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Product Reviews and Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards
 These are highly recommended products that I have tested personally or that have been tested by reliable sources. Awards are based on features, quality, and value. Rest assured that when I recommend a product, it is really because I like it, not because someone has paid me to say so or because the company is an advertiser or sponsor. I purchase most products I review although occasionally suppliers send me samples.
Manufacturers: Contact Meathead for permission to use this award medallion and to get a high resolution version.
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Shopping tip
When a product is available on Amazon.com, I often provide a direct link. Amazon.com often has the best prices anywhere, even better than many manufacturers' websites. That's because manufacturers know that if they undercut retailers, these important resellers may drop their products.
Full disclosure: Amazon.com pays me a small finder's fee when you purchase from them after clicking on a link here, so purchasing from them helps underwrite the cost of operating AmazingRibs.com. But low prices, fast delivery, and good refund policies are the real reasons to buy from Amazon.com. In fact, if you like all the info I give you for free and would like to help me buy charcoal, copy this url link and bookmark it: http://tinyurl.com/yazmwlq
It takes you to Amazon.com and tags anything you buy with my code so I get that small commission. It works on anything from grills to diapers and it has zero impact on the price you pay.
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Buying Guide, Reviews, and Ratings of Pellet Smokers and Grills
Hardwood pellet smokers are a nifty, if expensive, option. They burn wood, so the flavor is great, and they are pushbutton easy with set it and forget it simplicity.
Pellets look like rabbit food. They are about the width of a pencil and as long as two erasers. Pellets are made by compressing hardwood sawdust. They have no additives or binders, and if they get wet they turn into a pile of wet sawdust. They are an excellent source of compact energy and smoke flavor, and because you can precisely control the amount of fuel you can control the temp. No hot coals, no flareups.
Because they burn a form of wood, pellet smokers are allowed in BBQ competitions and they have been winning top prizes at many of them. A commercial Fast Eddy's smoker won the top prize at the very prestigious Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in 2004. FECs are always in the top 10 at major competitions, and some have even considered banning them. Too easy.
Fast Eddy's are strictly smokers, but Traegers, Louisiana Grills, and American Grills are both smokers and can crank up high enough to be grills. A nice advantage. The Traeger's are known for their accurate temperature control, better than the Louisiana Grills. On the other hand, Louisiana Grills can achieve higher temps and heat up faster. On the downside, the burner, called the "pot", tends to create a hot spot on many pellet burners.
Before buying, please note that most pellet smokers need access to electricity to run the auger that transports the pellets to the firebox. Some also use an electric convection fan that circulates the air in the cooking chamber.
Pellets are available from a number of sources because they are becoming popular for use in heaters, so if you are worried that you will be buying a gizmo that might be worthless someday if the pellet supply runs out, I think it is unlikely. Pellet suppliers include BBQr's Delight, Traeger Industries, and Bear Mountain. Pellets are made from different woods, each of which imparts a distinctive flavor to the meat. Hickory, oak, maple, alder, apple, cherry, hazelnut, peach, and mesquite are among the flavors available. Pellets run from $20-30 for a 20 pound bag, plus shipping. For more about pellets, read my article, The Zen of Wood.
American Grills
This company makes a beautiful stainless steel unit that is both a gas grill for when you want to sear steaks, and a pellet smoker for ribs and other smoked foods. It is thermostat controlled and the manufacturer claims it has a range from 90-600F! Made of 16 gauge 304 stainless steel, it looks beautiful and looks to be beautifully designed and crafted. American Grills.
Fast Eddy's Cookers by Cookshack
Cookshack's Fast Eddy models, designed by Ed "Fast Eddy" Maurin, winner of scores of BBQ competitions, are the best commercial pellet burners, the one pictured here is the smallest, the FEC100. This is the smoker that competition teams dream about when they are sleeping in a tent next to their smoker so they can get up at 3 a.m. and shovel in more coal. The others are much larger rotisserie commercial units. They are so good that, in 2004 a team from England used one to defeat the best American teams at the Jack Daniel's World Championship International Barbecue. England!
With the digital controller FEC users can preset the cooking time and temp, the holding temp for when it s done cooking, and let the smoker do the rest. With the optional meat probe users can cook to the desired meat temperature, and then the smoker automatically drops to the holding temp. Although it uses pellets the Traeger pellet feeder still needs electricity to ignite them, but the FEC100 can be powered by an automobile cigarette lighter socket and it can also be run off a deep cell marine battery using an inverter. This is what you see a lot of competition cooks are doing. Fast Eddy's Cookers by Cookshack.
Louisiana Grills Little Louie
Louisiana Grills are second generation pellet burners with several innovations such as double-lined hoods for better heat retention and cold-weather cooking, thermostat controls, a full range of temperature options from 200-500F, and an on/off switch for generating smoke. The combustion-air fan also circulates oven air, making it a convection oven to reduce hotspots although I have heard users say there is still a hotspot. They have innovative heat diffusers and flareup reducers above the firepot, cast-iron grill grates, and easy ash and grease cleanout from the front. I have heard that it does not hold temp as steady as a Traeger, but it gets hotter and is better for grilling meats such as steak. Little Louie is 46" high x 40" wide x 25" deep and has 204 square inches of cooking surface. 26,000 BTU. Heavy-duty locking casters.
Louisiana Grills Kentwood. Similar to the Little Louie above, only larger: 48" high x 46" wide x 30" deep, 45,000 BTUs, 408 square inches cooking surface. Comes with a recipe booklet, user guide, 20 pounds of pellets. The lower door shown here is optional. This is the size that seems most sensible to me, especially for the price, so that's why it wine the "Meathead's Hot Stuff Award."
Louisiana Grills Greenwood. Similar to the Kentwood above: 48" high x 47" wide x 35" deep, 45,000 BTUs, 408 square inches cooking surface.
I have never cooked with any one of these units, but people I know who have used them think they are equal to or better than the Traegers, below.
Mak Grills
Among backyard pellet burners, Traeger was the first. The newest kid on the block is the Mak Grill, built in Oregon. The owners claim it has important improvements in its design, among them a removeable fire pot. That's the burner, and making it removable makes cleanup easier. They also have a door to remove your pewllets faster and easier so you can switch flavors when you switch meats. There is also a substantial warming oven which they claim can be used for smoking cheese. Mak Grills.
Traeger Grills
Traeger popularized the pellet smoker and makes some of the best. They are very highly regarded and owners are practically fanatical about them. Alas, I have never cooked with one, so I cannot speak from personal experience. But here's what I know about them and what I've heard from owners:
The consensus is that Traegers are well built and they are better at smoking than grilling. A dealer I know says "Traegers don't get hot enough to sear steaks properly, but set on two pork butts and a few racks of ribs - oh baby! It eliminates flare ups or sudden temp changes. Set the temp, set your meat, go back inside and set the timer." He warns that there is a hot spot that you need to get used to.
Another experienced user says "It can smoke pretty well, but there is a lot of air leakage and if you have to cook anything for more that two hours the meat starts to get pretty dry. You can set it to make as little or as much smoke as you want and it goes and goes. We use it as our main grill, and it works great for burgers, brats, chicken, pork tenderloins, and even steaks, although it really won't sear them. I can get it up to a touch over 400F on a 70-80F day with oak pellets. Super tasting, no turning, flare ups or burning."
Others say the flavor is different than they are used to from charcoal and gas grills, and more than one has told me they do not like the flavor.
Traeger Lil' Tex (above). Made of 16 gauge steel, this model works on standard household current, which powers a 3-speed pellet feeder/auger and a draft induction fan. This process is controlled by a microprocessor that regulates the speed at which the auger operates. There are three setting: High (450F), medium (325F), and smoke (200-220F). When the switch is on high, it burns about two pounds of pellets an hour. On medium it's one pound an hour, and on smoke, 1/2 pound an hour. During the first four minutes, while the ignitor rod is on, it draws 300 watts an hour, then drop down to 50 watts an hour for the duration of the cook session, less than a standard light bulb. The manufacturer claims it heats evenly because there is a steel heat baffle above the firepot to direct the heat down and away from the meat, and just below the racks is a steel drip pan which also helps diffuse the heat. The pellet hopper on the side of the Lil' Tex doubles as a work surface. The cooking surface is 16.5" deep x 22.5" wide (371 square inches). The entire unit weighs 135 pounds, and overall it measures 49" high x 40" wide x 20" deep. Included in each order: A cover, three ten pound bags of pellets, a cookbook, and 16 ounces of Traeger rubs and shakes. A thermostat is extra.
Traeger Texas Style. Similar to the Lil' Tex, the Texas Style has a bigger pellet hopper on the side and a larger cooking surface, 15" deep x 35" wide (525 square inches). It weighs 190 pounds and is 49" high x 59" wide x 22" deep. Included in each order: A cover, three ten pound bags of pellets, a cookbook, and 16 ounces of Traeger rubs and shakes.
Traeger Professional. The Professional features a front-loading hopper sporting a stainless steel lid/work surface and a stand with four heavy duty locking wheels. The cooking surface is 16.5" deep x 22.5" wide (371 square inches). It weighs in at 195 pounds and measures 42.5" high x 24" wide x 30.5" deep. Included in each order: A cover, three ten pound bags of pellets, a cookbook, and 16 ounces of Traeger rubs and shakes. A thermostat is extra.
Traeger Deluxe. The Deluxe has 525 square inches cooking surface (15" deep x 35" wide), weighs in at 250 pounds, and measures 44" high x 61.5" wide x 25" deep. The pellet hopper and storage boxes on the sides have stainless steel lids that double as work surfaces. The large pellet hopper holds approximately 20 pounds of pellets. Included in each order: A cover, three ten pound bags of pellets, a cookbook, and 16 ounces of Traeger rubs and shakes. A thermostat is extra.
Traeger BBQ Executive. The BBQ Executive has 1008 square inches of cooking surfaces on two shelves: 36" x 19.75" and 36" x 8.25". It weighs 275 pounds and it is available in two configurations, with and without wheels. With wheels, it is 42.5" high x 36" wide x 30.5" deep. The Built-in Model, at right, needs a cabinet with an opening 36.5" wide x 31" deep x 10.5" high. Rather than a three-speed contoller, this model comes with a variable thermostat with LED readout. Included in each order: A cover, three ten pound bags of pellets, a cookbook, and 16 ounces of Traeger rubs and shakes.
Traeger Lil' Pig and Longhorn Steer. These novelty grills, one shaped like a pink pig and the other like a black steer, are a lot like the Lil' Tex. Other than the exterior, one difference is that they both have variable thermostats with LED readouts. Traeger.
This page was revised 1/20/2010
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