Update: I took her home with me, very excited to fire her up!

I used about 100lbs this year. Outside of Chicago I smoke from March to November.

I posted another thread yesterday trying to find a new pellet smoker, mostly looking for a vertical cabinet since I have a large gas grill for general outdoor cooking/searing, plus a 50" custom wood fired pizza over that I can run hold the slab around 700F already (came with the house, learning my pizza arts). Vertical fits my cabana better and I don't need the high heat of a horizontal. Lots of recs. But I see no mention of either the Grilla Mammoth or Reqtec Staq.

What do you all think, which one would you want?

https://www.recteq.com/products/staq-1900?variantId=Z2lkOi8vc2hvcGlmeS9Qcm9kdWN0VmFyaWFudC80ODk3NDQxNTEzNDg3Nw==

https://www.grillagrills.com/product/4001294B

I can't find any comments at all on the Reqtec Staq on reddit or elsewhere. I assume this is a pretty new model. This looks like a direct competitor to the Mammoth. Similar price point. Both have a 4-yr warranty. Both accommodate big cooks, smart WiFi features, similar heat range for low and slow, big water pans.

Advantages of the Mammoth: Double wall construction, pellet dump

Advantages of the Staq: It's twice the weight of the Mammoth (250 lbs v 130lbs), both have stainless cooking chambers. Reqtec usually has a lot of stainless in the build, but it's not published yet for the Staq.

Reputations: Both Grilla and Reqtec have good reputations and fans. Reqtec has a huge fan base, but also a lot of criticism of the post acquisition changes for the worse on the unit construction, and both have good recs for customer service.

What should I buy?

i’ve had my green egg for 20 years. my wife doesn’t care for the smell of lump charcoal cooking and says she thinks the meat has an odd taste. i’ve been told some women can pick up acidic taste on smoked meat. would a pellet correct the situation for my wife. thoughts and please be kind she is a wonderful woman. thx for your kindness.

Brisket from a cook last week. Went with hickory in the smoke cage perfect flavor.

Hi there guys, I'm looking for a recommendation for a dedicated smoker. I really liked the Camp Chef XXL but it's discontinued now. My current backup choice is the Pit Boss DX 4 vertical cabinet. I'm space constrained to 42 inches wide, so thinking of a vertical cabinet, and also because I only want to smoke on it since I also have a propane grill and flat top.

Everyone complains about every brand, so I'm at a loss. I like the idea of having a PID controller. Otherwise, I've read dozens of reviews and they are all the same, with 7out every 10 people loving every model and 3 people saying they are terrible and break immediate. Help me out.

I figure mostly I would do 2-4 pork shoulders, or a few racks of ribs, or a full filet of salmon. I only have about 42 inches free in my cabana. I'm a little reluctant to put a pellet smoker under my cabana since the smoke may stain the wood ceiling, but I can wheel it out in good weather here in Florida (and if it's not good, I'll figure out a way to reconnect an overhead chimney pipe that was there from the prior owners custom wood burning smoker).

I've had a pellet Pit Boss Austin XL before as well as a Masterbilt vertical propane smoker. Both were terrific. But I haven't had a smoker in about 10 years.

I had several smokers in the past, a cheap Masterbuilt propane vertical and a Pit Boss Austin XL pellet. I thought they were both great for my use, which is mostly cooking 2-4 pork shoulders at a time, some

Edit: I realize I didn't give a price range. I'm going to use this thing 4-8 times per year. Under $1000 is a reasonable budget for me. Thanks for recommending me $3000-6000 smokers, they look great, but not for me. That's what I get for asking experts without limits.

i'm trying to stay under a strict budget of 500$ i know its not much, but im struggling with making the decision i want to smoke a turkey for thanksgiving. I have had my eyes on a few like the pit boss Lexington and a z1? locally there is someone selling a decent looking used Traeger 780 pro. I know its hard to get wifi control in this price range but any other suggestions?

Honestly super impressed with how it turned out on my Searwood. Did 180⁰ super smoke for about 3 hours. Cranked it up to 250⁰ while sprtizing heavily with apple juice every hour. Wrapped at 175⁰ in aluminum foil with two dollops of beef tallow. Cooked for the remaining 6 hours until probe-tender, then stuck it in my convection oven at 150⁰ for 3 hours. Started at 8:15AM, finished at 5PM, rested from 5PM to 8:30PM. Second photo is what it looked like RIGHT before I wrapped it, surprisingly. I didn't expect much bark development after wrapping. First photo is obviously the end result.

I can't for the life of me notice a difference in the type of pellets I use. Doesn't matter the brand or kind (cherry etc).

Is it just me? Things have a smoke flavor, which is good, but it doesn't vary.

Am I just using the wrong kinds? I've tried a few brands sold at Lowe's.

Here’s the description:

Brand new Pit Boss. Bought a year ago went I worked at Lowe’s. It was damaged in the warehouse. Hopper box was dented in. I bought a handle and ordered a hopper box.but they would only send a new handle so I decided to fix the hopper because but tired of messing with it.

Guy says it’s fully functional, just needs a new box. Worth it to take a gamble for $150?

I bought a ten pound pork belly at Costco and invited some friends because it’s ten pounds. Overall review was it was like ribs only more tender and juicy.

I removed the skin, sliced the pork into two pieces, gave it a yellow mustard rub down, then seasoned with Montreal Seasoning. I used Montreal because I wanted to use up the jar. That over seasoning gave it a little too much salt. I wrapped the belly in plastic and refrigerated overnight.

I smoked it for five hours at 275F to an internal temperature of 205F. After removing from the heat I loosely covered with foil and waited about 90 minutes to slice into one inch thick slices.

The ends were a little hard so I chopped those and it was great. I will do this again with a spicy rub and maybe a glaze at the end.

I just acquired a used recteq backyard beast 1000 for $400 and love it, but I find that its not great at searing. I have an opportunity to buy a used pit boss phoenix for around $100. I've read about the issues these have, but im curious how well it works as a grill more so than a smoker and if the price tag is worth it

I know it’s that time of year when everybody starts doing over the top chili has anybody else done any other types of chilies? I’ve smoked beef stew chunks then put them in the chili. Has anybody tried smoking like white chicken chili or others?

I finally ditched my Webber smoke for for the Recteq Flagship. The great is very consistent but I was wondering if anyone has put a damper in the smoke stack to retain more smoke?

Any other customization or modification you are proud of?

I finally ditched my Webber smoke for for the Recteq Flagship. The great is very consistent but I was wondering if anyone has put a damper in the smoke stack to retain more smoke?

Any other customization or modification you are proud of?

beef chuck ribs. Turned out great with Pecan Wood in the smoke cage.

I noticed that the fiberglass gasket connecting the auger tube has exposed fiberglass strands I’ve tried to find the part through Z grills, but I can’t find it. Is there any simple fix I can do ? possibly putting some high temp silicone on the fiberglass or how do I go about this I patted the fiberglass down, but before that it looked all fuzzy.

I tried it for the first time today and my family was elated.

They often share memes regarding when dinner is going to be ready off the smoker. We all know what they are, four hours later than you tell them

Not today, though. Gentlemen and ladies, not today.

I loaded up the pit boss and got a 9 pound pork shoulder, bone in, at 8:45 AM. Set it at 275 and literally didn’t touch it again. My Wi-Fi alarm went off at about 5:30 and I was it 200° at its deepest part. I removed the probe and checked it with my manual thermometer, and it was tender the whole way through except in one spot at its deepest point. I pulled it off, let it rest for a half hour in the microwave and pulled it.

Family couldn’t believe they actually had dinner at a reasonable time and it was absolutely as good as any other one I’ve done for 14 hours at 225.