I recently purchased a pellet smoker....

Yeah I'm not going to go with a Traegar because there's just several other competitors that make similar products for cheaper. I have liked at comparisons for Z Grills and Pit Boss and they both seem very competitive with each other. Have not seen the issues you've described with Z Grills, but will keep an eye out.

I only need a basic pellet grill to be used for BBQ, since I've got a flat top I use for grilling. Not worried about the high temp ranges, wifi, or other bells and whistles at the moment. Just want to add a little more smoke than my electric smoker can provide right now.

Back to the research
 
Pit boss Lexington works great. Not too expensive (<300$)
Tomahawk steaks, whole chickens, ribs, brisket, works good with all of them.
 
Handicappers said:
Pit boss Lexington works great. Not too expensive (<300$)
Tomahawk steaks, whole chickens, ribs, brisket, works good with all of them.
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Yep, and it has everything if not more than some of the pricier pellet smokers. Walmart has them right now starting at $297.....meanwhile a Weber Kettle goes for almost as much.
 
Well I'll let you know how the ZGrill actually goes. Just ordered their 7002C model for $400 (cover included).

Went ahead and got some thermal tape to help seal the lid while it's new versus waiting until carbon builds up and needs to be cleaned before applying. That along with a lid blanket should help maintain temps this winter.

Things I liked was the large lower grill area (~500 sq.in.), PID controller, locking caster wheels, and pellet clean out access.

We'll see how it works in practice and hopefully won't have any major issues.

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Bayou Tiger said:
....and it's a game changer!



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Dance Party Dancing GIF
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How dare you dox me....lol

Mark my words I'll get you back....lol

Looks like a great setup....

What else do you have planned to smoke?
 
Mine arrived this week and I was able to assemble and burn in last night. Grabbed some beef for burgers and wings to throw in this afternoon after church that came out really nice.

Got a pork butt in the freezer that one will likely be my next cook when weather and time cooperates (chance of rain pretty much every day the next 10 days).

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Well did a brisket overnight. Took pictures of the results this time. This one came out better than the others I've done before. I smoked it on "p" setting 4 for two hours, then bumped it up to 225 degrees for the remainder of cook. Started with a 17.8 lb. whole packer. Ground the trimming into hamburger meat and rendered the fat to make beef tallow. Nothing wasted....

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I left it wrapped for 8 hours. It was still reading 150 degrees in the center after 8 hours off the cooker! It just sat there rendering the fat down.


When you see this at the bottom of the foil when you unwrap it....

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....you know it's going to be good!
 
Fog said:
How dare you dox me....lol

Mark my words I'll get you back....lol

Looks like a great setup....

What else do you have planned to smoke?
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Lol
 
Here is a great video on how to trim a brisket:




It's the best video I've ever seen describing how to trim a brisket.

Here is my brisket straight out the packing material...

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And here it is after the trim....


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This is the setup I used on this cook since it was just one. The fat trimmings are in that cast aluminum pot and the trays are filled halfway up the sides with hot water. The brisket is sitting on the top grate with fat cap up...

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dikowt dowg said:
What do you do with these?
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Eat them. That's brisket slices vacuumed sealed to put in freezer for later. There is enough in each pkg. to make two very nice sandwiches or as a main protein portion of any meal. It's just me and the wife at home so if we have company...I take out another pkg. LOL

I vacuum seal ribs, chicken, pulled pork....in individual packages to make reheating a snap. Bring a pot of water to boil and throw in the package...turn off heat, cover and in 15 minutes it will taste like you just took if off the smoker.
 
Bayou Tiger said:
I vacuum seal ribs, chicken, pulled pork....in individual packages to make reheating a snap. Bring a pot of water to boil and throw in the package...turn off heat, cover and in 15 minutes it will taste like you just took if off the smoker.
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Huh....I'll have to give this a try. I usually avoid freezing cooked meats because it takes so long to thaw it out. But those looked tasty.
 
Bayou Tiger's helpful tips and tricks. Probably should start a thread....

If you ever wanted to learn where different cuts of meat come from and how these cuts are fabricated in a butcher shop.....

Check out the Bearded Butcher's channel on YouTube.



 
outofyourmind said:
My Son got a pellet smoker a few months ago.

He loves it. They cook on it all the time.
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finalky broke down and got a new smoker -
Pit Boss - Competitor vertical pellet smoker -
so far i've done a whole chicken, ribs,
pork loins, tenderloins and chops -
i keep a word doc with notes
to help with future improvement -
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Cobrabit said:
Mine arrived this week and I was able to assemble and burn in last night. Grabbed some beef for burgers and wings to throw in this afternoon after church that came out really nice.

Got a pork butt in the freezer that one will likely be my next cook when weather and time cooperates (chance of rain pretty much every day the next 10 days).

View attachment 94236View attachment 94237
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How's it been working out
 
outofyourmind said:
How's it been working out
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No issues at all with likely averaging a cook or more a week. I vacuum out the pellet dust after a long cook for brisket, butt, or if only doing steaks, burgers, wings, or chicken breasts, I'll vacuum it out after about 10 hours.

The family loves the steak and burgers and it's a set and forget thing for an hour or so, assuming you've got a 3rd party temperature probe you can set an alert for. I'll still use my flat top razor for hibachi, breakfast, or if we're having a party and i need to cook a bunch of burgers or dogs quickly, but there's less maintenence to deal with on the pellet grill.

The only slight drawback I would consider improving upon is the angle that the hopper feeds the auger. It could be steeper to allow for a continuous feed, but the current configuration creates a tunnel like void directly over the auger inlet, while pellets remain to the side. This is only an issue if you don't plan to check on it for several hours and push the pellets towards the middle. So if I do an overnight cook, I'll set an alarm around 3-4am to check on the hopper. However I would imagine that many brands have similar issues.

Planning on doing a small 3.5 lb brisket tomorrow that I thawed earlier and just put my rub on after buying on sale months ago. It's nice to find great deals on full packers, butts, or steaks to freeze for use later, or go ahead and smoke and seal leftovers to freeze for later.
 
Bayou Tiger said:
Bayou Tiger's helpful tips and tricks. Probably should start a thread....

If you ever wanted to learn where different cuts of meat come from and how these cuts are fabricated in a butcher shop.....

Check out the Bearded Butcher's channel on YouTube.



Click to expand...



Sorry that I missed this post. I've previously seen some of the shorter videos by the Bearded Butchers, but the two videos you linked were awesome for those that would like to understand where their cuts come from.

While I'm not likely to break down a whole half of beef or pork in the near future, I do buy from local butchers and it's nice to understand the process more.
 
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