Pitts&Spitts,Gator Pit?

[DoubleBull]

Does anybody have first hand knowledge of their pellet cookers? Looking at Gators website I don"t really see any info as far as cooking capacity in square inches either if any one knows.
Thanks.

[DoubleBull]

I should probably expound further on my question. I currently cook on an 18 and 22 inch Webber SM and although I love them as far as bang for the buck there is no getting around the inconvenience inherent with cooking on them if you want to use anything more than the top rack and the hassle of setting up or cleaning. I guess I am lazy and wanting more capacity that I can easily access.

If I can talk my self into coughing up the dough I am interested in and in no particular order
Yoder YS640s
Gator Pit Texas Edition 2036 Pellet COOKER
Pitts & Spitts Maverick 850 Wood Pellet Grill or 1250

After days of making my head explode looking at manufactures web sites these are the models I like at this price point. Looking around on many bbq forums I see much respect for Yoder but I dont see much info on Gator or Pitts & Spitts offerings as far as pellet smokers go and I wonder why since they both look to be built like battle ships. Good capacity it seems on all these for backyard guy.

All that being said, I am also a thrifty fella as well. I have narrowed my thrift choices down to these models.
Grilla Grill Silverbac Alpha (Why is the little Grilla that looks like a waste bin more expensive?)
Rec Tek RT-700
I like the price and free shipping on these units and see many fans on the forums for these. The Grilla Silverbac dimensions look small to me. I see the Rec Tek RT-700 has a bit more capacity (if you purchase the interior shelf accessory that only has 4 inch clearance underneath. Not sure if a brisky or two would fit under that much less a pork butt)

As I mentioned I would like more conveniently accessed capacity. I would like to on occasion be able to cook two briskets and two pork butts without having to cram them in either and restrict air flow. Hence my hesitation on the cheaper units. I have no experience on any pellet cooker so all advice welcome and appreciated.

Or I could just say the heck with it and go with either Pitmaker or Lonestargrillz insulated cabinet smokers at the expense of a bit of the convenience factor but an uptick in quality of finished product. (Not likely to happen at those elevated prices as the wife would take my scalp)

[GRailsback]

DB,

Are you set on a pellet cooker? I don't have any experience in that arena, so I typically stay clear of it and watch the conversation from the sidelines. There are some folks on here that produce some spectacular looking BBQ on pellets and the ceramic types. Have you given any consideration the the old tried and true steel offset smoker? Not sure what part of the country you hang your hat in or wether or not you have access to good cooking wood.

There are lots of options these days, so I urge you to take your time and do plenty of research so that you end up with something you are going to enjoy for a long time. I also suggest that you go at least one size bigger than what you think you will need. Its always better to have more cooking space than you need, than to need it and not have it. I spent lots of time researching mine, but in the end I ended up with a generational pit. It will be handed down multiple times I hope, and I am still just as happy with mine today as the day I picked it up.

Good luck in your search.

[DoubleBull]

DB,

Are you set on a pellet cooker?
Good luck in your search.

Wow...I had a really well thought out response to your post...a bit of humor about how I arrived at considering a pellet smoker and personal anecdotes on my early pre internet days and being young and financially challenged and trying to BBQ on a cheap Brinkman offset. It was good stuff...That will learn me to craft a detailed post and walk away from the computer for to long.

I am not 100% on a pellet smoker but leaning heavy that way. I have lusted for many years over various offsets and insulated cabinets. The former and the latter with Lone Star Grillz and Pitmaker. The former with Lang, Gator and a host of others. When I was younger I had the stamina and desire to feed the firebox on overnight cooks while consuming copious amounts of adult beverages. A good time was had by all but not a lot of good Q came of that especially early on. I once had a pretty condescending and dismissive attitude towards pellet smokers. I have had strong interest in insulated cabinets the last few years and think it would be a happy medium between stick burners and pellet smokers if not for the fact that the size units that speak to me are rather pricey. If i am honest with myself I don't know if I am up for all nighters anymore at 58 yrs old.

That being said I have had my eye on LSG's 20X42 stick burner although I know nothing about it first hand.

[GRailsback]

I understand where you are coming from. Do your research, get something a little bigger than you think you need. you can't take that money with you. There are times, and this may very well be one of them, when it is easier to ask for forgivnesss, than it is for permission.

Good luck.

[limey]

Yoder pellet cookers are all they make, Gator and PitsNSpits are primarily offset cookers and are new to the pellet industry. Have seen a couple of Yoder’s and I’am impressed with them. Gator makes some of the best offset pits in the business but I don’t have any info on there pellet cookers. Good luck on your purchase.

[Boots]

I would through in the Rec Tec name as well, have seen one and it looks like a really well built unit. If I recall right, that was the weapon of choice for the late, great BondoBill

[verapx]

Yoder also makes offset smokers. I have a Gator Pit 2436PC, in fact mine is the first 2436 made. I use mine for BBQ’ing anything from brisket to pork chops and it’s also great at doing hamburgers too. I haven’t done any grilling with it and won’t because I have grills for that. It’s built like a tank and cooks great. I’m very happy with it. Mine has tons of room as it’s a 24x36. Good luck on your decision.

[DoubleBull]

I appreciate all the input gentleman. I have noticed Pitmaker in Houston has a pellet cooker now. Looks to be a nice pit. "introductory price of $1895" They have yet to return a email regarding whether or not there is an integrated food probe or a port to use your own.

Is there any particular models that put out smoke more consistent than others? I expect a reduced smoke profile. I can accept a bit more subtle smoke flavor but I am not interested in barely noticeable smoke profile. Could they not employ two fire pots? One to maintain temps and another to run at lower temp to consistently smolder? That's probably simplistic on my part. I love the idea of the convenience, but am not quite sold on the execution of these designs as smokers. Wish I knew someone that had one around here to experiment with or consume some of the end product but I do not.

[astrohip]

If you are looking in that price range, I would look at the Camp Chef models. I have their Woodwind SG (along with the sear grill), and it is a superb unit. After a year, I have no problems, and plenty of cooks on it. Just did a brisket last weekend, that was one of my best yet. I like that I can put it on at 11pm, let it low & slow all night long without having to feed it, then continue the next morning when I wake up. I took it off about 1pm, let it rest until 6pm. Never had to refill the hopper.

As for your question about smoke profile, I actually like the pellet grill better. With my previous smoker, an Old Country stickburner, I found the smoke profile inconsistent. Different quality woods, different cook temps, even the ambient temp & wind, could dramatically change the smoke flavor, not always for the good. The Camp Chef (and probably most decent pellet grills) give you all the smoke you need, but in a consistent fashion. I find the smoke ring is still there, and the flavor is better. I never had a brisket as good on the stickburner as I did last week on the pellet grill. Probably because temp control is easier on a pellet grill, making it MUCH easier to have a very long, low & slow cook. In my case, well over 12 hours. At the exact temp I wanted.

I looked at a lot of high-end pellet grills--Yoder, Traeger, etc--and ended up with Camp Chef. Easy to clean, with a one-step ash removal system, plus a grease drip bucket for ease of grease removal. Three temp probes, one surface, two internal meat probes. Ability to empty the hopper with one step if you want to change pellet wood profile. Huge hopper, for overnight cooks.

Good luck hunting!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/eZ2bDBNSm6HPyhFd6

[DoubleBull]

Fired up the 22 1/2 WSM Friday night And smoked a 15 lb brisket and 10 lb butt. Turned out great...a fine cooker but all the disassembly to move to area I like to cook at and reassembly...cook and then cleaning the water pan and the whole rigamarole to access the lower grate....yep I am done with it. Have used my WSM 's happily for 14 years but I am at that point mentally that it just feels like a tedious chore. A quality pellet smoker is definitely in my immediate future. Signed,sealed and delivered.

[DoubleBull]

Astrohip that is some good looking Brisket.

[astrohip]

Astrohip that is some good looking Brisket.

Thanks! Surprisingly, the actual cut wasn't very high quality. A large fatty streak thru the middle, bigger than you would expect on a brisket (thank you HEB ). But the smoke/cook was so good, it overcame it. But I had to slice out about 20% of the final result because of the fat strip.

Who knows, maybe that was what made it my best brisket ever.

[DoubleBull]

A little update on my journey. I have narrowed it down to Pitts and Spitts and Yoder YS640 competition, with the Yoder being my favorite mostly because it looks so sexy on that comp cart even though I think the P&S is the better built of the two. The other horses in the race (Rec Tec RT700 & YS1500) are fading fast for different reasons even though I think the Rec Tec would be a sound enough choice especially with the platinum package that throws in all the goodies you could want and some that I don't (that funky smoker box), and comes in at a price point that is about equal to the starting price point of two of my choices making the "value choice" does not raise my pulse all that much.

The boy's heart in me says go for the sports car dude!
The practical miser in me says get the reliable family car.
Me thinks though that boys buying toys who have options don't go practical.

[roaniecowpony]

I'm also in the pellet grill market. I've been looking at them for 10 years now. My yard has an offset stick burner, a couple insulated kamado types and some UDS drums that are long gone. The entertainment value of sitting up all night is also long gone.

I'm homing in on a RecTec RT700. I also looked at as many of the others on the market as I can find. While I have great respect for the craftsmanship of Yoders smokers, I'm also done with 400lb + carbon steel smokers . Anything that heavy is essentially a stationary object once it gets in my yard, since I can no longer move anything that heavy. I'm old and getting older, not younger. Stainless steel has 1/4th the thermal loss that equivalent thickness carbon steel has. Stainless doesn't rust. If RecTec would make all the cart components from stainless, I'd be even happier, since my stuff sits out and I'm 2 miles from the ocean. But at least all the internals and cabinet is stainless. The P&S stainless pellet grills look interesting. They make a few all stainless models, cart and all. I may take a trip to look at their pellet grills.