Pellet Smokers

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So I need some user input on pellet smokers.
If you go by online reviews you’ve got a really good chance of having a lot of problems regardless of brand. That said Im pretty sure some of these reviewers are just into the smoking game and havent invested time for the learning curve before they posted a negative review. There also seem to be a lot of equipment failures.
Im curious what do you have and how has it worked out for you. Im not only interested in the smoker itself but also the wifi/bluetooth apps.
Have you found that a certain brand of pellets works better with your brand smoker than others?
Have you tried smoking in cold weather and has it presented a problem?
Does anybody have experience with a single and double walled smoker and cold weather? Does the double wall have any real benefit?
ETA Do you clean you pellet smoker and if so how often snd how do you clean it?
Thanks in advance

[dsa]

I have a Green Mountain Daniel Boone ($750ish), it's single walled and I do notice it is more difficult to get up to temperature during the winter months. I cover it with a welding blanket during use and it helps get it up to temp. I have had no issues with the wifi smart control system and I use mine 2-3x/week. I clean it every 3 bags of pellets. I pull the heat diffuser out and vacuum all the ashes out as well as clean the grates. A friend has a Traeger Timberline 1300 and it is double walled and insulated. He speaks highly of that part of it but has had problems with the wifi. I use the GMG brand of pellets, a true hardwood pellet; I have heard some other brands are pine and use some sort of additive to create the the desired scent. The GMG pellets seem to burn cleaner and I use less of them. I've had this one for a couple of years and it works well. When this one goes I will replace it with something nicer like a Yoder ($3kish).

[JclInAtx]

I had a Royall tailgater, a portable model, a long time ago. Pellet grills have come as long ways since. A few lessons learned from the experience-
A grease container in close proximity to the fire pot is a bad idea and caused several grease fires.
An auger that feeds pellets too close to the burn pot is a bad idea as well. Had a burn back where the pellets in the auger caught fire and it was spreading back to the hopper. Designs like the Yoder where pellets drop several inches into the burn pot prevents this.

I used a shop vac to clean out ashes between cooks, I would recommend before each one. Just make sure the ashes are completely out. Sometimes they really look out, but aren't.... I'd also clean out the grease container and foil off the drip pan after each cook. With a larger and better designed grill I'm sure you could clean less often.

When I left pellets in the hopper they seemed to soak up moisture and then not burn as well if I went too long between cooks. So a pellet drop could be nice to have where humidity is high.

Wind was more of an issue here in Tx, we don't see much in the way of real cold.

[jamautry]

I have a recteq that I got in June, and I love it. I was set on a traeger because I had heard they were the best, but once I started looking at reviews I noticed that traegers reviews had dropped over the last year. I did a broader search and stumbled across recteq. Their reviews were consistently high so I went with it. Recteq is direct to customer but the shipping and delivery went flawless and the grill has been great.

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[jamautry]

Wanted to add that the app and wifi have been smooth with no issues.

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[Spartan1980]

Never owned a pellet smoker so I'll limit my comment to the double walled aspect. I had a Cookshack double walled and insulated electric. It had no issue at smoking temps in any weather. I cooked a 15lb brisket one Christmas Eve in a raging blizzard, with high winds coming out of the north and just dumping snow and the smoker was on my patio, up under the eave and it faced the north. I plowed through a 24" snow drift to get to it after first light on Christmas day morning. That was one of the best briskets I ever cooked.

All that said, my smoker maxed out at 300 degrees so it was a smoking proposition only, and in strong winds in winter it had an issue getting over 275-280'ish, but I never usually went that high so it wasn't a problem. 225 was easy for it to get to regardless of temp or wind. Had it been single walled I would think it would have had issues. It had a 700 watt element IIRC. So the double walled would definitely be preferable in my experience and especially if you go to high temps for searing steaks and such. I only sold that one to buy a Big Green Egg for a way to do grill stuff in addition to smoking meats. I could cook pizza on it in that blizzard if I wanted to.

[UNK]

I have a recteq that I got in June, and I love it. I was set on a traeger because I had heard they were the best, but once I started looking at reviews I noticed that traegers reviews had dropped over the last year. I did a broader search and stumbled across recteq. Their reviews were consistently high so I went with it. Recteq is direct to customer but the shipping and delivery went flawless and the grill has been great.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

How did you learn of this company? Did your search lead directly to their website or through a forum?

[jamautry]

It lead to YouTube videos and ultimately to their website.

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[UNK]

Never owned a pellet smoker so I'll limit my comment to the double walled aspect. I had a Cookshack double walled and insulated electric. It had no issue at smoking temps in any weather. I cooked a 15lb brisket one Christmas Eve in a raging blizzard, with high winds coming out of the north and just dumping snow and the smoker was on my patio, up under the eave and it faced the north. I plowed through a 24" snow drift to get to it after first light on Christmas day morning. That was one of the best briskets I ever cooked.

All that said, my smoker maxed out at 300 degrees so it was a smoking proposition only, and in strong winds in winter it had an issue getting over 275-280'ish, but I never usually went that high so it wasn't a problem. 225 was easy for it to get to regardless of temp or wind. Had it been single walled I would think it would have had issues. It had a 700 watt element IIRC. So the double walled would definitely be preferable in my experience and especially if you go to high temps for searing steaks and such. I only sold that one to buy a Big Green Egg for a way to do grill stuff in addition to smoking meats. I could cook pizza on it in that blizzard if I wanted to.

My weber kettle is really sensitive to temperature whether its sun or cold or wind. My dilemma is double walled or double walled plus insulation. Im surprised how many smoker makers, even high dollar ones, have issues that need a work around.

[Bratch]

How did you learn of this company? Did your search lead directly to their website or through a forum?

I have a RecTec as well, saw glowing praise on forums and went from there. They had a grill that had the features I wanted and was the size I needed for a specific storage spot.

I love the Wifi control, I was out this spring and the meat hit temperature earlier than I planned, I was able to turn the heat down remotely to keep everything warm but not overcook. I have done several overnight cooks that I’ll start at 10/11 PM so that the meat will be ready for a normal meal time the next day.

Only complaint is the first 20-30 minutes after getting to temperature are a little unstable, I’ve adjust by just letting the grill work this out before putting the meat on instead of throwing it on as soon as it hits temperature.

I’m cleaning the grates and pan every cook I do a better cleaning when I feel like it. I do wrap the pan in foil to speed up cleaning.