traeger, green mountain, or Louisiana?

[lamrith]

Thanks Mossy!!

Some good reviews and info on the PitBoss that was recommended as well, and at a lower pricepoint.

I guess Cabela's has a unit as well that is made by Camp Chef with a few extra features the Pitboss does not have, but it is smaller cooking area for the same $599 as the pit boss.

[Mossy]

I suggest whichever you decide, don't get rid of your current setups until you decide if a pellet smoker does everything you want it to do. I still have 3 other cookers/smokers for different things.

[lamrith]

Man been lot of research today, almost too much with so many options out there!!

Pit Boss appears to be made by Dansen.  There is only one size the 820sqin, two options the normal ($599) and the deluxe ($699)  They seems to get good reviews, a few people have had igniter issues, but Pitboss replaced them quickly.  There is also an issue with the controller and how it works.  If you change temp it goes into feed mode for 3min.  This causes the temp to jump way up, but then settle down.  This happens if you raise or lower temp.  Apparently Cabelas had the base model on sale for $399 two months ago

Cabela's now has a unit under thier name, made by Camp Chef.  It is the same $599, but smaller with only 560sqin.  It does have a couple nicer features though may not be use to some.  Built in meat probe, Hopper sight window and hopper clean out.  The few reviews I have seen were positive on that unit.

Rectec - what is to be said, I have yet to see any issues or negative info other than the price.  BUT, there is good news!!  Right now they are $998, BUT WAIT THERES MORE!  They currently have 24mos interest free financing!  BUT you have to call in and order to get it, it is not available on the website.

One of my issues now is size and what do I need vs want.  The most I have done is 2 pork shoulders and 3 racks of ribs at once.  However that was such a nightmare and juggling act of each thing coming in/out of the smoker at different times, that I do not know if I will cook that much at once again.  That means 2 shoulders or 3 racks of ribs at a time, and a  smaller 560sqin should be plenty.  BUT having the capacity means I could cook more when I need and wider grating means I could even bake multiple pizzas etc.

[KFhunter]

camp chef is even getting in on pellet smoker band wagon


I have a treager myself, warranted the barrel and chimney due to the paint falling off/rust issues.   warranty was great no complaints there.

my next grill will be something other than treager, I like the looks of the lousina whole hog

[lamrith]

camp chef is even getting in on pellet smoker band wagon


I have a treager myself, warranted the barrel and chimney due to the paint falling off/rust issues.   warranty was great no complaints there.

my next grill will be something other than treager, I like the looks of the lousina whole hog

Hrmm, looks like Louisiana has upgraded the units a bit, they have a Flame Broiler as std now on many if not all of the units.  Promo vids always look perfect, but the way it is set-up look like it could really be an all in one grill/smoker.  Just rotate items over the broiler area to get sear desired then indirect heat to finish..
http://louisiana-grills.com/index.php/grills/accessories/flame-broiler

Thanks allot KF!!  I was pretty zoned in on the Rectec and now you have me rethinking!  Need to call AquaQuip when they open, see what they have to in store and $.    The new LG900 looks like a great rig it has digital controller with meat probe built in main and upper racks.  Amazon even has them for $898 and free shipping.  Hopefully Aquaquip is competative with that and has it in stock, $900 seems the target price point for the unit and I would rather buy local.

[Mossy]

It really all depends on what you are willing to spend. Each one will have some sort of problem due to electronics so the way I look at it, pick the one with the best customer service. I was in the same boat as you for 2 years but decided to wait until there was more time on these cookers for reviews. My father in law purchased a treager last year and he doesn't like it due to the temp fluctuations to which the company only offered the suggestion that his 2 day old pellets were wet....and a buddy bought a chargriller last year($399) and has used it 4-5 times a week. It finally went TU 2 weeks ago and the company is sending him a new control unit, no questions asked. I suppose my point is that the pellet market is so competitive that most companies should be willing to correct any problems that the consumers have. I'm really happy with my GMG, I was so used to charcoal and stick burners that I almost questioned why my pork butts were done so much quicker than I was used to. The answer is consistency.....same temperature for hours. Mine hasn't gone more than 5 degrees in either direction.

[lamrith]

Called Aquaquip, they are no longer a Louisiana dealer, they carry GM only now.

Thanks for the info Mossy!  Spent most of yesterday on pelletheads.com  Seems for the most part the big brands are all about equal and that Pellet grills are much like Bows/guns.  Each person has their personal favorite.

Probably my biggest issue is going to be how big do I NEED.  Rectec is a REALLY nice looking and built unit, BUT one size deal (680sqin).  Louisiana offers at least 3 sizes in each model line.
The ability to do 2 pork shoulders and 3+ rack of ribs at the same time is really nice, but that is a once a year deal and then I use more fuel the rest of the year doing smaller cooks (burgers, or 2 pork shoulders, or 3 rack of ribs)  Any of those will only need around 350sqin.  My current grill is 460 and I use half of it most of the time, my smoker I usually use 335 of it and it maxes 504.  Maybe 2-3x a year I max out the grill for parties.

I am thinking a 400-500 sized pellet is more than plenty as most then also have an upper rack option to get over 700 if needed.  They will be a touch large for day to day, but not overly so, and no worse than the grill I have now.  PLUS as you mentioned the temp stability and reliability I can start a pork shoulder the night before so I do not need to cook 2 shoulders and lot of ribs at same time.  The smaller rigs are also less expensive up front.

There are smaller units from other mfg, but as mentioned many have controller issues.  For the size/price the LG700 is really looking like a solid choice when it comes to features.  500sqin, Set and forget, meat probe, auto warming mode, flame broiler, optional cold smoker..

[Mxracer532]

GMG here!

I have a buddy who has had a Treager for as long as I can remember and within 2 weeks of me getting a GMG he sold his Treager and bought a GMG. My brother is also selling his Treager that he has had for 8 years or so for a GMG. Two of my co workers have also bought GMG's and are very happy with them.

[lamrith]

Soooo, what I am hearing from all of you is..   go green mountain or go home!? 

Pricing is decent, and actually fits in that smaller size category and is within a few sq" of my grill. (gmg:27X16 vs mine:17.5x27)

One question is how are the GMG for searing something like burgers or steaks?  We do not do allot of steaks, but do burgers a good bit.  Do you guys maybe use high heat and the "grill grates" to get that sear?

Pricing is actually good enough I could add some of the extras like front rack, insulated cover, upper grate, etc..  It appears a few local places carry them as well which is a nice bonus.  Looks like more research and no productivity at work today

Thanks for the continued input folks!

[MAGhunter]

I have the Daniel Boone Green mountain grill.  The quality on this grill is excellent.  I think the most important feature is the thermostat which is 150-500 degrees.  I do not believe that the Traeger goes to 150.....maybe 180.  I may be mistaken though.   Traeger also sold out and the quality is not so good now from what I hear.

As for the steaks....I dont sear them..  I just set it to 450 degrees for about 6-7 min per side on a quality steak.  Best steaks i've ever had on a grill, and the juicest also. 

[Jacque]

I've had a traeger for 2 or 3 years and love it. 

[Mossy]

If you were closer there is a dealer here in Spokane selling the Daniel Boone with a cover and your choice of either 2 28lb bags of pellets or one bag and a couple of gmg rubs for $659. That was the fathers day special but they gave my buddy the same deal 2 weeks ago.

[lamrith]

Mossy, that sounds like a great deal.  I just talked to a dealer here and they quoted me $770 for the DB remote version.  The non remote should be about $100 less, but I did not hear anything about extras.  The nice thing is I could have it Friday versus shipping in the Louisiana.  Sportsmans in Fedway I think is supposed to have GMG them as well though puyallup did not.  Puyallup has the 20# traeger pellets for $16.  They also had some other pellets I think $9.99/20#

Really really torn between these two.  GMG Daniel Boone and the Louisiana LG700.

Leaning toward the GMG becasue I can get it local in a few days, it is on sale, and so many of you recommend it.

A few things nag at me about it, maybe those with one can chime in..  Given it is a 152# unit the legs on the GMG look awfully spindly, how are they if you need to move the grill around?  Why no cross bracing at all?

While the body on it is tall for standing some items up, such a small optional upper rack I am not sure if I can fit everything if I ever do need more space?  I think I would be lucky to put a single rack of ribs on that optional upper rack?

The LG700 wins for searing food, much higher stock capacity.  But the GMG has some nicer features, super easy cleanup, local and cheaper.  I just really worry about outgrowing it before I buy it, if I have guests over I probably need to throw 6-7 racks of ribs in it and maybe some other items.  Rib racks work for the start, but not once I need to foil them..

[Mossy]

The wheels make the non braced legs a non issue. If you are questioning the size right now then you will probably have a problem in the future. Only you know how much you need and what you cook so go with your gut. FYI,  just noticed that ACE Hardware is a dealer and you can ship to your store for free on the Louisiana.
Oh, 28lb bags of gmg pellets are $13.95 

[Knocker of rocks]

I have a GMG Danial Boone and it's great.  No issues with the legs of the controller