• ODT Gun Show & Swap Meet - May 4, 2024! - Click here for info

Pellets Vs Charcoal, Wood, Gas,

I'm a huge advocate for pellet grills. I always used cheap propane grills. Buy one and buy another when it falls apart a few years later. This year I decided when my propane grill finally burned through I was going to buy something nicer. Saw an advertisement for a RECTEQ Bullseye saying it was a grill that could also smoke. My father in law has a Traeger and always complains about getting a good sear because the temp doesn't go high enough, and the Bullseye is advertised to reach temps of 749+ degrees. The pricetag was about the same a decent propane grill, and they are known to have fanatatical customer service. I pulled the trigger on a Bullseye the week of Fathers Day, and it has been a game changer for how we cook food.

Cost wise a would refill a propane bottle for around 10.00 and it would last me about a month of steady grilling. A 40lb bag of pellets cost me 15.00 and I get around 3 weeks of steady grilling. I usually grill 4-5 times a week. The cost of the Bullseye is 399.99 with free shipping from Evans, GA. I had it in two days, and it takes about an hour to set up. They are worth a look especially if you are coming from a propane grill, they aren't expensive as they used to be.
 
I love Charcoal grills. I have yet to figure out the best grill option if I am cooking for just me and my wife. I bought an 18 inch Old Smokey charcoal grill (with leg extensions) and am still figuring it out.

1630940938178.png
 
I agree that charcoal imparts a distinct flavor into the meat (so long as you don’t use lighter fluid) But for convenience on Long cooks, you can’t beat a pellet grill. You set the temperature and forget it. Obviously you shouldn’t be checking your cook anyway, so you can literally walk away and not have to worry about it. The only time I open mine when I’m cooking a butt is when I want to spritz it with apple juice. I haven’t even opened my Kamado smoker in a year. BTW, if anybody wants to buy a Kamado, I’ll be happy to sell it.
 
There is one downside to pellet grills that I got to experience today, the dreaded auger jam. Somehow my pellets got wet and turned to concrete inside the auger tube. Tried to burn it out, poke it out, cuss it out, etc. Couldn't get the auger out to clear it. I just left it on with the set screws out and it eventually spun itself backwards and came out of the auger tube. Was able to stick a long prybar in there and twist and hammer it out. Took about 4 hours and a lot of cuss words, but finally got it free. Whatever you do, keep your pellets dry. This was even after the cover was on, so not sure what happened.
 
Bought a propane Weber on sale 20yrs ago and have never looked back. Great taste and hard to mess up the meat. I even had a small Weber for the camper, it was great too
 
There is one downside to pellet grills that I got to experience today, the dreaded auger jam. Somehow my pellets got wet and turned to concrete inside the auger tube. Tried to burn it out, poke it out, cuss it out, etc. Couldn't get the auger out to clear it. I just left it on with the set screws out and it eventually spun itself backwards and came out of the auger tube. Was able to stick a long prybar in there and twist and hammer it out. Took about 4 hours and a lot of cuss words, but finally got it free. Whatever you do, keep your pellets dry. This was even after the cover was on, so not sure what happened.
This will happen, I got a 30 blue barrel to keep my pellets in same as for my corn for deer. They work really well to keep them dry. I've never experienced wet pellets and sounds like I don't want to. I keep my smoker in the garage too so no dampness in there as for as the pellets. I'll have to say RecTec for the win though.
 
There is one downside to pellet grills that I got to experience today, the dreaded auger jam. Somehow my pellets got wet and turned to concrete inside the auger tube. Tried to burn it out, poke it out, cuss it out, etc. Couldn't get the auger out to clear it. I just left it on with the set screws out and it eventually spun itself backwards and came out of the auger tube. Was able to stick a long prybar in there and twist and hammer it out. Took about 4 hours and a lot of cuss words, but finally got it free. Whatever you do, keep your pellets dry. This was even after the cover was on, so not sure what happened.
Hapenned to me too. BTW, Traeger pellets put out a huge amount of dust, more than any other brand I’ve used. I go with PitBoss pellets.
 
This will happen, I got a 30 blue barrel to keep my pellets in same as for my corn for deer. They work really well to keep them dry. I've never experienced wet pellets and sounds like I don't want to. I keep my smoker in the garage too so no dampness in there as for as the pellets. I'll have to say RecTec for the win though.
Dropped a few pellets on the back deck about a year ago and didn't notice. That evening it rained. The next morning when I went to let the dogs out, I saw what I thought were three decent sized turds on the back deck. After some deep thought trying to figure out what type of critter came up on the deck and crapped, I realized they were just smoker pellets that got wet and swelled to that size.
 
Back
Top Bottom