Big Green Egg versus Traeger Grill

Money_Hillbilly

Any pellet heads developing a decent smoke profile on a pellet grill?  I have tried two different brands of pellet grills and three different brands of pellets including ones made from 100% smoking wood, not hardwood with smoking wood oils added.  Also tried a tube smoker without much success.

Photo Egg

Money_Hillbilly said:

Any pellet heads developing a decent smoke profile on a pellet grill?  I have tried two different brands of pellet grills and three different brands of pellets including ones made from 100% smoking wood, not hardwood with smoking wood oils added.  Also tried a tube smoker without much success.

Super new to owning Pellet but visit VWB site all the time.
What most are saying, the percentage of the actual labeled wood in each pellet is only about 30%. So if you buy 100% Wood Apple pellets, you get 30% apple wood with 70% filler wood with almost zero flavor.
Friend in MN puts wood chips in a cast iron smoker box on lower flavor bars to add more smoke when needed.
Also, every model seems to have a sweet spot temp where it smokes better vs burns cleaner.
Far from stellar help, but better than no help.lol

alaskanassasin

My bil uses one of these on his keg smoker and likes it.

GregW

Photo Egg said:

TEXASBGE2018 said:

The biggest thing that bugs me about pellet grills is they require an outlet. I don't like the idea that if my power goes out I can't cook food on it. With the winterpocolypse we had back in February I liked knowing that had I lost power for any extended period of time I could have cooked everything I needed to on my Eggs without concern. It also annoys me that because they require zero skill to use, every manbun wearing, latte drinking millennial idiot thinks they are Aaron Franklin or Ronnie Scott now.

Besides needing a plug for electrical, the pellet grill has moving parts and several things that can fail and stop it from working. The electrical control box unit, temp probe, fan, auger can jam, auger motor and glow plug to name a few. Also has constant fan noise. Sound levels different on each model.

The zero skill comment is similar to the way Traditional BBQ, Offset Smoker users, talk about Ceramic Grills. Most people are not looking to learn a trade skill. They just want good food on the table.
There is an active member on the VWB site in his 80s. He said adding a pellet grill has allowed him to continue enjoying cooking and smoking and hopes for many more years of doing it.
I do love the diversity of the people on this forum. So many types of cookers are talked about and used. Always something new to learn.

Very true, a 1 cent cotter key that couples the drive motor to the auger can shut the whole smoker down. They are engineered with many points of complete failure. Luckily I haven't experienced any issues, but I always worry when I load the smoker up with 15 butts, especially when they are all sold and people are depending on them for a holiday.

Foghorn

alaskanassasin said:

My bil uses one of these on his keg smoker and likes it.

I prefer to buy smokers that don't create a need for me to buy a smoker.  

Photo Egg

Foghorn said:

alaskanassasin said:

My bil uses one of these on his keg smoker and likes it.

I prefer to buy smokers that don't create a need for me to buy a smoker.  

The above product is designed specifically for cold smoking. Most Cookers will not allow you to easily cold smoke. This fills the gap. 

The BGE requires you to add wood chips or chunks to get the smoke flavor you prefer. So expect a pellet grill to be no different for someone wanting more smoke flavor.
But I get your humor in it.

GregW

I have found using the Lumberjack brand 100% Hickory pellets gives a much better smoke flavor. The 100% pellets can over-smoke the meat, depending on a person's individual tolerance to smoke, and some say they can produce a bitter smoke. I have not experienced this on my smoker, likely due to only running at the lowermost smoke-producing temperature for about 8 hours, and then increasing the temp to produce a cleaner burn.

Photo Egg

GregW said:

I have found using the Lumberjack brand 100% Hickory pellets gives a much better smoke flavor. The 100% pellets can over-smoke the meat, depending on a person's individual tolerance to smoke, and some say they can produce a bitter smoke. I have not experienced this on my smoker, likely due to only running at the lowermost smoke-producing temperature for about 8 hours, and then increasing the temp to produce a cleaner burn.

Could always mix them to taste. Thanks, good to know.

alaskanassasin

Foghorn said:

alaskanassasin said:

My bil uses one of these on his keg smoker and likes it.

I prefer to buy smokers that don't create a need for me to buy a smoker.  

Good stuff, to defend my bil, he uses it for cold smoking salmon and cheese like @Photo Egg said but I thought it was a fair suggestion for adding a bit of zip to a pellet pooper. 

Photo Egg

.
Pork cutlets on the cast iron. Dialed in 410 degrees and cooked 2 perfect batches and no mess in the kitchen. Added a nice subtle smoke flavor.

alaskanassasin

Nice breading @Photo Egg

Mickey

Just bought a small portable one to go between Texas and Florida. Very happy with it. 

Mickey

This fruit blend is the only one used and it’s been great on everything. Will try the charcoal next. 

Mickey

How the hell do i fix this posting sideways problem 

Photo Egg

Mickey said:

How the hell do i fix this posting sideways problem 

On my iPhone, the only way I can post vertical pictures and keep them vertical…is to edit and rotate photo 90 degrees, save it, edit it again and rotate it back and save it, Then post it.
But it’s easier to always post horizontal photos on this forum.

Battleborn

Mickey said:

How the hell do i fix this posting sideways problem 

Edit the picture in the smallest way. That’s what works for me. 

Mickey

Battleborn said:

Mickey said:

How the hell do i fix this posting sideways problem 

Edit the picture in the smallest way. That’s what works for me. 

I did small edit AND IT WORKED

lkapigian

You can also game the system and take sideways pictures