hard to screw something up on a pellet grill. I personally wouldn't buy a Traeger; they have a big warning sticker right on the grill that if you don't buy their pellets, it voids your warranty. If you are going to buy a Chinese grill, you can do better. I really want one but keep spending my surplus on rifles

I've run quite a bit of non Traeger pellets through mine with zero noticeable operating differences between brands.

Cash and Carry sells 20lb bags for $9.90

I think Idaho has three stores.

Traeger pellets run about a buck a pound. Green mountain pellets half that. Camp Chef another 25% less. I ran two full bags of Green Mt. pellets through it with no ill effects. There are some wonderful pellets out there and many are better than the expensive traeger pellets. Tractor supply sells pure oak pellets that are like $4 for a 20# bag. They are great pellets. If you want something more exotic for smoking, buy some straight hickory and put them in first- most smoking happens early on. Then the oak for the heat.

I cooked lasagna in one so I didn't have to heat the house up with the oven- who cares what flavor you cook lasagna in as long as they are pure hardwood pellets!

A new one just opened here but I haven't been in it yet.

I don't mind using Traeger's pellets. I just bought enough for most of 2016 at under 15 bucks a bag shipped. I'm good with that.

Relatives...

I buy almost all the meat I smoke at C&C. They're less expensive than Costco in my area.