In a world where there is thousands of different seasonings and rubs from every company that has anything to do with grilling/smoking meat, this one still stands out! Love it! Was starting to think I was weird for liking it as much as I do!
Budget will have a lot to do with it. I think most pellet grills out there will get the job done, may have to make so modifications to make then work as well as possible. Of course Traeger is the largest company, and they make good stuff, not gonna say that they're the best. Yoder makes one that's supposed to he the cats ass, but you're going to pay for it. I look for a good name, but also what the layout and ease of cooking is with the way the grates are setup.. See if there's a local smoke shop that you has several models that you can look and see the differences in person. I've had a couple of different grills, I'm now using an Oklahoma joes which I really like, it gets to 650 degrees with a good bit of direct heat, doubles well as a grill. It also maintains smoke Temps very well which is pretty important if you want to keep all of your hair.
I will echo what was already said. I own a Treager and a Pit Boss. Each have their own quirks.
Yah I couldn't do it all with a pellet grill like you'd think. I've got the cabinet pellet and a propane grill and a charcoal. But one or the other combined with a pellet cabinet would cover just about anything imo.
Love my Traeger. So easy it is like cheating, gets a solid smoke ring and cleanup is super easy— just hit the fire pot with a shop vac every 10-12 smoke sessions and you’re fine. Also versatile enough that I’ve been able to low smoke down to about 180 and crank the heat to 500 for a good sear.
Trying really hard to talk my brother's girlfriend into buying him one so that he can be the guinea pig.
I suppose I should have clarified something in my initial post. I’m military stationed overseas so don’t have any access to look at anything in person. My family is living in Montana so I have a place to ship something to.
Which specific model of Oklahoma Joes do you have and what do you like about it more than the Traeger?
I have owned or own two pit bosses, a traeger, and two Yoder's all pellet smokers. If money isn't a object by far and away the Yoder is the best. Only pellet smoker I've ever owned that gets hot enough to truly sear. But if you're just looking for something to smoke with on occasion either pitboss or a Traeger won't disappoint. I've torture tested both (lots of cooking with minimal cleaning) pit boss went out after 2 1/2 years, auger seized up. Fixed it gave it to my nephew and got a Traeger I'm at about 4 years with it with only one deep clean. Still going strong on the backporch.
