Pellet grills

[MikeD]

I didn't say they did, as I perceive the thread the OP is looking for an easier "simpler" way to conduct his BBQ'n...If that's not the case or some one perceives it differently then so be it.....

[lamrith]

Pellet grills are like a Microwave for smoking meats. If it don't burn real Wood it may as well be propane.

That is exactly why I got it. There are days when I just do not feel like busting out the big ass smoker. Don't feel like stoking the fire.

I just want to Ron Popeil that shit.

Same with me. On a 16hr shoulder cook the last thing I want is to be up every 30min checking wood, making sure temp is right. That is what I am dealing with right now, and FUCK THAT SHIT. Right now my smoker is not getting it done and holding me back on trying new things because it is not reliable. I am looking for a simple all around rig that can put some flavor in my normal grilling and also put decent smoke into my low and slow. The new pellet rigs are finally there. 150* low and lots of smoke and still able to crank up all the way to 600* for grilling/searing.

Not all pellets are made the same either. you have to be selective in your choice, some are crap, some are not. Just like ammo, you have your cheap ass dirty steel cased fmj or your higher end brass cased fmj.

WOW, very interesting on the traeger following... I had always thought Traeger, but had ruled them out since so many of the recent reports I have been hearing are that since 2008 the quality has gone way down. They outsourced all units to china and cut back on materials.. Lot of controller issues, paint flaking internally while cooking and rusting bodies, pretty sad actually given the pricetag on these rigs.

There is no "simple" when it comes to REAL BBQ.....

Exactly, good Q comes down to many things, ingredients, prep, cook temp & time, smoke, rest, ect. I want to be able to focus on developing my cook book and not spend all day micromanaging a POS smoker that will not hold a stable temp, let alone the temp I need it to be at. I would like the cook device itself to be "set and forget" and be able to have faith in it cooking the way I want until I change it. The rest of it is hard enough without battling the cooker.

[XDM9cWA]

I got my pellet exactly because I want microwave type of convenience... actually it is better than the microwave in terms of convenience...

set it and forget it... come back 4 hours later, crank it up a bit to caramelize the juices and serve...

my guests were raving about it, they ate most of it.... finger licking good..

[lamrith]

Pellet grills are like a Microwave for smoking meats. If it don't burn real Wood it may as well be propane.

That is exactly why I got it. There are days when I just do not feel like busting out the big ass smoker. Don't feel like stoking the fire.

I just want to Ron Popeil that shit.

Same with me. On a 16hr shoulder cook the last thing I want is to be up every 30min checking wood, making sure temp is right. That is what I am dealing with right now, and FUCK THAT SHIT. Right now my smoker is not getting it done and holding me back on trying new things because it is not reliable. I am looking for a simple all around rig that can put some flavor in my normal grilling and also put decent smoke into my low and slow. The new pellet rigs are finally there. 150* low and lots of smoke and still able to crank up all the way to 600* for grilling/searing.

Not all pellets are made the same either. you have to be selective in your choice, some are crap, some are not. Just like ammo, you have your cheap ass dirty steel cased fmj or your higher end brass cased fmj.

WOW, very interesting on the traeger following... I had always thought Traeger, but had ruled them out since so many of the recent reports I have been hearing are that since 2008 the quality has gone way down. They outsourced all units to china and cut back on materials.. Lot of controller issues, paint flaking internally while cooking and rusting bodies, pretty sad actually given the pricetag on these rigs.

can you link those reviews for me?

Which reviews/threads and how many do you want?
https://www.google.com/search?q=traeger+problem&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
I mean Root said it himself, his failed within a month of owning it. Yes Traeger did take care of him, I do hear nothing but good things about their CS, my point is I do not want to have to deal with their CS crew on a brand new grill. I want to deal with them later, after a few years, after the warranty runs out or I did something to break it and they get me the parts I need. This market is so competative now that all of the makers have pretty good CS, that is because of threads just like this, Word of mouth (and taste) sells and they all know it and do whatever they can to make the customer happy.

I was pro traeger, in fact I was going to just go get one, but decided to research and am glad I did. Coverage or not, the last thing I want is some Chinese paint flaking off in my food while I cook specially with their fondness of lead paints. Or the controller not functioning when I have guests coming over. For a $800+ pretty straight forward item I expect a significant bit of perfection and no issues. If it was a $200 home depot grill, not so much. Don't get me wrong either, Traeger is not the only company by any stretch of the imagination that has had issues, many of the brands have had their run off issues, but until I hear that they have turned the corner I am not willing roll the dice and put my $ down on them.

[MikeD]

Crock Pot = "I would like the cook device itself to be "set and forget"

I know exactly what you are seeking...a pellet grill still requires a certain level of micro management however.

[XDM9cWA]

I know exactly what you are seeking...a pellet grill still requires a certain level of micro management however.

I probably just don't know what I'm doing (I smoked 2 racks of ribs so far) ... but what am I supposed to manage? I set it, walked away, came back 4 hours later, it was great....

not being sarcastic here... I really don't know how things could be improved ... would love to learn more tips..

[Itchin4Fishin]

We should argue about Glocks vs 1911's next.

[root]

9mm vs .45ACP

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[lamrith]

:ROFLMAO:

Crock Pot = "I would like the cook device itself to be "set and forget"

I know exactly what you are seeking...a pellet grill still requires a certain level of micro management however.

True enough and that amount of managing I am more than fine with. I just can't keep going with the current set-up and am not interested in doing the hardwood/charcoal program as it requires close to the same monitoring that I do now.

[MikeD]

I know exactly what you are seeking...a pellet grill still requires a certain level of micro management however.

I probably just don't know what I'm doing (I smoked 2 racks of ribs so far) ... but what am I supposed to manage? I set it, walked away, came back 4 hours later, it was great....

not being sarcastic here... I really don't know how things could be improved ... would love to learn more tips..

I am sure a few of us have some tips that can help out. I am personally a hardwood charcoal bbq/smoker/grill/baker guy (yes I bake on my bbq) but all of these considerations apply regardless of the heat source.

Slabs of ribs have their own place in BBQ. they are like cooking toast...they are either not cooked enough, just right or burned. A few things to think about, depending on the cut of meat a "mop" may be required. There are other considerations also, for instance the same cut of meet can be cooked/grilled/smoked/bbq'd in several manners for differing results. Do you start high and sear then lower the temp and slow cook to retain the natural juices pork loins and tri-tip can be done this way or slow smoked and cooked for several hours with a "mop". Marinade or dry rub, both have different prep and cooking characteristics to consider when using them.

With a shoulder or butt roast considerations are bone in or bone out. Mop or spray through out the cooking process with say apple juice or orange juice which will aid in glazing the meat as it goes through the cooking/smoking process....some foil their meat after a certain cook time and others don't.

Lots of stuffs to consider

[XDM9cWA]

I know exactly what you are seeking...a pellet grill still requires a certain level of micro management however.

I probably just don't know what I'm doing (I smoked 2 racks of ribs so far) ... but what am I supposed to manage? I set it, walked away, came back 4 hours later, it was great....

not being sarcastic here... I really don't know how things could be improved ... would love to learn more tips..

I am sure a few of us have some tips that can help out. I am personally a hardwood charcoal bbq/smoker/grill/baker guy (yes I bake on my bbq) but all of these considerations apply regardless of the heat source.

Slabs of ribs have their own place in BBQ. they are like cooking toast...they are either not cooked enough, just right or burned. A few things to think about, depending on the cut of meat a "mop" may be required. There are other considerations also, for instance the same cut of meet can be cooked/grilled/smoked/bbq'd in several manners for differing results. Do you start high and sear then lower the temp and slow cook to retain the natural juices pork loins and tri-tip can be done this way or slow smoked and cooked for several hours with a "mop". Marinade or dry rub, both have different prep and cooking characteristics to consider when using them.

With a shoulder or butt roast considerations are bone in or bone out. Mop or spray through out the cooking process with say apple juice or orange juice which will aid in glazing the meat as it goes through the cooking/smoking process....some foil their meat after a certain cook time and others don't.

Lots of stuffs to consider

thanks... looks like it's a case of what you don't know won't hurt you... I'm happy with my ribs so far but then again, I don't know what I'm missing...

I'm already disappointed when I eat steak at restaurants and it's not cooked as great as on my grill....

I have lots to learn I guess..

[lamrith]

I know exactly what you are seeking...a pellet grill still requires a certain level of micro management however.

I probably just don't know what I'm doing (I smoked 2 racks of ribs so far) ... but what am I supposed to manage? I set it, walked away, came back 4 hours later, it was great....

not being sarcastic here... I really don't know how things could be improved ... would love to learn more tips..

I am sure a few of us have some tips that can help out. I am personally a hardwood charcoal bbq/smoker/grill/baker guy (yes I bake on my bbq) but all of these considerations apply regardless of the heat source.

Slabs of ribs have their own place in BBQ. they are like cooking toast...they are either not cooked enough, just right or burned. A few things to think about, depending on the cut of meat a "mop" may be required. There are other considerations also, for instance the same cut of meet can be cooked/grilled/smoked/bbq'd in several manners for differing results. Do you start high and sear then lower the temp and slow cook to retain the natural juices pork loins and tri-tip can be done this way or slow smoked and cooked for several hours with a "mop". Marinade or dry rub, both have different prep and cooking characteristics to consider when using them.

With a shoulder or butt roast considerations are bone in or bone out. Mop or spray through out the cooking process with say apple juice or orange juice which will aid in glazing the meat as it goes through the cooking/smoking process....some foil their meat after a certain cook time and others don't.

Lots of stuffs to consider

thanks... looks like it's a case of what you don't know won't hurt you... I'm happy with my ribs so far but then again, I don't know what I'm missing...

I'm already disappointed when I eat steak at restaurants and it's not cooked as great as on my grill....

I have lots to learn I guess..

It's all a learning process. And Restaurant, vs persona vs competition cooking are wildly different as well. Even personal tastse differ. My family and I like ribs juicy and falling off the bone, with just a slight bark. For many that is ruined and overcooked. Same can be said with pulled pork, some like a heavy/thick barking others do not.

Because of my limitation of current equipment I foil both my ribs and my pulled pork. Once I have a better cooking rig, I plan to try altering that and expand horizons, as well as get into brisquits etc.

[JayDub]

Your journey begins here Grasshopper...

http://www.amazingribs.com/

[lamrith]

That is a great one with a ton of info and theory. He goes over what to do and why.
also..
http://www.smoking-meat.com
and
http://www.bbq-brethren.com
and
http://www.thesmokering.com
and
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com (Great one, join newsletter for recipies straight to your email..)

[XDM9cWA]

Thanks.. it will take a while to learn all this...

Shooting is much easier