What brands do you like and why? Positive and negatives experiences appreciated.

***DISCLAIMER***I have a traditional smoker that I love and use!!! I’d be adding the pellet, not quitting on the smoker lol.

I would never but Pitmaker and Pitts and Spitts make the best IMHO.

Yoder.

https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/8352785/1

Still have my great stick burner that I love to cook on but bought an Oklahoma Joe DXL last year and love it! I see where some are having issues with things but so far I haven't nor have anyone I know. Tons of space to cook with and have a very heavy metal cooking chamber.

If I was going for ease of use I think I would go charcoal. The new Masterbuilt looks pretty interesting. It reaches 225°F in 10 minutes or 700°F in 15 minutes and the gravity fed hopper holds 10 lbs. of lump charcoal or 16 lbs of briquettes for up to 8 hours of use. You can control the temp like a pellet grill but use charcoal.

When I had a pellet grill I tried finishing a brisket on that and my Oklahoma Joe Bronco (charcoal smoker) and everyone always agreed the bronco produced a way better brisket. Since you have an offset I assume you will continue smoking on that. The pellet grills make a good grill for burgers, chicken, etc. but they don't get hot enough to sear my steaks how I like. They can do good at the reverse part of a reverse sear on a steak though. I think charcoal taste better than pellets and the Masterbuilt would have more uses than a pellet grill. It just seems like a lot to pay when you could just use a charcoal grill.

Let me ask you this. Why are you thinking of getting a pellet grill? For grilling? For smoking and not having to babysit?

Best--Yoder or RecTec
Best Value--Camp Chef woodwind with sear station

Use a smoker tube and you'll get all the smoke you want.

Yes, mainly to not have to babysit smoker as much, consistent temps. Thank you for the insight.

That's the same reason I've thought about getting the Masterbuilt.

I like to start a brisket on my offset for the first 6 hours or so. Then wrap in butcher paper and stick on my Oklahoma Joe bronco for another 8 hours and go to sleep. The Bronco will sit at 250°f for about 10 hours with no need to mess with it. This is how I cook brisket for lunches. If I am cooking one for dinner, I'll wake up early and cook the entire time on my offset. But the Bronco doesn't have a ton of grill space so it's kind of a one trick pony and it really won't run well at anywhere but 250°f. That's why I've been looking at these Masterbuilts for the past few months. They came out last year I believe so I've been waiting on feedback. But as of now Ace hardware and Bass Pro both have over 2,000 5 star reviews on it. Which is more than any pellet grills I've seen. I'm getting really close to pulling the trigger on this one.

I had a Masterbuilt 40" electric smoker and for how I used it and treated it, I was extremely disappointed. It did not last well despite being kept in the garage out of the elements. I'm not sure I can trust them again. The charcoal units haven't been on the market that long. I'd like to know how people feel after 1-2 years. Everybody likes it the first week.

That has been my hesitation as well. I've checked this one out at home depot and it does seem well built. But I want to see if they will get more than a year out of them. It's a little thicker than the pellet grills I've seen. Weights about 40 more pounds than the treager and pit boss versions.

Check out the Spitts&Pitts hybrid. It’s both stuck burner and pellet, so you have the option

We have zero complaints about our Yoder YS640.
It is built like a tank at over 330LBS. It also goes up to 700 degrees to sear steaks, etc…
Not as cheap as some, but also not built as cheap. Getting the comp cart is a plus.

We love ours. Tossed this on today

Good Gawd Almighty, that looks good!!!