Smoking Meat Questions and Discussion

[Cycodolphan]

Alright guys, I don't mean to hijack the pellet talk, but I am looking at buying a new smoker and looking for some input.
-I've smoked on a Green Mountain pellet grill numerous times and have always been disappointed with the amount of smoke flavor you can get in the meat.
-I've also used an electric upright plenty. You can get more smoke in the meat, but I've never liked how wet the outside of the meat stays. Can't really get a bark without moving to a grill for a while.
-I got started smoking on an offset charcoal and made some great meat, but I would prefer to buy something that has temperature control. Some days I can babysit a smoker, but I prefer to have the option not to.

This has lead me to look closely at gas smokers and the Masterbuilt Gravity Series.
Obviously, you can find reviews from people who love both and have issues with both.
Curious if anyone here has some opinions on either style. (Or can talk me into one of the other styles mentioned)

 

[Jer]

Alright guys, I don't mean to hijack the pellet talk, but I am looking at buying a new smoker and looking for some input.
-I've smoked on a Green Mountain pellet grill numerous times and have always been disappointed with the amount of smoke flavor you can get in the meat.
-I've also used an electric upright plenty. You can get more smoke in the meat, but I've never liked how wet the outside of the meat stays. Can't really get a bark without moving to a grill for a while.
-I got started smoking on an offset charcoal and made some great meat, but I would prefer to buy something that has temperature control. Some days I can babysit a smoker, but I prefer to have the option not to.

This has lead me to look closely at gas smokers and the Masterbuilt Gravity Series.
Obviously, you can find reviews from people who love both and have issues with both.
Curious if anyone here has some opinions on either style. (Or can talk me into one of the other styles mentioned)

The MB Gravity seem decent and would be the only way I’d ever go charcoal without something like the Bellows to largely automate the temp control process. I’ve heard really good things about something like the Kamada with Bellows though, if you really want the true smoke flavor.

 

[cycloner29]

Alright guys, I don't mean to hijack the pellet talk, but I am looking at buying a new smoker and looking for some input.
-I've smoked on a Green Mountain pellet grill numerous times and have always been disappointed with the amount of smoke flavor you can get in the meat.
-I've also used an electric upright plenty. You can get more smoke in the meat, but I've never liked how wet the outside of the meat stays. Can't really get a bark without moving to a grill for a while.
-I got started smoking on an offset charcoal and made some great meat, but I would prefer to buy something that has temperature control. Some days I can babysit a smoker, but I prefer to have the option not to.

This has lead me to look closely at gas smokers and the Masterbuilt Gravity Series.
Obviously, you can find reviews from people who love both and have issues with both.
Curious if anyone here has some opinions on either style. (Or can talk me into one of the other styles mentioned)

I have a GMG DB and put a 3" stove pipe on the inside and have it facing down. This traps the more smoke in. I've heard other use the Don Godke Downdraft piece. I also have the WiFi option on it to where I can calibrate temps, program cooks, start grill, etc. I also added a second grill grate so I can do large cooks.

Any grill you get will have it's quirks. Mine did. Had to modify the heat shield to slide for more even temps (before I added the Wifi option) out of the box. GMG did send me a new heat shield and updated by controller by sending me the WiFi controller at not charge. Great customer service also! Mine DB is going on about 7 years now. Had the auger plug up once due to 4" long maple pellets. Wiring harness went bad due to extreme fire box temp over 600 degrees!! Got the thermal blanket so I smoke all year round. Second set of grill grates is great when smoking jerky!

 

[Cycodolphan]

I have a GMG DB and put a 3" stove pipe on the inside and have it facing down. This traps the more smoke in. I've heard other use the Don Godke Downdraft piece. I also have the WiFi option on it to where I can calibrate temps, program cooks, start grill, etc. I also added a second grill grate so I can do large cooks.

Any grill you get will have it's quirks. Mine did. Had to modify the heat shield to slide for more even temps (before I added the Wifi option) out of the box. GMG did send me a new heat shield and updated by controller by sending me the WiFi controller at not charge. Great customer service also! Mine DB is going on about 7 years now. Had the auger plug up once due to 4" long maple pellets. Wiring harness went bad due to extreme fire box temp over 600 degrees!! Got the thermal blanket so I smoke all year round. Second set of grill grates is great when smoking jerky!

Hadn't thought of modifying a pellet grill to hold more smoke. Could always use a smoke tube for some additional smoke as well I suppose. Thanks for the input!

 

[Arkansas Cyclone]

Farm & Fleet, Menards, Lowe’s and even Sam’s Club are the probably the first choices. Hy-Vee and Fareway carry an assortment to, just the 20 lb bags. You can also search for pellet dealers. I’m 100% Lumberjack pellets and have not had any problems sourcing them.

If you can find 20 lbs for under $10 you are getting a good deal. Best deal is to go in on a group purchase of a pallet. I know they’re was a thread about that on CF at one time. Probably the cheapest as LJ pellet are is $10 for 20 lbs at Hy-Vee and Fareway.

BTW- Nice purchase!

100% agree on the pellets. I use the Lumberjack pellets as well as they're 100% hardwood so you get that true smokey flavor. I guess other pellets have fillers or something which could lessen the smokiness from what I understand. I was definitely very happy with the Lumberjack and will be ordering more soon.

 

[IcSyUclone]

Hadn't thought of modifying a pellet grill to hold more smoke. Could always use a smoke tube for some additional smoke as well I suppose. Thanks for the input!

A smoke tube works too, especially for longer smokes.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

100% agree on the pellets. I use the Lumberjack pellets as well as they're 100% hardwood so you get that true smokey flavor. I guess other pellets have fillers or something which could lessen the smokiness from what I understand. I was definitely very happy with the Lumberjack and will be ordering more soon.

Where does everyone get the LJ pellet's? I've been using the Traeger blend from Costco but I'm thinking about mixing it up.

 

[ianoconnor]

Where does everyone get the LJ pellet's? I've been using the Traeger blend from Costco but I'm thinking about mixing it up.

Fareway, Hy-Vee, Bomgaars

 

[Arkansas Cyclone]

My first 40 lbs came from Amazon but I ended up corresponding with the company that sold them (Charcoal Store) so I may buy direct from them going forward.

BBQ Smoking Woods, Smokers, Grills and Accessories, Freeze Dried Foods

Charcoal Store - Official website Cookshack | Backwood Smokers | Barbeque Smokers | BBQ Pits | Smoking woods | Smoking chips | Smokin Tex | Freeze dried foods

www.charcoalstore.com

 

[MustardTiger]

Fareway, Hy-Vee, Bomgaars

Bomgaars just had a sale on LJ pellets as well:

Lumberjack Pellets - All Varieties 20 lbs. $6.99

Bomgaars has 20 lbs. of all varieties of Lumberjack smoking wood pellets for $6.99 the entire month of May. https://www.bomgaars.com/bargains...onus-buys/

slickdeals.net

20 lb bag for $7.

 

[Isualum13]

Alright guys, I don't mean to hijack the pellet talk, but I am looking at buying a new smoker and looking for some input.
-I've smoked on a Green Mountain pellet grill numerous times and have always been disappointed with the amount of smoke flavor you can get in the meat.
-I've also used an electric upright plenty. You can get more smoke in the meat, but I've never liked how wet the outside of the meat stays. Can't really get a bark without moving to a grill for a while.
-I got started smoking on an offset charcoal and made some great meat, but I would prefer to buy something that has temperature control. Some days I can babysit a smoker, but I prefer to have the option not to.

This has lead me to look closely at gas smokers and the Masterbuilt Gravity Series.
Obviously, you can find reviews from people who love both and have issues with both.
Curious if anyone here has some opinions on either style. (Or can talk me into one of the other styles mentioned)

If you like the charcoal, get a kamado. With practice temps are easy to controll. And if you want to eliminate guess work they sell many different temp controllers that implement a fan and automatic adjustments to the vent to controll the temp.

 

[Brandon]

I read on the some of the forums that Lumber Jack is the way to go as they are 100% made of what type of wood they claim to be. Traeger bag doesn't state what % of actual wood is included in their pellets. No idea if it is true or not, but have been itching to try Lumber Jack once my traeger pellets run out.

My neighbor's and I buy a pallet of lumberjack. Definitely the way to go

 

[Cycodolphan]

If you like the charcoal, get a kamado. With practice temps are easy to controll. And if you want to eliminate guess work they sell many different temp controllers that implement a fan and automatic adjustments to the vent to controll the temp.

Wasn't aware of the temp controllers. I will have to look into that. Thanks!

 

[dmclone]

I've had the Masterbuilt Gravity 560 for about a year now and here are my honest observations:

It's cheap in the world of smoking. Don't expect this thing to be built like a Yoder, it isn't. It's probably designed to last 10 years.

As far as smoking, I've had pellet and electric and now this gravity. I prefer charcoal over pellet for taste. I will also throw in some wood in there as well. It's also the easiest to use. I start it up at 9pm and just let it run all night with no intervention. The charcoal chute will last about 12 hours at 225, somewhat depending on weather.

I wasn't happy with the built in thermometers or the MB app, so I bought one of these
Amazon.com: Inkbird Bluetooth Grill BBQ Meat Thermometer with 4 Probes Digital Wireless Grill Thermometer, Timer, Alarm, 150 ft Barbecue Cooking Kitchen Food Meat Thermometer for Smoker, Oven, Drum: Kitchen & Dining

I also bought a cheap battery mod cord that allows me to run it without electricity. If I'm away from electricity, I just plug in one of those phone battery charger packs and it would run 2-3 days on that battery.

Another thing I forgot to mention. It can get up to about 700 degrees so it's also good for a reverse sear. I don't use it for this because I have a feeling that the 700+ degrees is what causes some issues. The good thing is that the whole machine is rather simple so there is not a lot to break. YOu have the controller, a basic PC like fan, and some sensors. The biggest issue I've heard is the inside of the chute getting nasty.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Wasn't aware of the temp controllers. I will have to look into that. Thanks!

BBQ Guru makes a few different setups with adaptors to fit just about any grill.

https://bbqguru.com/

 

[cycloneworld]

Alright guys, I don't mean to hijack the pellet talk, but I am looking at buying a new smoker and looking for some input.
-I've smoked on a Green Mountain pellet grill numerous times and have always been disappointed with the amount of smoke flavor you can get in the meat.
-I've also used an electric upright plenty. You can get more smoke in the meat, but I've never liked how wet the outside of the meat stays. Can't really get a bark without moving to a grill for a while.
-I got started smoking on an offset charcoal and made some great meat, but I would prefer to buy something that has temperature control. Some days I can babysit a smoker, but I prefer to have the option not to.

This has lead me to look closely at gas smokers and the Masterbuilt Gravity Series.
Obviously, you can find reviews from people who love both and have issues with both.
Curious if anyone here has some opinions on either style. (Or can talk me into one of the other styles mentioned)

I have a GMG that someone gave me and this was my complaint too. But I added a smoke tube and use it every cook and its worked great. $15 on Amazon can fix your problem.

 

[CY88CE11]

For pellets, I'll try about anything but Traeger. There have been numerous complaints about them using plastics and binders to keep their pellets together, in addition to scented oils and other additives. I've used PB with decent success, but they don't have a lot of variations really available. Cookinpellets are great but only have 3 variations total. LJ getting into hyvee is huge, and I'll probably switch to them almost exclusively.

 

[Cycodolphan]

I've had the Masterbuilt Gravity 560 for about a year now and here are my honest observations:

It's cheap in the world of smoking. Don't expect this thing to be built like a Yoder, it isn't. It's probably designed to last 10 years.

As far as smoking, I've had pellet and electric and now this gravity. I prefer charcoal over pellet for taste. I will also throw in some wood in there as well. It's also the easiest to use. I start it up at 9pm and just let it run all night with no intervention. The charcoal chute will last about 12 hours at 225, somewhat depending on weather.

I wasn't happy with the built in thermometers or the MB app, so I bought one of these
Amazon.com: Inkbird Bluetooth Grill BBQ Meat Thermometer with 4 Probes Digital Wireless Grill Thermometer, Timer, Alarm, 150 ft Barbecue Cooking Kitchen Food Meat Thermometer for Smoker, Oven, Drum: Kitchen & Dining

I also bought a cheap battery mod cord that allows me to run it without electricity. If I'm away from electricity, I just plug in one of those phone battery charger packs and it would run 2-3 days on that battery.

Another thing I forgot to mention. It can get up to about 700 degrees so it's also good for a reverse sear. I don't use it for this because I have a feeling that the 700+ degrees is what causes some issues. The good thing is that the whole machine is rather simple so there is not a lot to break. YOu have the controller, a basic PC like fan, and some sensors. The biggest issue I've heard is the inside of the chute getting nasty.

This is what I always thought I would get until I started looking into it more. Being cheaply built seems to be a pretty common complaint. I've also seen a lot of talk about people having issues with the display not working after a while.
On the surface it seems perfect to me, but I started to get worried about the durability over time.

 

[Cycodolphan]

I have a GMG that someone gave me and this was my complaint too. But I added a smoke tube and use it every cook and its worked great. $15 on Amazon can fix your problem.

Starting to like the smoke tube idea more and more. My only gripe with pellet smokers was the lack of flavor. If the smoke tube works well, that might be the way to go. Probably gonna have to try it out on my dad's smoker before making a decision.

 

[JM4CY]

Got my Traeger Pro Series today. Little more where to it than I initially thought but hey, it was used. They said they lost the top thin rack and one of the thermometers. (There was to be two). Anyone know if you can get another thermometer or where to get one? Also, do I really need this top thin rack? I use it almost exclusively when I use my propane grill to have a better handle on cooking speed but this Traeger I’m thinking that’s not going to be something I need to worry about. Thoughts?