Grill advice / input request

[MIskiboat]

The 20+ year old Weber finally is due for replacement.
Long term plan was to add a smoker and get into that, after deck is redone and a little bigger.

My immediate thought was new Weber and still eventually add a smoker. I’ve had a few folks say just get a traeger / pellet grill and only have one appliance. That concept is for sure interesting.

My concern is I expect to do 90% grilling and occasional smoking long term. Mainly brats, chicken, burgers, some fish and steak mixed in. And frequently vegetables (in metal basket on grate) and potatoes.

Questions:
1. How well can you “grill” on the traeger? I don’t want to sacrifice that.
2. Ease of use. Weber gas is crazy easy to heat up, cook, be done. Is the pellet thing easy too and do they heat up quick / similar to gas?
3. If cooking a lot at 400 deg or so, will it go thru pellets like crazy or not terrible.
4. How would you sear a steak or cook a steak on the pellet grill?

What else am I missing? Alternative plan could
Be nice pellet grill and smallest Weber they make for searing or fajitas (cast iron flat grate) etc.

Appreciate comments thoughts, as I want to decide and obtain quickly.

[Big Willy Style]

I added a Big Green Egg to my quiver about 6 years ago to partner with my gas grill. While not exactly the same thing you are talking about I thought I would add some insight. Since getting the green egg I only fired up my gas grill 3 times in the last 6 years. Ended up doing away with it just a few weeks ago. The things I thought would be difficult/annoying like lighting and warming it up ended up not being a big deal at all. I cook everything on it from searing steaks to 24 hour smokes. Typically my warm up time only increased by maybe 5 total minutes. Taste of food and ability to cook in a variety of styles has been fantastic. As far as pellet grills/smokers I have a couple good buddies that have had nothing but great things to say about them. For me personally a smoker of some sort and a griddle would be the way to go.


One negative I have with smokers is the clean out. I typically only have to do this every other month and cook on mine at least twice a week. So while not a huge ordeal it is something to consider.

[Mastercraftdave]

I added a Big Green Egg to my quiver about 6 years ago to partner with my gas grill. While not exactly the same thing you are talking about I thought I would add some insight. Since getting the green egg I only fired up my gas grill 3 times in the last 6 years. Ended up doing away with it just a few weeks ago. The things I thought would be difficult/annoying like lighting and warming it up ended up not being a big deal at all. I cook everything on it from searing steaks to 24 hour smokes. Typically my warm up time only increased by maybe 5 total minutes. Taste of food and ability to cook in a variety of styles has been fantastic. As far as pellet grills/smokers I have a couple good buddies that have had nothing but great things to say about them. For me personally a smoker of some sort and a griddle would be the way to go.


One negative I have with smokers is the clean out. I typically only have to do this every other month and cook on mine at least twice a week. So while not a huge ordeal it is something to consider.

I 100% agree with this statement. I have an EGG and that's all I use now.

[[email protected]]

I have my Weber Spirit and continue to use that 3-4 days a week. It’s quickest and easiest and dependable.

I also added a Green Mountain Grills Daniel Boone pellet smoker/grill that had wifi and app and it is fantastic, but I left it out in the rain one time and the pellets got wet and jammed the auger.
2 years later I finally had the time to dismantle the thing and unclog the auger, and made the best brisket I’ve ever had this week with the help of my BIL. [emoji2371] 2 man job. [emoji849]

I know several of my friends have had zero problems with the BGE (big green egg), but I don’t like having to start coals.

[LaramiePS190]

Weber!!!!!!!!! Parts available nearly any where you shop. HD, Lowes, ACE, A-Hole world....

Purchase a canvas cover that is much larger than the size of grill you purchase to aid in the cover sliding over the grill with ease. The looseness of the cover aids in the life of the cover. For added protection teflon coat the cover!!

My current Weber Genesis is a 2009 model, 3 burner with additional side pan burner.

I'm on my second cover. The grill shines like new and runs new with no replacement parts needed.

A good cleaning in the spring wherein you:
remove the flavor guards and grates
soak with oven cleaner
place in large trash bag
wait five days,
easy scrub and blast with hose everything is like new!

BE SURE TO PURCHASE OR UPGRADE TO THE STAINLESS STEEL GRATES.... FTW!

Mike

[[email protected]]

Weber!!!!!!!!! Parts available nearly any where you shop. HD, Lowes, ACE, A-Hole world....

Purchase a canvas cover that is much larger than the size of grill you purchase to aid in the cover sliding over the grill with ease. The looseness of the cover aids in the life of the cover. For added protection teflon coat the cover!!

My current Weber Genesis is a 2009 model, 3 burner with additional side pan burner.

I'm on my second cover. The grill shines like new and runs new with no replacement parts needed.

A good cleaning in the spring wherein you: remove the flavor guards and grates
soak with oven cleaner
place in large trash bag
wait five days,
easy scrub and blast with hose everything is like new!

BE SURE TO PURCHASE OR UPGRADE TO THE STAINLESS STEEL GRATES.... FTW!

Mike

[emoji817]!!!!

I went through a couple of Weber brand covers that were not strong enough.

Kingkong cover from Amazon has been much better quality, has velcro straps that keep it on in the wind and much better thickness and water proofing than others I’ve had.

[stuartjr]

If you are considering a pellet grill, I would highly encourage you to look at Recteq. Their grills are great but their customer service is absolutely amazing. They have a FB group for each grill and the number of stories posted around their customer service is countless. The most recent was about a lady who had an older grill that was damaged in a storm. She posted about it and
they called her the next morning, assessed the damage, and sent her all parts free of charge. This happens all the time. I personally screwed up during assembly and damaged a hinge. I told them what happened and they gave me a new hinge free of charge.

I have the RT-700 and the B380. The 700 is a great smoker and good for large cooks. It has a 40 pound hopper and will cook for 40 hours straight without needing more pellets. The 380 is great for smaller cooks or for the hot and fast type cooks. They have a model for everyone. Give them a look at recteq.com.

[maniacmikes]

The 20+ year old Weber finally is due for replacement.
Long term plan was to add a smoker and get into that, after deck is redone and a little bigger.

My immediate thought was new Weber and still eventually add a smoker. I’ve had a few folks say just get a traeger / pellet grill and only have one appliance. That concept is for sure interesting.

My concern is I expect to do 90% grilling and occasional smoking long term. Mainly brats, chicken, burgers, some fish and steak mixed in. And frequently vegetables (in metal basket on grate) and potatoes.

Questions:
1. How well can you “grill” on the traeger? I don’t want to sacrifice that.
2. Ease of use. Weber gas is crazy easy to heat up, cook, be done. Is the pellet thing easy too and do they heat up quick / similar to gas?
3. If cooking a lot at 400 deg or so, will it go thru pellets like crazy or not terrible.
4. How would you sear a steak or cook a steak on the pellet grill?

What else am I missing? Alternative plan could
Be nice pellet grill and smallest Weber they make for searing or fajitas (cast iron flat grate) etc.

Appreciate comments thoughts, as I want to decide and obtain quickly.

1) Some of the new pellet grills have a "sear plate" that you open up and it exposes the flame directly to the grates... it is a great way to get amazing flavor. You can smoke a steak and then open the sear plate and get a nice crust on the outside very easily. Look for the sear plate if you buy one.
2) Its not as fast as gas, but I would argue that it is easier. My wife wouldn't try to light the gas grill as she was always afraid it would blow up in her face...but she uses the Traeger all the time. You just turn the knob and you can SET a temperature! Makes cooking so much easier and no risk of blowing it up...it just takes longer to warm up, but I do my prep work during that time, so once you know that and plan for it, it's a non-issue.
3) they use a lot less pellets than you would think. I did a 14 hour smoke at 225 and I wouldn't of even had to refill the hopper. There are probably 6-8 hoppers worth in a normal bag of pellets...and I much prefer to pick pellets up at the store when I am there rather than make a special trip trying to fill propane tanks.
4) See #1 above. The other great thing is that you can change out the pellets and get different flavors. Recently I have actually been smoking steaks on the grill, then using a cast iron pan on the stove to reverse sear them with bacon fat.

I too held onto my gas grill for a long time after getting the pellet mill, but after a couple years of not using it, I got rid of it and purchased a really small gas grill that I can use for camping. If I need a gas grill, I can use it at home, but I haven't.

Recently I purchased a pizza oven that fits into the Traeger and started making pizza's. Great wood fire pizza flavor and always entertaining at parties.

[maniacmikes]

Grill advice / input request

Some tomahawks I did for my dad on his 70th birthday. He said it was probably the best steak he has had in his life.


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[stuartmcnair]

From my experience I would go with a Traeger or Recteq. Both are fabulous grills with tremendous companies behind them. The only thing I use more than my Traeger is my Blackstone.

For the record I have a Traeger, Blackstone, PK Grill (charcoal), 2 Weber Gas grills, a Weber Kettle, and a big offset smoker. I do a LOT of grilling / smoking.

The ease of use for a Traeger is it's number one feature. Anyone can get the temps right using one. However, pellet grills do require regular cleaning and vacuuming out the ashes. It's not difficult but it is more maintenance that you would do on a gas grill. Also very important to read the manual so you don't run into problems with them jamming up.

You may also go a little nuts with all of the different pellet woods you can get. I have home depot buckets that I keep them in. You'll probably use three to five different ones depending on what you like to cook. Apple, hickory, mesquite, oak and their signature blend are the ones I keep around.

If you have any questions let me know and I will be glad to help out if I can.

[stuartmcnair]

Some tomahawks I did for my dad on his 70th birthday. He said it was probably the best steak he has had in his life.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This looks really good but next time use a clean plate...this one has some green stuff all over it.

[lakedrum03]

+1000000 on staying with the Weber.

At one point I had 3 of them, but currently down to 2. They are infinitely rebuildable and all of the parts are available, as stated by others.

I would say that if you want to grill, then use a grill and if you want to smoke then use a smoker. A combo unit will probably leave you disappointed for both functions.

[kscrib]

I feel like I need to add a shout out for Yoder pellet smokers. They are a heavier gage metal than Trager, but are a different price point. I have a YS640 and love it. I love being able to put a brisket on the smoker when we get to the lake on Friday night and not have to check on it until mid-day Saturday afternoon. I use wifi temp probes to watch the meet and chamber temperatures. By observation, Tragers are by far the most common, so a lot of folks have them and like them. I have not owned a Trager, but made our decision based off of the materials and consistency of temperature we got with the Yoder.

We also cook pizzas on them at 425 degrees, so it can get hot. We will have a charcoal grill for burgers and the like, but they can be done on the Yoder.

[TolCarMan]

For your grill needs, I recommend the Weber Performer Deluxe... we have one and use it all the time. There's something special about using charcoal imo. Super easy too. We also have a Traeger and love it.

[bcd]

Pellet smokers are great for convenience, but I think you get a little better smoke flavor from charcoal/stick burners. Pellet smokers are way better on flavor than electric, but not as good as the real thing (in my opinion). Most people go with pellet because it's easy easier. I recently made my own smoker and added a grate on the firebox to grill on, and then put a griddle plate on top of that. I also got a small Weber Q grill (work anniversary gift). I built a small stand for it (you can also buy them). My plan is to bring that down to our ski club and cook dinner on it to extend our boat time, but I haven't done that yet. Honestly, I haven't used my smoker as a grill yet because it's easier to just fire up the little weber.

To summarize my ramblings, maybe consider going with a small grill and a smoker. When you want real quick/easy, use the little grill.

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