View Full Version : Pellet grill users. Gmg, traeger, etc .....
colorider
09-20-2016, 16:00
I'm looking to buy a pallet of pellets from Lumberjack. High quality pellets. 40# bags. Any interest in this ? Not a group buy as I'm buying the pallet and the pellets will be sold in the trading post. No obligation to purchase.
What flavors do you fellow pellet users like ? This lets me gauge what to bring in. I will also post the cost of the bags once they get back to me. It has to be a price much under what is available online or local in order to make this worth it. I have the space to store the 50 bags. I'm tired of spending around a buck a pound for just grilling. Winter is coming and the pellet consumption goes up as the outside temps drop. I use my gmg every day and want a better deal on pellets.
Mesquite, applewood and oak. Whatcha thinking the cost will be per bag?
colorider
09-20-2016, 21:12
It's looking like right around $20 for a 40$ bag. $10 for a 20# bag.
At these prices, the Mesquite and the apple would be a "Blend" which means that the apple is mixed with oak. 100% apple and 100% mesquite is available at about a cost of $5 a bag or so more. . In doing my research today I found a local distributor that sells the 20# bags for $13. The best price I have found retail. I'm currently contemplating just buying from him and not having to worry about storing a ton of pellets. Literally, a pallet is 1 ton. In my pellet cooking experience (4yrs), I have found Lumberjack to be one of my favorites but could not find them anywhere as my source in lakewood quit selling them and sells just Traeger brand. I switched to cookingpellets.com and their pellets are fantastic, but also $38 for 40#. Have to decide if it is worth the effort and money down to get the ton of pellets then sell them.
This guy seems to have decent pricing and good product.
http://www.thewatershedinc.com/hardwood-smoking-pellets.htm
From my experience. Traeger has a lot of filler. Used them and not a big fan. GMG are a little better. I'd be interested in the Lumberjack pellets. I would pay more for 100% wood.
How many bags per pallet? 50(ish) bags?
At $20-$25, for a 40lb bag, I'd be in for 6-8 bags. I can't store more than that right now but use them pretty regularly.
Would it be too much to ask for contact info for you source? There's 5 Treager users in my family and I have several good friends that also have pellet grills. We could split a skid pretty easy.
This guy seems to have decent pricing and good product.
http://www.thewatershedinc.com/hardwood-smoking-pellets.htm
From my experience. Traeger has a lot of filler. Used them and not a big fan. GMG are a little better. I'd be interested in the Lumberjack pellets. I would pay more for 100% wood.
How many bags per pallet? 50(ish) bags?
At $20-$25, for a 40lb bag, I'd be in for 6-8 bags. I can't store more than that right now but use them pretty regularly.
Dave at the Watershed is a good guy, he does have good prices and may do a deal on large quantity's.
Thx for the reminder, I forgot about him.
Just bought a pellet smoker. Tag for more info and interest.
I really need to get myself a wood pellet grill. I keep putting it off.
colorider
09-20-2016, 22:59
Buff,
They (Lumberjack) will set me up as a dealer and that is how I got the pricing. They said they checked my area and would set me up as a dealer because there was not a dealer nearby. You may want to go on their website direct and fill out the form for pricing info and see if they will do the same for you being that you can easily divide up a pallet of pellets. You can mix and match on the pallet as far as flavors and bag size. Even if I am not able to bring in my pallet and use the pricing to my advantage, I'm glad I can pass on the info to fellow shooters and pellet users. With the current response, we could easily do a pallet. Not a group buy type of thing, but take it off line and work together on this. Kind of like the guys who run to colorado springs for the ammo can deals. First see if you can become a dealer with them to get the great pricing. If not, let me know and I can get setup and we can move forward. PM if needed and I hope I/we are not breaking the "group buy" rules here. Want to keep it more of a bbq guys helping out bbq guys and the only way to network such an interest is here.
Ah Pook, I got a bag of traeger when I got my first pellet grill. Thought they were good till I tried something else. I really like the Lumberjack for the price. Mainly I want a pellet that I can use for my higher temp cooks and not looking for a great smoke flavor. Like grilling steaks, chicken, burgers. Using the cookingpellets brand for all my grilling/smoking is getting expensive. More so when the cold temps start coming and the grill has to work harder to maintain temps.
colorider
09-20-2016, 23:01
I really need to get myself a wood pellet grill. I keep putting it off.
They are awesome and the flavor of the food is great. However, ask here before you buy. I have a traeger and a Green Mountain Grill with the wifi feature. Each has it's own quirks.
Great-Kazoo
09-20-2016, 23:32
Dave at the Watershed is a good guy, he does have good prices and may do a deal on large quantity's.
Thx for the reminder, I forgot about him.
Yes he is, and thinks along the same lines as most of us.
colorider
09-20-2016, 23:41
Update. got an email from lumberjack that they have an online company that sets up group buys for them. We place our orders online, pay, they ship it here to wherever we want. We show up and pick up our pellets. Easy. Or sounds really easy. Will know more about the and pricing in the morning. Lots of people doing it this way in other states.
Buff,
They (Lumberjack) will set me up as a dealer and that is how I got the pricing. They said they checked my area and would set me up as a dealer because there was not a dealer nearby. You may want to go on their website direct and fill out the form for pricing info and see if they will do the same for you being that you can easily divide up a pallet of pellets. You can mix and match on the pallet as far as flavors and bag size. Even if I am not able to bring in my pallet and use the pricing to my advantage, I'm glad I can pass on the info to fellow shooters and pellet users. With the current response, we could easily do a pallet. Not a group buy type of thing, but take it off line and work together on this. Kind of like the guys who run to colorado springs for the ammo can deals. First see if you can become a dealer with them to get the great pricing. If not, let me know and I can get setup and we can move forward. PM if needed and I hope I/we are not breaking the "group buy" rules here. Want to keep it more of a bbq guys helping out bbq guys and the only way to network such an interest is here.
Ah Pook, I got a bag of traeger when I got my first pellet grill. Thought they were good till I tried something else. I really like the Lumberjack for the price. Mainly I want a pellet that I can use for my higher temp cooks and not looking for a great smoke flavor. Like grilling steaks, chicken, burgers. Using the cookingpellets brand for all my grilling/smoking is getting expensive. More so when the cold temps start coming and the grill has to work harder to maintain temps.
Hey thanks for the info, since I have a LLC it should be pretty straight forward ad since the only dealer within 25miles of my is in FoCo it should be "legit".....
I've going to visit Dave and see if he has a pretty deal on skid pricing. He's always treated me very well when I buy skids of ice melt. If I run into problems I'll shoot you a PM.
Thanks again
hollohas
09-21-2016, 08:42
I have not been happy with the traeger pellets in my gmg. I've been buying them at costco, but the blend has an off smell...almost like plastic.
I hadn't heard of lumberjack. I'm going to give some a try.
Not turning this into a best pellet thread but I notice more soot when I crank the GMG up to 500˚, with the Traeger pellets.
Great-Kazoo
09-21-2016, 09:24
Not turning this into a best pellet thread but I notice more soot when I crank the GMG up to 500˚, with the Traeger pellets.
I get that with a few different pellets.
colorider
09-21-2016, 09:56
No problem turning this into a pellet grill thread. We need one. Traeger pellets are a wood blend then they add flavor oils.
Soot with a gmg is caused by poor combustion. Check the seal around the fans. Also make sure your chimney cap is up high enough. Mine is as high as it will go. No soot. I lower it a tad when it's cold out. Pelletheads.com has provided me with a TON of info on troubleshooting my gmg. I recently added a Don Godke downdraft to my Daniel Boone. Improved the grill performance by a lot. Uses less pellets, more even temps and holds smoke in the grill a lot longer. Better smoke flavor. If you have a wifi gmg and are having problems with the wifi, it's a very common problem. I'm on my 4th controller in a years time and still have problems. Pretty much not using the wifi feature any more till they get it figured out. Their customer service is outstanding btw. Just having issues w the wifi.
Traeger pellets are a wood blend then they add flavor oils.
Not true. Traeger uses the hardwood that's on the label for the flavor. Base wood is either oak or alder. They use a small amount of food-grade soybean oil to help lubricate the shredded wood fibers being forced through the press into pellet form.
http://youtu.be/9dm03LQuT5c
I called Dave at The Water Shed http://www.thewatershedinc.com/hardwood-smoking-pellets.htm he'll go $11.00/20# on any flavor of Lumber Jack pellets if you buy 20 or more bags.
It'll be interesting to see what Colo Rider gets for pricing going direct once shipping is added.
colorider
09-21-2016, 13:36
At that price, it's well worth getting it from Watershead and not having to deal with a pallet of pellets. With shipping it's going to be about 9 bucks a bag for 20# bags. And about 18 for a 40#. Time, money, and not having to deal with moving a pallet of pellets is well with a few more bucks a bag to me. Even if I have to drive to ft Collins to pick up a load of 20 bags or so. I also like helping out a local business.
when I decided to do a pallet, I didn't know these retailers existed.
May make a trip to ft Collins tomorrow depending on time.
colorider
09-21-2016, 13:49
Not true. Traeger uses the hardwood that's on the label for the flavor. Base wood is either oak or alder. They use a small amount of food-grade soybean oil to help lubricate the shredded wood fibers being forced through the press into pellet form.
http://youtu.be/9dm03LQuT5c
Dont want this to turn into a Traeger bashing thread, but this is the info I got from a few Traeger dealers.
Several years ago I talked to the Traeger Wood Pellet Mill plant manager at their Oregon plant and ask very similar questions. His responses were the same as in Ruff's post above.
From our conversation:
Traeger has a patent on a process to extract the natural oils from wood.
This oil is then mixed with a food grade Soy oil and then sprayed on the wood fibers just prior to pressing into pellets.
NOTE: This is only done with Mesquite and Hickory pellets made specifically at the Oregon Plant and no others.
This process was developed to help keep the production cost down because of the transportation cost of Hickory and Mesquite woods to the Oregon plant.
I'll take the info from the manufacturer over some unsubstantiated info from a blog or forum. YMMV.
At that price, it's well worth getting it from Watershead and not having to deal with a pallet of pellets. With shipping it's going to be about 9 bucks a bag for 20# bags. And about 18 for a 40#. Time, money, and not having to deal with moving a pallet of pellets is well with a few more bucks a bag to me. Even if I have to drive to ft Collins to pick up a load of 20 bags or so. I also like helping out a local business.
when I decided to do a pallet, I didn't know these retailers existed.
May make a trip to ft Collins tomorrow depending on time.
I agree, sometimes pay a little more to eliminate a hassle and supporting a local bizz that's pro 2A is worth it.
So far I'm already at 20bags between myself and two friends, I figure my family in Wyo along with a couple other friends will be over a skid when its all done. Then I'll squeeze Dave a little more now that I know he's paying about $9 a bag...[ROFL1]
hollohas
09-21-2016, 17:18
I picked up some lumberjack pellets from a Denver dealer today, Steady Smoking BBQ. Close enough I can pick them up during a work break. $13/bag including tax.
Nice guy. Flying American flags out front. I think he had every kind except apple...because someone just purchase every bag of apple he had.
I picked up a bag of 80% hickory and 20% hickory charcoal...it gets much hotter apparently. Going to try that with the next smoked pizza I make. Looking forward to trying that.
The fruit wood blend is scheduled for a bunch of pork butt I'm smoking for my church potluck this weekend.
Great-Kazoo
09-21-2016, 18:11
I'll take the info from the manufacturer over some unsubstantiated info from a blog or forum. YMMV.
. I've used treager, till i went lower cost. Residual soot is close to equal. Looking forward to try some lj.
hurley842002
09-21-2016, 18:20
I'll take the info from the manufacturer over some unsubstantiated info from a blog or forum. YMMV.
Info from the manufacturer that wants you to buy THEIR product, gotcha.
Info from the manufacturer that wants you to buy THEIR product, gotcha.
Yeah, the guys promoting other brands in those discussions had no dog in that fight. Sure.
colorider
09-21-2016, 19:29
Should be no soot on the food. The dome and chimney may get soot, but food should not.
colorider
09-21-2016, 19:31
What I posted is from a local Traeger dealer. He ONLY sells Traeger pellets. Used to sell others but not any more.
Info from the manufacturer that wants you to buy THEIR product, gotcha.
Yes they do........ Without pulling or a microscope and doing lab work Lumber Jack pellets are equal to Traeger but at less the cost.
hollohas
09-21-2016, 19:56
Lumberjack has some pretty in depth chemical analysis of the smoke their woods create on their website. I haven't seen that anywhere else.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
From the research I have done, most main stream pellets use filler wood. Traeger, GMG, Louisiana Grill... Please fill me in on those with 100% woods.
colorider
09-21-2016, 22:08
Pook,
The ones I know that are 100% flavor wood and not a blend are as follows. The ones marked 100% whatever from Lumberjack and the cookingpellets.com 100% pure American Hickory. Lumberjack clearly marks their blends as a blend. They have several and they state it on their website and packaging. I have been a pellet user for over 5 years and have tried many brands. The ones I found to have an off taste were the traeger brand. Friends and family agree. They have kind of a burning candle aftertaste to me. For hickory smoking pork, I absolutely love the cookingpellets.com 100% hickory. Makes some amazing ribs. Another thing to look at with pellets is how much ash they leave. Some brands leave a whole bunch of ash in the burn pot. Some leave very little I take that into consideration too when choosing a pellet. Even more so when I am using the unit for more of a bbq and grill than a smoker. I hate cleaning the burn pot out. Louisiana Grill brand competition mix left a ton of ash in the pot for me. Pellets are kind of a person choice though. I don' t know how many of you own a motorcycle and visit cycle forums, but pellet forums are much like a "what oil should I use" on a moto forum. Everyone is different. However, on all the forums for pellet cooking the cookingpellets.com brand and the Lumberjack are the top 2 that people are using with positive results. Heat, flavor, and ash left over. Just from my few years of reading.
For those interested, here is a link to the Don Godke Downdraft that I just installed in my GMG Daniel Boone. The results with my grill have been more uniform temps at grate and dome level left and right, noticeable less pellet consumption, and a big difference in the amount of smoke flavor on the cooked food. Of course do your own google fu and see what others experiences have been.
http://dongodkesdowndraft.com/
colorider
09-22-2016, 12:00
Picked up 200# in a variety of flavors from Steady Smoking BBQ in Denver today. Mike is the owner and a super nice guy. $13 a bag. Also, he is a wealth of information about the different flavor profiles of the pellets. I'm going to skip bringing in a pallet at this time knowing that I can get them for this price. Great to have this thread going so we can share our pellet cooking information with each other. Doing 3 racks of ribs with the competition blend tonight. Will report on the results.. Grill on my good friends.
hollohas
09-22-2016, 12:33
Pook,
The ones I know that are 100% flavor wood and not a blend are as follows. The ones marked 100% whatever from Lumberjack and the cookingpellets.com 100% pure American Hickory. Lumberjack clearly marks their blends as a blend. They have several and they state it on their website and packaging. I have been a pellet user for over 5 years and have tried many brands. The ones I found to have an off taste were the traeger brand. Friends and family agree. They have kind of a burning candle aftertaste to me. For hickory smoking pork, I absolutely love the cookingpellets.com 100% hickory. Makes some amazing ribs. Another thing to look at with pellets is how much ash they leave. Some brands leave a whole bunch of ash in the burn pot. Some leave very little I take that into consideration too when choosing a pellet. Even more so when I am using the unit for more of a bbq and grill than a smoker. I hate cleaning the burn pot out. Louisiana Grill brand competition mix left a ton of ash in the pot for me. Pellets are kind of a person choice though. I don' t know how many of you own a motorcycle and visit cycle forums, but pellet forums are much like a "what oil should I use" on a moto forum. Everyone is different. However, on all the forums for pellet cooking the cookingpellets.com brand and the Lumberjack are the top 2 that people are using with positive results. Heat, flavor, and ash left over. Just from my few years of reading.
For those interested, here is a link to the Don Godke Downdraft that I just installed in my GMG Daniel Boone. The results with my grill have been more uniform temps at grate and dome level left and right, noticeable less pellet consumption, and a big difference in the amount of smoke flavor on the cooked food. Of course do your own google fu and see what others experiences have been.
http://dongodkesdowndraft.com/
Do you have the old style downdraft or the new style with the vent?
colorider
09-22-2016, 17:08
New with the vent. I'm doing my 1st long cook with it right now. 3racks of baby backs w 100% hickory. Will give a report when I eat them tomorrow. Already I have noticed the GMG is dumping pellets a lot less than without the downdraft and holding a steady temp. Mill report later if the smoke flavor is heavier using the downdraft. Before I was using an amazin tube for more smoke flavor. Not using it on this slow cook. I have the vent closed for this cook as per the instructions and everyone's comments about using it.
Very interested in seeing how it turns out. Been wanting a little more smoke flavor than what the Traeger pellets have been giving me.
Great-Kazoo
09-22-2016, 20:35
Very interested in seeing how it turns out. Been wanting a little more smoke flavor than what the Traeger pellets have been giving me.
I keep the vent cover down approx 1' from closed. Unless it'son high / 450 pellet usage is moderate. I did leave a message for that business, seeing if they offer one for a Camp Chef.
I called Dave at The Water Shed http://www.thewatershedinc.com/hardwood-smoking-pellets.htm he'll go $11.00/20# on any flavor of Lumber Jack pellets if you buy 20 or more bags.
It'll be interesting to see what Colo Rider gets for pricing going direct once shipping is added.
Did you happen to ask him for similar bulk pricing on cookinpellets bags?
colorider
09-23-2016, 09:02
Want more smoke ? I use one. Works great when I'm after more smoke flavor or want to add a good smoke flavor on a short cook
https://www.amazon.com/Amazen-Pellet-Tube-Smoker-12/dp/B00CS6YFIC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474642852&sr=8-1&keywords=amazn+tube+smoker
I've been using the Traeger Gourmet pellets from Costco and had great results with them. At $19.99 for a 33lb. bag of 50% Maple, 25% Hickory, and 25% Cherry, the pricing is pretty good.
BladesNBarrels
09-25-2016, 08:44
You all have convinced me to try the Traeger.
I have seen the TV ad for the Renegade Elite. Looking on their website I see other models. The reviews are very good.
My needs are to feed 2 people normally and sometimes 6 when we have company.
I have a 6 burner gas grill, a Weber charcoal grill, and an old electric smoker. I grill about 4-5 nights a week, so they do get used.
Anyone have experience with the Tailgater? It looks to have the desired features - digital controls, and the standard Traeger qualities, for the least price.
Any advice is appreciated!
colorider
09-25-2016, 14:09
To going to be too small. Get a bigger unit.
Great-Kazoo
09-25-2016, 15:20
You all have convinced me to try the Traeger.
I have seen the TV ad for the Renegade Elite. Looking on their website I see other models. The reviews are very good.
My needs are to feed 2 people normally and sometimes 6 when we have company.
I have a 6 burner gas grill, a Weber charcoal grill, and an old electric smoker. I grill about 4-5 nights a week, so they do get used.
Anyone have experience with the Tailgater? It looks to have the desired features - digital controls, and the standard Traeger qualities, for the least price.
Any advice is appreciated!
Stop in a few local stores for other options (makes) before committing to the tailgater. I agree with colorider, much too small for your needs. Not to mention the tailgater vents via slots in the back of the smoker.
http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod29/dw/image/v2/AAXM_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-traeger-catalog/default/dw17e6dda0/images/TFB30LZB_BRZ_5.png?sw=556&sh=680&sm=fit
There's no way to control heat & smoke in colder / windy weather compared to smokers with "chimneys" The Green Mountain Daniel Boone is $100 off, with 100" more sq. in.
http://greenmountaingrills.com/product-category/grills/
This is the one we went with. 560" sq. in rack space
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Camp-Chef-Pellet-Grill-and-Smoker/productDetail/Best-Sellers/prod999901367282/cat126115
The Tailgater is purpose-built for tailgating. You'll soon find that it doesn't put out enough BTUs and the pellet bin is too small.
Aloha_Shooter
09-25-2016, 17:51
If you want one for tailgating, go for the GMG Davy Crockett. Excellent digital temperature control (and range), regular chimney for smoke release, and superb customer service (they even answered me on Thanksgiving!). I can do 3 racks of ribs in mine. $50 off at the moment.
Ended up picking up 56bags of Lumber Jack pellets from The Water Shed @$11.00/20# yesterday. They'll be spilt up between family members and a couple friends.
67280
And made a Reef Round Roast with Cherry today.
67281
Both pics look great. How was the roast?
Both pics look great. How was the roast?
Roast was great.....
Smoked for 2.5hrs @165*<> then turned up to 350* to finish @150" center temp (about 80min) and rest for about 15min.
If there's anyone in the springs that wants to do the $11/20# bags of the Lumberjack pellets, the shop on the north end of town is offering. I can put it together if you wanna pm me. Cutoff Is mid October.
the name of the place is Colo BBQ Outfitters.
Aloha_Shooter
09-27-2016, 21:02
vossman, I'd be interested in a bag each of pecan, sweetwood, MHC Competition, apple, cherry, and maple. Might be interested in mesquite and beech.
colorider
09-27-2016, 22:37
Tonight i used 100% oak for some high temp bbq of some chicken breasts and roasted some mini bell peppers. 425 degrees. The oak worked great compared to a flavor wood as I used less pellets for the grilling. I did 3 racks of baby backs (from Restaurant Depot) over the weekend. 180 degrees for about 5 hours with 100% hickory. OMG they were wonderful. Seasoned with salt and pepper. No sauce. Took them camping and everyone said they tasted like mild bacon ribs. I don't foil them at all during the cook. Just smoke away till I can lift them at the end with tongs and they almost break apart in the middle. Still had great moisture. Not dry at all.
Regarding baby backs or back ribs. For years I bought them from Costco and always noticed that one end of the rack was huge. We call it the camper because it sticks up like a camper shell on a truck. Also call it a turtle. Hate that. I always cut that off and save it for green chili or other pork stew. Also would always notice that the ribs would have an off smell when you open the package. Almost a sulfur smell. The Restaurant Depot ribs have non of this. Very uniform shape to the racks and not a scent at all when opening the package. We all also feel the Restaurant Depot ribs have less strong of a pork flavor which we prefer.
Anyway, happy pellet cooking !!!
Grill selection. I did a lot of research and settled on the GMG Daniel Boone. I was close to buying a Traeger til I started looking closer. I have put together a half dozen Traegers, of different price levels, and they all seem flimsy. I also think they are overprices for what you get. The highest temp is around 425˚ and has a wider temp fluctuation. Vertical and horizontal real estate also sold me on the GMG. Traeger has a great warranty but you can only use their pellets (not sure how they can tell). YMMV Happy Qing
colorider
09-28-2016, 10:53
I have the exact same experience as ah pook. Gmg is a much sturdier grill and their customer service is OUTSTANDING if you ever need it. I have the gmg Daniel Boone wifi unit. Only problems I have are with the wifi controller. They have sent out replacements the day I called them. No charge.
Ok, I'll make a list. I'll talk to Daren next week.
Still deciding what I need/want. They have blends and pure pellets.
vossman, I'd be interested in a bag each of pecan, sweetwood, MHC Competition, apple, cherry, and maple. Might be interested in mesquite and beech.
BladesNBarrels
10-03-2016, 10:10
Thanks to all who gave advice on my pellet grill selection.
Your comments had me looking at more selections, YouTube videos, and other forums.
I followed Great-Kazoo's recommendation and looked at the selections at Sportsman's Warehouse Riverfront.
The folks there were very helpful. They lined up my 3 final choices - Traeger Li'l Texas Elite, Green Mountain Grill Daniel Boone, and the Camp Chef SmokePro DLX.
They use the Camp Chef for their demonstrations.
I went with the Camp Chef mainly because of the ash clean out, dual temperature probes, and heavier construction.
I didn't get a bargain price, but I had a $20 coupon my wife had found, and they added a 5% veteran's discount.
Assembly was a little different than the owner's manual and a YouTube video posted in July, 2016.
Camp Chef made a couple of improvements to the cover over the pellet storage, and the inside of the lid since July.
I picked up Camp Chef Mesquite and GMG Golden Blend pellets to try it out.
So far, I have only done the initial 30 minutes at 350 degrees to burn off the manufacturer's oils, and everything worked as expected.
Looking forward to new adventures.
Thanks again for your help and advice!
[Beer]
colorider
10-03-2016, 11:21
I think you will be very happy with your choice. The Camp Chef has been getting very good reviews.
The ash clean out looks to be amazingly easy compared to a Traeger or GMG. I HATE taking out the grates and all the other stuff to clean out my GMG fire box. Also looks like there is a special escape hatch to empty the pellet hopper. That's awesome for when you want to switch flavors. Looks to me like Camp Chef really thought this out compared to the other companies. Being a GMG owner, I am kind of wishing I had looked at the Camp Chef when I was making my decision.
Between this thread and being inspired by a coworker's amazing brisket, I've been researching pellet smokers for the past several weeks. One thing I've read is that the final quality of the meat varies depending on (among many other things) the ambient humidity. Being that it's generally so dry here, do you guys add water pans to your smokers while cooking? If so, do you use a big pan / small pan, refill every X hours, etc? Is there anything else you need to do to adjust things for Colorado smoking?
Great-Kazoo
10-24-2016, 19:11
Between this thread and being inspired by a coworker's amazing brisket, I've been researching pellet smokers for the past several weeks. One thing I've read is that the final quality of the meat varies depending on (among many other things) the ambient humidity. Being that it's generally so dry here, do you guys add water pans to your smokers while cooking? If so, do you use a big pan / small pan, refill every X hours, etc? Is there anything else you need to do to adjust things for Colorado smoking?
Did you buy one yet? if not Sportsmens (up here) still has these smokers on sale.
https://www.ar-15.co/threads/158977-Green-Mountain-smoker-sale
As for water or other liquid, it depends what your cooking and how. Having used liquid for most of my smoking (can filled with water or juice) in back. I've changed up my cooking method, any liquids used come in towards end of cooking / temp cycle. Sometimes it's a brine, or salad dressing used.
We use to use olive oil before applying dry rubs. Now it's mustard for beef & pork, depending what cut and recipe used. Another cook turned me on to mayonnaise for poultry. Skeptical at first, mayo, then seasoning gave us a nice crispy skin.
One thing we found, as i'm sure others will chime in. Until you find "that recipe" you'll experiment with flavors, marinades etc.
Go with some tried on line recipes, then adjust from there.
No, I haven't bought one yet. Thanks for the heads up! And the feedback.
For whether or not I use water pans...it depends. If I have poultry that has been brined, I'm less inclined to add external moisture. It also depends on the available fat to keep the meat moist.
...the best thing about smoking and grilling is that there really aren't any rules. Screw the food police. If you want to try it, go for it!
...the best thing about smoking and grilling is that there really aren't any rules. Screw the food police. If you want to try it, go for it!
I agree. My grill game and smoking game is about zero. Very little experience with either. That said, one of the first things I ever smoked were some lobster tails. I tried looking for recipes on-line and all I found were a bunch of babies saying how lobster was too expensive to try and smoke. What if you screw it up? blah blah blah. Compared to a $40 roast or rack of ribs or something, a couple of $7 lobster tails is nothing. I smoked the tails and thought that they came out great.
colorider
10-25-2016, 10:58
Pelletheads.com is a good resource.
BladesNBarrels
10-25-2016, 11:02
Update on my Camp Chef experiences.
I have smoked and roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb, Loin Pork Ribs, and Beef Bottom Round Roast.
I have been using the GMG Golden Blend Pellets.
My wife and I prefer the natural flavor of grilled and smoked meats, so we aren't much for rubs or marinades.
I am totally sold on the pellet grill. I still use the gas grill and charcoal grill, but the pellet grill for smoking and slow roasting can't be beat.
I have stocked up on the Golden Blend pellets for the coming months and am still finding recipes on the internet to try out.
As Gman and Great-Kazoo say, just keep experimenting with the flavors that you like.
The Beef Bottom Roast was the only one that I thought needed something more.
My neighbor, who worked as a butcher during his college years, said that cut was not really the best for the method I was using. He recommends looking for a more tender roast with a little more fat.
Next is a whole turkey this week-end to practice for Thanksgiving!
[Dinner]
This is my 'go to' for Thanksgiving turkey; http://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/poultry/beer-brined-turkey
The birds I get are usually bigger and have already been injected with some form of salt, so I usually back down on the salt content of the brine. The finished product is very moist and tastes amazing.
kawiracer14
10-25-2016, 13:32
I have a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker but have the Amaze N Smoker that someone linked earlier. Have had decent results with the Traeger pellets, they seem to do a lot better than the ones I got initially with the AmazeNSmoker - not going out during the smoking. I don't generally add any water to my smokes as the MasterBuilt is so insulated that the door is usually soaked anyways.
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