ctafoya Report post Posted October 7, 2018 I've been wanting to get a smoker for a while. I have $400 in Lowes gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, and was wondering if anyone has a smoker from there. What are the pros and cons of electric, gas, or charcoal? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted October 7, 2018 Get a pellet smoker. You can smoke and grill with it. You don't need to babysit it either. I got a camp chef off amazon and a portable green mountain grill that can be ran off a.c. or a car or camper battery. Great for hunts or working out of town. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmoto Report post Posted October 7, 2018 22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kelney Report post Posted October 7, 2018 I agree with the pellet grill. I got mine from Cabela's but it is actually a Camp Chef. It has a temperature probe that is a nice feature. Smoke, bake and grill with a pellet grill. I know many people with ceramic grills (Big Green Egg, Vision and Kamado) that prefer them over pellet grills and believe there is nothing better to cook with. I notice my Sam's Club and he Vision on clearance for $400. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grey curse Report post Posted October 7, 2018 Traeger all the way for a pellet smoker. Easy care and cleaning. But for the real smoking flavor you can’t beat an old barrel smoker with wood chips and charcoal. I use both. Start out with the barrel to get a deep smoke ring then move over to th traeger to finish off the long haul. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoss50 Report post Posted October 8, 2018 My next one will be a pellet smoker for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
no worries Report post Posted October 8, 2018 Plus 1 for a pellet smoker/grill. Nice to be able to crank it up for a fantastic steak. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasHunter Report post Posted October 8, 2018 only way to fly 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adicted Report post Posted October 8, 2018 Traeger pellet 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CJNAZ Report post Posted October 8, 2018 If this is your 1st smoker I'd recommend an 18" or 22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain. I don't know if Lowe's sells the 22.5". I have had both the 18 and 22.5 and kept the 18. Portable and not hard to learn. I take mine on camping trips all the time. Tons of info out there on forums related to WSM's and techniques. Used to competition cook and a WSM was the cooker that most competitors used. That was when competitions didn't allow anything run with electricity. As for the pellet pooper! I opted for the Camp Chef Woodwind and love it. Easy hopper drain and ash drain for simple cleaning or changing pellet flavors. Treager did not offer that on their pellet cookers. A pellet cooker puts a great flavor into the food for sure. A charcoal/wood smoker has a unique flavor that a pellet cannot do. Pellet is versatile but not as easy to "grill" as a charcoal or gas "grill". 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Titanium700 Report post Posted October 8, 2018 I’d sell that $400 gift card on Craigslist and go buy me a BGE. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil Beavers Report post Posted October 8, 2018 I bought a Camp Chef pellet grill from Cal Ranch. It was between a Trager and The New Camp Chef Whirlwind pellet smoker. The only reason I went Camp Chef is because they offer a side sear burner as an add on piece and other cooking add on pieces. I like a reverse sear steak so the side sear burner was a selling point. 400 dollars probably wont get you a decent size Trager or Camp Chef pellet grill. The bigger ones are like 700 - 1000 bucks. With that being said they are pretty awesome. I've done steaks, ribs, brisket, pork shoulder, prime rib , and other meats. You can literally " set it and forget it " just come back every few hours to check the pellet auger and thats pretty much it. My best friend has a Trager and they are solid too he uses his a few times a week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil Beavers Report post Posted October 8, 2018 8 hours ago, CJNAZ said: If this is your 1st smoker I'd recommend an 18" or 22.5" Weber Smokey Mountain. I don't know if Lowe's sells the 22.5". I have had both the 18 and 22.5 and kept the 18. Portable and not hard to learn. I take mine on camping trips all the time. Tons of info out there on forums related to WSM's and techniques. Used to competition cook and a WSM was the cooker that most competitors used. That was when competitions didn't allow anything run with electricity. As for the pellet pooper! I opted for the Camp Chef Woodwind and love it. Easy hopper drain and ash drain for simple cleaning or changing pellet flavors. Treager did not offer that on their pellet cookers. A pellet cooker puts a great flavor into the food for sure. A charcoal/wood smoker has a unique flavor that a pellet cannot do. Pellet is versatile but not as easy to "grill" as a charcoal or gas "grill". Love my camp chef.. Much easier to clean than Trager plus the side sear box is money! Now they have side griddle ad ons and a pizza oven add on for The Camp Chefs. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azpredator@work Report post Posted October 8, 2018 Love my cabelas pellet grill. Just sold my electric smoker a few months back. Will never go back to charcoal, propane or electric in my lifetime... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted October 9, 2018 Got the Green Mountain from Sportsmans. Love it! Got the Daniel Boone model on sale for $500. Haven't used propane in a long time. Great smoked meat, great for steakes, great for pizzas. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
