What generic questions should one ask when researching/selecting a pellet

[WillTravelForFood]

Friend of ours is in need of a grill (currently doesn't have anything)

They've been eyeballing the Traeger. Or maybe a giant avocado. They are not overly experienced in grilling or cookery, but have enthusiasm. Really sold on the Traeger wifi, even though we've said that others have that too.

We've tried to suggest that maybe Traeger isn't the best choice when similar and less expensive options are out there, but they love The Highest End Model of Everything, so apparently price is not a concern

Their spouse says they're not interested in everything smoked. Buddy says he wants a combo smoker/grill for that all-in-one unit

What questions would best help narrow down choices, brands,, features, etc to help identify the best unit for them? Will be taking him to the local BBQ store.for some browsing and addt discussion, but figured some folks here would have some better conversational questions then what we've already provided to them

[Panhead John]

Oh boy! Here comes about 4 pages of posts…at least. Duck!

[WillTravelForFood]

Yeah, trying to avoid the direct brand suggestion, comparisons

But things about what features they need to consider. Steel construction? Sure - but why one steel vs another?

[bbqLuv]

So, MR. Panhead John Sir what is your recommendation?

[Panhead John]

bbqLuv Coors Light and a OJ Bronco. Hot chicks will magically appear at your house. [some will even have a full set of teeth]

[CaptainMike]

May I interest you in a Lone Star Grillz pellet popper......

[bbqLuv]

Pellet pooper, is super duper

[rickgregory]

When people are like that, I just back off and let them do what they want. Unless they're actually asking you for advice, the risk is in coming off like that know it all guy.

Now... if they are asking? I'd consider a few things... 1) cooking capacity, 2) construction - both materials and how well it's assembled, 3) accessory availability (either OEM or after market). If they're in an area where it rains a bunch, how well it can cook in the rain. Same if they want to cook in the cold.

And, of course, budget. Would I buy the $4k Traeger? Hell no. But if someone was dead set on it and unwilling to listen, would I eat food off it? Sure.

[WillTravelForFood]

You're right about let dogs lie... but they come to us for advice because we usually have solid opinions

We've told them repeatedly to read AR, but unknown how far they've gotten in their studies.

[WillTravelForFood]

Side comment: there's a good chance they'll ask us to show them how to use whatever it is they buy.

[Old Glory]

I'd add to #2) Construction durability - stainless vs paint vs powder coat; and add 4) Design how easy is it to clean/use - pellet dump, slide out fire pot, grease management. Insulated or not.

[Draznnl]

How do you change pellets? The one thing I dislike about my Yoder is that there is no easy way to empty the hopper if I want to use a different type of pellet. BTW, I looove my Yoder and would highly recommend one.

Does it have a FireBoard built in? Yes, a wifi controller is nice. But if you want one, why not get the best? Yep, that would mean buying a Yoder.

What's it made of? How thick is that steel? Will it put up with usage on an windy day and hold temps?

Where's it made? Does your buddy care about U.S. materials and construction?

[WI Bubba]

Great comment about having the Fireboard controller. That was one of the things that sold me on the LSG pooper.

[Huskee]

I like to tell people that if they like a gas grill then a pellet is definitely for them, and if they've been considering a gasser I encourage them to consider a pellet first. They offer the on button convenience of a gas grill (no fire to start) but the added convenience of thermostatic control like your home oven, plus smokier air than a gasser. Therefore, if they want to be able to cook anything they would on a gasser such as hot dogs, burgers, chicken, steaks, plus add on ribs, butts, and brisket, the pellet cooker can do it on the easy!

Not everything cooked on a pellet grill tastes "smoked", FYI. Especially quicker cooks like you'd do on a gasser.

That said, I'd ask about:

• The construction. Is it double-walled on the cook chamber lid? Might not matter much if you're in a predominantly warm climate or if they're not the cook year 'round type.
• Price vs longevity. What do they expect out of it? Cook every couple weeks or so and replace in 5 years? There are several in that lineup. Cook 4x/ week? Hand this down to their kids? There are a couple, maybe. Somewhere in the middle? Lots!
• Are they sure they really want this? If yes, go the best they can afford (obvious, I know). But if they're just tire-kicking and not sure how well they'll like it, maybe a cheapy to get their feet wet, then yard sale it and upgrade later.
• Remind them not to expect the quality of food like at the local Texas BBQ joint, pellets just don't produce that in most cases. They're decent on smoke flavor but not great. The longer the cook the more smoke sticks. Think brisket vs steaks or burgers.
• They need power wherever they want to cook. They need dry pellet storage.
• It will not only need cleaned like any grill but every few cooks the pellet ash needs cleaned out.
• Igniters burn out (sometimes every year or two, sometimes hardly ever, YMMV) so they will not be maintenance-free.

[GolfGeezer]

Even though I would not put my money into a Traeger or a Weber Smokefire, given what you have outlined are their inclinations, desire and experience, I would take a look at one of those 2 . I think these mass market pellet grill/smokers would do them just fine.

[tbob4]

I think this is a good point. Despite the early unfavorable reviews due to long pork butt cooks and grease fires the criticism seems to have subsided. I don’t own a pellet cooker but plenty of friends do. They gravitate towards "name". Weber is as well known and their claim is that you can grill at high heat on theirs. I’m making an assumption and if I am correct you will be comparing the features of those two brands.

[STEbbq]

I think the list of questions provided has been great so far.

I might ask:

1. How many times do you want to do brisket in a year? Sausage? Burgers? Steaks?

2. How many steaks do you want to sear at once?

3. Are you interested in cold smoking cheese?

Basically, I think once he understands that he may only be able to do 1-2 steaks and sear them at once on most pellet smokers, he may be ready to buy a MAK which is much better at searing than most pellets. Especially if he wants to cold smoke or take advantage of the warming cabinet.

https://makgrills.com/

[radiodome21]

As someone who owns both a Traeger and Grilla pellet grill I can honestly say the next pellet grill I buy will probably not be one of these. Definitely not a Traeger. I like them and they’re fine but I’m most likely going with a Lone Star Grill. Or maybe a MAK. If moneys not an object I would have your friend research those brands and watch YouTube videos. Or just research the various pellet grill manufacturers, specifically complaints/issues. It’s out there. For me what I was looking for was a good hopper capacity, WiFi availability (FWIW I’ve had issues with both Traeger and Grilla’s iPhone apps) component quality and material etc. customer service was another thing I wanted. Traeger, in my limited experience was non existent. Grilla, amazing. I spent a lot of time researching pellet grills too. Grilla was what I settled on because I didn’t want to break the bank on a pellet grill without really using it a lot. So far I’m very happy.

I live just outside of Chicago and I was always planning on using it in the winter so the looking at the construction and the weight was helpful.

shoukd also point out there is no perfect one size fits all. I’m using my cookers at the same time for different things.

[rickgregory]

I think budget needs to be set. There's no point in talking LSG, Mak and the like if they're thinking $1k, maybe $1.5k.

Another question though... given that they're asking now, I'm betting they want it for this summer. That eliminates anything with a long lead time like the LSG etc.

[SmokeyGator]

Pellets are not exactly great at anything other than smoking. And there is not a perfect "all in one" model, ideally you have multiple things that is each GREAT at one thing.

But if price is not the biggest concern and you want versatility, I would try to find a Hasty Bake to look at. Those can be smokers or grills. Another good option is the SNS Kettle, or a Weber with the SNS insert. If you want to go with the higher end the Summit Kettle from Weber is not going to disappoint.

Pellets are best thought of as ovens. Wood pellet fired ovens. You do not get a heavy smoke flavor, but that is OK and many people like that better anyway. Smoking is basically low temperature baking. Long times, lower temperatures, and smoke. If that is what you want, the great thing about pellet grills is that they run themselves. Set the temperature then go to bed. Everything will be done when you wake up.

[glitchy]

Despite them being hated by many and they have some sleazy business practices (suing people that created something before they ever thought of it and ad campaigns like "Tastes like Gass"), there’s really nothing wrong with Traeger. In many ways their products are better than they’ve ever been.

The most important thing to note to them is very few pellet grills are actually good grills, but they are good smokers. Traeger, CampChef, Grilla, RecTeq, etc. are mediocre on their best days at grilling. If using cast iron or GrillGrates to introduce conductive heat to the cooks is an acceptable solution, then they are totally fine.

Weber is still the best grilling pellet grill, though I still question their reliability. Other more expensive options have solutions that provide satisfactory grilling results for most. I still generally prefer to cook steaks on charcoal over my MAK, but many are pretty happy with the performance when using the MAK sear grate. It definitely does a lot better than all the other non-SmokeFires I’ve owned.

I’ve had headaches from 3 pellet grills, Weber, Memphis, and GMG. Seeing recent posts on other forums, all 3 still give others the same frustrations they gave me. Not everyone, but some owners run into the same issues that made me get rid of them as I don’t like to fight cookers.

So, I would just advise them to first pick a budget and to decide how important grilling versus smoking on it is and what they are willing to do to make grilling work. Many companies make some decent pellet grills. If they don’t have a charcoal smoker or stick burner, they are probably going to be happy with the clean smoke from pellets and notice it versus others that buy a pellet grill after years of eating food from the others and developing tastes for a different type of smoke profile.

[Jfrosty27]

If buying a pellet cooker, whatever the brand, one word: Warranty.

There are many fine pellet cookers with varying features and at a wide range of price points. Keep in mind however that they are machines with motors, fans, electronics, etc. Machines will break down in some way at some time. A long warranty with wide ranging coverage is important.

For reference my Recteq RT-700 has a 6 year bumper to bumper warranty. It’s important to note that In nearly 3 years, I have yet to need it. But it’s the second 3 years of coverage that may be most important of all. 🤷‍♂️🤞

[barebear]

Now if they're going to be roasting a Kardashian (hell of a good idea), I'd recommend they look at one of those Santa Maria gizmos with the adjustable spit and heat supply.

And remind them to get a good grease collector pan for a really fatty cook.

[WI Bubba]

With the possible exception of the Smoke Fire, they will likely be disappointed with trying to use a pooper as a grill. I would casually mention that to get "the best" you really need to have a smoker, and a high heat grill. Unless they are willing to consider charcoal as a fuel source. Then there are a lot of options that will smoke, and grill very well.