Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion
- Thread starter Statefan515ISU
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I’ve frozen racks of smoked ribs and had great results. Boil a pot of water. Take frozen ziplock bag out of freezer and place in hot water. Turn off heat and leave lid on for 1-1.5 hr. Meat comes out perfect. I haven’t tried it with pulled pork but expect it would work great.
Smash burgers have been the biggest go to because the kids demolish them. We also do a lot of chicken (cutlets, strips and fajita style). Breakfast. I’ve made Cajun chicken alfredo on it. Brats and brat patties. Veggies/mushrooms. Potatoes various ways. I can cook up a bunch of stuff on sunday to have saved for lunches during the week.
It has basically became a replacement for our Weber gasser over the winter because I keep it in the heated garage instead of on the deck. I can crack the garage door open a foot or two and not freeze the Bs off. It can do pretty much anything the gas grill can do plus more.
I'd like to get my husband a grill/smoker for Father's Day. I've looked at a lot of options, but it's a bit overwhelming.
I'd prefer it not take up too much room (storage is at a premium).
Open to charcoal or wood/pellets.
Prefer to stay under $400.
Any recommendations?
I'd prefer it not take up too much room (storage is at a premium).
Open to charcoal or wood/pellets.
Prefer to stay under $400.
Any recommendations?
Smokers take up a lot of room. That price point will be a bit tricky but you can probably get a decent smaller pit boss for that. I have a traeger but my next one will be a pit boss as I have several friends that them and love them. I like my traeger but have had to rebuild/replace many parts and would not buy another one.
I was looking at a PitBoss, but wasn't sure about the brand. I've only ever heard people talk about Traegers and Green Mountain. This information is helpful
Pit Boss is built a lot cheaper than a Traeger. Mt BIL is on his third PB in like 7 years.
Green mountain will get there too. I would just avoid Traeger, it's an overblown brand. It kind of depends on how you're going to use as to how small you can go too.
I have had so many problems with my Traeger so from my experience, they suck. Their customer service was worthless. I believe that about Pit Boss but I have multiple friends that have them and have had no issues.
This is why I got mine. Got rid of the gas grill and I'll wheel the flat top into the garage for the winter time. I was gifted a medium sized Big Green Egg that I can grill/smoke on if I want to and IMO it tastes a lot better than gas.
Everyone has their go to brand and knows people with issues from other brands. In reality at that price point there will be random issues with most brands. I love my pit boss and have had zero issues. I did a ton of looking around before I pulled the trigger. For some reason the Pit Boss Pro Series smokers that are exclusive to Lowe’s are made way better than their other options. They were way more sturdy than the Treagers I looked at as well.
I have the pellet grill. My FIL has the pellet cabinet smoker and both are great. Also, FYI. The Lumberjack pellets from Fareway and Hyvee do the best in them and I tried a ton of different brands.
This is what I use but they have a smaller option.
I have a pit boss that is on year 6 and still going strong. Absolutely love it
For what you are wanting, I would recommend a pellet grill. Because space is limited for you, you can use this as a smoker and a grill. From an affordability standpoint, Pitboss makes the most sense. The link that @AgronAlum posted would be a solid choice (although above your price point). If you get a vertical smoker, you will need to still have a separate grill, which will take up more space.
This one is at your budget, but the Pro Series, is likely better quality.
I have a Traeger, which has held up well, but I think you are paying more for the name with a Traeger.
I’m President of a COA and I anticipate that city ordinances and insurance coverage will eliminate gas grills on decks. Anyone have experience converting gas to electric? Open flames are already banned so pellets and charcoal are not an option.
Check out Camp Chef, which is also carried at Sports Men's and Bass Pro to see what they have for smokers. You can go to their website and checkout the Outlet section. They do have the Smoke Vault 24" smoker that uses propane along with being able to burn wood chips/chunks. A guy at work has made some great stuff on his. This smoker would really address your space requirement.
Maybe your BIL is just really hard on his smokers? I've had a Pit Boss that I use pretty much weekly (or more) that hasn't had a single issue in 5-6 years. Mostly just use the cheap pellets from Costco/Menards.
Pit Boss has had issues with PID controllers but I think they got that sorted out. I think a big part is just keeping them clean and keeping them dry but that’s an issue with all brands.
