New guy looking for advice

[zackly]

I have been smoking in a Bradley Electric for several years. I’m getting ready to retire & want to step up my game with a new smoker. I am a fairly accomplished chef, having graduated from the CIA in the mid-seventies & worked in the industry for many years. Food & cooking are my passion.
I am uncertain as to which type of smoker to buy.
I love the “set it & forget it” convenience of the Bradley but it’s smallish & does not produce the smoke ring & bark I seek. I prefer a smoker that is somewhat “automatic” & does not need to be tended constantly.
I am attracted to LP gas fired smokers because you, seemingly, get a lot for your money & their heat source is powerful so smoking in New England winter weather is less problematic. My big issue is lack of temperature control. I’ve researched this a bit & it seems that no home gas smokers come with thermostats. Why is this?
I also cook sous vide & have a rig including a temperature controller PID & immersion circulator/heater both from Fresh Meal Solutions in Canada. I do some hybrid
barbecue/sous vide cooking where I first smoke the meat, vacuum seal it in a bag, then water bath cook it @ low temperature for up to two days. Pulled pork, short ribs & chuck roasts are awesome this way. Precise temperature control is also important using this method.
Does anyone know of a way to automatically regulate temperatures in a gas smoker, say to +/- 5 degrees F.? I have read on barbecue forums where some technically adept cooks have cobbled together such systems but they are expensive & way past anything I would want to attempt.
Pellet smokers have now come on my radar thanks to Meathead @ Amazing Ribs.
I’ve never seen a Traeger Pellet Smoker but plan to at the end of March when they are doing a Costco road show in Waterbury, CT. I would be interested in either the Lil Tex Elite or the next larger size The Texas (model #075). These both cost more money than I want to spend but I will consider them if a less expensive option does not exist. Pellet smokers in general seem very expensive for what you get compared to gas grills. Maybe because of far less demand they are able to keep prices high?

I should add that I don’t intent to grill anything with my smoker. I have a gas grill for this purpose.
What are your opinions of the Traeger? Can you recommend other pellet smokers?
Thanks for your time and help!
Jerry

 

[So Cal Smoker]

First off welcome to the forum Jerry. You may not intend to grill anything now but after you familiarize yourself with a Pellet Grill you very well may. Keep one thing in mind Jerry, you get what you pay for, yes some of the Grills/Smokers seem very expensive but do your homework and see what they are made of and what they offer. Good luck and good smoking.

 

[zackly]

Thank you!
I agree with your statement about quality but I'm reading online that there are container loads of Traeger clones from China (where Traeger makes their smokers) being offered I'd like to find one of these.
I'd be real pissed if after I spring for a grand, I see a generic equivalent for $300-400.

 

[TentHunter]

Welcome to the forum Jerry!

It's a great place to hang out.

Now onto your inquiry. I've been seeing these Traeger knock-offs listed around the web at supposed bargain prices.

Here's the rub: It's easy to SAY they're made in the same factory, BUT this has NOT been confirmed not even by Traeger. There's virtually no info on this Avaditi brand name and no mention about any kind of warranty anywhere they're being sold, not even on Avaditi's own website.

On a hunch I called Traeger and inquired about these grills. They were shocked! They had never even heard of Avaditi grills and assured me that these cannot be Treager grills unless they're being made without their consent. I was told they'd check into this immediately and was thanked profusely.

Here's the big question; Do you want to support an economy that allows such blatant stealing of another company's products & technology?

I sure don't!

It looks like Sending manufacturing over-seas may have just bitten Traeger in the hind quarters!

 

[Big Poppa]

YOu are a cia trained chef...you either get a back yard toy or a serious cooks tool....The most expensive thing people do is start with a cheap grill that has zero resale...

 

[Salmonsmoker]

BP is right. I'm in the construction trade. I buy good tools once and then don't have to replace them every year(like others I know). You don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish. An old English term, but fitting. ,

 

[MossyMO]

You are a cia trained chef...you either get a back yard toy or a serious cooks tool....The most expensive thing people do is start with a cheap grill that has zero resale...

Well said... If given a choice of either or, I would rather have a proficient grill/smoker and lower quality meat than have a lower quality grill/smoker attempting to justify better quality meats.

Have the right tool for the job...

 

[ACW3]

Welcome from North Carolina. I have a MAK 2 Star that I bought several years ago. The MAK 1 Star was not available at the time. While the 1 Star costs more than the Traeger, the support system is superior. American made and American supported. With the Pellet Boss you can set it and forget it. You'll get wonderful smoke flavor and great bark. Either the 1 Star or the 2 Star would be an investment. Get the right tools for the right job.

Art

 

[zackly]

With all due respect you guys are missing my point. Maybe these are or are not generic equivalents. If they are and can be had for say $300-400 then it would be difficult for me to justify paying twice as much. Traeger made a decision to move production to China. They cast the first stone. If the Chinese are now knocking these off & they are of reasonably equivalent quality (I don't know if they are) & selling them for under $200, wholesale then they've got a huge problem. I have to believe that Traeger is not acutely aware of what's going on with their competition or they've got their heads disastrously stuck in the sand. I'm sure they are panicking internally if in fact this is true. Once the word gets out that there is a much cheaper generic equivalent & they start losing sales they will have to react most likely by cutting their prices/profit margins (which apparently is huge). That's common business sense. It's hard to keep secrets for long in the world today with the internet.
You guys are the smoking gurus. I'm a newbie. To me an outsider, these pellet smokers seem drastically overpriced for what they are.

 

[zackly]

Corerection: In my earlies post I wrote "I have to believe that Traeger is not acutely aware of what's going on with their competition or they've got their heads disastrously stuck in the sand". I meant to say... "I have to believe that Traeger is acutely aware of what's going on with their competition or they've got their heads disastrously stuck in the sand"

 

[Big Poppa]

zackly I get it..you should buy one of the cheap ones...the great tools still command value...MAc , Messermeister kmnives, rolls royce,

What we were trying to do is say that you know wheat you are doing and we dont believe that even though there are yugo smokers out there we dont think that they would satisfy you...only one way to find out...

Let us know how it goes!

 

[MossyMO]

Traeger doesn't care.
They have the Chinese build their product because they value profit over quality. (period)

 

[TTNuge]

Many of us here started on a Traeger and moved up to a MAK or a Memphis because of the features and quality that is built in to each and every one of these grills. If you really research the grills and the companies the. You would understand that. I would never go back to a Traeger personally and I can't imagine a Chinese knockoff of a Chinese attempt of an American product would be any better. There are quite a few of us here on this forum that met and cut our teeth on a Bradley and most of us now own a MAK.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TentHunter]

If they... can be had for say $300-400 then it would be difficult for me to justify paying twice as much...

To me an outsider, these pellet smokers seem drastically overpriced for what they are.

Understood! Let's put this more in perspective from your trade's point of view:

Many folks, as outsiders, think a restaurant that serves quality food is also drastically overpriced for what it is.

Let's say you create a signature dish in your restaurant using fresh, high quality ingredients and properly season & prepared it with the proper tools & time needed. That dish becomes a hit with customers.

Now, a sous chef, whom you entrusted, decides he want's to cash in on your creation. He copies your recipe only using cheaper pre-packaged & canned products then sells them from a cart on the sidewalk near your restaurant. He cut out the middle man & cost.

How can I justify going into your restaurant and paying full price when I can get a similar product on the street?

Answer that and I think you'll understand where we're coming from:


Whatever you decide, be sure to hang out with us. You can probably teach us a thing or two about cooking methods!

 

[Patrick_CT]

Welcome to the group! Do you live in CT? I bought a MAK last year and love it. I am in Southbury CT and if you want to see the difference from the traeger to the MAK we can probably arrange it. No matter what you buy you will be welcome here, this is a great group of people.

 

[So Cal Smoker]

Buy american

 

[zackly]

I understand your analogy but it doesn't apply to my situation. I'm talking about true apples to apples comparisons only. If the exact same grill (Traeger) is available generically for -50%$ then I'd have to consider it.

 

[zackly]

Thanks, I live in Norwalk but am a Stamford native.
I'd love to buy a MAK but they're out of my price range.
Are there any good pellet smokers around $500 or so?
Thanks!

 

[Big Poppa]

in a word no.

 

[HoDeDo]

If you are wanting 5 degree swings, even temps across the cooker, low maintenance, and ease of use, I would say no.

Traeger has been building pits for ages, the knockoffs are just that. Knockoffs... Traeger made a decision to try to compete with the knockoffs, and sell to the guy that wants a sub $1000 pit. So they moved production to china. In doing that, they went from Welds to rivets, and bolt ons, Thinner metal, cheaper paint, cheaper components. The additional knockoffs, to get to a lower price point are doing that to a new level... thinner metal still, less baffling, etc. Think about gas grills - since you are familar with them. An original Weber Summit. - There are knockoffs... but they just dont hold up the same... sure it is a stainless burner, "check" BUT - lower grade stainless that corodes, so you still end up replacing it. Porcelain coated grates - "check" BUT - they are not as thickly coated/bonded as well... so that coating flakes/pits much sooner... Exterior paint... same story... so it can look EXACTLY like one... but in 18 mos, it obviously isnt one.

Traegers on a good day can jam, eat fuel (compared to other pits), have a tighter temp range (175-450), and a good one, will swing temps roughly 25 degrees +/- -- because the digital controller is based on an analog thermostat. So with lower grade components, expect bigger swing, more hot spots, igniter to go out sooner, fan to go on fritz, lighter weight auger motor... etc.... anything to bring cost down. If you are fine with that - go for it... But I don't care if looks exactly the same, and rolled out of the same factory or not... the components in it will not be the same. It simply isnt possible. Look at allt he knock off Big Green Egg or Primo wanna bes out there.... Look the same... but cheaper components/makeup.... and they didnt hold up. Those companies are now gone.

You will experience the same thing here.