Wood Pellet Smokers

[TGO David]

I am really late to the meat-smoking game but I am wanting to dive in.  For a variety of reasons, convenience likely being at the top of the list, I have decided to go with a wood pellet smoker instead of lump charcoal.  I have looked at all of the common brands and will likely either go with a Green Mountain or a Smoke Daddy grill.  I'd like to get a Yoder but they are about $500-600 outside of the amount I want to spend, and not readily available locally as far as I have seen.

So my primary question for you guys with experience on pellet smokers is this:  Should I buy the largest model I can, pay the price, and cry once?  Or should I go smaller depending on intended use?

Green Mountain has the Daniel Boone which has a 27x16" grilling grate, and they have the Jim Bowie which has a 40x16" grate.  I know larger grills consume pellets faster, and will likely never smoke a whole turkey preferring only turkey breast.  Most of the smoking I will do will be pork butt, turkey breast, chicken breasts, maybe a pizza occasionally, etc.  We aren't really a "ribs" family which may seem odd.

Smaller seems better to me, but maybe I am not thinking this through

[dralarms]

I bought an upright gas smoker, uses a wood pan and you can use wood chips which are cheaper that pellets. That said don't be afraid to experiment. I love cherry, also mix pecan and apple, hickory is good, mesquite is good also. I tried the jack Daniel's wood chips but didn't like them.

 

I like the propane because it'seems easier to control the temperature 

[cannoncocker]

Go with the larger cooking area. You may never smoke a whole turkey, but I'll bet you will want to grill your veggies and potatoes along with your pork, chicken, turkey etc. If you don't, you will be missing out on some nice side recipes.

My first choice was also a Yoder.  Wound up buying a RecTec 680 and never looked back.  Just my wife and I and we smoke/grill 3 times a week.  Finishing up a 6 lb beer can chicken, grilled asparagus and twice baked potatoes with cheese topping as I type this. Using 75% of our 702 sq inches of cooking surface.

The Rec Tec has some unique features. Like dead on temperature control and two 20 pound pellet hoppers for those 16 hour overnight smokes in sub freezing temperatures. Look for your self at  www.rectecgrills.com .

 

[Mark A]

Rec Tec and Yoder are very solid choices. I bought the smallest Traeger about 8 years ago (not the portable one). Usually I jump in with both feet but this time I wanted to make sure I liked it. I've used the fool out of it. By adding a second shelf and buying rib racks that let me stand the ribs up I've been able to pack a lot of punch into a small package.

On that smoker I can do 3-4 pork butts/ shoulders or 4 beer can chickens, 6 racks of baby backs, or a whole turkey. I'm a freak and when I cook I cook a whole bunch at once, vacuum pack and freeze different portion sizes. Makes lunch and dinner during the week much easier, more healthy, and much cheaper. I've upgraded the controller once and will probably do it again soon by adding a savannah stoked. The relight function is very nice

Just a couple months away from able to cold smoke cheese. We also smoke ground turkey that we then turn into taco meat

All kinds of fun things to smoke out there

 

Mark

[FUJIMO]

I can't advise on pellet consumption as I have a traditional/competition style wood/coal smoker, however, I would add a +1 to going slightly larger than you'll think you need. Regarding consumption, I can reduce my consumption by adjusting airflow, finding the "hot spot" in the cooking chamber and adjusting the smoked item accordingly, or extending the cook time.

[peejman]

I have a small-ish vertical charcoal/wood smoker. In my experience, the time/effort increase to have the smoker jammed full vs only a turkey breast is nil.  If you've got freezer space and a vacuum sealer, fill 'er up.  So from that perspective, bigger is better.

[TGO David]

2 hours ago, peejman said:

I have a small-ish vertical charcoal/wood smoker. In my experience, the time/effort increase to have the smoker jammed full vs only a turkey breast is nil.  If you've got freezer space and a vacuum sealer, fill 'er up.  So from that perspective, bigger is better.

Good advice on the vacuum sealer.

[Mark A]

So I should have mentioned, when I 'm on smoke setting (which actually de-tunes from optimal burn to get a smolder...) I burn about a pound of pellets per hour. Cook time goes up a bit when I really load it up but I add maybe 2 hours to do 4 shoulders instead of one. So, for about $10 I can smoke one butt and for $12 I can do 4. Yes it gets a little old pulling all of that at one time but it is nice to have 3 months worth of pulled pork in the freezer and we can throw a get together in about 30 minutes. I put a bunch of pulled pork in a roasting pan, equal amounts of chicken stock and apple juice and seal it up to reheat...

I almost always cook only on smoke setting. It takes a little longer but I like the amount of smoke I get. If I'm in a hurry and need to get a bunch of stuff done I smoke for 1/2 the time and finish in the oven while something else goes on the smoker.

When I'm cooking burgers for the gang on a holiday I can put about 15- 20 on the smoker for 10 minutes or so and finish them on the gas grill while another round is on the smoker. That way I can turn out a fairly decent amount of burgers that have a little character from grill that aren't huge.

While I'm rambling I might as well put in my nickles worth on vacuum sealers. After burning out 2 food savers I stepped up and bought a Cabelas professional model (made by Weston). this one is similar. Mine is a few years old and this has an updated interface

I bought it as it was much heavier duty but more importantly I bought repairs parts for it. Tired of buying cheaper crap that has to be tossed when only 1 minor part is broken.

It is a stud and works great.

Mark

[peejman]

2 hours ago, TGO David said:

Good advice on the vacuum sealer.

 

My parents gave us ours (food saver brand) as a wedding gift 15 yrs ago. It doesn't work quite as well as it used to, but it still works, which is quite akin to its operator. 

The only thing I've had issues with is smoked chicken. For reasons I've never figured out, frozen smoked chicken has always come out dry and a bit mealy. It's delicious straight off the smoker, but after being frozen for a while....  meh.  Turkey freezes quite well. And stock from the carcass makes the best chicken/turkey noodle soup you ever ate. 

[Mark A]

2 hours ago, peejman said:

 

My parents gave us ours (food saver brand) as a wedding gift 15 yrs ago. It doesn't work quite as well as it used to, but it still works, which is quite akin to its operator. 

The only thing I've had issues with is smoked chicken. For reasons I've never figured out, frozen smoked chicken has always come out dry and a bit mealy. It's delicious straight off the smoker, but after being frozen for a while....  meh.  Turkey freezes quite well. And stock from the carcass makes the best chicken/turkey noodle soup you ever ate. 

we reheat smoked chicken the same way we do pulled pork except it is mostly chicken stock and just s splash of apple juice. Steam in a sealed pan in the oven.

 

Every now and then we do small amounts of pulled pork in the same juice in a pan with a lid on the stove top.