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Maggie’s Smokers, Propane and propane accessories - what grill do I get

hermosabeach

hermosabeach

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my Kenmore 6 burner BBQ has died.... salt air ate up the cast iron burners 2 years ago.... now the valves froze up over the winter...

so i was drooling over the 12 hour smoked brisket in the mom nom thread and wondered..... should we have a thread on-
Smokers
gas vs electric vs wet wood

big green egg vs the other one sold at costco

is there interest in sharing what we know about the grills, smokers and such in our lives?


help me out before I order 8 new valves for my old kenmore.
 
I've gone from charcoal to propane back to charcoal and while I've not tried the Big Green Egg I'm pretty sure you should go with the other option at Costco. Don't buy the model that is there year round. Ask when the traveling show is coming round and buy the next size up so you can fit a whole rack of baby backs on there.

Ive now bought three Traegers. I doubt you'll ever go back. Haven't cooked a turkey in the oven in more than ten years. Traeger turkey is unreal.

Certain wood pellets can make bird look pink and trick you into overcooking it. We got a ThermaQ which has turned out to be a great tool. http://www.thermoworks.com/ThermaQ

You'll especially love a Traeger if you're not a fan of standing over your grill turning things over and over or seeing food charred because you got distracted jawing with friends or family. I'm not sure it's possible to mess things up on the Traeger.

It's a big buy-in. But you can use it almost every day and feel you're getting your money's worth. Get the cover while you're at it.

Finally, there are a lot of different wood pellets but I've been happy with the mesquite and hickory at Costco. If you're lucky and live in an area where these things are more popular it may be easier to experiment. IIRC the Trager pellets are not 100% what's labeled on the bag. As long as they're made for cooking and not just heaters, there's a world of pellets out there to try.
 
I have been going back and forth between the Traeger and the home Depot version of the big Green egg. I would love a pellet version of one of the ceramic egg style cookers.
 
After going through a 'cheap' Home depot grill every couple of seasons for several years, I bit the bullet and bought a Weber. Still going strong 12 years later. Replaced some parts.... but it's still going strong. Even here in cold Northern VT, I grill all year around. That BBQ has saved me hundreds of $$ vs. throwaway grills and does the best (propane) cooking job ever. I still like Charcoal. But it's not as convenient for sure.

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
I had to replace the burners at about 7 years.... and the drip things (bent metal) at the same time. And I bought stainless grilles at that time (they are still going strong.) I think all my rebuild parts came to something like $250. Not cheap. But it was a new grill afterwards. I expect that within 2 - 3 more years, I'll replace it all again. Never had to touch the valves. The spark starter thing has never worked well.... maybe the first year. I don't bother with it any more. Just light with a long-lighter.

Weber is great about spare parts. Their online store is excellent. I had the bits within a few days. Took an hour or less to put in.

Like any quality piece of equipment, it's rebuildable and serviceable. Still far cheaper than buying a new $200 WalMart POS every couple of years and having it fail.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
My bbq grill and smoker are two separate items but both propane. I know the smoker I have is popular in the USA but sold under a different brand name here in Australia, it has two doors, one for the food and the lower one to access the wood chips and water pan. Hope this thread takes off, everything cooked in the smoker is just so good.
 
For low and slow, a Traeger is hard to beat. We're on year 4 now with ours and have put a lot of hours on it. I would NOT store a Traeger outdoors even under a cover as there is a fair amount of electronics and bits that probably wouldn't hold up well out in the elements.

 
Weber genesis gets my vote. As for smoker I am still running a Home depot tower smoker. It is slowly rusting away, and it will be a good thing when it does. It is pretty thin walled sheet metal. This makes it hard to maintain temp on cooler windy days.
 
MtnCreek said:
If you like cooking over gas, you'll probably want to keep a gas grill. I use mine 10:1 over charcoal or smoker because it's much faster and easier to clean.
Click to expand...

Traeger isn't just a smoker. It had fans and high heat and can cook like a convection oven -- faster than one's regular oven -- in addition to long and slow smoking. I often incorporate both by simply turning the dial. Then I can get the flavour of smoked meat with the speed of gas.
 
I am an absolute stick-burning zealot when it comes to smoking meat. The process of coaxing the best out of meat over hours and hours of painstaking attention appeals to me.

The only gas "smoker" I've ever messed with was at a friend's place and I'll say that if you want amazing food with little effort and without a huge price tag, the smokers from King Kooker out of the New Orleans area are phenomenal.

We we had a thread on this a year or two ago and a member recommended the Pit Barrel Smoker. I bought one and it's a great "fire and forget" smoker for guys who don't like to fuss with their grills. It produces great results as long as you don't overload it, which I've learned the hard way.
 
You will thank me later...much cheaper and IMHO better than the Egg which is super expensive and hard to move due to the weight.

The Pit Barrel Cooker is easily moved. We take it on road trips to the beach, etc.

Weber Genesis for propane. Buying an expensive Gas Grill is nuts depending on where you live. My in-laws bought us a top end Jenn Air ($1500) that rusted through in less than 5 years. We are battling with them now to get some sort of the warranty replacement.
 
I've really enjoyed my Pit Barrel Cooker as well. People are always impressed with its simplicity and results.
Plus the company was founded right here in Colorado by a military vet.
 
Propane? Really. You sick Bastard.............

Traeger. Love It. :p
 
Cartman said:
I've gone from charcoal to propane back to charcoal and while I've not tried the Big Green Egg I'm pretty sure you should go with the other option at Costco. Don't buy the model that is there year round. Ask when the traveling show is coming round and buy the next size up so you can fit a whole rack of baby backs on there.

Ive now bought three Traegers. I doubt you'll ever go back. Haven't cooked a turkey in the oven in more than ten years. Traeger turkey is unreal.

Certain wood pellets can make bird look pink and trick you into overcooking it. We got a ThermaQ which has turned out to be a great tool. http://www.thermoworks.com/ThermaQ

You'll especially love a Traeger if you're not a fan of standing over your grill turning things over and over or seeing food charred because you got distracted jawing with friends or family. I'm not sure it's possible to mess things up on the Traeger.

It's a big buy-in. But you can use it almost every day and feel you're getting your money's worth. Get the cover while you're at it.

Finally, there are a lot of different wood pellets but I've been happy with the mesquite and hickory at Costco. If you're lucky and live in an area where these things are more popular it may be easier to experiment. IIRC the Trager pellets are not 100% what's labeled on the bag. As long as they're made for cooking and not just heaters, there's a world of pellets out there to try.
Click to expand...

This.

I love my Traeger. Mine was a gift from an old lady who bought as an impulsive purchase and then never used it. I think it's the smallest pit they make. Not the model I would have picked out for myself, but hey, it was a gift. I've used it for grilled steaks, smoked turkeys, briskets, full prime rib roasts, pulled-pork shoulder, chickens, and up to 4 racks of spare ribs at a time. The Traeger makes it easy to get it perfect every time.

It gives old school results, with only fraction of the labor.

I am currently talking myself into buying a new, larger one. That said...Cabela's sells one that is obviously based on the Traeger, but includes some improvements that should make clean-up easier. The price is a little better too.
 
I have been working out the plans to put a pellet burner on the Kamando Joe ceramic grille. Basically like a Traeger ceramic. I have a variable speed blower, the auger, the controls.... Just need to build the rest of it and finish writing the code for the controller. I'm also adding controls to control heat, and monitor from my Android devices. Hopefully I'll get the time to finish it this summer.
 
I've been threw a few of the lowes/ homedepot cheap-o's also... trying to make myself spend the money for one of these... http://wilmingtongrill.com/ they are ALL stainless ...
but some guy keeps teasing me with a Sharps rifle he wants to sell... decisions, decisions...
 
here is one I made to cook chicken on...
 

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There are two layers of steel between the fire box and the grill on a Traeger -- hence no charring of the food. And fans move the air around for even heating.
The ceramic Egg cooker currently at Costco appears to have a ceramic plate to shield the meat from the flames.
 
I'm not sold on Traeger at all. There's no way to get and keep them hot enough to grill a steak properly. And it requires power, which sucks for power outages (hurricanes). For everything from smoking to searing you can't beat a komodo style grill. And go ahead and spend money on it, yall don't cheap out on rifles do you? :)
 
ajv35XX said:
I had the same question, and my buddy who grills and smokes all kinds of stuff and competes told me don't spend a whole bunch of money when one of this will do what you want:
https://m.lowes.com/pd/Weber-Origina...fCyRoC6OTw_wcB
Click to expand...

The Weber kettle grill works great and will last a long time. There is some serious engineering in the materials it's made of. You need to replace the grill grate and fire grate every now and then, but they are cheap and readily available. Learn how to use a 2 zone fire and you can cook almost anything. Mine is used almost daily from April until October and is 6 years old.

For smoking, I have been using a cheap Master Forge propane fired cabinet smoker. The results are really good, but it's showing its age (4 years) and the parts it needs are not available.

Most of my cooks are for a family of 4. For family cooking, I just ordered one of these: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_tech...ow_n_sear.html I'll report back after I use it a few times.
 
I just bought the Kamodo Joe: Big Joe at Costco. Going to keep my gas grill for now just for convenience but plan on using it alot less.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 
khdudley13 said:
here is one I made to cook chicken on...
Click to expand...

NOW we're talking! It looks like you have several grill sections that can be flipped during cooking? I love these setups for chickens or pigs. Id be very interested in seeing how the sections clamp together. I'm assuming you turn the sections manually?

Thats a beautiful grilling rig.
 
kabarNC said:
I'm not sold on Traeger at all. There's no way to get and keep them hot enough to grill a steak properly. And it requires power, which sucks for power outages (hurricanes). For everything from smoking to searing you can't beat a komodo style grill. And go ahead and spend money on it, yall don't cheap out on rifles do you? :)
Click to expand...

The thin sheet metal is what gets me on the Traeger, That is why I want a pellet Kamando type grille. I can use pellets, charcoal, or wood if I choose to. I have had thoughts of being able to run the grille from Milwaukee or Ridgid cordless tool batteries if I chose to also.
 
thanks and yea.. the pivot point is just of center on each rack.. so you can turn the whole rack with 2 fingers... the racks are hinged on one side & the other side I just slide a couple of rings over the rack ends to hold shut. works real nice.. fixed up a stainless garden sprayer to spray the BBQ. sauce on, takes about all the work out of it.. it's laid out where I can cook 1, 2 or 3 racks at a time.. so about 120 1/2's all total
 
khdudley13 said:
thanks and yea.. the pivot point is just of center on each rack.. so you can turn the whole rack with 2 fingers... the racks are hinged on one side & the other side I just slide a couple of rings over the rack ends to hold shut. works real nice.. fixed up a stainless garden sprayer to spray the BBQ. sauce on, takes about all the work out of it.. it's laid out where I can cook 1, 2 or 3 racks at a time.. so about 120 1/2's all total
Click to expand...

Nice. Can you control the thickness of the folded racks for thinner meats like ribs, or widen it to take a hog?
 
I've owned a Big Green Egg for close to 20 years......had 2 fire boxes crack, and they were replaced under warranty......that being said, they do an amazing job smoking meats, the only problem is the size.....you are very limited to what you can cook at one time. they do sell XL, and XXL....sizes,but the big one is 3K plus...
 
For a smoker I use the 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain with a DigiQ system. The WSM has to be the easiest smoker to use, even with out the DIgiQ system set up.
 
With the obvious Hank Hill reference in the title, I can't believe no one has brought him up yet (at least I didn't see it, as I skimmed through most of it). Now, if he were only here, you'd have your definitive answer. "Taste the meat, not the heat."

Personally, I love my Big Green Egg. I kept my gas grill after I bought it, but really haven't used it since.
 
There are a variety of Nomex gaskets to seal the lid on a Traeger if wind is cooling it down. Also, for those in cold climates, Traeger sells an insulating blanket wrap for your Traeger to keep it hotter.

I've not had problems cooking steak on mine. And just enjoyed a fine USDA Prime rib-eye last night. But I'm in SoCal. If you're in colder climes the solutions above should help.

If you want to ride out a power outage enjoying your grill, they draw 4 amps during ignition, and 1.5 during use IIRC what I read on Traeger's website. Traeger sells an inverter you can hook to a 12v battery and grill away.

One negative I have about Traegers is that the hot rod igniters can short out and trip your GFCI. So they need to be replaced from time to time.

Walking around a smoker competition once I noticed there were Eggs, Traegers, and many other brands of pellet smokers. Just about all of the non Traegers, including eggs, had $300-$500 fan controllers to keep the heat steady. Looking at the price of the BGE it adds up to a lot of dough. Now I love grilling. And I'm really tempted to get the Pit Boss egg from Costco just to try it. But to go for one of the big name players and a fan controller can easily run up to $2,000 to $3,000. Which is a lot of money IMO if you just want to grill and smoke without making it a new hobby or lifestyle choice.

I haven't shopped for these things with intense internet sleuthing but a cursory look tells me there are alternatives to the Traeger brand. I think there's a Pellet Head forum or something like that. Pellet cooking with the built in temp probes and fans is freaking easy as can be IMO and while not cheap; not crazy money either. The ceramic kamado eggs look pretty cool. And I'm going to have to consider getting one. But for people reading this other than the OP, dealing with charcoal chunks, added wood, and learning your vents to control temperature sure seems like a fair bit of effort and perhaps a learning curve. If you have limited time and want to be a grilling and smoking rock star without having to stay at a Holliday Inn Express, I don't think you can go wrong with a pellet grill. Some may be better than others. So use your google fu. I've been happy with the Traegers and have bought two for us and one for my in-laws. But they're what my butcher and Costco had so maybe I was an impulsive or lazy shopper.

Good luck and happy grilling.

And Veer, if you're reading this, the other day I made a cheesesteak sandwich with filet mignon and brie with black truffles. Mmm good. Are those popular in Philly? ;)
 
Last edited:
I built a UDS ( ugly drum smoker) back in 2010. It is a wonderful smoker. In 2014 I bought a ceramic unit from Sam''s Club. The ceramic unit will sear meat at over 600*. No regrets.
 
2ndamendfan said:
What ever you get. I recommend these.
Click to expand...

I owe you an apology -- apparently these are the answer to some of the concerns about searing at high temp. What I had been told the trick was, was to use a Lodge cast iron grill across the middle of the Traeger with the drip pan and firebox cover off. I've seen vids and it works. But your suggestion works too:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GjJ_I_TiR3Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://www.grillgrate.com/
 
Barney has it right. Fire and beer.
Learning how to tune a charcoal grill can be a challenge and it is so fun. Hanging out with my brother we have cooked a ton (literally) of meat over the past 14 years on Weber kettle grills. We love the experience and downtime of putting on some small project while have some beers and tending the grill. Some amazing ribs and brisket have come from those small cheap grills, as well as grilled pizza and lots of other delights.

We we have used the time to fix up a number of cool old items, including our grandpas 1950's Coleman single burner camp stove and similar vintage lantern as well as an old all metal fan.

I like having both gas and charcoal. The Weber kettle works well for me.


i have a buddy who would sleep with his Traeger if he could and I have eaten some tasty morsels from it. I always harass him that it's the smoker for people who don't know how to smoke. it's like people who say they love beer and drink Bud Light.....
 
Last edited:
Blair B said:
For a smoker I use the 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain with a DigiQ system. The WSM has to be the easiest smoker to use, even with out the DIgiQ system set up.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I use the pitmaster iq. Aside from high heat smokes the WSM is my go to for pork butts, ribs, brisket etc. I also own a Kamado Joe which is great for high temp smokes of poultry and cooking pizzas n a stone. Downfall is the ceramic shit usually breaks or cracks over the course of a few years. . They will replace it under warranty and ship it for free but it can be an aggravation. Also if you miss the target temp. It will be awhile before the temp will drop. Highly efficient cookers.

 
I know it ain't the same thing, and I'm not trying to suggest that it is. But....

A Tandoor in an incredible cooking device once you learn how to use it, and they are VERY easy to make. We made ours for around $100.00 iirc. And the heat on it very easily gets above 750 degrees. A few chickens (parted out) can be cooked in minutes, literally. And they are SO GOOD.

The expensivest part of our build, was the ceramic pot. Everything else was very inexpensive. The only improvement we'd like to do on ours, when we're rich and famous, is to put on one of those digital fan/temp controller thingy's.

My main point though, folks.... is that ya'll are spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on something to cook food with. Fire ain't a new invention, nor has it been perfected/improved. How one controls the effect of said fire, is the difference.

I have a stand-alone smoker (cold smoke) that I use for serious smoking. What I'm suggesting here is not a "one device does all" like the Ginsu that slices/dices/chops/chips/and even makes julienned fries....

And yes, we have a number of Indian friends whom are all jealous of our Tandoor, as they themselves don't have one. Though they ALL want one. But that's another story.
 
it was past time for us to get a new grill and I was up in the air about what to do
so i made the leap and just bought one of these
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....5__SL300__.jpg
made in usa pellet grill/smoker
its priced well and quality made
takes a little longer to heat up than a propane grill and the fuel is more but the meals are SO MUCH BETTER!!!
 
kd185, uh, um.... care to tell us what it is? Each picture is too small to read it, or know what it is. Looks to me like either a yellow extension cord, OR, a natural gas line going to the grill. That's about all I know.

What It Is....?
 
Sean the Nailer said:
kd185, uh, um.... care to tell us what it is? Each picture is too small to read it, or know what it is. Looks to me like either a yellow extension cord, OR, a natural gas line going to the grill. That's about all I know.

What It Is....?
Click to expand...

sorry about that
i cant get pics to post for the life of me
its a 30" pellet grill by Homecomfort
and yes thats an extension cord for the blower, feed auger and brain
 
Just replaced my Char Broil that was 8 years old. It got to the point where everything started to break into pieces. Bought a new Weber genesis 2, 3 burner. Grilled last night, love the new purchase.

I have a masterbuilt electric smoker. It was great. Now it cooks very uneven, the door is leaking. The plastic is cracking around the screws.

My father has a blazngrillworks smoker. It is absolutely awesome. I will be replacing my smoker with one of these very soon.
 

I saw this image while searching for some ideas on the new smoker I'm planning. To me it fell into the "looks cool, but not worth the effort" category. There's not nearly enough capacity to justify all the extra work and materials. It does look cool though.
 
I use a Weber Genesis hooked up to the house natural gas (no tanks to mess with and empty when in the middle of cooking) and a drum style charcoal grill with an offset box for smoking. The charcoal chimney with a grate on top serves to sear steaks and do venison steaks quick. Does everything I need from turkeys, burgers brats, smoked salmon, pork shoulder, pizza, you name it. Neighbors have a first gen Genesis or whatever the predecessor is from 25 years ago and it keeps going strong.... This was the reason I sprung for the Weber 6 years ago.
 
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