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Last post 2 years ago by tailgater. 16 replies replies.
Pit Boss 700FD
tailgater Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 06-01-2000
Posts: 26,185
Just picked one up.
Neighbor had it a couple years but wanted to "upgrade".
So I bought it for $100.

Like new. With some extras.
Smoke stack installed. Cover. extra grates. Bag of competition pellets.

Anyone have one similar?
Am I going to love or hate it?

I have used my Weber kettle and then went to a propane vertical smoker.
I love it, except it can't keep low temp when the water pan runs dry. So I am married to it every 4 hours.

Enter my first pellet smoker.
I envision overnight briskets for those early football games.

And how does it do grilling? Will I be re-gifting my gas grill?


ZRX1200 Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,582
Nice score!
MACS Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 02-26-2004
Posts: 79,747
Depends on you, Joe. I started with the WSM. Also got a Camp Chef pellet smoker.

I used the camp chef less often, and while I produced some good food on it, I could not get the great flavors that I get cooking with charcoal and wood. Sold it.

My buddy had a Green Mountain pellet smoker. Tried my food... sold it got a WSM. He liked the set it and forget it of the pellets and went back to a newer Green Mountain, and he makes good food with it.

You paid $100 for it. Can't really go wrong.
ZRX1200 Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,582
The convenience is not something to overlook especially on long cooks…..I had an electric verticals that was real handy for overnight or cooking while I was at work. Yeah the food isn’t as good as an offset or a WSM or a barrel.

But it was still better than Papa Murphy’s.
Thunder.Gerbil Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 11-02-2006
Posts: 121,359
tailgater wrote:

So I bought it for $100.

Anyone have one similar?
Am I going to love or hate it?


Fucking nice score you made there, TOTG. (The Other TG)

Realistically speaking, almost all pellet grills in that lower price tier are very similar. There are a number of different manufacturers who all buy their pre-fabed augers, tubes fire pits, sometimes even the diffuser plates and grease slides from the same parts manufacturer digital controls are often remarkably similar. Grates all come from the same couple places.

Shape, accessories and creature comforts tend to be the differences.

Pellet cookers have their place. They are simply kitchen ovens. They burn very clean. This produced thin bark and more subtile smoke flavors. Not everyone enjoys "in yo face"*slap* level smoke. But if you do, they can be made to do it very simply

As you said they are very convienient. I've run probably run a bit shy of two tons of pellets through mine over the , six or seven years I've had it.

Some comments on operation later
Burner02 Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 12-21-2010
Posts: 12,876
Congrats on the new smoker! Smoked meat rules.

Timing is everything.

http://www.cigarbid.com/.../Video-Cooking-Channels

And as far as your gaser, I recommend that you keep it. There will be times that you will need it for short cooks when the smoker will not be practical. I have two BGE's and there are times when I turn to the gaser for burgers, chicken or even chops.
Burner02 Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 12-21-2010
Posts: 12,876
In a perfect world, every man's castle would have a pellet smoker, a BGE, a Blackstone griddle and a gaser ( minimum required equipment).
MACS Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 02-26-2004
Posts: 79,747
Burner02 wrote:
In a perfect world, every man's castle would have a pellet smoker, a BGE, a Blackstone griddle and a gaser ( minimum required equipment).


Can't argue that logic...
Whistlebritches Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 04-23-2006
Posts: 22,128
MACS wrote:
Can't argue that logic...



Ditto!!!!
frankj1 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,215
tailgater wrote:
Just picked one up.
Neighbor had it a couple years but wanted to "upgrade".
So I bought it for $100.

Like new. With some extras.
Smoke stack installed. Cover. extra grates. Bag of competition pellets.

Anyone have one similar?
Am I going to love or hate it?

I have used my Weber kettle and then went to a propane vertical smoker.
I love it, except it can't keep low temp when the water pan runs dry. So I am married to it every 4 hours.

Enter my first pellet smoker.
I envision overnight briskets for those early football games.

And how does it do grilling? Will I be re-gifting my gas grill?



due to an ambiguous post by you, other Frank and I (wif our spice/spouses) will be arriving for dinner one night the last two weeks of July.
This could be EPIC!

BTW, TLC doesn't eat meat(s), smoked or otherwise.
Sunoverbeach Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2017
Posts: 14,649
frankj1 wrote:
BTW, TLC doesn't eat meat(s), smoked or otherwise.

But what exactly is the point of eating then?
danmdevries Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,314
Burner02 wrote:
In a perfect world, every man's castle would have a pellet smoker, a BGE, a Blackstone griddle and a gaser ( minimum required equipment).


I have 3 WSM's, 2 Blackstones, an electric smoker (not pellet), and a Chargrill Akorn. I'd like to upgrade the Akorn to a Kamado Joe or BGE someday but I've been happy with its performance for two years now. It just doesn't work for low temp stuff. 300ish is the lowest I can maintain without going out. But it'll do 6-700° real easy.

Dug a Weber Genesis gas grill out of the garbage last year but gave it to my dad. If I'm using gas I might as well just use the stovetop in the kitchen. I can appreciate the convenience of gas, but I've grown to enjoy the process of charcoal. I run all the things year round.

Electric smoker is plumbed into the garage I used to use it for winter smoking so I wouldn't get cold but now I've learned winter smoking in the WSM is great because I can hold low 200's easily. After I pull the meat from the WSM and wrap it I let them finish in the electric box with no worries about temps or fuel.

My next grill build will be a large volume offset smoker to cook with a real wood fire. Been trying to find large air compressor tanks to build with. The big volume propane tanks are a little too big, and would be a trailer mounted setup. I do big cooks at the track a couple times a year but I don't think that justifies the cost and size and fuel etc for a trailer smoker. 3 WSMs does well enough.
danmdevries Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 02-11-2014
Posts: 17,314
Sunoverbeach wrote:
But what exactly is the point of eating then?


I did a few years vegetarian. Occasionally had meat if someone else made it, but predominantly ate vegetarian. It wasn't hard, I wasn't really into grilling/smoking back then and I lived in Chicago without a place to grill anyway. I was very fit, 170lbs. Now I'm not fit at all, 250lbs, and really like my bbq. But a vegetarian diet can be very delicious and just fine for nutrition. You don't need meat, but I'd recommend retaining eggs and dairy. Vegan diets are another beast entirely. Maybe a mental health disorder.

Once you've crossed the line into bbq meats n stuff, I think it would be really difficult to cut animals from the diet. Like a drug user crossing the line to injections vs smoking or snorting. When I cut meat out it wasn't hard because growing up my parents never made meat correctly. Everything well done and unseasoned. To do it today... I don't think I can.
ZRX1200 Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,582
Whole head cabbage is really good smoked.
Burner02 Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 12-21-2010
Posts: 12,876
danmdevries wrote:
I have 3 WSM's, 2 Blackstones, an electric smoker (not pellet), and a Chargrill Akorn.



A large enough arsenal to cook some pig.
tailgater Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 06-01-2000
Posts: 26,185
Thunder.Gerbil wrote:
Fucking nice score you made there, TOTG. (The Other TG)

Realistically speaking, almost all pellet grills in that lower price tier are very similar. There are a number of different manufacturers who all buy their pre-fabed augers, tubes fire pits, sometimes even the diffuser plates and grease slides from the same parts manufacturer digital controls are often remarkably similar. Grates all come from the same couple places.

Shape, accessories and creature comforts tend to be the differences.

Pellet cookers have their place. They are simply kitchen ovens. They burn very clean. This produced thin bark and more subtile smoke flavors. Not everyone enjoys "in yo face"*slap* level smoke. But if you do, they can be made to do it very simply

As you said they are very convienient. I've run probably run a bit shy of two tons of pellets through mine over the , six or seven years I've had it.

Some comments on operation later


TOTG
The Original TG.
I like it!

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