Pellet Smoker Cook-Off : Yoder vs Weber vs GMG vs Pitts & Spitts. Interesting results
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I'm not surprised, I didn't see what temp the cook was done at though... and also, no need to wrap ribs on a pellet smoker
But with the weber winning I suspect it was a 250-275 cook.
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I was interested in the same thing. I took a snapshot of their Weber when it showed the temp controller. Blew it up and it was 275. -
Mark-B that would explain it for sure then. I would hope all the cookers were running the same temp.
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Last edited by RonB; December 30, 2021, 09:35 PM.Comment
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I saw this and feel like there was some Weber "favoritism". Could be totally off base, but a lot of aspects post cook were never addressed. Plus, there was once again down play of grease fires.Comment
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Rod I never had a grease fire using the SmokeFire several times a week. I probably used over 750lbs of pellets cooking on it. It also made the best food I’ve ever had on a pellet grill, repeatedly. That’s why I went down that road twice. My MAK is the next closest thing I’ve had with a billion less headaches though. Sadly MAK wasn’t in the comparison. If Weber changes the hopper and figures out stable software and firmware they could overtake the mainstream market…if they can overcome the bad reputation from the rollout.Comment
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Interesting. I might need to add Weber into my list of things to look into - I've got a Yoder and the vast differences in temp from left to right have really soured me on it. TBH, I hardly smoke anything anymore because I'm so irritated at the problems it gives me. I have to turn and rotate meat, use barriers to keep from burning things to a crisp on the bottom...
I always wanted a Yoder due to their build quality, and they are truly a heavy beast. Maybe it's time to think about getting rid of it? <sigh>Comment
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It was an interesting comparison, I was surprised the Weber out shown the other three. Makes me want to know more about the technology employed in each. I own a Pitts & Spitts and I’m familiar with their PID control. That to me unfortunately, is there a downfall and one reason I’m looking to get rid of it. The cooking temperature range is way too tight, doesn’t vary more than 5° plus or minus. By doing that it produces a very low smoke profile and something that doesn’t satisfy us as far as barbecue is concerned. As they said in the video it cooks it very well and it’s not bad it just doesn’t have the smoke profile that you would prefer in well smoked barbecue.
I know CaptainMike just ordered the new LSG pellet, I’m very interested in seeing how that unit works. I’ve seen it and I think it’s really well-built and thought out. They’re using a FireBoard controller so I know that it’s top notch.
I’m also glad that he gave a big shout out and used some Porter Road’s ribs. That’s who I order all of my pork from, they use a Berkshire Duroc crossbred pig which I think is so much better than the commodity pork you get in the grocery store.
All in all it was a very informative video, thanks for posting 👍Comment
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I have a Grid Iron. It uses the same controller that your Pitts and Spitts uses. As I look at my GI it is pretty much a copy of the Yoder with a different controller and the removable fire pot. I love cooking on it but yes the smoke profile is light. I am also concerned about excessive rusting. If the GI were to have issues I'd look hard at the Mak, P&S Stainless, and the Weber. -
In addition to the artisanal build quality of the LSG I was won over by their burn pot design and subsequent overwhelmingly positive reviews of the smoke it can generate. I guess we'll see in 4 months or so.
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I enjoyed it. When I was looking for my pellet grill I considered Yoder along with Grilla and Recteq. I didn’t consider the Weber based on the negative reviews I read online. I liked it because it explained things I didn’t really know much of anything about. My buddy has a Yoder pellet smoker and he loved it but I never knew about this issue. I only heard about rust issues some people have had. Pitts & Sticks was too out my price range to begin with. So I went with Grilla and love it.
Grilla has both a PID and a Pro cook method. The Pro is the regular smoke mode where you get the temp fluctuations. I always cook on this over the PID mode and I guess I always will going forward.
All in all I thought it was a cool video. And glad I went with Grilla.Comment
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Did they leave out the PBC?
Thanks for posting the video. The teckie part of me really wants a pellet smoker.
But between the PBC, SnS kettle, and broil king gasser I've got the bases covered. Weakest link in my set up is the soft spot between the ears.Comment
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I’ve always liked the idea of the Smoke Fire, it’s just Weber totally bumbled the launch of it. It needed a few more months of R&D before going in to production. They should have introduced it to stop the bleed they were having with pellet purchases and said "coming soon" and left it at that.Comment
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Right around the launch, the Weber head pit master was doing publicity for the product. He was talking about having a backyard full of all the other pellet grills to compare to and the tons of hours of testing that had been done prior to launch. He made it sound like thousands of test hours were logged. He did an interview on The BBQ Central Show. It would have been very late 2019 or early 2020.Last edited by glitchy; January 1, 2022, 11:56 AM.
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I was laughing at all the haters of the Weber Smokefire when the results were in. Best purchase in a long time for me,especially since it was half price. I’ve made some really good meals on it to date. I think the internet blew up for nothing on this thing. If your problem was flare ups, um, then use a drip pan, or better yet clean the darn thing before using it.Last edited by Mark-B; January 1, 2022, 11:15 AM.Comment
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Nah, mine was a gen 1. I called Weber and they sent all the parts out to make it a gen 2. I used it as a gen 1 while waiting for parts without issue\s though.
Either way, I’m a Weber fanboy through and through and absolutely love the company and products they produce. I know if there is a problem, Weber will address it ASAP. Not another company that I can think of that compares to them.  I probably have 7 of their grills\smokers and love ‘em all.   If they aren’t for you, that’s cool too. -
The main part update for problems was the welded auger. It took quite a bit of use before the design caused pellet dust buildup the led to problems getting to higher temps. Weber also didn’t fix things ASAP, they rolled out bad firmware in the fall of 2020 and after waiting 5-6 months for another update I finally gave up. I am glad they are straightening things out and you like it, but that doesn’t mean initial issues were fake news just because it’s great for you now. -
I think Weber was trying to do something innovative with the Smokefire and for the most part I believe they have succeeded. Yes, there were some problems for some, but I think the large majority jumped on the "bash" wagon before using some common sense for the reported isssues. Like using drip pans for grease fires. Wow that doesn’t require an engeering degree to figure that out. Kinda one of those duh, moments. Of course there were updates to software, firmware. It’s technology!
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Just checked the reviews on Weber's site. Many now seem satisfied, but those that don't (16%) describe serious issues that rarely exist with other brands.
I bought a Yoder six years ago because reliability and longevity was important to me. Have not been disappointed.Last edited by BBQPhil; January 1, 2022, 10:31 PM.Comment
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All of this and some other posts recently just confirms my thinking... I'll never spend big bucks ($1000+) on a pellet grill. Having wildly varying temps from side to side, weird stuff like bmillin is seeing, etc... nah fam. I might grab a Chimp for occasional use but over engineering the box, doing all the 'we use premium steel' stuff and then not being able to get good smoke because of the PID or having big temp differences because of the design? Nah.
I kind of feel this way about fans etc too. Someone elsewhere posted that their Billows crapped out in the middle of the night.
I'm a simple guy - figure out how to get a box around the mid-200s with good smoke. Figure out how to keep it there for long enough that your cook completes. No dependencies on power or wifi or fans... Win.
(PS: If someone wants all that stuff, more power to them. They'll need it because without power...
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Last edited by rickgregory; January 1, 2022, 01:15 PM.Comment
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