Smokers / Grills

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Chukzombi

Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
73,132
214,411
i feel like these electric run type of grills are just expensive gimmicks because people expect a more faster gratification from their charcoal grills. ive been doing charcoal for 30 years. my cook times average between 2-3 hours depending on what i am cooking. i dont low and slow, i just cook til done and add wood and spices to flavor it all. i dont use anything special, just an 18 year old Weber Performer. when i grill, there is no rush. i just start earlier if i need to finish at a certain time.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,933
9,326
No gimmic man. I just made a pizza in my patio with the wife on it , never had to go inside and just relaxing out here with her. Baked it precisely while never moving a single degree.

meanwhile next week I’ll low and slow a brisket. It’s a percise cooking machine that has multiple functions and roles. I used to think they were silly too till I started cooking over it. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
Chukzombi

Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
73,132
214,411
Tarrant said:
No gimmic man. I just made a pizza in my patio with the wife on it , never had to go inside and just relaxing out here with her. Baked it precisely while never moving a single degree.

meanwhile next week I’ll low and slow a brisket. It’s a percise cooking machine that has multiple functions and roles. I used to think they were silly too till I started cooking over it. 🤷🏻‍♂️
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well, the secret to good pizza is what is it sitting on. if you got a pizza stone or some bricks, it really does not matter what grill you use. not putting you down, im sure your pizza was yum. just that i never felt limited to what i can make with the grill i have.
the BBQ Pit Boys on youtube opened my eyes to all the posibilities that can be achieved with a simple Weber grill.

btw i am an unpaid Weber shill.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
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I didn’t use a stone. 🤷🏻‍♂️

and I have propane and charcoal too, but I don’t see myself using either in the near future. I’m selling my propane in fact.
 
Chukzombi

Chukzombi

Millie's Staff Member
73,132
214,411
Tarrant said:
I didn’t use a stone. 🤷🏻‍♂️

and I have propane and charcoal too, but I don’t see myself using either in the near future. I’m selling my propane in fact.
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you need a stone. they sell for 10-15 bucks. it will elevate your crust game. throw some semolina flour on it before you place the pizza pie on top too.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,933
9,326
I used one on my other grills and wanted to see how this would turn out on this, turned out great.
 
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Pagan

Pagan

Lord Nagafen Raider
506
202
Stone are the way to go for pizza.

I have always been against electric pellet grills as I have cooked on coal, propane, infred, cast iron, etc. I caved in last year and bought a Traeger because I had a friend(s) cook a tasty burger on one. Its not the flavor I want for every meal however we own a pool and like to entertain and there is nothing like the "set it and forget it" on a electric pellet grill.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
<Silver Donator>
14,737
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Weber kettles are the undisputed king of grills when it comes to bang for your buck. You can do anything in those things and the price tag is under $200 and they will last 20+ years no problem. Light, portable, classic. It's a great grill. You have to pay a shitload of money to gain whatever convenience is added by a pellet grill and the pellet grill will probably be in the landfill long before the weber. That said, I have 3 grills that all cost 5-10x as much as a weber kettle. I do have a weber smokey joe that I take camping or whatever. Paid $25 for it like 15 years ago and it looks like it's new and I have cooked tri tip, steaks, you name it on that thing and it works great. You won't get me to say a bad word about weber kettles. I'm just a gear whore.
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,933
9,326
All my grills till this last one are Weber’s, I like em. My propane cost as much as my pellet though and I dig the pellet more, hence why I’m selling it.

working 6 days a week and 80 hours a week, the pellet just fits my life way more for the foreseeable future and the ease it gives is ahead of anything else to the point where it’s not even close.
 
Ameraves

Ameraves

New title pending...
<Bronze Donator>
13,587
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I bought a GMG Jim Bowie about 4 months ago, and I have used it a ton. But to be honest, the thing is kinda garbage.

Almost immediately there was bubbling on the paint on the lower front right of the grill. I sent them an email asking about it and they suggested I move the heat shield to the left as it was probably making the right side of the grill hotter, which was causing the paint to chip off. That didn't make much sense to me since I wasn't even getting the grill to it's max temp so why would 1 area start to chip away? But whatever, they sent me some paint to cover it up and I moved the heat shield. The grill still cooks terribly unevenly on different parts of the grill, and I have tried moving the heat shield as much as I can. On top of all of that, it has already started to rust at the hinges on the tray to the right of the grill, and I keep it covered every night. Also I understand you are going to get grease everywhere, but it literally has grease dripping out of the elbow of the smoke stack. So if I have anything sitting on the tray, there is grease that drips onto it.

When I was looking into getting a new pellet grill (I had the small Traeger before and needed something bigger) I had my eyes on the Rec Tec. The reviews all seemed great and their customer service is supposedly fantastic. I ended up going with GMG just cause I found one on sale at Ace for $600, and my wife really was giving me a hard time about spending closer to $1200. Now I wish I would have stuck to my guns and just got the Rec Tec. At this point I will probably try to clean it up as much as possible and sell it eventually, and then just go get a Rec Tec.
 
Oblio

Oblio

Utah
<Gold Donor>
11,767
25,750
Ameraves said:
I bought a GMG Jim Bowie about 4 months ago, and I have used it a ton. But to be honest, the thing is kinda garbage.

Almost immediately there was bubbling on the paint on the lower front right of the grill. I sent them an email asking about it and they suggested I move the heat shield to the left as it was probably making the right side of the grill hotter, which was causing the paint to chip off. That didn't make much sense to me since I wasn't even getting the grill to it's max temp so why would 1 area start to chip away? But whatever, they sent me some paint to cover it up and I moved the heat shield. The grill still cooks terribly unevenly on different parts of the grill, and I have tried moving the heat shield as much as I can. On top of all of that, it has already started to rust at the hinges on the tray to the right of the grill, and I keep it covered every night. Also I understand you are going to get grease everywhere, but it literally has grease dripping out of the elbow of the smoke stack. So if I have anything sitting on the tray, there is grease that drips onto it.

When I was looking into getting a new pellet grill (I had the small Traeger before and needed something bigger) I had my eyes on the Rec Tec. The reviews all seemed great and their customer service is supposedly fantastic. I ended up going with GMG just cause I found one on sale at Ace for $600, and my wife really was giving me a hard time about spending closer to $1200. Now I wish I would have stuck to my guns and just got the Rec Tec. At this point I will probably try to clean it up as much as possible and sell it eventually, and then just go get a Rec Tec.
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I have had my current GMG for roughly 5 years. I have replaced a a few parts on it but overall the thing has been great. However, I heard a few years ago they sent their production to China. What you are describing makes me think their China production sucks big Wuhan Bat Balls. I have been a champion of GMG on here for a few years now, so I am sorry if any of my posts played a role in your decision. I will say this even with their shitty China production they stand by their product, they will send you new parts free of charge.

I would call them and go full polite Karen and say you have owned this for 4 months and you are really disappointed in the quality etc etc. I would bet money they will figure out a way to get you a new one or allow you to get a refund. You might want to talk to the store first and see if their local GMG Rep will make any concessions for you. The first GMG I bought 6 years ago was a due, everything broke on it in the first 6 months. I went to the store and politely told them my concerns and disappointment, they got in touch with the local rep and he looked up my serial number and realized my machine was 2-3 years old and somehow was lost in inventory at the store I bought it from. He said they should have never sold that model to me as they recalled them. The local rep ended up giving me a full refund, I was so impressed with the customer service I just bought another one and have been really happy.

All that said, I leave mine outside all year long and I am not the best best about putting the back on. My GMG is still working fine, but I think I am going to get a different brand next time Costco has something in stock and convert my GMG to full time Pizza Oven.
 
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Ameraves

Ameraves

New title pending...
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Yeah I am going to reach out to them again because they were super nice when I reached out the first time. I'm just really surprised by how crappy it appears to be.
 
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kegkilla

kegkilla

The Big Mod
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11,320
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I am in the market for a pellet grill. I'll be cooking mainly for myself or myself and my girlfriend so really the smaller the better. Any suggestions on where to start looking?
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,933
9,326
China Bat Soup said:
I am in the market for a pellet grill. I'll be cooking mainly for myself or myself and my girlfriend so really the smaller the better. Any suggestions on where to start looking?
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go back a few pages and see my journey with my pit boss PTO 1100. It gets hotter, had a longer warranty and you get more for your money than just about every other brand out there.
 
Pagan

Pagan

Lord Nagafen Raider
506
202
China Bat Soup said:
I am in the market for a pellet grill. I'll be cooking mainly for myself or myself and my girlfriend so really the smaller the better. Any suggestions on where to start looking?
Click to expand...
I purchased a 575 Traeger however if I was to do it over again I would probably have gone with the REC TEC based on build quality at a better price point and great customer service/warranty backing.
 
kegkilla

kegkilla

The Big Mod
<Banned>
11,320
14,739
Pagan said:
I purchased a 575 Traeger however if I was to do it over again I would probably have gone with the REC TEC based on build quality at a better price point and great customer service/warranty backing.
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Do you find there's any value in the wifi features?
 
Tarrant

Tarrant

<Prior Amod>
15,933
9,326
China Bat Soup said:
Do you find there's any value in the wifi features?
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frankly, you’ll want to invest in a separate WiFi probe anyway. The built in ones are okay but they aren’t as precise and will offer more options.

if warranties are important, pit boss offers a 5 year everything is covered warranty which is the best out there. Also importantly you can sear easily in it. Something many pellets don’t let you.
 
Pagan

Pagan

Lord Nagafen Raider
506
202
Tarrant said:
frankly, you’ll want to invest in a separate WiFi probe anyway. The built in ones are okay but they aren’t as precise and will offer more options.

if warranties are important, pit boss offers a 5 year everything is covered warranty which is the best out there. Also importantly you can sear easily in it. Something many pellets don’t let you.
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I havent had an issue with mine (Traeger). You can even adjust the temp setting on the probe (+/-) to match a 3rd party probe. REC TEC offers a 6 year warranty.....
 
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