MCS Paralysis

[tstalafuse]

I am somewhat caught up the paralysis by analysis problem..

My GMG pellet smoker has been developing issues the last year with flameouts on long (3+hr) cooks. I have changed out the temp sensor, fan, auger motor, resealed the gasket between the fan/auger, and tried different brands of pellets w/o any improvement. The last thing to change out is the control board for a couple hundred $$, but I am not getting any error codes, so without changing I don't have a good way to know if that is the issue and don't want to be out the $$ if it doesn't. GMG support has been no help. I do have all the accessories I need (pizza oven and rotisserie), so retiring it means either losing those or replacing them. If I do retire the GMG, given it is their largest cooker, I would get back some valuable real estate on the deck. The need for the capacity is dwindling, and I have other cookers that could easily replace the capacity but not the convenience of the pellet.

The first option would be to spend the couple of hundred $$ on a new control board, hope it fixes the problem, and stand pat on the patio real estate. I have also figured out a method using the pizza oven to get great sear on burgers and reverse seared steaks. The downside is if it doesn't I am out the couple hundred and still have the problem.

The second option would be to buy the Big JoeTisseri and pizza stone for the Weber E6 Kamado (love this thing) and completely regain the patio real estate for less than $500. The downside (I know, 1st world problems) is that lighting a fire and doing short hot cooks takes more effort because they are often last second decisions, so the 45 minutes or so to get everything going is bit of a PITA for someone as lazy as I am, who is hungry and wants to eat now. Before you say, what about your gas grill? Hold your horses that is part of the paralysis.

The third option would be to buy a moderately priced gasser (current one is such a hunk of junk it hasn't been used in over 2yrs), along with the JoeTisseri/pizza stone for the Kamado. The upside would be the convenience and regain some patio real estate. The downside would be stuff just isn't as good on a gasser to me, and the package price would be pushing $800 to $900 depending on the gasser.

The 4th option would be to buy something like the Recteq Bullseye pellet grill that has direct cooking at 1k degrees. The upside would be to get some of the smoke flavor of charcoal with the convenience of a gasser. I can add a carbon steel pizza pan/griddle and rotisserie, plus regain at least a portion of the real estate. The downside is that this option is pushing $1k+ and the reviews are really mixed where the Bullseye is sold in volume. One says greatest since sliced bread, the next says it is a POS. Anyone with actual experience/input on the newer model than the one reviewed on the free side would be appreciated.

The 5th option would be to up my offer from one freshly printed $20 bill to two since Huskee just refuses the one freshly printed $20 bill to spell my name correctly for the grand prize and wait for the odds to eventually be in my favor for the grand prize.

Anyone have a thoughts that add/subtract to/from the paralysis?

[captainlee]

Any way GMG would do a courtesy board check to confirm before purchasing. I imagine they would be able to plug it in and immediately confirm good or bad. Check you'll purchase a hew board from them if it's bad. Customer Service!!!!!!

[tstalafuse]

Unfortunately, customer service and GMG don't exactly belong in the same sentence anymore.

[STEbbq]

It would seem like the best option is one that is not listed.

Buy a Grilla pellet smoker? Maybe the Chimp? And figure out how to get a rotisserie on there?

https://www.grillagrills.com/

[tstalafuse]

With the current sale, I have considered the Mammoth vertical smoker. I am fairly certain I can add a rotisserie by adding a custom hole on one side to mount the bracket and motor. The same with the Chimp by not having the one hand grab, but I would still have to use the Kamado for pizza, which isn't a deal breaker but not necessarily the best option for how use things.

[LA Pork Butt]

Since you have multiple cookers I would ask do you lose any capabilities if you retire the GMG? If so, can they be solved with your current cookers and at what cost? How does the cost compare within getting a new pellet cooker?

[tstalafuse]

I can easily replace the smoker capacity, add the JoTisseri and a pizza pan to a Weber E6 Kamado for some of the things I also do on the GMG for around $500. I just can't replace the convenience of just firing it up quickly for hot and fast last second meals. My current gasser that I could use is a true hunk of junk that hasn't been used in over 2yrs. Plus, I really just don't like stuff that comes off the gasser as it adds nothing to the cook, which I can get in pan on the stove.

[tstalafuse]

My other option would be something like the Recteq Bullseye that I can add a rotisserie and pizza pan to that fires up quickly for short hot and fast (can go as high as 1k degrees) while adding some of the flavor of wood/charcoal, but that option comes in closer to the $1k. The other issue is the reviews on sites like Amazon are not glowing with praise.

[tstalafuse]

I finally decide the best option was to convert the GMG pellet cooker to a live fire grill, which has worked out exceptionally well and use the my existing smokers rather than the pellet grill as a smoker. The Smoke Daddy Sear Station fits perfectly, and I found a really good use for those grill grates that have just been hanging around wasting space as they also fit perfectly into the sear station.

[Oak Smoke]

When life gives you lemons make lemonade. Looks like life gave you chocolate. Win, win.

[FireMan]

Maybe this is what I can do the in depth study on?

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I'm glad you didn't go with a Bullseye, I suspect you would have found it wanting for your use case. Remember, RT is all about marketing and they sometimes make some wild claims. The Bullseye does get hot, but that heat isn't really any more usable than a 600 or 700 degree pellet cooker. I forget where I saw it but I saw a side by side test of a Weber and a RT Bullseye in grill mode and the Weber ran circles around it for pizza and grilling.

Your solution looks perfect for what you were trying to do!

[Johnny Booth]

Nice job.

British Narrator: “After several seasons, the pellet cooker goes dormant. Seemingly dead. However, it emerges from its sleep, transformed into a reliable cooking device.”

[Santamarina]

The dying grill is how I made the transition to charcoal grilling.

I’d been interested in it and when my old gasser finally gave up the ghost, instead of replacing the burner I took it out and put in a lower grate for charcoal. That was over 20 years ago, and I haven’t had a gasser since!