Best Pellet cooker to buy for $3500 or less

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

glitchy if you check their website they changed their branding to "designed in the USA" and raised the prices on all models. I honestly stopped following their product which few people already owned when this was announced and I bought something else so maybe some models are still made here, but I can't find anything saying so. Some of the pages seem to not have been updated and say made in us, but they don't differentiate between models here... https://memphisgrills.com/designed-in-usa/

[glitchy]

I made this comment thinking that the Advantage, Pro and Elite were still made in Minnesota. Reviewing their website, this may have changed as they focus on designed and tested in the US.

[glitchy]

Did Memphis move all manufacturing to China? I thought it was just the new Beale Street models made there. If they are making the others there too, then that changes a lot of things. No way I’d pay their American made prices for Chinese manufactured.

[UncleSpike]

I haven't seen a review on this site yet, but Black Earth Grills makes a really nice gas grill with a pellet burner in the center. Built in Canada. And it's built like a tank. Has some very nice add on features as well, like the cutting board side trays, rib racks, cast iron griddle etc. If I was looking for a pellet grill, this would be the one. Check it out... https://blackearthgrills.com/

[glitchy]

Mostly low and slow and live in a climate with real winters? See comment below. If Memphis does intrigue you at all, you can call Texas Star Grills and see what they can do for price, they used to run pretty good deals on Memphis. My local dealer wouldn’t budge from MSRP.

[glitchy]

I’ve had 3 Traegers and am a big fan of the grill, but not the company it is now. Regardless of that, for someone with a higher budget, there are a number of better Pellet grills than what Traeger has to offer. A lot of US made grills with all or lots of stainless steel. Traeger holds nothing in comparison with Memphis, Mak, Cookstack, Pitts and Spitts, Blazn, etc.

[Lazy Layne]

One word answer........ Traeger

[Subman658]

Mostly low and slow

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

they make a pellet version? I know someone makes a pellet egg style cooker but I forget who

[Mosca]

$3500 for a cooker, get a Komodo Kamado.

[glitchy]

You won’t find a more beautifully crafted pellet grill than a Memphis. However, it has some flaws too. If you always cook at a constant temp, it’s a wonderful grill...if you like to crank it up at the end for searing or grilling something while what you smoked is resting, they are pretty susceptible to grease fires. It will cook anywhere from 180-650 on the Pro and is pretty easy on the pellets.

[jerrybell]

ItsAllGoneToTheDogs - Okay, good input.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

@Subman658 so you told us your price range, and most of the top dollar pellet cookers have been named... what are YOU going to use it for? Low and slow only? Every now and then grill? Solo cooker? What size meats are you looking to cook? That would help us help you narrow some things down more.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I really like the idea of the PG500 cooker for versatility, I just wish it looked different... but considering the price, it's 100% function design over aesthetic otherwise it'd probably be a grand more I suppose.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

The problem is alot of the high dollar pellet cookers have evolved quite a bit since those reviews were listed. Some of the concerns/problem areas on the various grills have been addressed with redesign or software updates, some of them have got worse. Obviously it's on those manufacturers to get updated product into Max's hands