First off, I'm brand new to the world of pellet grills, so forgive me if I use the wrong phrase or have to back track.

All I've used my entire life is your basic propane grill. Good for hamburgers and steaks but I want to learn to cook briskets, ribs, pork butts etc

Pellet grills seem to be the way to go and the most versatile. I also love the idea of being able to set it and mostly forget it until the meat is ready so I can do other stuff around the house.

I plan on using it once or twice a week. Mostly for a family of 4 but also for the occasional football crowd or big family meal. By crowd I mean feeding no more than 15 or so people.

Finally, I don't want to break the bank. Ideally would love to spend less than $750. I realize that will limit my options.

So what are your thoughts ideas? Thanks in advance.

My pellet grill experience is very limited, however I have bought and put together two Pit Bosses for both sets of my grandparents and they rave about them. A lot cheaper than the top end of your budget. Going on 2 years now and zero issues and easy enough for my 80 year old grandfather to use twice a week.

Love my Grilla Silverbac

Go watch their videos. They use an insulated firebox . Mine barely uses any pellets on long cooks.

https://www.grillagrills.com/products/silverbac-b-series

aggiez03 said:

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Love my Grilla Silverbac

Go watch their videos. They use an insulated firebox . Mine barely uses any pellets on long cooks.

https://www.grillagrills.com/products/silverbac-b-series

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Additionally, they have a gap between pellet hopper and firebox. My brother in law had a different brand with no gap and his firebox got so hot the pellets started smoldering in the pellet hopper!

+3 on the Grilla. they were designed by a company in Michigan so they are actually pretty insulated to work in the winter. Doesnt really matter down here but love how mine doesnt feel as flimsy as my buddies' traegers. They have a showroom in Dallas if you are ever in that neck of the woods

I've been happy with my recteq and use it pretty much in the same way you plan to use yours. No issues with it after about 2 years.

I bought this vertical Pit Boss from Lowes, and it's been fantastic.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pit-Boss-Pro-Series-4-Series-Vertical-Smoker/5013310445

+4 Grilla

4 in favor of grilla. Checked it out on line. Looks solid. Gonna go with that. Thanks all!

What about Yoder? I have seen people here mention those as well...

Late to the party but I also have a Grilla Silverback; bought it 4 years ago. The thing still works like a charm and as others have said it works great in the cold. Did a brisket cookout with neighbors in sub freezing weather and the Grilla well outperformed the traditional pellet smokers.

I did this search a while back but limited myself for a $600 mark. I was able to find a GMG Daniel Boone on sale through the BBQGuys.com for $600. I've been very happy with it.

fire09 said:

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I've been happy with my recteq and use it pretty much in the same way you plan to use yours. No issues with it after about 2 years.

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Which RecTec model?

I cooked on a Traeger this weekend and my Rec Tec Bull is LIGHT YEARS better. And it wasn't even close.

I've had several .. Treagor was great but the coast weather got it so I bought a cheaper Pit Boss This time .. it does the job and it was cheaper

winmck said:

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I cooked on a Traeger this weekend and my Rec Tec Bull is LIGHT YEARS better. And it wasn't even close.

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Please elaborate. I am debating between the two.

Louisiana grills. Had mine for 8 years. Electronics not quite as good as the Traeger but it works great. Replaced the electric heating element for the first time last year.

Mine doesn't fit what you are looking for AT ALL, but i cannot recommend Recteq enough. I have the Recteq 2500 BFG, but have a couple friends with some of their smaller units, and everyone loves them. The temp control is perfect, never had an auger jam, burn rate on pellets is awesome, and build is 100% stainless. I've also heard great things about the Yoder, but no personal experience. The clean out on the Recteq also could not be easier, not that there is really a need to clean them often. I've seen others where tools were even needed, not saying the gorilla needs them, i have no clue. Good luck whichever brand you choose, I don't think you will regret going the pellet route.

aggiez03 said:

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Love my Grilla Silverbac

Go watch their videos. They use an insulated firebox . Mine barely uses any pellets on long cooks.

https://www.grillagrills.com/products/silverbac-b-series

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They have a built in for $850 which is crazy considering all other built ins are $2800+. I will be buying their built in and selling my Traeger so OP if you would consider used i will be selling my 6 month old Traeger in the next month

jpb1999 said:

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What about Yoder? I have seen people here mention those as well...

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Yoders are super nice. My Father in law has one, but it was $1300 when they got it 5+ years ago. I can't remember if he has the YS480 or YS640, but they are both over $2,100 now.

That thing is built like a tank. I think 1/4" or 1/8" steel throughout.

I didn't recommend a Yoder cause I don't think they have anything near $750.

Grills Silverbac lid is way nicer than the Traegers I have seen at Ace Hardware which are a thin steel. Silverbac has a stainless lid with reinforcement along the inside. Way nicer when I have compared.

So I was able to find a Traeger Pro Series 575 on sale for $599. Now wondering if I should go with that? Or is Grilla a better choice?

The RecTeq looks great, but the RT-590 is $899. Not sure it's $300 better than a Traeger….

Rt590. I just looked it up and they are 900 now. Yikes! I guess I got mine on sale because I paid in the 750 range for it.

Pit Boss 700FB for under $300 right now. It's so simple, no bells or whistles...just turn it on and cook. Big enough for large family. I had one for 4 years and when it quit working I just bought a new one they're that cheap. I gave the old one to my nephew who replaced the ignitor for $25 and he cooks on it all the time.

Have been using Pit boss KC combo for a while. Very nice to have the pellet grill /griddle combo for about your price range.

Guppy said:

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So I was able to find a Traeger Pro Series 575 on sale for $599. Now wondering if I should go with that? Or is Grilla a better choice?

The RecTeq looks great, but the RT-590 is $899. Not sure it's $300 better than a Traeger….

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read what AgTrip says above, the Pit Boss is cheaper and they pretty much all cook the same way, Ive used 3 different smokers and its all the same, smokers are basically outdoor ovens that useswood pellets to provide heat. The real question is which one will last the longest? that depends on how you store them and take care of them, otherwise its like asking which TV should I buy... Sanyo, Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, GE, etc etc etc

they will all cook the hell out of a brisket, ribs, or pork roast..

Guppy said:

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So I was able to find a Traeger Pro Series 575 on sale for $599. Now wondering if I should go with that? Or is Grilla a better choice?

The RecTeq looks great, but the RT-590 is $899. Not sure it's $300 better than a Traeger….

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I don't know which model of Traeger my buddy has, but the thin lid struggles with properly regulating the temperature. If I were you, I would make sure I was able to touch every model I was considering. The more it is insulated, the better it will cook. The thicker the metal, the better it will insulate.

ATL Aggie said:

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winmck said:

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I cooked on a Traeger this weekend and my Rec Tec Bull is LIGHT YEARS better. And it wasn't even close.

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Please elaborate. I am debating between the two.

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Where to start. Overall construction. The RT is made a lot better, mostly stainless steal. The controls are more precise, cooking temperature is much more consistent and heat distribution is way better. The RT hopper is bigger and feed rate more consistent. We ran burned a full hopper in about 7 hours. Filled it and it lasted another 12 hrs plus?? No idea why it did that. My RT is so easy. The Traeger took much more baby sitting.

Maybe some people can get good smoke flavor off of a pellet grill but I never was. If your intention is to really good smoke flavor, I'd recommend checking into a masterbuilt gravity smoker. The flavor is much closer to what you can get from a stick burner. Not any more difficult than a pellet grill. Bonus is that this is the time of year places like Walmart and home Depot are clearancing them with huge discounts.

winmck said:

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ATL Aggie said:

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winmck said:

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I cooked on a Traeger this weekend and my Rec Tec Bull is LIGHT YEARS better. And it wasn't even close.

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Please elaborate. I am debating between the two.

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Where to start. Overall construction. The RT is made a lot better, mostly stainless steal. The controls are more precise, cooking temperature is much more consistent and heat distribution is way better. The RT hopper is bigger and feed rate more consistent. We ran burned a full hopper in about 7 hours. Filled it and it lasted another 12 hrs plus?? No idea why it did that. My RT is so easy. The Traeger took much more baby sitting.

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Thanks. I just ordered the RT-1250.

Ag_EE_88 said:

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Maybe some people can get good smoke flavor off of a pellet grill but I never was. If your intention is to really good smoke flavor, I'd recommend checking into a masterbuilt gravity smoker. The flavor is much closer to what you can get from a stick burner. Not any more difficult than a pellet grill. Bonus is that this is the time of year places like Walmart and home Depot are clearancing them with huge discounts.

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I have the MB800 & have really enjoyed it. Definitely puts out way more smoke than a pellet. I am yet to use the griddle yet, so can't comment on that. I do know Costco was selling a version of the 800 for $499 which didn't include the griddle. I'd go with that option if I was buying again.

I usually use a big wood split in the center of the hopper surrounded by lump charcoal & it puts out great flavor. My favorite thing is the ability & ease of reverse searing on it.... Low & slow and then crank it up to a max of 700 degrees (in a matter of minutes) and give whatever I am cooking a good sear.

For a ~$500 smoker/grill it is a great value IMO. & as you said, you can often find steep discounts from Walmart or others. I have never seen any in my area but some people on a MB fb page I joined have posted finding these for $200-$300 at times.

They are all overrated. Need to sell mine. They cook things. That's about it. I was super disappointed. I even bought up with a decked out Camp Chef.

Gordon McKernan said:

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Ag_EE_88 said:

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Maybe some people can get good smoke flavor off of a pellet grill but I never was. If your intention is to really good smoke flavor, I'd recommend checking into a masterbuilt gravity smoker. The flavor is much closer to what you can get from a stick burner. Not any more difficult than a pellet grill. Bonus is that this is the time of year places like Walmart and home Depot are clearancing them with huge discounts.

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I have the MB800 & have really enjoyed it. Definitely puts out way more smoke than a pellet. I am yet to use the griddle yet, so can't comment on that. I do know Costco was selling a version of the 800 for $499 which didn't include the griddle. I'd go with that option if I was buying again.

I usually use a big wood split in the center of the hopper surrounded by lump charcoal & it puts out great flavor. My favorite thing is the ability & ease of reverse searing on it.... Low & slow and then crank it up to a max of 700 degrees (in a matter of minutes) and give whatever I am cooking a good sear.

For a ~$500 smoker/grill it is a great value IMO. & as you said, you can often find steep discounts from Walmart or others. I have never seen any in my area but some people on a MB fb page I joined have posted finding these for $200-$300 at times.

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Thanks, based on your and others' posts, I started looking around on the Internet and found an MB 800 on sale at a nearby Walmart so I went out and bought it. My first smoker so I'm sort of excited about it.