Pellet Grill/Smoker

[Autolycus]

Just ordered a reqtec RT-340... super stoked for it to arrive.

Got a RT-340 with 160 lbs of pellets for Christmas last year. We've burned all but about 15 lbs of the pellets already! We're smoking something at least once a week. It's so so easy and makes good stuff.

We've set aside the last of the RecTeq Ultimate Blend pellets and have used some Lumberjack fruitwood blend (80% cherry, 20% apple) for some wings and baby back ribs this last weekend, and that was really nice. The RT pellets have been great, but we're excited to start using some other wood varieties.

Sponsored

 

[Bbernardo]

Got a RT-340 with 160 lbs of pellets for Christmas last year. We've burned all but about 15 lbs of the pellets already! We're smoking something at least once a week. It's so so easy and makes good stuff.

We've set aside the last of the RecTeq Ultimate Blend pellets and have used some Lumberjack fruitwood blend (80% cherry, 20% apple) for some wings and baby back ribs this last weekend, and that was really nice. The RT pellets have been great, but we're excited to start using some other wood varieties.

Niice! I ordered 200lbs of their ultimate pellets to "start" with. Gonna make the neighbors jealous with all the smoke!

 

[idiocyafoot]

We had em all. Giant DCS gas grill…kamado joe….

Got a RecTeq a few months back and haven’t looked back for a moment. Much better experience. Low and slow is no brainer and as good as it gets…and even more ‘grill’ things (steaks burgers chicken fish) are great. Only thing I would add is MUST get grill grates for searing. Mine will get 600+ (probably more) and with grill grates sear just fine. More than fine.

My wife (much more chef than I) never wanted to take on firing up and dealing with the kamado. But now I regularly get ‘your recteq is preheating xxx degrees’ alerts on my phone and know something awesome is getting ready to happen. She uses it primarily for short order grill stuff. Ribs Butts and Briskets are where I step in.

Two thumbs up for recteq. The horns are a little cowboy/boss-hog decor for my taste but can’t argue the build quality or results.

 

[Acoustic71]

Added an Asmoke AS350 to my lineup (OG Traeger and a Kamado Joe) just in time for labor day overlanding.

Nice! I meant to reach out and ask you if the heat had any affect on the Rivian bed material?

 

[mgc0216]

Nice! I meant to reach out and ask you if the heat had any affect on the Rivian bed material?

Nope. It's pretty high off the bed, so it was a non-issue.

 

[moosehead]

Whether you choose to go with a pellet smoker/Big Green Egg/or Stick Smoker do yourself a favor and get it before the best cook ever for any of the above smokers.

Turkey.

Do not wait for Christmas, do not wait for your birthday. Get one now so you are equipped for Thanksgiving.

You're welcome.

 

[Autolycus]

Sunday night we had smoked and reverse seared chateaubriand filet mignons... That might be the best steak option on the planet. Smoked and reverse-seared thick bone-in ribeyes and porterhouses are also amazing, but the filet . . . (and I didn't used to be a big filet guy) For these we used the RecTeq ultimate blend pellets (oak and hickory). That worked well for the beef. Nice rich smokey flavor.

We've used the Lumberjack fruitwood blend for some chicken wings and some baby backs, and that pellet was especially nice for the wings. Baby backs was maybe a slight edge to the fruitwood blend over RT Ultimate, but it was a toss-up.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

Sunday night we had smoked and reverse seared chateaubriand filet mignons... That might be the best steak option on the planet. Smoked and reverse-seared thick bone-in ribeyes and porterhouses are also amazing, but the filet . . . (and I didn't used to be a big filet guy) For these we used the RecTeq ultimate blend pellets (oak and hickory). That worked well for the beef. Nice rich smokey flavor.

We've used the Lumberjack fruitwood blend for some chicken wings and some baby backs, and that pellet was especially nice for the wings. Baby backs was maybe a slight edge to the fruitwood blend over RT Ultimate, but it was a toss-up.

If you haven't done it yet, do the reverse sear smoke with a prime rib. It's my absolute favorite thing to smoke.

 

[Autolycus]

If you haven't done it yet, do the reverse sear smoke with a prime rib. It's my absolute favorite thing to smoke.

Do you do smoke the whole standing rib roast and then sear individual steaks?

The problem with trying that is that my wife already has an amazing recipe for standing rib roast. Will be tough to try a different prep!

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

Do you do smoke the whole standing rib roast and then sear individual steaks?

The problem with trying that is that my wife already has an amazing recipe for standing rib roast. Will be tough to try a different prep!

I smoke the whole standing roast (no bone, and rounded to shape) and sear it whole as well on a very hot cast iron skillet. Then slice and serve. I've done standing roasts in an oven, sous vide, and smoked. The smoked is far and away the best in my book.

 

[jwardell]

Well this just arrived on Saturday, as my wife surprised me for our anniversary... it's my first forey into pellets.

...that's adding to my gas grill, charcoal grill, and upright charcoal drum smoker which I adore.

The drum smoker is kind of the opposite/zero temp control but adds incredible bark and charcoal flavor to anything I put in there.

I can see this will be great for the longer/more sensitive meats like brisket and turkey. I did some chicken and steaks this weekend, and a little disappointed in the lack of flavor (or even smell) from the pit boss "competition" pellets I started with, but I see they have some charcoal flavored ones I will try next.

I am VERY impressed with the jet engine of flame I can get in the middle for charring the hell out of my steaks as I prefer, I thought that was very much something that pellet grills could not do, and it really adds value to me.

Still, pretty happy with my first cook, happy to continue posting meat photos in the future...

 

[Autolycus]

If you want charcoal flavor, a pellet smoker is probably never going to come close to matching a charcoal grill/smoker. I'll be curious to see your thoughts on the charcoal-flavored pellets. It looks like the pellets you used are a hickory-maple-apple blend. That's going to be a milder, sweeter smoke. Should have been a nice compliment to chicken, but steak might require something a little stronger like a 100% hickory or oak-hickory pellet.

Pellet smokers are also definitely going to be best for things that are done low and slow. You need an hour cook-time minimum in order to get enough smoke penetration. If we're bothering to use the smoker for steaks, we get 1" minimum thickness and smoke them on 250 for an hour or more (depending on the size of the steak) before searing. Wings we do for 2 hours at 225 before crisping them up over the highest possible heat from our gas grill. Extra thick pork chops--we've gotten some that were nearly 2" thick--can smoke for an hour and a half before the sear.

Another thing to keep in mind: most of the pellets will put out less smoke and therefor less flavor the higher the temp you run. 225-250 is the ideal range, IMO. Smoking at 350 or higher will still throw smoke and add flavor, but not as much.

 

[dleewla]

At your request @DB-EV .

Pellet grills/smokers are a cheat code for smoking meats. They burn compressed wood pellets that provide both heat & smoke. You set the desired temp & there is a controller that runs a fan and an auger that feeds the wood pellets, so they can very precisely regulate the temperature.

I love BBQ & have used traditional offset smokers for years, but they're a lot of work & knowledge to keep them rolling good smoke & regulating temp.

I'm all about ease of use & excellent end results, so smoking with a pellet grill is my style. I'm on my second one, and highly recommend paying for a quality unit with a PID controller. My first one would have temp swings +/- 15°, but my new one stays SPOT ON with less than 2° variance & even that's rare. New one is a Recteq RT-700 and I can't say enough good things about it.

Oh yeah, it connects to wifi for control & monitoring. You can turn it on/off, monitor or adjust grill temp, and see the temps on 2 "built in" meat probes that come with it, all from your phone over the Internet.

BBQ lover & tech nerd's dream...

you had me at "smoking meats".

 

[jpal]

I'm looking for a smoker, and most likely will go with a pellet smoker. If you have one please share your likes and dislikes for whatever brand you have.

I had a Pit Boss and really liked the results I got, but it didn't last. Mine broke at about 3 years.

Got a recteq RT-700, and it is on a totally different level of quality (it also costs A LOT more than my Pit Boss did, though!). Highly recommend on all levels, and I also recommend getting the sear kit as others have mentioned.

It's pretty tough to beat the ease of use and range of applications that you have with a pellet grill.

 

[Phil0110]

I really like Weber https://houseandbeyond.org/best-charcoal-smoker/ the Editor's choice, With time and patience, this smoker produces great results. You can spend a thousand dollars more to get a decent offset wood smoker and another thousand on top of that for a decent electric pellet smoker, which have their places but also have their detractors. For me the Weber SM was the best option due to having a small yard and that I don't tend to cook for many people.

Sponsored